SHOOTING IN NEW FOREST 271 



of rabbits where they were not wanted, and to 

 a sort of claim to a vested interest in them that 

 was wholly undesirable. I deemed it a better 

 plan to take it into my own hands. Where I 

 perceived and I pervaded the Forest pretty regu- 

 larly that rabbits were getting ahead, I set the 

 keeper to work to ferret and to stink out the 

 earths thoroughly in a certain plantation by a 

 certain date. I then arranged to get together a 

 number of shooters, mainly from the ranks of 

 those who had taken licences to shoot in the 

 Forest. I provided a sufficient luncheon, and 

 selected as far as I could shooters of a friendly 

 disposition, for feuds always raged between the 

 various licencees in the Forest. So we had many 

 very pleasant days' shooting such as the fol- 

 lowing : 



Jan. 10, 1895 (Rhinefield). 6 guns. 13 pheasants. 112 

 rabbits. 12 woodcocks 130 head. 



Jan. 19, 1896 (Sloden). 6 guns. 2 pheasants. 204 rabbits. 

 2 woodcocks 208 head. 



Dec. 10, 1897 (Sloden). 50 pheasants. 238 rabbits. 5 

 woodcocks 293 head. 



The keeper who had charge of Sloden en- 

 closure, a sandy hillside where rabbits were wont 

 to multiply, was a man who knew his business 

 very well. He could "show" what rabbits there 

 were in the covert as well as any man, if he 



