JANUARY 27 



at play on summer nights, or at work dragging out the 

 old bedding and bringing in new to their earths. The 

 field naturalist and the student of the museum and 

 dissecting-room are inseparable allies ; their work is 

 mutual, though distinct, and they ought not to show 

 each other up. How could Mr. Pease tell us, as he 

 does, that the badger is the nearest approach to a bear 

 that England can boast, were it not for the labours of 

 such men as Button, to whom his reference is something 

 short of generous. Perhaps, however, the expressions 

 used by Mr. Pease convey more than he intended. All 

 lovers of country life owe him much gratitude for an 

 excellent little work. 



The claim of sportsmen to be considered merciful must 

 ever remain an absurd paradox in the eyes 



J Mercy in 



of those unversed in woodcraft. All killing 



is cruel, runs their syllogism ; the object of 

 sport and sportsmen is killing; therefore sport and 

 sportsmen are cruel. If the major premise were fault- 

 less, I should certainly not have a word to say in 

 defence of sport, least of all in defence of shooting, 

 which involves more killing than any other field 

 sport, for of all hateful things there is none so loath- 

 some as cruelty. But killing and cruelty are not 

 synonymous, else the whole scheme of animated nature 

 stands condemned. What the shooter does is to class 

 certain wild animals useful for food as 'game'; to 

 encourage their multiplication and protect them from 



