302 BIED LIFE IN ENGLAND. 



interests of agriculture are in danger. I can only attribute 

 this to the general feeling of security arising from the fact 

 that the authorities are at liberty to interfere, and do inter- 

 fere, whenever in any district the game is found to have 

 increased to an excessive degree. 



WURTEMBERG. 



The law here distinctly shows that game is considered as 

 the property of the individual and not of the State. But 

 Wurtemberg being much broken up into small freehold 

 properties, it would be impossible in practice to allow every 

 one to shoot over his own plot ; so, unless a man owns at 

 least fifty acres, or that his bit of ground, if smaller, is 

 properly fenced off, the parish, which is usually also a cor- 

 poration, is owner of some of the woodland, lets the shooting 

 of the smaller proprietors, for their benefit, with that belong- 

 ing to the parish en bloc. 



The shooting in Wurtemberg is not considered so good 

 as in the neighbouring countries of Bavaria and Baden ; the 

 chief cause of this being attributed to the fact that the 

 parishes, though they might let for a longer term if so 

 minded, usually let their shootings by auction every three 

 years ; whereas, I am informed that, in Bavaria, six is the 

 shortest term for a lease of shooting. The natural con- 

 sequence of such a short lease as three years is, that the 

 lessee not being sure of being able to secure the shooting 

 again, shoots very hard the last season, and there is no time 

 to get up a head of game between the different lettings. 



Another clause considered by game preservers here as 

 requiring alteration, is that which allows a man with fifty 

 acres to retain the shooting thereof, as it can happen that 

 a man may have a bit of bushy ground, a favourite resort of 

 game in hard weather, and thus almost spoil a parish 

 shooting district ; and it is considered that it would be better 



