CH. VIII.] KESTREL AT TIMES DESTRUCTIVE. 249 



occasionally varied by small birds, coleopterous 

 insects, their larvse, and earth-worms. Yet occa- 

 sionally, and particularly where they have families 

 to provide for, they are not contented with such 

 " small deer," but will make free with young phea- 

 sants or partridges, sometimes even carrying their 

 audacity to the extent of making a raid on the 

 chicken or pheasant coop. I had one day paid 

 a visit to a gamekeeper during the summer to 

 see how his young birds got on, when he reported 

 "all well," except that he had been "terribly 

 bothered with one of they nasty 'vanner hawks'" 

 (VecticZ for kestrels qu. wind-fanner), which had 

 carried off several of them. On my expressing 

 some doubt as to whether the offender was really 

 a vanner, he said he was quite sure of it, and 

 hoped shortly to give me ocular demonstration 

 of the fact ; nor did he leave it long doubtful, 

 for on my next visit a day or two afterwards he 

 shewed her to me, an undoubted female kestrel, 

 which he had shot in flagrante delicto, in the very 

 act of carrying off one of his young pheasants. 



While on the subject of vermin I will say a 

 few words on the subject of our dear friends and 

 enemies the Foxes friends to all those who, like 

 myself, would sooner be with the hounds through 



