His Only Fault 253 



more than a very occasional bird ; and scarcely even that, 

 unless the latter happens to be either feeble, or badly 

 wounded, in which case it is better, for all concerned, that 

 its suffering should be quickly ended. A Buzzard is just 

 the bird for such work ; a scavenger designed by Nature 

 for keeping a country clean, and healthy ; and where man has 

 elected to fill that office himself, and dispense with assist- 

 ants, the change has frequently been found to be the reverse 

 of satisfactory. This is now recognised by the majority of 

 gamekeepers ; and would the Buzzard but keep out of the 

 way upon shooting days, most men would have little to say 

 against it ; but the appearance of one upon the wing, at a 

 critical moment, will often utterly spoil a grouse drive. 

 Grouse can hardly be induced to face it, and will scatter, 

 like chaff before a wind, rather than be driven in the direc- 

 tion a Buzzard has taken. For no other reason than this, 

 the Buzzard is often cordially hated upon a grouse moor ; 

 nor can one wonder at it, that a man, seeing the result of 

 much labour, and organisation, ruined by the flight of a bird 

 across the ground in front of him, should expend a cartridge 

 upon it, next time they foregather upon the beat. 



Some Sheldrakes, called here Hwyad-yr-eithin, or 

 " burrow ducks," seen near Glan Dyfi, were no doubt breed- 

 ing, as of yore, on the Borth links ; a last year's young one, 

 that had been brought up with some tame ducks on a 

 wayside pond, had fairly taken possession of two chicks, 

 that had been hatched by a tame duck, a few days before I 

 saw them ; and what was more curious still, was the way in 

 which the little Sheldrakes seemed to recognise their 

 relative, and to utterly refuse to have anything to say to 

 their foster mother, or the common ducklings with which 

 they had been hatched. 



