42 THE GROUSE 



must have received a fair education, as 

 nearly all the new race of keepers 

 now have, and be able to express himself 

 clearly by letter, and to keep simple 

 accounts. It goes without saying that he 

 must be proficient in all the technicalities 

 of his avocation. He should, further, 

 study the views and experiences of others 

 as well as be a keen observer in the field 

 on his own account. Most keepers of 

 the old school, especially in the Highlands, 

 have cherished a fine contempt for all 

 book knowledge in their particular sphere 

 of work. It is desirable that it should 

 not be so, and it is believed that this 

 attitude is fast passing away among the 

 more intelligent and efficient men in the 

 keeper's walk of life. It is well for them- 

 selves as well as for their employers that it 

 is so, for great gain is to be derived by the 

 self-taught man, however complacently he 

 may estimate his home-made knowledge, 

 by a study of the works of those who are 

 acknowledged adepts in the theory and 

 practice of game preserving and shooting. 



