PREFACE. 



Those who delight in roaming about amongst the 

 fields and lanes, or have spent any time in a country 

 house, can hardly have failed to notice the custodian 

 of the woods and covers, or to observe that he is 

 often something of a ' character.' The Gamekeeper 

 forms, indeed, so prominent a figure in rural life as 

 almost to demand some biographical record of his 

 work and ways. From the man to the territories 

 over which he bears sway — the meadows, woods,- 

 and streams — and to his subjects, their furred 

 and feathered inhabitants, is a natural transition. 

 The enemies against whom he wages incessant war- 

 fare — vermin, poachers, and trespassers — must, of 

 course, be included in such a survey. 



Although, for ease and convenience of illustra- 

 tion, the character of a particular Keeper has been 



