126 DEER-STALKING 



refuge that the rest of the ground is almost denuded, 

 and such a state of affairs is very trying to the sports- 

 man. In these circumstances, it becomes necessary 

 to ' move ' them. The operation should be per- 

 formed by the head forester, who should choose a day 

 when the wind is favourable and take care that no 

 one is out on the ground likely to be occupied by 

 the broken-up herd. It is almost unnecessary to add 

 that on no account must they be fired at. 



The consideration of this branch of deer forestry 

 leads us to another detail connected with our subject, 

 namely, the proper distribution of ' beats ' in a forest. 

 Intermingled with this is the respective responsibility 

 of the men in charge of the different beats in other 

 words, whether it is best to have one head forester 

 under whose orders all the other stalkers must be, or 

 to give to each stalker a beat of his own and make 

 him responsible only to his employer. As a rule, 

 but certainly subject to exceptions, the latter plan 

 would appear to be the most satisfactory. 



If each stalker be responsible to and under the 

 orders of the head forester, he has distinctly to serve 

 two masters, the head forester and their common 

 employer. This is, no doubt, the case in game pre- 

 serving, but the difference between pheasant-shooting 

 and deer-stalking, as regards control and indeed in 



