282 Wild Birds and their Haunts 



resort to the mean practice of taking a grouse cheeper 

 unawares on the ground, and tins is certainly an instance 

 of a noble character degraded. On the other hand, I have 

 seen the merlin single out a starling from a flock in the 

 autumn and follow it probably for miles, the starling 

 proving an equal match as regards speed of flight. 



Striding over the leagues of heather one day with 

 Jeddle, we observed a merlin rise from a rock, scout a 

 good area of ground from above, and return to its post. 

 From tlrls same area presently rose a young grouse as we 

 attempted to get within gunshot of the merlin. We saw 

 the latter bird's wings raised and neck outstretched. 

 Gaining, in my mind, some redemption of its character, 

 the predatory creature gave her intended quarry what 

 looked like a good sporting start, and then made hot 

 pursuit, which lasted for fully a mile in a straight line. 

 While Jeddle uttered maledictions enough for two men 

 the merlin overtook the grouse on the moorland plateau 

 within sight. It was struck down, and the merlin picked 

 up her prize and flew away with it. Wading through 

 the scratchy heather " birns," we traced them both to 

 the bare top of an ancient British tumulus or burial 

 ground, whose sides were covered with scrubby ling. Half 

 an hour after the kill we found that the poor grouse had 

 been torn to pieces and devoured on this elevated little 

 table, around it being strewn many recent feathers, 

 bones, entrails, &c. Here I traced remains of meadow- 

 pipits and twites, as well as what appeared to be eject- 

 mentia of the fluffy wings of eggar moths and elytra of 

 beetles, as well as of cockchafers. 



Although not addicted to photographic ' ' nest-poking," 

 my curiosity as to a merlin's nest has been satisfied. 

 Jeddle and I lit on one on the rocky, bracken-covered 

 slope of a moor a good height above the beck. 



It was a mere depression or scratch-out partly filled 

 with heather ' ' birns " and dried grass. I learnt that the 

 merlin's common name of " stone falcon " was derived 

 from this bird's habit of watching for prey from some over- 

 topping rock often far enough away from the nest, or even 

 when it had no nest. We took three bluish eggs blotched 



