146 



AUTUMNS ON THE SPEY. 



no doubt in his mind as to the identity of some 

 of the rarer victims. On this occasion I have 

 omitted the quadrupeds, who figured equally in 

 this black list: 



27 White-tailed Eagles. 



15 Golden eagles. 



18 Ospreys, or fishing eagles. 



98 Blue hawks, or peregrine 



falcons. 

 275 Kites, commonly called 



salmon-tailed gledes. 

 5 Marsh harriers, or yellow- 

 legged hawks. 

 63 Goshawks. 

 7 Orange-legged falcons. 

 11 Hobby hawks. 

 285 Common buzzards. 

 371 Rough-legged buzzards. 

 3 Honey buzzards. 



462 Kestrels, or red hawks. 

 78 Merlin hawks. 

 9 Ash-coloured hawks, or 



large blue-tailed ditto. 

 83 Hen harriers, or ring-tailed 



hawks. 

 6 Jerfalcon, toe-feathered 



hawks (?). 



1431 Hooded or carrion crows. 

 475 Ravens. 

 35 Horned owls. 

 71 Common fern owls.* 

 3 Golden owls.f 

 8 Magpies. 



But, since the ravages of the grouse disease, it 

 may fairly be questioned whether the prevalence 

 of that mysterious complaint may not be chiefly 

 attributable to the removal of the natural checks on 

 the inordinate increase of the species, fostered by so 

 many contrivances, and notably by the destruction 

 of those birds of prey whose favourite food they 

 constituted. The weak and sickly, or superan- 

 nuated members of a pack, were of course captured 



* Probably the short-eared owl (Otus brachyotos). Surely not 

 the insectivorous night-jar ! 

 f The white or barn owl, comparatively rare in Scotland. 



