48 THE GROUSE 



From this list several may now be 

 excluded as having entirely or almost 

 entirely disappeared, such as marten cats, 

 badgers, in Scotland at least, white-tailed 

 sea - eagles, and ospreys, while certain 

 others are only very rarely met with. It 

 is sometimes stated that wild cats have 

 also quite gone, but this is certainly not 

 the case. Every year a certain number 

 of unquestionably pure specimens of Fells 

 catus are trapped in the north-western 

 district of Scotland, extending from the 

 northern part of Argyleshire to the 

 northern border of Ross-shire, a territory 

 which seems to be beloved by this fierce 

 little creature. 



The task of the modern gamekeeper in 

 freeing his ground from beasts of prey 

 and predaceous birds, or reducing their 

 number and consequent destructiveness, 

 has not been made easier by recent 

 legislation. On the contrary he is greatly 

 handicapped by the operation of the 

 "Wild Birds' Protection Act, lSSO,' 1 

 which consolidated and extended certain 



