Bird Notes and News 



51 



Economic Ornithology 



GAME AND MUIRBUKN IN SCOTLAND 



In 1918, and again in 1920, the R.S.P.B. 

 appealed to the Board of Agriculture for 

 Scotland on the subject of heather-burning. 

 Under D.O.R.A. the period during which this 

 is permitted was extended from the 10th or 

 11th of April to the end of the month, resulting, 

 said the Marquis of Graham in a letter to the 

 Spectator, in " the wholesale incineration of 

 young birds and young rabbits." This destruc- 

 tion, like various other evils created by war- 

 time legislation, continued longer than the war 

 which was supposed to excuse it. The Society 

 was informed on the latter occasion that the 

 matter had been referred to a Committee ; and 

 that Committee, appointed " to consider 

 measures to prevent damage by game and 

 provisions to be made with regard to heather- 

 burning," has just issued its Report (Cmd. 

 1401). 



The Committee, of which the Duke of Buc- 

 cleugh was Chairman, recommend that the 

 period for heather-burning should be from 

 October 1st to April 15th, with permission to 

 owners and (under certain conditions) tenants 

 of moors to extend it to April 25th. 



With regard to game, and omitting the 

 questions of deer-forests and ground-game to 

 which the Report is largely devoted, the Com- 

 mittee, while recognising that certain game- 

 birds do great damage to crops in some places, 

 are of opinion that certain other wild birds do 

 much more ; and while advising that the 

 Board should be empowered to have winged 

 game shot where there is proof of damage being 

 done, they recommend that steps should be 

 taken by organised effort to keep down Wood- 

 Pigeons, Sparrows, Crows, Rooks, Herring 

 Gulls, and Blackbacked Gulls, Greater and 

 Lesser. No proof of damage is required in this 

 case. A general caveat is, however, added 

 pointing out that " an indiscriminate slaughter 

 of birds is at all times to be avoided, since 

 we recognise that many birds, on account of 

 their insectivorous habits, are among the best 

 friends of agriculture." They further recom- 

 mend that licences should be granted " to 

 owners or occujners of land who are suffering 

 damage from Ravens or Golden Eagles to kill 

 such birds on their land, provided always 

 that expert ornithological advice has been 



obtained that the destruction of the birds in 

 question will not jeopardise the status of the 

 species as regards Scotland." 



In dealing with vermin, the Committee 

 observe : — 



" Voles have from time to time appeared in abnormal 

 numbers and done great damage. In this connection 

 we would point out the wisdom of the protection 

 afforded by the Wild Birds Protection Acts to such 

 species as the Buzzard, Kestrel and Owls, which prey 

 upon and therefore help to keep in check not only 

 voles, but rats and mice." 



EAGLES AND GROUSE 



" The owners of moors and their keepers in Ross and 

 Cromarty have been in conference on the grouse. . . . 

 The Red Grouse, the most important, perhaps the only 

 genuine, species of bird peculiar to these islands, was 

 in possession of the upland heaths and wild moors long 

 before the advent of man. It maintained its existence 

 in the presence of foxes and eagles, hawks and hooded 

 crows, before there were keepers to describe the latter 

 as vermin and to shoot them at sight. Possibly even 

 these natural enemies kept down disease and improved 

 the stock, by weeding out the feebler birds. But 

 certainly under such natural conditions there would 

 not have been grouse enough to supply the modern 

 markets or to secure large rentals from sportsmen. 

 The modern grouse moor is an economic under- 

 taking. . . . But we trust that the O'WTiers of moors 

 will show more tolerance of the larger birds of prey 

 than the proceedings at Dingwall indicated. Let them 

 proscribe foxes and black-backed gulls, and hooded 

 crows if they will. We doubt their power to exterminate 

 these creatures over the wide stretches of Ross. 

 But eagles, from their powers of flight, always seem 

 more numerous than they are. They could be 

 exterminated, and they are well worth a few grouse. 

 Probably the Southern sportsman, were he ever so 

 little more than a mere pot-hunter, would be attracted 

 rather than discouraged by the promise of seeing so 

 many as three eagles in his day's shooting." — Times, 

 July 9th. 1921. 



" It is very true that besides the professional 

 trappers of small birds en masse, there are 

 innumerable persons who do not suppose that 

 they are doing wrong in destroying the best 

 allies of the agriculturist. Educate, educate, 

 above all in the school." — (M. Henri Kehrig 

 to the Societe Agriculture de la Gironde.) 



"The ringing choru 



SAVE THE 



of a summer sky." 



SKYLARKS 



A Postcard Appeal to the Shopping Public against 

 the eating of Song-Birds. 3d. per doz. 



