Abstract
SOME time since a well-known public writer excited the surprise and anger of a large portion of the community by vehemently protesting against the amount of animal suffering caused by field-sports, and a long and rather bitter controversy ensued. Mr. Freeman's remarks were, if we recollect right, limited to “hunting” in the conventional sense of the word—that is, the chase of the fox or the hare with hounds, and many estimable persons were not a little shocked to find themselves accused of having, nearly all their life-time, been committing the grossest cruelty. Whether the principles and practice of humanity sustained any benefit by this fierce attack, whether the attack was made in the best possible taste, and whether in making it Mr. Freeman did not overlook a very important consideration (of which, by the way, we are not aware that any of his opponents took advantage), are questions we do not here propose to discuss. We are now led to make a few calculations based on the returns contained in the Eighteenth and last Report of the Board of Inland Revenue of the number of persons who take out licences to kill what the law calls “game” and to carry a gun. This Report (which we may observe is one presented to both Houses of Parliament, and can be obtained by anybody at her Majesty's Stationery Office for the small sum of sixpence) is undated, but refers to the financial years 1873-4, and 1874-5. That for the past year (1875-6) is not, we believe, published, or we would gladly avail ourselves of it. However, in the Report before us it stands that, in the year 1873-4, there were, 132,036 holders of gun licences and 65,846 holders of licences to kill game. In the year 1874–5 the corresponding numbers were 144,278 and 68,079, would not be easy to estimate the number of “head” slain by these persons, but there is no reason why, for our present purpose, we should attempt to do so. The beast or bird killed by the gun generally dies as speedy a death as can possibly be inflicted, and the tenderest and most sentimental of hearts cannot complain on the score of humanity quoad the victim. But how about the wounded—which everyone knows to be many? Is it possible to estimate their number? We think it is; but let us premise that in making the computation we have no desire to harrow the feelings of our readers by a sensational description of the miseries which an animal may suffer from the lodging of one or many pellets of shot in any part of its body. In some cases they may be frightful, in others productive only of a slight degree of pain, hardly amounting to more than personal inconvenience; but in striking the balance we may, on the whole, assume that acute pain, enduring for some hours or days, is suffered by every beast or bird which the shot strikes, and the shooter does not “bag.” Now as to the number of these wounded.
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The Wounded in Shooting . Nature 14, 501–502 (1876). https://doi.org/10.1038/014501a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/014501a0