PREFACE 
viii 
forbearance upon the principles of fair-play, sparing 
the lives of all females should the animals be harm¬ 
less ; he never seeks the vain glory of a heavy 
game-list. The gunner is the curse of the nine¬ 
teenth century ; his one idea is to use his gun, his 
love is slaughter, indiscriminate and boundless, to 
swell the long account which is his boast and pride. 
Such a man may be expert as a gunner, but he is 
not a sportsman, and he should be universally 
condemned. 
In the description of wild animals I shall 
confine myself to those which I have experienced 
personally. I shall not pretend to attempt a 
comprehensive list of others which I have not 
seen. 
An ordinary book upon “ Natural History” must 
necessarily be a compilation, in which facts, un¬ 
proved, and theories upon a scientific basis, but 
originating in a museum, are the foundation for the 
literary superstructure. All such works are in¬ 
valuable to the hunter and practical naturalist, as, 
without them, he would be like a ship devoid of 
chart and compass. 
I venture to intrude my experiences upon the 
public, in the hope of producing undeniable evidence 
concerning the habits and characters of the beasts 
