GROUSE MOOES AND DEER FORESTS. 267 



foreign countries. From this I learn that " for Norway and 

 Sweden the legal season for killing deer, reindeer, caper- 

 cailzie, hare, blackcock, hazel hen, and ptarmigan is from 

 the 10th of August to the 15th of March." Provisions are 

 also made as regards the young of useful birds or animals 

 and the law of trespass. Such enormous quantities of game 

 birds have been, and are now imported from Norway and 

 Sweden to London, Liverpool, and other large towns, that 

 I think we ought, as Englishmen, to inform the authorities 

 of these countries of what is going on, in order that they 

 may make inquiries into the effects that this spring slaughter 

 may have upon their stock of game birds, and also into the 

 manner by means of which such large numbers of these 

 naturally shy birds are caught, especially as shot marks are 

 rarely, if ever, found upon them." 



Farmers hate many of those rapacious little songsters 

 which compassionate ladies love, and naturalists and market- 

 gardeners have never yet smoked a peace pipe together over 

 the contents of a bullfinch or tomtit's stomach. 



But this, at least, may be taken as certain, that these 

 beneficent Acts are doing good on the whole ; and this is, 

 perhaps, as much as could be expected. 



Regarding game, properly so called, there is as much 

 contention and diversity of opinion. It is some satisfaction, 

 however, to know this is no new thing, and that every 

 civilized country on the face of the globe is protecting its 

 more valuable bird life in maugre of political crotchet- 

 mongers. These amiable gentry seize upon game as " the 

 special luxury of the wealthy," and, consequently, a fit 

 subject for their spleen. They would, if they could, sap the 

 country gentleman's life of all its attractions, expatriate him, 

 and distribute covert and woodland amongst their needy and 

 dissolute following. 



In 1831 the old territorial right in game was abolished, 

 and with this was quenched all substantial grievances of 

 these agitators, since everything worth shooting was 



