134 KEMINISCENCES OF A SPOETSMAX. 



of them up to April 15th. A similar permission in all 

 the departments would be of great benefit to the French 

 farmers, and perhaps something of the same kind may- 

 be sanctioned by the legislature of this country, from 

 the vast increase of game on the large estates of noble- 

 men and gentlemen. It is really fearful to think of the 

 damage that must be sustained on the estates of the Earl of 

 Stamford and Warrington, when we learn that his lordship 

 and eleven of his friends shot in six days 3636 rabbits.* It 

 is fair to state that Lord Stamford is most liberal of his 

 game, and that his friends and tenants are amply sup- 

 plied with it, and a great number of the poor in the 

 neighbourhood have the rabbits distributed to them. I 

 would defy any land surveyor, or first rate farmer, to be 

 able to make a just estimate of the losses sustained by 

 the tenants from this enormous quantity of game, when 

 it is left to arbitration to fix the amount of compensa- 

 tion to be allowed to the tenant for the serious damage 

 done to his crops. I verily believe that in nine times out 

 of ten both parties are dissatisfied by the arbitration, the 

 landlord thinking it too much, and the tenant too little, 

 for money will scarcely compensate a good, zealous, 

 and active farmer for the deterioration of his crops, 

 chiefly by hares and rabbits; but when we find 2461 

 pheasants have been shot in a week, it is fair to conclude 

 that these birds must have had a tolerable share in the 

 injury of the crops of wheat, barley, and oats ; for all 

 sportsmen know that they frequent the standing corn in 



* Subjoined is a list of tlie game killed by this party in the abore 

 period. Total of pheasants, 2461 ; partridges, 17; hares, 349 ; rabbits, 

 3636; woodcocks, 81; snipes, 23; wild ducks, 12; various, 81; total, 

 6660 ! In no preserve in England has, I believe, so large a quantity of 

 game been killed in six days. 



