198 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



How far the death of the sporting appeal to the undetached and inartistic 

 element has altered the relations of eye. It was an interesting object les- 

 landlord and tenant, of master and son in the ways of nature ; but the olden 

 workman, were hard to say. But a man naturalist was gone, who suspended 

 who lays the fences between sport and his step between rise and fall, amid 

 slaughter deserves only such tenants bracken and undergrowth. It was 

 and servants as are well able to look so much pure sport, no longer under- 

 after themselves : and this is what stood in an unsporting age. No use 

 he is getting. A society based on the pointing out the short-sightedness of 

 morals of sport as at present under- the policy : telling that it was blunder- 

 stood, would be hastening to dissolu- ing, and that such a blunder was worse 

 tion. than a crime. The new gunner is no 



Nor, was it enough to have power philosopher : has no patience with 



of destruction never dreamt of when refinements. The order went forth 



the first rules were framed. All rivals to clear the land of vermin, and the 



must be killed out. Once was little land was cleared, 



talk of rivals. Nor was the word Form after form vanished. " Am I 



vermin applied to charming creatures, to harbour the destroyer of my pro- 



The balance was, as yet, practically perty." This was no longer the olden 



undisturbed. The wilds were alive host, who did the honours for all his 



and interesting in varied forms of life, guests alike. The names tell the story 



The animals lived -together in concord, of the ignorant slaughter : the utter 



or preyed on one another, seeing they want of taste or conscience, or sense 



were not made alike. They had to of responsibility. The wild cat went, 



live somehow : therein lay much of In its trail followed the polecat, and 



the interest, and all of the drama, the marten. If others were only 



And no harm was done, but only depleted, it was from no want of dili- 



good. gence on the part of the hirelings. 



The eating of a game bird disturbed The falcons, down to the tiny merlin, 



the commercial calculations. It meant were on the Index purgatorus. Slay 



one less for the bag, and must in no them. 



wise be permitted. To such vile Such is the modern inquisition 



issue had the pursuit come. It was a whose torture chamber is the trap, 



stirring episode, but that made no whose ready argument is the game- 



