The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-30

had to keep his wild pheasants eggs
from being stolen. The writer once saw
a very characteristic piece of caution
exercised by a Highland keeper in
matter of this kind. His employers
eldest son wrote to ask him where the
eagles, of which there were number III
the forest, usually nestled The answer
after much careful and ceremonious cir
cumlocution at the beginning of the let
ter, was that they nested in places far
from human habitations," phrase
which he was supposed to have heard
from the minister but the employment
of which convinced the inquirer that
unless he personally took him out TO
the hill he would be no nearer knowing
the nesting place of those eagles than II
pens and ink We're not invented.
Ii is pleasant to note the change OF
feeling due to education, and the WISH
es of their employers, on the subject OF
wild bird preservation, especially that
of the larger hawks and owls, among
keepers generally. Many of them keep
regular notebooks, in which they set
down the appearance or numbers of rare
birds on the waters or in the woods they
have to protect. They have in conse-
quence become good field naturaists,
distinguishing much that is interesting
in the habits and habitat of many birds
and beasts Some are regular contribu-
tors to the natural history columns of
1.-The Field" and even of more scientific
papers. More often they know much
and say little. One of the best ana
pleasantest members or the craft whom
,ft q
book or write his name, but he knew
not only every preasant'S nest on the
property, but all the rare birds to be
found on it, and where they We're nest
ing, and where to find all the rarer
flowers. Before the young pheasants
hatch, when the anxious time begins the
keepers daily life and duties on many
estates are singularly pleasant. Early
in the morning a walk around the lake
to see If the offers are doing mischief
among the pike and need to be moved
on" elsewhere; then a walk around the
edges of the covers and gorse and bram-
BILE patches to find any new pheasants'
nests by the tracks the hen birds leave
in the dew. and to pick up these first
eggs to rear under the bans After
breakfast a walk in the marshes or on
the stony fields to get plovers' eggs for
the house, and the rest of the day rab-
bit catching near the edges of the young
wheat fields, and getting the coops in
order for the young pheasants later on.
But the business is in no sense such as
any one not contented to be a hard
working wage Garner would care to UNI
dertake. A gentleman help" would
find kppnays' work n1l1ph less
pleasant than farming in New Zealand
or South Africa, and with not the
slightest chance of making high wages
or a competence however modest 1t Is
an agreeable form of country house ser
vice, with spells Of hard and anxious
work, not an entry into any form of
business. A clever keeper might, per-
haps, set up a game farm later, but as
a rule he does not; and, though we
could point to at least one instance in
which the sons of Scotch keeper on an
English estate became estate agents,
solicitors merchants and civil servants,
and all attained excellent positions,
once a gamekeeper always a gamekeep-
er is the general rule. Apart from the
increasing hardness of the work, the
place is attractive and gives the man a
very good position in rural life. But
the employer now looks on the keeper
not as mere watcher of game and
maintainer of the privacy of hisproper-
ty. He is an agent who expends large
sums of money, and is expected to Sc
cure proper return. Up till the end
of April every pheasants egg Is worth
shilling, or costs it. Bills for meal,
eggs, coops and pens are heavy. In the
old days when the lord of manor
farmed at least part of his land, the
proportionate increase and returns from
all kinds Of live stock were known, and
if the respective herds, wards or
villeins in charge failed to maintain the
known average they We're no longer en-
ployed by the reeve.-Spectator.