232 Poachers and Poaching. 



one thousand three hundred and fifty miles. So 

 great is its power and speed of flight that a bird 

 belonging to Colonel Thornton was seen to cut a 

 snipe in two in mid-air. 



Falcons will occasionally search after their 

 prey when it has been driven to seek shelter 

 from the closeness of pursuit. The goshawk, 

 which falconers use mostly for taking hares and 

 rabbits, frequently does this, and will watch for 

 hours when its game has taken to cover. As 

 well as ground-game the goshawk poaches 

 pheasants and partridges, numbers of these 

 being killed by the bird in its wild state. 

 Through a wooded country it pursues its quarry 

 with great dexterity ; and it possesses great 

 powers of abstinence. During the day it re- 

 mains solitary in dark fir-woods, coming out to 

 feed at morning and evening 



We advance over the heather ; and there, 

 skimming towards us, is a large hawk a harrier. 

 As it flies near the ground, working as a pointer 

 or setter would do, the species cannot be doubted. 

 Now it stoops, glides, ascends, stoops again, and 

 shoots off at right angles. Rounding a shoulder 

 of a hill, it drops in a dark patch of ling. A 

 covey of young grouse whirr heavily over the 

 nearest brae but the marsh harrier remains. It 

 has struck down a " cheeper," and is dragging its 

 victim to the shelter of a furze-bush. A male 

 and female harrier invariably hunt in consort, 



