236 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



and asked if he would buy some eggs. The keeper 

 said he might, and asked the man to come inside 

 while the eggs were tested for ' settiness.' From the 

 inside of an old kettle nine eggs were produced, 

 and each of them bore a pencil dot. Needless to 

 say, the eggs were not bought ; but the poacher was 

 very much sold. The chances are very much 

 against the most energetic keeper catching an egg- 

 poacher in the act. The majority of ' fair cops ' are 

 due to luck. That is easy to understand. What I 

 cannot understand is why, when there is a clear con- 

 viction for egg-poaching, the full penalty so seldom 

 is imposed. Five shillings for each egg stolen or 

 destroyed is the penalty framed, presumably, with 

 the idea of preventing the offence. My opinion is 

 that the full penalty should be imposed in all cases 

 except when there is a reasonable inference that the 

 eggs were taken to feed the hungry. To test the 

 taste of pheasants' eggs, I boiled one that had been 

 laid only a day ; but I did not think it at all pleasant. 

 A large game-farmer told me that he sold four 

 thousand late pheasant eggs for restaurant purposes. 

 I suppose they would have conferred on them by 

 menu-makers the title, ' CEufs de Pluvier.' 



A good many eggs are stolen by country people 

 to eat. Once, having a suspicion, I was lying near 

 a nest in which were a partridge and two pheasant 

 eggs marked. A boy, on his way home from 

 school, took them out, gave the two pheasant eggs 



