The Confessions of a Poacher. 27 



this way we were brought right into the heart 

 of the land, and our evil genius was hardly 

 suspected. An early incident in the woods is 

 worth recording. I have already said that we 

 took snipe and woodcock by means of " gins " 

 and " springes," and one morning on going to 

 examine a snare, we discovered a large buzzard 

 near one which was " struck." The bird en- 

 deavoured to escape, but, being evidently held 

 fast, could not. A woodcock had been taken 

 in one of our snares, which, while fluttering, 

 had been seen and attacked by the buzzard. 

 Not content, however, with the body of the 

 woodcock, it had swallowed a leg also, around 

 which the nooze was drawn, and the limb was 

 so securely lodged in its stomach that no force 

 which the bird could exert could withdraw it. 

 The gamekeepers would employ us to take 

 hedgehogs, which we did in steel traps baited 

 with eggs. These prickly little animals were 

 justly blamed for robbing pheasants' nests, and 

 many a one paid the penalty for so doing. 

 We received so much per head for the capture of 

 these, as also for moles which tunnelled the 



