Practical Game-Preserving. 394 



The protection of young poults from attack by foxes 

 at the time they are leaving the coops, and have not learned 

 to roost at a safe distance above the ground, is frequently 

 a troublesome, and maybe difficult, matter to deal with. 

 Losses at this time are frequently numerous, and not 

 always easy to prevent, because, to a large extent, what 

 will alarm the foxes is also calculated to scare the poults 

 and cause them to spread themselves about far more than 

 would be the case if they were undisturbed. Probably 

 the most effective means of warding off the foxes is to run 

 lines of fairly thick wire round the borders of the covert 

 where the birds are, and backwards and forwards through 

 it at intervals of loyds. or i2yds. apart. The wire 

 should lie from pin. to i^in. above the ground, and be 

 neither very taut nor sag. Even better results may be 

 secured by employing small loose-linked chain, a material 

 which can be purchased secondhand at the price of old 

 iron ; this if simply laid about on the ground round 

 about coops, and moved from time to time, will not be 

 crossed by foxes. 



Another device which I have employed with the greatest 

 success, more particularly in outlying positions, for small 

 lots of birds and the like, which scarcely warrant personal 

 watching by night, is the following : I have some ordinary 

 old-fashioned stable lanterns made, but with three narrow 

 glasses, each fitted with projecting shields, so as to throw 

 three distinct narrow beams of light. These lanterns are 

 attached to cheap ordinary roasting-jacks, which are 

 suspended from tree-branches or iron standards, so as to 

 hold the lantern from i|ft. to 2ft. above the ground. 

 The lanterns are lighted, and the jacks set going as soon 

 as the birds are comfortably and quietly at roost. I 

 have found that the revolving gleams of light, coupled 

 with the clicking of the jacks and their alternating 



