CATTLE IN THE WOODS 113 



alone that is living and within their reach. We 

 remember a case where a pheasant nested on the 

 outside bank of a wood, and the colts in the field, 

 pushing into the living fence, actually nosed her 

 from her nest, and there was good evidence that they 

 then chawed every one of her eggs. Most difficult 

 of all creatures to keep out of woods are roaming 

 swine. The strongest of live fences offers only a 

 temporary check to their boring ability. And pigs 

 have good noses, and few rabbit-stops and nests of eggs 

 on the ground escape them. If a keeper's woods are 

 infested by pigs he can scarcely be blamed for shooting 

 his own bacon. 



The keeper has an eye for the trim and pleasing 

 appearance of his woods. He takes a genuine pleasure 

 in their beauty. Jealous of the untrodden appear- 

 ance of his secret paths, his annoyance is ill-concealed 

 when the hunt cuts up his green rides. He would 

 cheerfully forego the reward for the finding of a fox 

 if he could preserve his rabbit-shorn sward green 

 and as smooth as velvet. And in his soul is a secret 

 hatred of the traffic of the woodmen's waggons. Their 

 great wheels crush and destroy the promising young 

 underwood ; woodmen, removing tree-trunks, ruth- 

 lessly plough up lawn-like turf ; they have no care 

 and no eye for the young growths of hazel, ash, maple, 

 thorn or brier, to say nothing of bramble and bracken ; 

 and their waggons, carts and horses' hoofs spread a 

 desolation which brings curses to the keeper's lips. 



