POOR PUSSY! 187 



do — nearly all the landlords and the best 

 class of farmers too. 



The fact is ( I am really ashamed to put so 

 obvious a set of facts before sensible readers) 

 this was exactly one of the things which 

 correct themselves. The only estate where 

 it was ever brought to my knowledge that 

 an excessive head of game was kept up was 

 one in Shropshire, belonging — I write under 

 correction on this point— to the late Lord 

 Forrester. I speak of the early seventies. 

 Well, what was the result ? The result was 

 that, as my informant put it, "they can't 

 keep a tenant." An uncle of mine had an 

 estate in Galloway. '' Look at this corn- 

 field," he said to me one day. It was indeed 

 a sorry sight. " I believe the infernal fellow 

 does it on purpose," he continued. ''You 

 notice it is surrounded by coverts on three 



