334 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



in ugly glass cases, in close proximity to the masks 

 and brushes of foxes, and we wonder how they got 

 there. If you ask the keeper, he will lay the blame 

 upon the professional birdcatcher, ignoring the fact 

 that these birds are only found on preserved land, 

 which the keeper is supposed to preserve. Moreover, 

 in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridge, 

 where the shooting interests are in excess of the 

 hunting interests, and where the supervision of game- 

 keepers is more stringent than in any other county in 

 England, our rare birds find their last home. Where, 

 therefore, do these stuffed birds come from ? Where 

 does the plumage come from which we see in the 

 outrageous headgear of " smart " women ? Where 

 do the masks and brushes of foxes come from ? 

 They must come directly or indirectly through the 

 agency of the gamekeeper. 



At the present time there is a strong inclination 

 to attack all existing institutions. The War Office 

 is now the target for both responsible and irre- 

 sponsible archers to direct their arrows against ; 

 so that the Board of Agriculture has escaped 

 censure. Personally, I am not an advocate for 

 parliamentary legislation in regard to sport, for I 

 believe that no such legislation is needed so long 

 as the professed followers of sport are sportsmen. 

 But when we have unreformed poachers as game- 

 keepers and retired mercantile clerks as shooting- 

 tenants, there must be friction in the world of 

 sport. Shooting is now in the hands of the game- 



