The Red Grouse Protection. 127 



seconded by its once domesticated imitators. In Scotland, the 

 fox is for the most part vermin, and does not fail to maintain 

 its character as far as grouse are concerned. In some of 

 the wilder moorland districts the badger is still fairly plen- 

 tiful, while the martens also occasionally give evidence of their 

 presence. Nearly all these vermin should be killed down, but 

 exception may be made in favour of the badger and marten, 

 which are already too scarce in these islands ; and much as 

 we may deplore the damage these animals commit, yet some 

 grace may be extended to them. In districts where sheep 

 share the land with the grouse, and what are called "collies" 

 and "sheep" dogs abound, much damage will be done by 

 many of these, which go in for poaching game, generally 

 because they are half starved at home. They are easily 

 trapped, and they should be, not only by reason of their 

 individual malpractices, but because they seem to entice other 

 and well-behaved dogs to share in and acquire the knack of 

 their nightly depredations. 



As to winged vermin, the same may be said of their 

 opportunities for destruction as of the furred. Crows, 

 magpies, jays, all are equally mischievous; but probably 

 the superiority in numbers of the first makes them the worst 

 feathered enemies of moorfowl. Of hawks we must speak 

 reservedly, as many authorities on grouse and grouse moors 

 have lately been seeking to show as we mentioned in 

 the foregoing chapter that hawk-destruction is one of the 

 causes which have contributed to the increase of grouse 

 disease. We may as well say that we do not hold so evil 

 an opinion, speaking from the game preserver's point of 

 view, of the hawk tribe, as is usual among the class, and 



