SPOKT OF BUTE. 103 



have been no nests of that tiny falcon found on my 

 heathery braes, the bird most likely was a male 

 sparrow-hawk. Three of their nests were found by 

 my watcher last spring, all fixed in stunted trees, 

 the spontaneous growth of " dells without a name/' 

 in the inidst of my best partridge breeding ground. 

 We trapped the old male and female of two of 

 these nests, and actually caught the third pair; 

 but the female escaped by accidentally dropping a 

 thrush she was feeding the young with between 

 the jaws of the trap, which prevented them from 

 holding, while the trap that caught the male un- 

 fortunately had a weak spring. After this warn- 

 ing, neither of course would return. 



It is well understood by preservers of game 

 that one hoody-crow, or even magpie, will destroy 

 more grouse in the egg than a dozen eagles will 

 do when they are fully fledged. On Kames and 

 North Bute there were certainly far fewer black, 

 but especially grey crows, than are generally met 

 with on the west coast islands. We only dis- 

 covered four nests this season, built as usual on 

 the top boughs of tall trees, or on the stumps of 

 bushes growing out of the face of a beetling cliff. 



