410 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



on the hillside. The tenant at once commenced to wage war 

 against the jackdaws, and offered a sum of one half -penny an 

 egg to any boys who robbed the nests ; in each of the last three 

 seasons he has taken over one thousand jackdaw's eggs one 

 boy alone collecting upwards of five hundred ; at the end of the 

 third season the bag had increased to over two hundred brace 

 of Grouse, while a large breeding stock was left. The jackdaw's 

 eggs were found very useful for feeding young pheasants. 



Ravens are already so persecuted by the shepherds that they 

 hardly count, though there are still a fair number to be found 

 in the remote fastnesses of the Scottish deer forests. 



The golden eagle is too noble a bird to rank in the list of 

 vermin. He occasionally kills his Grouse on the wing, but feeds 

 for choice on hares, with an occasional deer-calf or lamb for a 

 change of diet. In former days, when eagles existed in large 

 numbers in the Highlands, their depredations were so serious 

 as materially to interfere with sheep farming. The eagle cannot 

 be said to be a desirable recruit to the ranks of the flankers in 

 a Grouse drive ; although he not seldom takes on himself this 

 duty, to the rage of the keeper and bewilderment of the 

 birds. 



Of the hawk tribe all are occasionally destructive ; but it 

 must not for a moment be supposed that all should therefore 

 be destroyed. 



The kestrel or wind-hover probably does more good by killing 

 mice and rats than he does harm by the destruction of a few 

 young Grouse. The buzzard confines himself almost entirely 

 to small birds, carrion, and ground game. 



The greater blackback gull is destructive both to eggs and 

 young birds, and should not be allowed to infest any moor 

 on which it is intended to preserve a stock of Grouse. 



The black-headed and common gulls are destructive to eggs 

 in certain localities ; this, however, must be regarded as the 

 exception rather than as the rule, for Grouse frequently nest 

 and hatch out their broods unmolested in the centre of breed- 

 ing colonies of these birds. 



