Page:The Hare.djvu/127

Rh is not every man that can set it so as to catch hares, and it is by no means desirable to give to those who cannotcannot read [sic] printed instructions which may assist them to obtain the necessary knowledge. The careful keeper will, of course, watch every 'smeuse' in every fence for snares—that is to say, where the land is occupied by his employer. Where the farm is let, there is nothing to prevent the farmer from lining his fences with wire nooses. But if there be suspicions of foul play, the only chance is for the keeper and his assistants to watch the snares by relays, till they see who comes to take them up; or to take away a hare caught in them. The watch must be unremitting, and the plan has often resulted in the capture of a poacher of the less wary type; but older hands are pretty sure to detect something wrong, and to give their snare a wide berth for ever and aye, after they realise that its presence is known to others besides themselves.

A very common but very dangerous practice among keepers is that of putting a dead hare or rabbit in any snare they find, and lying in wait to see who comes to take it out. Although in nine cases out of ten the man who comes to the snare will be the guilty setter, yet it is possible that an innocent passer-by may be attracted to the spot or be charged