AUTUMN ON THE MOORS 231 



on July nth a female was trapped in Coquetdale, close 

 by. Duncan in Newcastle told me that when he dissected 

 it, he was sure the bird had been sitting - for ten days. 

 Such is one's reward for attempting- to preserve the rarer 

 things of interest." 



The buzzard is another of those indigenous species 

 which has (within some half-century) been sacrificed to 

 the gamekeeper. I must limit this remark to the eastern 

 Border : for on the Cumbrian side a few buzzards sur- 

 vive among the hills, and in Westmorland (chiefly 

 because there is little or no game there) I have enjoyed 

 watching- both buzzards and red deer still possessing their 

 native mountains. No longer, on the Cheviots, does a 

 single pair of buzzards breed ; but in autumn, stragglers 

 occasionally appear on migration. These are chiefly of 

 the northern species, the rough-legged buzzard [Buteo 

 lagopus), of which I have examined several shot at this 

 season, and once (on October 31st, 1890) had the plea- 

 sure of watching one for some time at quite close quarters. 

 While salmon-fishing on Reedwater, near Otterburn, this 

 fine bird passed close overhead — easily recognised by the 

 broad, whitish tail-band as he swept to and fro over the 

 rushy haughs. Here he presently raised the ire of a 

 crowd of peewits, which eventually chased him far beyond 

 sight. 



I have seen a goshawk (immature) killed in November ; 

 and a honey-buzzard {Perms apivorus), wounded by a 

 farmer in the county of Durham on October 20th, 1892, 

 and kept alive for a fortnight, proved a most tame and 

 gentle bird. It escaped, and was then shot on Boldon Flats, 

 November 4th, in my brother Walter's presence. I have 

 the skin ; it was a male, weighing 32A oz., length, 22$ 

 inches, expanse of wing, 48! inches. 



