234 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



the keeper is lucky to have arrived before three or 

 four birds were seen to fly up, probably from their 

 unseen nests. Times without number I have been 

 obliged to interfere with the innocent pleasure of 

 supremely happy children. When there are ever 

 so few nests and truck-loads of primroses, Fate seems 

 always to lead children to the vicinity of what nests 

 there are. There is no doubt that * flowering ' and 

 nutting occasionally are used as a blind for poaching. 

 But if those with a genuine desire to gather flowers 

 or nuts would only first ask permission, I think few 

 keepers are at heart so churlish as to refuse to name 

 places where no disturbance of game would result. 

 The keeper hates to see flowers picked and thrown 

 wantonly away, or hazel-stems hanging bent and 

 broken across the rides. 



Egg-stealing is the easiest and least risky of all 

 forms of poaching. And it never will cease till 

 greater care is taken by shooting-men to make 

 sure that eggs they buy have not been poached. 

 Hundreds of eggs may be taken without a poacher 

 going off the public road or path. A keeper may 

 not search an individual on a public right of way, 

 however certain he may feel that he would find 

 eggs ; and by the time the services of a policeman 

 are obtained the chance has gone. To be able to 

 swear that you saw anyone take eggs from a nest, 

 you not only must be very near, but have an un- 

 obstructed view (which is not easy to manage with- 



