408 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



The weasel is very similar in his habits to the stoat. He 

 also hunts in packs, but he is not quite so destructive to game, 

 and feeds more readily on mice, moles, voles, etc. 



Amongst other four-footed vermin the wild cat, pole cat, 

 hedgehog, may be mentioned ; the two first named are particu- 

 larly destructive, but are now so rare that they may be dis- 

 regarded by the moor-owner. The hedgehog is by no means 

 uncommon on many moors, and is without doubt an occasional 

 egg-stealer. The domestic cat run wild is, of course, a danger, 

 but he is not met so frequently on the open moor as in the hedge- 

 rows and coverts near the habitations of man. 



The peregrine must be bracketted equal to the fox and the 

 hooded crow in the list of noxious vermin. He is the shyest of 

 all the hawks, and builds in the most inaccessible places ; the 

 quickest to kill as well as the readiest to escape with his prey. 

 No British bird has an easier power of flight or more enjoyment 

 in his strength ; he seems to revel in his accuracy of eye, and 

 will strike off the head of a Grouse, pass over it, swoop again, 

 and catch the carcass before it has reached the ground. The 

 peregrine often kills for sport or for revenge, and will strike down 

 an unoffending crow or jackdaw that has built too near his nest, 

 and not even descend to see where his victim has fallen ; at 

 other times he will hunt his terrified victim round and round 

 a glade or corrie, striking over and under until the amusement 

 palls. The peregrine is difficult to trap, no bait will attract him, 

 for he scorns to touch any dead bird or beast which he has not 

 killed himself. 



It cannot be argued on strictly utilitarian grounds that the 

 peregrine has much to go down on the credit side ; when feeding 

 his young he probably averages his brace of nesting Grouse a 

 day, as the heaps of neatly plucked feathers left on the moor 

 plainly testify. It is hoped, however, that owners of Grouse 

 moors will always leave a few of these beautiful slate-coloured 

 pillagers on some of the wilder and less accessible spots. 



For the hooded crow no plea can be made, He is not only 

 the worst but the most widely distributed of vermin. Annually 



