And here let me give a word of advice to my brother ornithologists: Never attempt to shoot a wary little bird in the act of leaving its nest, as you only run the risk, and mortification I may add, of wounding perhaps an unknown bird, in which case she will never again return to her nest; but lie in ambush for her with, outlying scants, and make certain of her as she is returning to her nest.
"The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, Volume 1"
Allan O. Hume
Its inhabitants are meagre and stunted; it scants them both in food and drink.
"A Midsummer Drive Through The Pyrenees"
Edwin Asa Dix
In this book dedicated to a Pope he scants nothing of his hatred of the Holy See.
"Machiavelli, Volume I The Art of War; and The Prince"
Niccolò Machiavelli