THE SPORTING WORLD. 149 



man ; he may or may not wish to shoot, but 

 it is galling to his pride to be told that he 

 must not. Under such circumstances all the 

 poachers in the country might net or snare for 

 all he cares under his very nose. Is it to be 

 supposed he would bring a perhaps useful 

 labourer to him to justice for purloining game 

 that he, the farmer, must not presume to touch? 

 On the contrary, for human nature will out, 

 if he hears a gun or a dog, or even sees per- 

 sons on his landlord's preserves, he rather 

 chuckles at the fact ; whereas were he con- 

 sidered as a humble brother sportsman he would 

 be interested ih, and as anxious to preserve the 

 game as under other circumstances he is care- 

 less about the matter. 



I do not accuse landlords or lords of manors 

 of any direct injustice in what they do, for 

 strictly speaking there is none ; but I submit, 

 with deference, a somewhat different line of 

 conduct would be the better policy. There 



