272 THE NEW FOREST 



only had ten days' notice, and was, as on such 

 days as the one I am referring to, favoured by 

 weather, he had every rabbit above ground, and 

 they were well accounted for. 



1897 was a very good year for pheasants, 

 both wild and hand-reared. One of the lodges 

 where I generally reared pheasants was only a 

 mile away from the scene of action, and we had 

 turned out some four hundred and fifty young 

 birds there to stay where they would. The 

 only toll taken of them on behalf of the Crown 

 that paid for them was on such of these birds 

 that came among our fifty pheasants on the 

 day in question. Of course we only shot cock 

 birds. 



We had a good day in Sloden on December 10, 

 1896, when eight guns killed 17 pheasants, 

 284 rabbits, 7 woodcocks total, 308. 



This is the only day I ever had in the Forest 

 where we attained to a total of over 300 head. 

 But I have seen better days' sport, and the one 

 I described on December 10, 1897, was a better 

 day, though the bag was not so good. 



After that, the stock of rabbits in Sloden was 

 pretty well mastered ; a bad breeding year or 

 two supervened, the trees got larger and safer 

 from the attacks of the rodent, and the peril of 

 the rabbit passed away for the time. 



