Field and Covert Poachers. 227 



it may be seen suddenly to shoot from a stone, 

 encircle a tract of heather, and then return to its 

 perch. A lark passes over its head, and its wings 

 are raised and its neck outstretched ; but it 

 closes them as if unwilling to pursue the bird. 

 Then it flies, skimming low over the furze and 

 heather, and alights on a granite boulder similar 

 to the one it has just left. As we approach, 

 the male and female flap unconcernedly off, 

 and beneath the block are remains of golden 

 plover, ling birds, larks, and young grouse. 



At night the waterside is productive of life, 

 and here it is most varied. Like most poachers, 

 the heron is a night fisher, and there is one 

 equally destructive which carries on its nefarious 

 trade under the full light of day the kingfisher. 

 And the kingfisher is a poacher in another 

 respect. It never constructs the hole in which 

 its young is reared, but takes possession of that 

 of some small burrowing rodent, or even that 

 of the little sand-martin. 



The buzzard is another bird of the moorlands, 

 but can hardly be convicted of poaching. When 

 it takes moor-game these are invariably found to 

 be diseased or late hatched birds, and it certainly 

 has not speed to pull down a full-grown grouse. 

 Many times during whole summer afternoons 

 have we seen the buzzards wheeling about when 

 the young grouse have been following the 

 brooding birds, but never have we seen them 



Q 2 



