On Moorlands and Rotighs. 57 



Gilbert White, whose pleasure at his discovery of 

 the niioratini^" Ring-ouzels across the Sussex Downs 

 may easily be surmised by the reader of his ever- 

 charming letters, tells us that he used to see these 

 Thrushes — more than a hundred years ago — in little 

 parties about Michaelmas, and again in April, and 

 remarked their tameness. The birds are not so 

 common in that area now; times have changed and 

 many species are gone, for in the same letter (No. 

 VII) he tells us that there are Bustards on the wide 

 downs near Brighthelmstone! Perhaps we might 

 here take the opportunity of mentioning that llocks 

 of Snow Buntings sometimes appear on the High- 

 land moors, but our own experience of this charming 

 arctic stranger relates to more southern shires, and 

 where we hope to meet with it again later on in the 

 present work. 



The birds of prey that haunt the moors are all 

 more or less migratory in their habits, as might 

 naturally be expected, because the species upon 

 which they depend for food are non-resident too. 

 The Red Grouse, it is true, is sedentary, but no 

 raptorial bird frequents the moors that preys exclu- 

 sively upon that species, and it chiefly suffers during 

 the breeding season when the young chicks and 

 poults are about. The Merlin is the most deadly 

 enemy of these. It is a spring migrant to the 

 moors, and is not known to breed with certainty 



