250 THE KEEPERS BOOK 



The unenclosed burrows with which we are now 

 dealing are, in the main, used for the purposes of 

 ferreting, and it will be the duty of the keeper to see 

 that there are convenient arrangements made for the 

 purposes of the guns. It is often necessary to do a 

 little clearing in the vicinity of rabbit-burrows, especi- 

 ally when there is much undergrowth. When the 

 burrows are in thick wooded cover, rides may be made 

 not only the wide-open rides as used in pheasant 

 coverts, but smaller ones not open to the sky. Rides 

 should also be made on bracken ground and on the 

 heather land that is used for rabbit-shooting. In 

 the latter case the rides are most useful, for where 

 the heather is thick, old, and long, there is little or no 

 chance for the gun to spot his rabbit, until perhaps he 

 sees it disappearing over the edge of a knoll, or into 

 a hole, a hundred yards away. If the heather has 

 been well attended to, and this is very exceptional on 

 land that is near to the lodge and is used primarily as 

 rabbit-ground, the rides are not so absolutely necessary, 

 and sporting shots might prefer to take their chances 

 without their aid. 



It is often desired to lay down stock on ground 

 that is at present untenanted by rabbits. When this 

 is done outside a warren and chiefly for the purposes 

 of ferreting, suitable ground will of course be chosen; 

 that is to say, ground which combines the necessities 

 of food and good opportunities for shooting. This 

 ground should be temporarily closed in by wire fencing, 



