The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-01-12
ENGLISH POACHERS,
Who They Arc and How They Ply Thei
lFnir ~ full Ayocaf.an.

who They Arc and How They Ply Their
rnin wfui Avocat.en.
Just as Il liar may be something else
besides a liar, so poacher may De, and
usually is. something else besides 4
poaclicr. Very commonly he calls
himself farm laborcr. Short and in
termittent '.jobs' are what he likes
best, and he often changes his MASTER
lie will engage himself to farmer in
order to gain the right Of going upon
certain land. and then, after careful
survey, he will set gins where he
thinks proper
To be ordered to work i'm Il field next
10 covert is what he likes best, and
when his masters back is turned he
notices the hare's runs in the fence
that divides the field from the wood.
at night he returns to the scene Of his
observations and sets loose purse-ncs
over each run. He then goes into the
covert and walks through the side Of il
next 10 the fence, when the chances
are that at least hare or two will be-
come entangled in his nets. The ..n.
noccnt laborcr" type of poachcr some.
times carries ferret and rabbit-nct
in his dinner basket, and seats himself
on hedge bank honcycombcd with
burrows to take his midday meal,
with a result which may be easily
imagined.
| Cattle-droyers and butchers men
often do great deal of poaching.
They are fond of keeping greyhounds.
aud they train one dog to range
while the other sneaks about in rcadi.
ness to run into any hare or rabbit
that may lie turned TO him. Some
times they carry their srcyhounds in
light spring cart, and when they sec
harcs feeding in a field by the roadside
they stop and send their dogs over the
fence. These grcyhounds are laugh,
to hunt by scent rs well rs by sight.
A still more favorable dog among
poachers of this sort is the lurcher,
although many fear to keep one, be.
cause his very existence is enough
to stamp his owner as man
OF more than doubtful character.
Properly speaking, lnrcher is the
result Of cross between greyhound
and colley, but he is not always
first cross. and he frequently inherits q
strain Of some other breed. He is q
desperate and a deadly enemy to harcs
and rabbits, and he generally unites an
excellent nose and great speed with
surprising sagacity and cunning. o!
all things it is most important in q
poacher's dog that he should never
give tongue. We can remember the
time when lurchcrs' tails used to be
cut to give their owners an excuse 70,
pretending that they were sheep dogs.
In these days, however, sheep dogs arr
usually allowed to keep their tails. 81
there is no object in docking lurcher
Golfers are much given to poaching j,
some districts. Their fayoritc dog i
produced by crossing very small
greyhound with bull-tcrricr 0.
spaniel. Sunday is their great day 70
poaching. During the hours of diyin
service they go for walks il little par
tics Of three or four, along the publ
footpaths. and allow their dogs t.
range IN the fields and to draw tn
he.lgerows. As every magistrate ha
good reason for knowing, a large mum
Der OF petty poaching cases depend
upon the question whether the culpri
was or was not upon what he calls th.
'futtpath' at the time the oifens.
was committed. A rat-catcher ane
a moie-catcher have many opportu
mites Of poaching. and owners 0
shootings and game-keepers would dc
well to keep sharp eye upon All per-
sons following those callings. Perhaps
the worst Of all kinds of poachings are
poaching game-keepcrs. \ keeper who
even hints at any thing like SHARP
practice with regard to IA neiehbor's
boundaries is never to be trusted abou,
his own masters interests. We re.
member q keeper who was employed
on IN outlying shooting some miles
from home. The man had always
good show of birds and sen. regular
supply for the table, but it turned out
that he was one of the greatest poach.
ers in the county, and that he had
killed and sold the neighbours game,
ii not his masters. in considerable
quantities. SATURDAY RscieW.