PREFACE. 



THE Editors of this book make no apology for 

 presenting it to the public. Until now the Game- 

 keepers of England have kept their experiences to 

 themselves, or have merely dispensed them, in fragmentary 

 fashion, to the village Corydon or the rural Amaryllis. 

 Reminiscences of the hunting field, the turf, the pulpit, the 

 bar, and the stage have appeared in profusion, but John 

 Wilkins is the first of his profession to publish genuine 

 reminiscences. 



After no little consideration, it has been decided to 

 insert the real names of the individuals mentioned in the 

 following pages, with the exception of Major Symons and 

 Jones, the ex-keeper, who are fictitious in name though real 

 in character. Most of them are now dead, but, be they 

 living or dead, the Editors claim that concerning them, 

 nothing is extenuate or aught set down in malice. 



