1 6 The Confessions of a Poacher. 



country," soon their wondrous detail lures 

 their lover on, and he seeks to satisfy the 

 thirst within him by night as well as by day. 



Endless acquaintances are to ' be made 

 in the fields, and those of the most pleasur- 

 able description. Nests containing young 

 squirrels can be found in the larch tree tops, 

 and any domestic tabby will suckle these 

 delightful playthings. Young cushats and 

 cushats' eggs can be obtained from their 

 wicker-like nests, and sold in the villages. A 

 prickly pet may be captured in a hedgehog 

 trotting off through the long grass, and colo- 

 nies of young wild rabbits may be dug from 

 the mounds and braes. The skin of every 

 velvety mole is one patch nearer the accom- 

 plishment of a warm, furry vest for winter, 

 and this, if the pests of which it is comprised 

 are the owner's taking, is worn with pardonable 

 pride. A moleskin vest constitutes a gradua- 

 tion in woodcraft so to speak. Sometimes a 

 brace of leverets are found in a tussocky grass 

 clump, but these are more often allowed to 

 remain than taken. And there are almost 



