224 A GAMEKEEPER'S NOTE-BOOK 

 They bring him rheumatism ; but also an excite- 

 ment that adds much to the savour of existence. 

 Not to know from moment to moment when his head 

 may be smashed in is a stimulating change from 

 dealing with small game whose worst powers of 

 resistance are limited to a dig from the spurs of a 

 winged cock, or a scratch from the claws of a netted 

 rabbit. 



As winter sets in, hares and rabbits are tempted to 

 pay casual nocturnal visits to the garden. To fence 

 the garden securely may be inconvenient 

 and unless the work is done thoroughly, 

 Garden not forgetting the bottoms of gates, it is 

 almost useless. And possibly only a few 

 plants are in danger, such as carnations or parsley, 

 the special garden favourites of hares and rabbits. 

 So the simplest plan may be to wire in the few plants 

 or flower-beds that are threatened. Or a string may 

 be fixed at about eight inches off the ground, after 

 being saturated with one of the fluids used for taint- 

 ing rabbits from their burrows. This is useful when 

 isolated carnations are dotted about in herbaceous 

 borders, or when there are several rows of Brussels 

 sprouts in different parts of the garden ; hares are 

 very fond of Brussels sprouts. 



A mysterious affair occurred in a garden, which a 

 gamekeeper was called in to investigate. It appeared 

 that the inhabitants of the house had been awakened 



