KEEPING Ur THE BREED. S5 



Many poor men take out a license for the sole object of 

 making money as they would by au}^ other trade ; and 

 from that has arisen the general habit of selling game, 

 which few French gentlemen arc above doing. I knew 

 one person who supplies a great game dealer at Paris, and 

 I was told that he receives from him as much as from 

 800 to 1000 francs per annum, which is a pretty income 

 for a French bachelor. A man in a good country may 

 easily kill 150 or 200 cocks in a season if he works hard ; 

 and, at three francs each, he has, say 600 francs ; and add 

 other game, and you may, without difficulty, make up 

 1000 francs a year. 



But the consequence of this is a mean style of sporting. 

 No matter how they get the game, provided only that they 

 do get it. Partridges sitting — hares in traps and gins — 

 all methods which we should scout as poaching and unfair 

 are resorted to in France in the ordinary course of things. 



Last year, a friend came to propose to me a new method 

 of attacking the partridges. He asked me to fix to accom- 

 pany him to some outlying property, as late on in February 

 as was possible. " I will promise you first-rate sport ; 

 the birds are in plenty there, and we will take only one 

 steady dog, and shall have bags full." " How so? " said I, 

 forgetting myself for the moment. " Oh !" he replied, 

 " you know the coupling begins in the middle of February 

 if the weather be open ; and I assure you the birds lie as 

 well, and give better sport than in September." What 

 barbarism was it not? and folly too; for how can par- 

 tridges be kept up if such modes be allowed ? For my part, 

 nothino* astonished me more than to see the quantity of 



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