86 



successful shot at a large flock of Mallard as they 

 rose from a rough bank, I was unable owing to the 

 long heather that grew near the shores of the loch 

 to collect the whole of the cripples, as some of the 

 wounded birds crawled into the thick cover before 

 I could gather up those nearest at hand. About an 

 hour later, when on the far side of the loch, I 

 noticed several parties of Grey Crows, numbering 

 in all at least forty or fifty birds, flying and 

 quarrelling near the spot where I had fired the 

 shot, and on again searching the ground, I found 

 they had discovered and dragged from their hiding 

 places seven more ducks ; four were picked nearly 

 clean, but the remaining three though quite dead 

 were only slightly torn. On looking over the spot on 

 the following morning I found two more skeletons 

 which I had missed on my previous search. 



On the moors in the north they are without 

 exception the worst vermin that a game preserver 

 has to contend with. They may be seen in the spring 

 quartering the ground like setters, and the nest of 

 a Grouse or other game bird once discovered is 

 soon robbed of its contents. 



They usually have some elevated spot to which 

 they carry the eggs before sucking them, leaving 

 the empty shells lying about in dozens, as if to 

 draw attention to their bad deeds. 



They are generally shy wary birds, seeming 

 instinctively to know when anyone is in pursuit of 

 them. I have often however shot them by driving 

 or riding along the hill roads in the Highlands, as 

 they take but little notice of a conveyance. 



During the autumnal migration I have 

 occasionally met with them in the North Sea 

 apparently tired out by their long flight and glad 

 of a rest on any boat or vessel they might meet 

 with on their course. 



Two of these birds and a Jackdaw, which had 

 followed us one day in a thick fog for a consider- 

 able distance, at last settled on one of the paddle- 



