GROUND, STOCK, AND POACHING 207 



be the result. Yet in many places the shooting goes 

 on exactly the same in good and bad seasons, without 

 regard to the amount of stock on the ground. 



The question whether a large or only moderate 

 stock should be left on the land is one which has 

 divided the best authorities. In my humble opinion, 

 there is no doubt that the verdict should be given in 

 favour of maintaining always a large stock. I base 

 this upon what I have actually seen on different 

 estates, having noted that on those where the biggest 

 bags are consistently made the ground is shot over 

 lightly practically only once in the season every- 

 thing, however, being done on that one occasion to 

 realise heavily. 



I do not wish, not being fortunate enough to 

 possess an estate of my own, to lay down the law on 

 this point, especially as I have found a difference of _i 



opinion between two such undeniable authorities as , 



l*\*.(4e~w P* 

 Lord Walsingham l and,_Marlowe, the latter holding^ (ve/?-|* c**~ 



that you_can hardly leave too\large a stock. I quite 



agree that the moment diseas^ appears you cannot do U-CJ&-N/ *UjJ 



'*) L*4 



better than follow the example of Lord Leicester, and - 



kill off every bird on the diseased ground. But the 



- 

 kind of disease here alluded to is rare, and has 



nothing to do with the ordinary malady of gapes, 



1 Badminton Library, Shooting, vol. i. p. 155. 



