THE MOOR BUZZARD. 329 



country. It is never found upon the mountains, and 

 but seldom on the higher Alpine moors ; yet it is pretty 

 general upon those that lie low. One pair seem, how- 

 ever, to require an extensive range of pasture, as they 

 are thinly scattered at any one place. 



There are two other species, the moor-buzzard, 

 (falco rufusj) and the ash-coloured harrier, (Jalco cine- 

 rarius 9 ) the first, larger every way than the hen harrier, 

 and the last exceeding it in length and extent, though 

 very much lighter. They have the same general 

 habits and structure, but they are more exclusively 

 confined to marshy places, and their peculiarities will 

 come in with more propriety, when we notice a few of 

 the leading inhabitants of those situations. 



Though the red grouse be now the prevailing bird 

 of the Alpine moors of this country, there is an extinct 

 species, of which both naturalists and sportsmen have 

 some cause to regret the extinction ; the more so that 

 it has, in all probability, been occasioned by an indis- 

 cretion which has been otherwise very injurious to 

 the country. We allude to the cutting down of the 

 woods, without planting others for a succession, which 

 was the general practice to a period comparatively 

 recent, and which is still done in all new countries 

 colonized by the British. They find woods ready 

 grown by nature ; they never think of the time that has 

 been taken to produce them ; thus they take the 

 hatchet and cut away ; and that which was a sheltered 

 forest riches in itself and rich in living productions, 

 becomes an unprofitable bog, or a bleak desolation of 

 black surface and stunted heath, according to the situ- 

 ation. Ireland and Scotland have both suffered very 

 1*3 



