JOHN BULL REASONING. 109 



paid this farmer and subsidized that one, thouglit it dirt 

 cheap compared with England, and taught the proprietor 

 the value, not of his game only, but of the right to follow 

 it ; and therefore the proprietor either sells a licence to kill 

 game on his land at so much each person, or else grants it 

 in gross and poaches himself The various English birds 

 of passage also do their part in the work, and not the least 

 part. They come over as tourists, artists, horse-dealers, 

 corn-dealers, &c., but all with the idea that sporting is 

 free, and that they can be off when they like. No matter 

 that they are told that Mr. So-and-So preserves, that 

 the Marquis of B. is very particular; they argue thus: 

 "Every one I know can shoot here; the boat goes on 

 Eriday, and I will have my turn and be off' the day 

 after — catch me who can." And they have their day, 

 and their resident countrymen have the credit of it and 

 pay for it, as all " Anglais " are counted as one : and so 

 the process goes on. When I first came into the country, 

 many years since, everything was free and open, and, as 

 I am well known, I have even now little reason to com- 

 plain ; but the preserving of game is decidedly on the in- 

 crease, and I advise strangers to pay more respect to it, or 

 they will certainly fall into an awkward scrape. With 

 all this, however, it is against the feeling of the people, 

 and preservers are desperately unpopular ; for your Breton 

 is an inveterate poacher. " It's his delight, on a shiny 

 night," and a dark one also; and in spite of preserving 

 landlords and poking gendarmes, he contrives to have 

 game in the pot at most times, and if not there, in the 

 market basket. I question if the regular English poacher 



