8 A GAMEKEEPER'S NOTE-BOOK 



assists young birds through the troubles of feather- 

 growing ; while the first moult is aided by a few 

 crystals of sulphate of iron in water. But oil is the 

 sovereign remedy : castor-oil for dogs out of sorts, 

 oil of almonds for the glued eyelids of blind birds, 

 linseed-oil and laudanum for gapes oil of every kind 

 for every purpose. With corn scented with oil of 

 rhodium-wood the keeper lays a trail which every 

 pheasant must follow. 



The reward paid to keepers from the funds of fox- 

 hunts is a sovereign for a litter of cubs when hounds 



come cub -hunting. Ten shillings is 'paid 

 The Earth- f or each fox found by hounds. And a 

 Feast florin is the keeper's usual reward for 



stopping earths when the meet is within a 

 distance of four miles. These moneys are paid in 

 round sums on a great occasion in the keeper's year 

 the earth-stoppers' dinner. In olden days keepers 

 were full of resources for benefiting themselves from 

 the hunt funds, while saving their pheasants' skins 

 from foxes at the same time. The cunning keeper 

 would induce a huntsman to pay a stealthy unofficial 

 visit to the home of a litter, and after his departure, 

 when a reward had been made sure, would quietly 

 take steps to rid himself of fox troubles. Visiting the 

 earth with a supply of sulphur matches and bags of 

 grass, he would light the matches within, block the 

 holes with the bags, and leave the deadly fumes to 



