264 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



witnessed came about in this way. A sportsman 

 turned up at a shooting-party in a suit of so startling 

 a shade and pattern that I had to speak seriously to 

 the beaters about repressing their mirth. By lunch- 

 time we had got a bit used to the suit, but, apparently, 

 one of the dogs had not. The sportsman in the 

 suit sat down on the gnarled roots of a tree, and 

 addressed himself to this dog. I regret to say that 

 the dog did not receive his advances in an apprecia- 

 tive manner, but walked on, and, as he passed, 

 grossly insulted the resplendent back of the 

 sportsman. 



There should be better legislation for penalizing 

 the owners of trespassing dogs. Year after year no 

 end of damage is done to game interests simply for 

 the amusement of trespassing dogs. A dog of any 

 value very seldom is allowed to trespass ; and to 

 my mind the mere fact that a dog frequently is 

 trespassing is good evidence that it is neither valued 

 nor valuable. Half the dogs that exist are an 

 intolerable nuisance, not only to the community, but 

 to their owners, and are worth no more than the 

 price of inferior cat's-meat. I maintain that the 

 owner should be warned on the first occasion that a 

 dog trespasses ; substantially fined, with the option 

 of having it destroyed, on the second ; and that on 

 a third offence by the same dog it should be liable 

 to be summarily shot. 



