n8 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



At the head of the list of birds of prey stands the 

 golden eagle. As already said, this bird has suffered 

 much persecution on account of its depredations among 

 lambs, and is now so scarce that many of our largest pro- 

 prietors are preserving it. It is gratifying to all lovers 

 of natural history that this should be so. At the same 

 time, a pair of eagles do incalculable damage to a grouse 

 moor, and more especially a driving moor. I have fre- 

 quently seen drives destroyed by an eagle crossing the 

 moor in aerial circles in the distance. The circumstance 

 of their flying about drives the grouse from that locality, 

 as they shrewdly regard the presence of the eagle to be 

 incompatible with their security. 



Some years ago I introduced seventeen mountain 

 hares, from Dalnaspidal and Castle Menzies moors, in 

 Perthshire, to Hoy, the most southerly isle of the 

 Orcadian archipelago. Being very prolific, the hares 

 soon increased to considerable numbers, when a pair of 

 eagles made their appearance and nested in the Kame 

 rock, on the north end of the island. They had long 

 since deserted Hoy as a nesting-place, but the intro- 

 duction and increase of hares again attracted them to 

 this rock-bound island. The hares were quickly deci- 

 mated, yet the proprietor is most anxious that the eagles 

 should there find a congenial home. 



Whether by unscrupulous egg-collectors who 

 regularly visit Orkney, or by farmers enraged at the 

 loss of their lambs, it is difficult to say, but the fact re- 

 mains that eagles' nests are systematically robbed in 



