8 GAME AND ITS PROTECTION. 



birds, but the beasts, of game. The huntsman no 

 longer depends upon his brave dog and cloth-yard 

 shaft, but upon his own powers of endurance and of 

 marksmanship. Instead of watching the savage fal- 

 con strike his prey far up in the heavens, he follows 

 his high-bred setters, till their wonderful natural in- 

 stinct betrays to him the presence of the game. 



Where he once rode after the yelping pack, sound- 

 ing the merry notes of his bugle horn, he now climbs 

 and crawls laboriously, until he brings the wary stag 

 within range of the deadly rifle. No more brilliant 

 parties of lovely dames and gallant men, chatting 

 merrily on the incidents of the day, ride gaily 

 decked steeds ; no more the luxury of the beautiful 

 faces and pleasant companionship of the gentler 

 sex is to be enjoyed ; the ladies of modern times 

 except in England, where they occasionally follow 

 foxes, which are rather vermin than game prefer- 

 ring the excitement of ball-room flirtations to out- 

 door sports and pleasures, take no part in the pur- 

 suits of the chase. 



Together with the change in the mode of captur- 

 ing game, comes a necessity for a change in its 

 former restricted meaning. Who would think of 

 not including among game birds, the gamest of 

 them all the magnificent woodcock ; nor the stylish 

 English snipe, nor even possibly the brave little quail 

 unless he can be scientifically proved to be a par- 

 tridge which is at least doubtful! Migratory birds 

 were not included in the sacred list, and the quail 

 in England, as the woodcock and snipe of both 



