14 THE SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



town in the kingdom, v/hence game is distributed, 

 if not as publicly as beef from a butcher's shop, at 

 least with as well a regulated certainty. There are 

 many very respectable persons, wh6 from revenge at 

 being debarred with such litigious severity from en- 

 joying the diversion of shooting, contrive to be sup- 

 plied with abundance of game from either keepers 

 or poachers, in such a way too as to render the im- 

 plication of either party no very easy matter. As 

 the prices of game are understood, so an outbuilding, 

 back window, or some other place which can be ap- 

 proached unseen, is fixed on as a point of contact, 

 or, in other words, of depositing the marketable com- 

 modity, and receiving the price of it. The money 

 is there left for as much game as is wanted in the 

 evening, and in the morning it is found that the in- 

 terchange has taken place. 



There is another strong baneful lure exhibited to 

 the view of a keeper, which the smallness of his sti- 

 pend renders almost resistless : the penalty of 51. 

 (see page 2.) inflicted on a disqualified person for 

 hunting or shooting game, is divided between the 

 poor of the parish and the informer. Litigious game- 

 preservers never fail therefore to impress on the 

 minds of their keepers the reward of fifty shillings 

 for his vigilance : thus, with this prospect staring 

 him in the face, an unprincipled or a starving game- 

 keeper watches for his prey with the keenness of a 

 wolf, ready either by matter of fact, or far-fetched 

 construction, to seize his victim. Nevertheless, the 



