Endangered Species

Chronicles the stories of an 'endangered species' - the gamekeepers, farmers, fishermen, poachers, rogues and vagabonds who share their passion for this fast-disappearing way of life. This book aims to celebrate the countryside.

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A love of landscape and countryside lies at the very heart of British life, yet most of us have long lost touch with our rural roots. In this heart-warming and affectionate celebration of the countryside, cousins Sir Richard Heygate (the Bart) and Mike Daunt (the Bounder), countrymen themselves, travel the length and breadth of the British Isles chronicling the stories of an 'endangered species' - the gamekeepers, farmers, fishermen, poachers, rogues and vagabonds who share their passion for this fast-disappearing way of life. Along the way, the Bart and the Bounder eat hedgehog with the Romany, tickle a trout, meet the White Witch of Cornwall, go rat-catching in Yorkshire, wildfowling in Norfolk, boar-hunting in Sussex and celebrate an uproarious Christmas in Ireland. They also sample a good many pints of ale and tell many tall tales in the course of giving triumphant voice to a largely unheard, forgotten, yet still-vibrant community. Eccentric, affectionate, humorous and touching in turn, "Endangered Species" stands as a glorious record of our country traditions.