INTRODUCTORY 5 



from the beginning till now. We shall 

 find that it is less than a century ago 

 since the little animal, with respect to 

 which these pages are occupied, was much 

 regarded as a contributor either to the 

 pleasure or the material profit of the 

 classes who now take their delight in his 

 pursuit, or find their advantage from the 

 increasing revenues of the moors which are 

 the habitat of this charming member of 

 the feathered world. 



It has been said that the genuine 

 " sportsman " is produced in Britain 

 alone. For what he stands for in rela- 

 tion to our subject he is unknown in 

 other countries. While this was never 

 perhaps an absolutely correct statement, 

 and is still less accurate now, it neverthe- 

 less was true through many ages, and 

 still is so in a modified degree, that 

 wherever wild animals were pursued and 

 killed for sport, this was mainly done by 

 members of the Anglo-Saxon race. It, 

 however, cannot be any longer said that 

 this peculiarity applies to British subjects 



