134 PHEASANTS 



the sad detriment of tree, shrub, and 

 wild flower alike. The coverts were 

 then walked in line, pheasants were, for 

 the most part, few and far between, and 

 rabbits and hares furnished the staple 

 of the shooting. 



Save only in hunting countries, where 

 the fox must still have his natural food 

 lest worse befall, changing fashions have 

 ousted the rabbit from his place of pride, 

 and there is no call for his appearance 

 at a modern rise of pheasants. The 

 shooting of ground game at any covert 

 shoot worthy of the name is now only 

 appreciated by the beaters, among whom 

 there will always be more joy over an 

 occasional rabbit dodging down the line 

 than in the flushing of many pheasants, 

 any enjoyment the guns might find in 

 the sport being spoilt by the unpleasant 

 and often inevitable risk of shooting some 

 unseen stop or keeper. 



These changes in the ways of sport, 

 together with the effect of the Ground 

 Game Acts — that much condemned 



