18 GAME PRESERVERS AND BIRD PRESERVERS. 



natural condition of things so as to turn every- 

 thing to his advantage.' The whole of this 

 last-named gentleman's evidence is most in- 

 teresting, and he takes a very wide view of the 

 subject. 



Even Lord Lilford, who is a sportsman, 

 seems to believe in this balance in nature, and 

 states, ' My view is if we allowed the hawks to 

 increase and take their share of the small birds, 

 we should get about the right balance.' 



But this is in answer to a question about 

 the sparrows. We should think that a gentle- 

 man who buys a fine Highland property, and 

 then leaves the hawks to decide what number of 

 grouse should breed upon it in every season, 

 does not act much more wisely than a farmer 

 would, who on settling in Austraha allowed the 

 wild dogs to decide what number of ewes should 

 breed on his land every year. 



But how is it possible that these gentlemen, 

 who know something of natural history, and 

 who advocate a close time for every bird, can 



