ON THE THEFT OF LIVE GAME. 119 



wlio has no game in his possession, for he only 

 knelt down and pretended to take the game, 

 just to test if there was anybody watching him. 

 The poacher will also make almost imperceptible 

 marks aromid their snares, but at some distance 

 from them, in order to see if since they set them 

 the keeper had been in their vicinity. Keepers 

 ought always to have marks all over their covers, 

 by which they could ascertain if, in their absence, 

 any strange person had been there — a line of 

 worsted, a lightly-twisted bough or bramble, or even 

 a dark thread, would give ample testimony of any- 

 thing of a certain height having passed that way. 



There is a very vulgar phrase very often in 

 the mouths of men avIio ought to know better, it 

 is ^^the over-preservation of game." Now, there 

 can only be one system of preserving game and 

 prevention of trespass, and that, to be of any 

 good, must be strict and efficient in every respect. 

 To get up a certain amount of game and then 

 only half or inefficiently to preserve it, is to put 

 a temptation in the way of drunken thieves, who 

 will not do any honest work for beer, which is 

 the only thing they live for, and really to make 

 a certain amount of ill-protected game an induce- 



