124 The Amateur Poacher 



quick she don't holler ; if she comes slow she squeals 

 a bit sometimes before the wire hangs her. Very 

 often I bean't fur off and stops the squealing. That's 

 why I can't use a gin it makes 'em holler so. I 

 ferrets a goodish few rabbits on bright nights in winter. 



' As for the pheasants, I gets them mostly about 

 acorn-time ; they comes out of the plantations then. 

 I keeps clear of the plantations, because, besides the 

 men a-watching, they have got dogs chained up, and 

 alarm-guns as goes off if you steps on the spring ; 

 and some have got a string stretched along as you 

 be pretty sure to kick against, and then, bang ! and 

 all the dogs sets up a yowling. Of course it's only 

 powder, but it brings the keepers along. But when 

 the acorns and the berries be ripe, the pheasants 

 comes out along the hedges after 'em, and gets up at 

 the haws and such like. They wanders for miles, and 

 as they don't care to go all the way back to roost 

 they bides in the little copses as I told you of. They 

 come to the same copses every year, which is curious, 

 as most of them as will come this year will be shot 

 before next. 



' If I can't get 'em the fust night, I just throws a 

 handful or two of peas about the place, and they'll 

 be sure to stay, and likely enough bring two or three 

 more. I mostly shoots 'em with just a little puff of 



