KEEPERS AND KEEPERING 393 



inspection. A check should be kept on the amount of heather 

 burned, the vermin list should be frequently looked over, the 

 number of traps actually at work should be ascertained from 

 time to time, if necessary by surprise visits. 



To those acquainted with the best type of gamekeeper, it 

 is not difficult to separate the sheep from the goats. The series 

 of disasters which has made all heather burning impossible, 

 the combination of chances which has prevented the traps 

 being set on the day of the inspection, the number of vermin 

 skins that appeared on examination to have weathered more 

 than one winter's storms, the chance which has made the area 

 visited the only badly burned portion of the moor, all afford 

 reasons to show why Napoleon in his wisdom elected to employ 

 excuse-free generals born under a fortunate star. To sum up, 

 a sufficient number of keen young keepers, adequately paid, 

 able to trap, willing to burn, properly supervised by a head- 

 keeper who knows every detail of moor management, should 

 give the required result. 



On small moors where only one keeper is employed, that 

 keeper must combine the qualities of head-keeper and under- 

 keeper ; he must have the knowledge and sense of responsibility 

 of the former, with the capacity for hard work so important in 

 both. Many men of this stamp are to be found, and even if 

 at first a young keeper may be lacking in experience he will 

 soon acquire the necessary knowledge if he is willing to learn, 

 and if his employer is competent to instruct. 



Every effort should be made to foster the sense of responsi- 

 bility in a gamekeeper. The importance of this will be admitted 

 when it is considered that during many months of the year 

 the keeper on a Grouse moor is out of immediate touch with 

 his employer, and, if he chose to do so, might leave his beat to 

 look after itself and to become a happy hunting ground for vermin 

 and poachers. Detection of shortcomings is extremely difficult, 

 for no master cares to spy upon his servants, and the sporting 

 department of an estate is seldom if ever efficiently controlled 

 from the Estate Office. Keenness is undoubtedly the basis of 



