134 The Gamekeeper at Home. 



tions for draining a meadow, and the crust of black 

 or reddish mould on which the sweet green grass 

 flourishes is seen to be but spade-deep, the idea 

 naturally occurs that that thin crust must have been 

 originated by some similar process to what is now 

 going on in the ash wood. Those six or nine inches 

 of mould perhaps represent several centuries of forest. 

 But if the keeper admits the old woman shivering 

 over her embers in the cottage to pick up these dead 

 boughs, how can he tell what further tricks others 

 may be up to ? The privilege has often been offered 

 and as often abused, until at last it has been finally 

 withdrawn — not only because of the poaching carried 

 on under the cloak of picking up dead wood, but 

 because the intruders tore down fine living branches 

 from the trees and spoiled and disfigured them with- 

 out mercy. Sometimes gentlemen go to the expense 

 of having wood periodically gathered and dis- 

 tributed among the poor, which is a considerate 

 system and worthy of imitation where possible. 



Occasionally men come to search for walking- 

 sticks, for which there is now a regular trade. Just 

 at present 'natural' sticks — that is, those cut from 

 the. stem with the bark on — are rather popular, both 

 for walking and for umbrella handles, which causes 

 this kind of search to be actively prosecuted. The 



