268 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



they can think of short of direct appeal. For 

 instance, it sounds dreadfully out of tune for a 

 keeper to tell a sportsman that the birds he has 

 just put up for him are 'all just about fine young 

 un's.' Often I have moved away to prevent the 

 impression that I was waiting to be tipped, and 

 perhaps have lost many a tip by so doing. I 

 regard a tip as a present pure and simple, not a 

 tax a convenient medium by which a sportsman 

 may prove his appreciation of the skill a keeper 

 has shown in producing sport proportionate to the 

 resources at his disposal. I have met several good 

 sportsmen who would spare no pains to seek out 

 the keeper, and, not finding him, would go to con- 

 siderable trouble to leave or send him a tip. Here 

 is a sample note which gave me more satisfaction 



than the enclosure : ' Captain encloses a postal 



order for 75. 6d. in appreciation of a pleasant day, 

 and would be glad to know what was the total bag.' 

 I am afraid that I have long since cashed the order 

 and given my wife the proceeds, or it might have 

 been reproduced with the note. 



The most generous tippers are successful business 

 men, stockbrokers, officers of the Services, and 

 solid country magnates. There are, of course, rich 

 noblemen and others who combine generosity with 

 wealth, but they are not meat for the ordinary 

 gamekeeper. Prosperous stockbrokers and men 

 of business, who do not get too much time for 



