THE CHAMOIS 83 



annual bag aggregates between five hundred and eight hundred 

 chamois, while the total head must be over four thousand. 



One is often asked what the cost of a moderately large 

 chamois preserve amounts to. It is difficult to give any hard 

 and fast rule ; one thing, however, is certain, that a shoot, say 

 of mixed game, i.e. stag and chamois, can be obtained for a 

 fourth or fifth of the cost of a Scotch forest. The chief 

 expense are the keepers, whose wages (from 40/. to 50/. per 

 annum) are, however, low. As a rule, the ground is rented 

 from the Crown, and if it has been hitherto unpreserved, the 

 rental is a nominal sum. In three years, if not shot over at 

 all, the game will have increased probably three or four fold, 

 not only from natural increase, but, being entirely undisturbed, 

 game from adjoining shoots will have been attracted. If any 

 Alpine pasture-rights on any part of the leased land exist, 

 these ' servitudes,' as they are called, will have to be bought 

 up or leased from the individual peasant owners. 



The following instance, which may be regarded as authentic, 

 will show what can be done in this respect. In 1866 four 

 sportsmen rented on long lease from several Alpine hamlets 

 a number of adjoining ' servitudes,' and placed three trust- 

 worthy keepers over the shoot, whose sole duty was to prevent 

 poaching. When they started there were between 100 and 

 140 chamois on the place. In 1867 they killed fourteen, and 

 from that on the bag gradually increased until in 1881 they 

 shot 113 head, while the entire bag from 1867 to 1883 

 amounted to 766 head, the average number of shooting days 

 being twelve every year. Their rent and keepers' wages came 

 to under 300/. per annum, and a separate gratuity of ten 

 florins for every chamois killed by the owners offered a further 

 inducement to the keepers to prevent poaching. 



Before the year 1848, the Austrian red deer and chamois 

 preserves carried infinitely more game than they do now, 

 though they still are probably the best stocked that exist. In 

 that dire year of revolution the destruction, amounting in only 

 too many instances to complete extermination by the rebel 



