62 EEMINISCEXCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



hundred acres of open field copyhold land in the parish, 

 a thorough pot hunter, who shot hares in their formes. 

 The other a coal merchant, was much the same style of 

 sportsman. They must have bagged several brace of 

 my fat pheasants, for I fed them well. These are 

 some of the annoyances to which game preservers are 

 liable unless their estates are very extensive. 



To say the truth, I could not help feeling rather sur- 

 prised when I was informed that it was my noble 

 neighbour who was picking up the stragglers, as he 

 rented very extensive shooting, well stocked with game. 

 "Mais Vappetit vient en lyiangeant,''^ particularly as 

 regards shooting. In other respects he was an excellent 

 neighbour, and kept a princely table. 



Of the other party, I fully expected they would be on 

 the alert on this occasion, as I was not on good terms 

 with the farmer, on account of his being an unfair 

 sportsman. There were about eight hundred acres of 

 open field land ; this we both shot over, as the lands of 

 the various proprietors were intermixed, and only divided 

 by balks of green sward. Fortunately I had about three 

 hundred acres, enclosed fields, wood, and plantation, 

 independent of five hundred of the open field, which 

 enabled me to keep up a good head of game. At that 

 battue, I dare say we shot forty brace of pheasants, for 

 being the last day of shooting no quarter was given 

 to the hens. The soil of this parish was particularly 

 favourable to the breeding game. I could go out any 

 fine day in September, and bag my eight or ten brace 

 of partridges, as there was much turnip and cole seed.* 



* 111 the paper called " The Field," it is stated that in the beginning 

 of 1859, Lord Stamford and a party of seven guns, shot in one day 



