THE GROUSE AND ITS ENEMIES 



55 



less gourmand, and does a great amount of mischief. 

 He likes the young wild ducks better than the tiny 

 grouse, but nothing seems to come amiss to his 

 hungry maw. It occasionally happens that an old 

 herring gull takes to felonious practices. They suck 

 poisoned eggs eagerly, and I have seen individual 

 birds beating the hill day after day searching for 

 grouse nests. I have also known the herring gull to 

 carry off young chickens from a cottage door. But 

 the grouse suffers more from hooded crows than from 

 gulls or any other of its natural enemies. Cats that 

 have run wild, collies that are badly fed, these, with 

 foxes and stoats, are the worst furred foes that the 

 grouse has to dread. In the Highlands we kill out 

 the foxes, at least so far as is possible. It is very 

 necessary to keep them down, for they would com- 

 mit sad havoc among the lambs if allowed to become 

 numerous. 



It may be said in conclusion that the grouse has 

 fewer enemies to fear than formerly. The marten 

 cat and wild cat anciently took their toll of moor 

 fowl, but their presence: has been banished from most 

 of the haunts of the red grouse. 



