THE BLUE HARE- POACHING— HAWKING loi 



is not every man that can set it so as to catch hares, 

 and it is by no means desirable to give to those who 

 cannot printed instructions which may assist them 

 to obtain the necessary knowledge. The careful 

 keeper will, of course, watch every ' smeuse ' in every 

 fence for snares— that is to say, where the land is 

 occupied by his employer. Where the farm is let, 

 there is nothing to prevent the farmer from lining his 

 fences with wire nooses. But if there be suspicions 

 of foul play, the only chance is for the keeper and his 

 assistants to watch the snares by relays, till they see 

 who comes to take them up, or to take away a hare 

 caught in them. The watch must be unremitting, 

 and the plan has often resulted in the capture of a 

 poacher of the less wary type ; but older hands are 

 pretty sure to detect something wrong, and to give 

 their snare a wide berth for ever and aye, after they 

 realise that its presence is known to others besides 

 themselves. 



A very common but very dangerous practice 

 among keepers is that of putting a dead hare or 

 rabbit in any snare they find, and lying in wait to see 

 who comes to take it out. Although in nine cases 

 out of ten the man who comes to the snare will be 

 the guilty setter, yet it is possible that an innocent 

 passer-by may be attracted to the spot or be charged 



