I30 HOW TO STALK WILD ANIMALS 



not been proved to do more harm than good and 

 requires keeping down. In this respect I might 

 specially mention that distasteful pest the Brown 

 Rat, but I would appeal to your manly instincts 

 not to cause any creature needless pain and to 

 kill, if needs be, any wild tenant of the countryside 

 as humanely as possible. 



There is, however, little, if any, need for you to 

 interfere with the balance of Nature, and if your 

 desires be similar to my own you will not find any 

 necessity to tamper with such balance, for it has 

 too often proved already to have become very 

 much upset through unwise interference by 

 mankind. 



Some wild animals, you will find as you come 

 to know them, may be stalked fairly easily; some 

 of them become quite as curious concerning the 

 stalker as the latter is of the stalked ! I could tell 

 you several instances of Rabbits and Field Mice 

 that have, when I remained perfectly quiet, come 

 sniffing quite closely to me, wondering whoever 

 and whatever I was. As a result, I have spent 

 many enjoyable interviews with these country 

 folk and been able to observe them at close 

 quarters as living and, let us hope, as happy 

 creatures. 



Some stalking must be done under cover of 

 darkness, some on bright days, some when the sun 

 is hidden by the clouds; some animal folk may 



