274 AN ENGLISH GAMEKEEPER. 



vixen has no work to do, you have done the 

 work for her in a great measure ; she ought to 

 be engaged in taking these rats to her young 

 ones, for, whilst she is carrying a rat to her 

 cubs, she is not spending her time searching 

 for hen pheasants on their nests. Supposing 

 she has taken one rat to her cubs, going back 

 a Httle way she finds another rat, and off she 

 goes with it to her cubs, then she strikes off in 

 a different direction, and finds yet another rat, 

 and back she goes with this one. All this takes 

 up her time, whereas, if you bring your rats 

 up and lay them all in a heap at the earths, 

 you have done all the work for her ; she finds 

 plenty there, so off she goes to worry the hen 

 pheasants, with plenty of time on her hands. 



It is a good plan to kill an old buck rabbit, 

 and lay it where the vixen is sure to find it, but 

 don't take it right up to the cubs ; in this way 

 you will take up her time, in carrying it to her 

 cubs. Again, shoot three or four young rooks, 

 and lay them about, one here and another there, 

 tor the vixen to fetch, and carry to her young. 



If you have a hedgehog in any of your traps, 



