264 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 
witnessed came about in this way. A sportsman 
turned up at a shooting-party in a suit of so startling 
a shade and pattern that I had to speak seriously to 
the beaters about repressing their mirth. By lunch- 
time we had got a bit used to the suit, but, apparently, 
one of the dogs had not. The sportsman in the 
suit sat down on the gnarled roots of a tree, and 
addressed himself to this dog. I regret to say that 
the dog did not receive his advances in an apprecia- 
tive manner, but walked on, and, as he passed, 
grossly insulted the resplendent back of the 
sportsman. 
There should be better legislation for penalizing 
the owners of trespassing dogs. Year after year no 
end of damage is done to game interests simply for 
the amusement of trespassing dogs. A dog of any 
value very seldom is allowed to trespass; and to 
my mind the mere fact that a dog frequently is 
trespassing is good evidence that it is neither valued 
nor valuable. Half the dogs that exist are an 
intolerable nuisance, not only to the community, but 
to their owners, and are worth no more than the 
price of inferior cat’s-meat. I maintain that the 
owner should be warned on the first occasion that a 
dog trespasses ; substantially fined, with the option 
of having it destroyed, on the second; and that on 
a third offence by the same dog it should be liable 
to be summarily shot. 
