New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-28
THE RJRALLIFE OF ENGLAND
gY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.
THE GAMEKEEPER.

Fnrlish rural life, and almost speciality OF H. Is
The Gamekeeper Though few in numbers, COM
pared with the men of most other calingS, game
Seepers are found all over the country more or
less of them in every shire. according to the num-
Der of gentry resident in it; for, with shght eN-
ceptions only to The establishments of these is the
Camekeeper AMI attachment But to give inteli-
cibe account of him, his work and his ways IL
will be necessary to enter upon the question OF
game preserving in England with the laws relating
to ii. And first as to the game itself
The tcrq nature of the British Isles that take
rank as gamen both the furred and the teathered
are few in species, the hare being the sole repre-
sentative of the former, though until Ia'eH INV
rabbit had place in the list Deer 'rcu' TOO am"
fallow are in sense regarded as game ou' a
these only exist in q semiwild state III tei'"i
limited districts (chiefly in the highIahus anu
islands of Scotland they do not come "itilin 'ho
scope of this article. Neither do deer kept III
marks. which may be accounted in the same cate
cory with sheep cattle or other doineStcaleu AMI
mails The feathered game consists of the bustard'
,heossnt partridge (eray and red-legged), quail.
crouse black, red and ptarmiganl, wocdcock,
enipe Jack. common, and solitary. and lastly the
landrail Not all Of these found In any one
district of the country at least in large numbers
and in mqny shires several of the species are al'o
yether wanting. The bustard, though still hguring
sn the game statutes, has been long extinct IN the
British Isles; while the ptarmgan is only iound I'D
the north of Scotland. Grouse, too red and black,
are rare in England save in its northern Counties
their habitat being the moor and the mountain.
They are plenteous, however in Yorkshire and
Cumberland, as also in some parts OF wales ana
Ireland; but, as with many others of the game
birds North Britain is the land of their abundance
Snipe and woodcock too. as also Quails, are OF
local distribution and semi-migratory while the
landral true migrant species is scarce considered
either by the sportsman or preserver OF game.
In England the ownership of game, whatever It's
kind is vested In the proprietor OF the lana, ana
not the occupier unless by special understanding
md agreement between the two. This Is the uni
versa theory and practice. supposed to have origin
in ancient rights Of forestry and domain But why
80 so far back for an argument to support the
nrivileeef For If it he not a right of property,
Know not what is. Would space permit could
easily prove this right of ownership in game but
taking it for granted proceed to speak OF the
statutes enacted for its preservation, generally
known As the Game Laws" In England these
are not intended merely TO save the game from
destruction; but to maintain its value as food
commodity, an actual moneys worth, with an eye
also TO the sport in its capture. That the former
motive had precedence in the making of the pro-
tectory statutes is evinced by the fact OF all the
birds and animals protected by them being those
most esteemed as food delicacies. and so desirable
property Therefore "sport" alone cannot be
looked upon as the object of game preserving;
only a conoint and lesser factor with keen sense
of the more substantial money one underlying it.
Whatever the raiSon fetre, the Game Laws OF
Great Britain prohibit all landless people from
killing or capturing game, unless with the leave
of the landed But neither these give permits
sion nor kill il themselves without first obtaining
game license" "game certificate" as the
statutes term it, for which the annual payment is
E3 II not taken ont till November l. after there
have been two months Of shooting, and the gilt
gone of the gingerbread" then the price Is e. In
either case the license terminates with the COM
mencement Of the close season. April ., ami has TO
he renewed for the next wear. This game certih-
cate" has nothing to do with what is called
gun license "-another of those petty Vaccinations
by which England's protective government eXacts
revenue while posing in the front rank of free
trade the amount of the mulct being ten shilllngs
per annum, which gives no right to Kill game, but
only 10 own and carry gun
But TO return to the special subject. For game
prcserving q gamekeeper is Of course required:
and nearly every gentleman owning landed prop
erty has one or more in his employ. If the estate
De a large one and the owner much addicted to
sporting there will he head keeper" under
Keeper" and staff of watchers; these last being
men under command of the keeper who perambu
late the covers" look out after poachers and
other trespassers. Their duties are chiefly noe
turnal. though in part performed by day; and on
the estates of wealthy grandees the trbe-kecpers
and watchers included-frequently foot up to
fifteen or twenty individuals. Such princely
establishments, however, are exceptional; and the
usual gamekeeping stat is the keeper himself, with
a watcher or 1t may he couple OF such assistants
Nor is the aid given by these restricted TO watching
srespa,sers: they have often to render it i'll per
sonal encounters with the Acknowledgements nights
where firearms are used on both sides-as the
poachers do not always run away. This. however,
is matter requiring more leta than present space
allows.
For dwellrng-pace the gam ekeeper is provided
with a neat comfortable cottage known as the
akecpers lodge" pirturesquely situated, nearly
ALWAYS in the midst Of woods and far away from
other houses this for the convenience of his being
at all times the area of operations. Around II
there will be an acre Two of cleared grOund-not
garden but grass ground, on which appears ar
array of little box-like houses with pitched roofs.
These are the kennels dog boxes and there are
dogs chained to them of eYeral breeds but all Of
sportinc neutrality-suspicious. settlers water-spanIes
and retrievers. Other wooden structures at some
distance apart are the "cubs" and coops, where
young pheasants are Matched and brought up by
common barnyard fowls before being turned out
into the covers Ii is the keepers great ambition,
rs that of his master. to show pheasant preserve
well stocked with these birds when October comes
around and friends invited to take part in
the battue. For attainment of this pheasarts' eggs
are an article of barter and SALE and readily sell for
shilling each, the purchasers being the men
themselves and the only ones. supposed 10 own
pheasants. The traffic is carried on rather surrep-
titiousy since 1t is well known that most of these
egg. must have come out of other preserves-it may