2 24 CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 



and Shetlands ; in the last named islands being the 

 representative species. 



In Ireland too, especially the south, it is decidedly- 

 plentiful and breeds there. In addition to all these 

 resident birds many more reach our shores from 

 October onwards, and so far as England is con- 

 cerned, I think the bulk of these would be found on 

 our eastern coast — Lincolnshire being; a favourite 

 county. There is hardly a bird on our British List 

 that is more destructive to game and consequently 

 none is more hated by game-keepers, or pursued 

 and destroyed with such relentless persistency. 



In the island of Mull, where I was in 1903, the 

 Duke of Argyle's head -keeper, was simply death on 

 these Crows, exterminating them as far as possible, 

 for he looked upon them as the worst class of 

 vermin. He said that if their nests were not 

 destroyed, and any latitude were given them to 

 breed there wouldn't be a head of game on the 

 Duke's estate, for not only do they suck all the eggs 

 they can find, but they devour young birds as well ; 

 they won't allow any young thing to live if they get 

 the chance, so whenever the spring of the year 

 came, there was a sort of " spring cleaning ' — if I 

 may so term it — of the estate, that is, freeing it of 

 as much vermin as possible, this Crow being the 

 object of especial attention. 



The only time this can be done effectively is 

 when the female is sitting on her eggs, then instruc- 

 tions would be sent to the under-keeper to visit the 

 most favoured spots on the estate for these nests, 



