The Confessions of a 'Poacher. 145 



suspicion. Upon the memorable day the 

 pheasants had been fed by unseen hands and 

 had vanished. The only traces left by the 

 covert side were fluffy feathers everywhere. 

 Few hares remained on the land ; the rest had 

 either been snared or netted at the gates. The 

 rabbits' burrows had been ferreted, the ferrets 

 having been slyly borrowed at the keeper's 

 cottage during his absence for the occasion. I 

 may say that, in connection with this incident, 

 we always claimed to poach square, and drew 

 the line at home-reared pheasants allowing 

 them " property." Those found wild in the 

 woods were on a different footing, and we di- 

 rected our whole knowledge of woodcraft 

 against them. 



Here is another " court " incident, in which 

 I and my companion played a part. We came 

 in contact with the law just sufficient to make 

 us know something of its bearings. When 

 charged with being in possession of " game " 

 we reiterated the old argument that rabbits 

 were vermm but it rarely stood us in good 

 stead. On one occasion, however, we scored. 



