A FREE-AND-EASY 297 



fluous cocks. These, a dishevelled and more or less 

 tailless crew, he carried just before starting-time 

 to a dell thick with spruce, chosen doubtless for 

 decency's sake : and on a plausible pretext lined out 

 his guns between the dell and a wood. But he 

 forgot there was no natural inducement to the birds 

 to fly in the face of evident danger and all the birds 

 broke away out of gunshot, and so suddenly as to 

 make their recent history all too evident. 



Boxing Day, in many parts, remains a regulation 

 fixture for rabbit-shooting by tenants, local trades- 

 men, keepers, and their friends. Nobody 

 could possibly appreciate the exciting nature 

 of these shoots unless present in person. 

 Easy It is safer to be present only in spirit. 

 Otherwise, shot-proof cover becomes the 

 most desirable thing in the world : and it often 

 seems a wonder how more than one man can sur- 

 vive the day to count the bag. Talking to a tenant- 

 farmer on such an occasion, we noticed that his 

 hands were covered with warts, and suggested 

 remedies. " They b'aint woorts, bless ye they be 

 only shots," came a proud answer the honourable 

 wounds of many rabbit-shooting campaigns. 



At another tenant-and-tradesman shoot we found 

 the guns unduly plentiful there were twenty to 

 begin with, and the party grew as the day wore on. 



