CHAPTER V1 
VERMIN AND TRAPPING 
The worst pests—Poisoning rats—Rooks as robbers—Ten stoats and 
a silvery-white pheasant—Litters of stoats—Stoats and weasels 
and rats—Hawks—Hedgehogs—Jays as sentinels—Owls—Dis- 
crimination—Vermin without end. 
‘Ler the keeper look after the vermin and the 
game will look after itself’ is a saying which has 
stood the test of time. There is no more interest- 
ing phase of a keeper’s work than the circumvention 
of vermin. Dull indeed would it be on a shoot 
where there is absolutely no vermin; one might as 
well use a gun which mechanically prevented 
missing. Though I had to do a lot of game- 
shooting, I enjoyed the all-round sport with vermin 
better. Often have I thought that I would like 
to get a keeper’s berth where vermin teemed. 
I do not mean a place swarming with rats and 
rooks, but holding a good old-fashioned stock of 
all sorts of vermin. 
Putting foxes on a pedestal apart, I found rooks 
and rats were the worst and most persistent pests 
with which I had to deal. It is said that if you 
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