172 THE GAMEKEEPER AT HOME. 



of draining, short barrel drains of brick or large glazed 

 pipes are often let through thick banks ; these are dry for 

 weeks together, and hares slip through them. A wire or 

 trap set here is quite out of ordinary observation ; and 

 the keeper, who knows that he cannot examine every inch 

 of ground, simplifies the process by quietly noting the 

 movements of the men. As he passes and repasses a 

 field where they are at work day after day, and understands 

 agricultural labour, he is aware that they have no necessity 

 to visit hedgerows and mounds a hundred yards distant, 

 and should he see anything of that kind the circle of his 

 suspicions gradually narrows till he hits the exact spot 

 and person. 



The gateways and gaps receive careful attention — 

 unusual footmarks in the mud are looked for. Sometimes 

 he detects a trace of fur or feathers, or a bloodstain on 

 the spars or rails, where a load of rabbits or game has 

 been hung for a few minutes while the bearer rested. The 

 rabbit-holes in the banks are noted : this becomes so much 

 a matter of habit as to be done almost unconsciously and 

 without effort as he walks ; and anything unusual — as the 

 sand much disturbed, the imprint of a boot, the bushes 

 broken or cut away for convenience of setting a net — is seen 

 in an instant. If there be any high ground — woods are often 

 on a slope — the keeper has here a post whence to obtain 

 a comprehensive survey, and he makes frequent use of this 

 natural observatory, concealing himself behind a tree trunk. 



