THE IDEAL KEEPER 19 



he is outwitted by poachers, and is hated by his assist- 

 ants. Knowledge, skill, perseverance, discrimination, 

 firmness, order, courtesy, and enthusiasm these are 

 the eight primary necessities for a good keeper. Know- 

 ledge of the technicalities of his craft, skill to carry 

 them out, perseverance in face of difficulty and failure, 

 discrimination in dealing with superiors, equals, neigh- 

 bours, and inferiors, firmness in all he does, order in all 

 his methods in his books, his kennels, and his sporting 

 arrangements and enthusiasm to carry out what he 

 has carefully planned, modified by a gracious civility, 

 all these will tend to his own, his master's, and his 

 servants' satisfaction. 



Above all things the ideal keeper is humane. His 

 humanity is not only shown by his careful considera- 

 tion of his fellow-men, but of those faithful servants of 

 the chase the horse and the dog ; and if his humanity 

 is of the right quality he will extend his gentleness and 

 consideration so as to prevent unnecessary suffering to 

 the quarry of the chase. The hunting song says : 

 "Though we all hunt reynard, we love him." In the 

 same way the instinct of love and pity also extends to 

 the birds of the air and the other beasts of the field. 

 A cruel keeper is a monster. 



