CHAPTER III 



ROBBERS OF THE AIR 



OF all the feathered dwellers in the countryside the 

 birds of prey are perhaps the most interesting. 

 They are the outlaws of their race, and, wherever game- 

 preserving is carried on, ruthless warfare is the order of 

 the day, and the hand of the gamekeeper is lifted 

 against them at all seasons of the year. 



The golden eagle, now a somewhat rare bird in the 

 British Isles, is still found in the wildest and most 

 mountainous parts of Scotland and Ireland. In the 

 former country it is now preserved by many proprietors 

 on account of its indirect usefulness. It preys largely 

 upon mountain hares, thereby rendering itself an un- 

 witting benefactor to the sportsman, for when these 

 animals are allowed to multiply until they become too 

 numerous in a deer forest, they frequently destroy the 

 gunner's chances of a successful stalk, by rising from 

 their seats upon his approach, and thus giving the ever- 

 alert stags warning of his proximity. 



I remember on one occasion losing the chance of 

 rinding a much-wanted greenshank's nest in the High- 

 lands through the movements of a number of these blue 

 or mountain hares. I had been watching a hen bird 

 intently through my binoculars for some time and felt 

 sure from her actions I was tracking her back to her 



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