Ferreting 199 



John grumbled at my chopping though he knew it 

 was necessary. 



To set up a rabbit net you must arrange it so that 

 it covers the whole of the mouth of the hole, for if 

 there is any opening between it and the bank the 

 rabbit will slip through. He will not face the net 

 unless obliged to. Along the upper part, if the bank 

 is steep, so that the net will not lie on it of itself, two 

 or three little twigs should be thrust through the 

 meshes into the earth to suspend it 



These twigs should be no larger than are used 

 by birds in constructing their nests ; just strong enough 

 to hold the net in place and no more. On the other 

 hand, care must be taken that no stout projecting 

 root catches a corner of the net, else it will not draw 

 up properly and the rabbit will escape. 



Little John, not satisfied with my assurance that 

 I had netted all the holes my side, now came over^ 

 crawling on hands and knees that he might not jar 

 the bank — to examine for himself.* His practised 

 eye detected two holes that I had missed : one on the 

 top of the mound much overhung by dead grass, and 

 one under a stole. These he attended to. He then 

 crawled up on the mound two or three yards below 

 the end of the bury, and with his own hands stretched 



