ON FOWLERS AND WILD-FOWLING. 171 



his presence in certain localities was not desirable, 

 it would have been very unwise for him to disregard 

 that caution. To put the matter plainly, a sluice 

 might be turned on to flood a certain meadow that 

 he was in the habit of passing over, or a plank- 

 bridge pulled up and laid on one side of a deep 

 dyke on a dark evening, the natives in this way 

 giving him his choice between the devil and the 

 deep sea. This state of affairs is happily now 

 greatly altered ; but it is not yet altogether a thing 

 of the past. Rights, or supposed rights, in fowling 

 or fishing, have always been a very vexed question. 

 If the general public can claim these with any show 

 of reason, let them fight tooth and nail for them. 

 Great quantities of rough, broken marsh -grounds 

 have lately changed owners, and large estates have 

 been cut up. What has been the delight of one 

 owner may be detested by the next one. If due 

 allowances could be made on both sides in these 

 matters, between the general public and the owners 

 of the land, things would work far smoother than 

 they do. 



From all I have been able to learn, however, and 

 that from the most reliable sources, the rights as 



