BEATERS AND STOPS 219 



when I don't know where to look.' ' But,' the 

 beater told me, ' I casn't see why 'e should be 

 so mighty pertickler, for he don't shoot no better 

 for seein' what 'e shoots at.' 



I often have heard discussed the question of 

 employing as beaters men with a taste for poaching. 

 Of course, no one with any pretension to sanity 

 would dream of importing poachers into a district 

 for beating. But if there are local men who do 

 their ' little bit ' more from love of sport than of 

 gain, and all your keeper -strength is occupied 

 with the day's shooting, I think it certainly is 

 wiser to employ the doubtful ones as beaters. 

 Then you do know where they are and what 

 they are doing. Each of such men is worth, as 

 a rule, two or three of the ordinary type, and 

 will spot game that has carried on and dropped 

 (and probably would be lost) more than ten 

 times sufficient to pay his wages. Besides, being 

 a local man, he is not likely to learn much about 

 your woods and their contents that he did not 

 know before. But should a man be a professional 

 poacher if he is not beating with you, he is certain 

 to be poaching by himself. 



There always will be beaters who are not above 

 stealing game if they see a promising chance. 

 But it is not right, in any case, to expose the 

 men more than is necessary to what must be a 

 strong temptation. Here is an incident that 



