5/^333 



/$73 



PREFACE 



THOSE who delight in roaming about amongst the 

 fields and lanes, or have spent any time in a country 

 house, can hardly have failed to notice the custodian 

 of the woods and covers, or to observe that he is often 

 something of a ' character.' The Gamekeeper forms, 

 indeed, so prominent a figure in rural life as almost 

 to demand some biographical record of his work and 

 ways. From the man to the territories over which 

 he bears sway — the meadows, woods, and streams 

 — and to his subjects, their furred and feathered 

 inhabitants, is a natural transition. The enemies 

 against whom he wages incessant warfare — vermin, 

 poachers, and trespassers — must, of course, be in- 

 cluded in such a survey. 



Although, for ease and convenience of illustration, 

 the character of a particular Keeper has been used as 



M314G84 



