198 PEAIEIE AND FOEEST. 



will be your prospects of heavy bags, and more particularly 

 so late in the season, as the population being sparse, and 

 the intrusion of cattle, sheep, and dogs less frequent, the 

 birds still continue comparatively tamer than in the more 

 densely settled quarters. However, it is not convenient 

 for all, nor even would many choose to sacrifice every 

 comfort for the sake of slaughter, and turn a pleasure 

 into a labour, and a pursuit of discomfort ; for living in a 

 squatter's hut is scarcely, as an old friend used to say, 

 " what it 's cracked up to be " : besides, what can you do 

 with the results, a very small portion of which will satisfy 

 your own demands ? For my part, give me from eight to ten 

 brace daily, with means of using them, to the most tremen- 

 dous bags, if they are to be thrown away. Not many years 

 since, when travelling through a remote and unfrequented 

 section of the State of Illinois, I came across a party of 

 young men who were daily destroying from twenty to thirty 

 couple per gun, and as the season was warm, and the con- 

 nection with the railroad difficult and uncertain, when 

 asked by the tavern-keeper what they intended doing with 

 their game, they laughingly responded, "Throw it in the 

 hog-pen," and for upwards of a week they continued this 

 dastardly behaviour. Can it then be wondered that game 

 rapidly diminishes, when persons are to be found capable 

 of such disgraceful conduct ? The only check that I can 

 see, is the organisation of proper game-laws, and putting 

 their enforcement in the hands of honest, reliable men, who 

 will see them carried out to the very letter, the violation of 

 which should be punishable by heavy fines, the greater 

 part to go to the informer. 



