138 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



is even greater than that which prevails in regard to owls. 

 This bird, although possessing the long wings and dark eyes 

 characteristic of a true falcon, is known to gamekeepers as 

 a hawk — noscitur a sociis — its death warrant is a standing 

 order in most preserves, though here again there has been 

 some improvement, and the destruction of the kestrel is 

 forbidden on some estates. The food of this bird is known 

 to consist almost exclusively of mice, grasshoppers, coleop- 

 terous insects, and their larvae ; but the sort of evidence on 

 which it is condemned may be gathered from the following 

 answers made by a gamekeeper to questions put by your 

 Committee : — 



Q. Why did you kill the kestrel ? — Well, it was an 



enemy of the game, of course, and that is why I 



killed it. 

 Q. How long have you been a gamekeeper ? — Six or 



seven years. 

 Q. How often have you seen a kestrel take game ? — 



Many a time. 

 Q. What kind of game ? — Young pheasants. 

 Q. Had you many young pheasants at West Buccleuch ? 



—No. 

 Q. Then why did you kill the kestrel ? — Because they 



will kill young grouse. 

 Q. Did you ever see them take young grouse ? — No. 

 Q. Did anybody of your acquaintance ever see them 



take young grouse ? — No, but I have heard of 



their taking young grouse. 

 Q. Would you believe a man if he said that he saw a 



kestrel taking young grouse ? — Yes, if he said it 



I would. 

 Q. Any man ? — Yes, if he was not drunk. 



It is true that one witness, a tenant of shootings, stated 

 his belief that the kestrel is a " deadly enemy of game " ; that 

 one of this species took 70 young pheasants from the coops, 

 and was shot one evening in the act of carrying off a young 

 pheasant. But he was not speaking from observation, but 

 from the report of his keeper, and there is little doubt that 



