44 The Gamekeeper at Home, 



one of their men looks after the game, combining the 

 keeping a general watch with other duties. Pro- 

 fessional men and gentlemen of independent income 

 residing in county towns frequently take shooting of 

 this kind. The farmers who farm their own land 

 often make money of their game in the same way. 



Gentlemen, too, combine and lease the shooting 

 over wide areas, and of course find it necessary to 

 employ keepers to look after their interests. The 

 upper class of tradesmen in county and provincial 

 towns where any facilities exist now sometimes form a 

 private club or party and rent the shooting over 

 several farms, having a joint-stock interest in one or 

 more keepers. Poor land which used to be of very 

 little value has, by the planting of covers and copses 

 and the erection of a cottage for the keeper and a 

 small * box ' for temporary occupation, in many cases 

 been found to pay well if easily accessible from towns. 

 Game, in short, was never so much sought after as at 

 present ; and the profession of gamekeeping is in no 

 danger of falling into decay from lack of demand for 

 the skill in woodcraft it implies. 



