PHEASANTS IN COVERT AND AVIARY 



known to take advantage of a coop placed upon uneven 

 ground, by inserting its nose under the edge of the coop 

 and turning it over, there being little chance for the 

 victims when this is done. 



The destruction of enemies to game, in other words 

 the vermin pole, is one of the best tests of the abilities 

 of the head-keeper and his men, and no occupation re- 

 quires to be followed more closely with eyes and ears. 

 The cultivation of these two senses is an integral part of 

 the game-preserver's existence, for without the possession 

 of this commodity no keeper will ever be able to do justice 

 to his employer. The study of natural history constitutes 

 such an important part of a gamekeeper's work, that the 

 author has often thought that there ought to be some 

 qualification as tested by theory and practice for the 

 registration of gamekeepers, and that all keepers in pos- 

 session of such certificates should have precedence over 

 those without such registration. Practical gamekeepers 

 will perhaps feel somewhat amused at this suggestion as 

 to the possession of a diploma, but a litde mature reflection 

 will probably show that the idea is not such a Utopian 

 scheme as it appears. The up - to - date keeper has to 

 combine science with practice, and there is such a large 

 amount, or rather wide range of subjects, directly or 

 indirectly under his control. 



Natural history, forestry, botany, meteorology, avicul- 

 ture, ichthyology, a knowledge of the disease of the dog 

 and the game (pathology), trout and salmon fishing, guns 

 and shooting, traps and trapping, the management of 

 moorlands, and a host of other matters could all be 

 introduced as essentials for the possession of a diploma. 

 Moreover, the keeper's education, in a commercial sense, 

 would be distincdy advanced. However, this is merely a 



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