118 TOUR IN SUTHERLAND. CH. VIII. 



of Sutherland's most skilful and enterprising tenants. 

 His cows would have gladdened the eyes of any 

 Devonshire or Cheshire dairy-woman, as they did 

 mine, a simple admirer as I am of beauty in any 

 living animal, from a milk-cow to a field-mouse. 



There is an air of well-doing and comfort about 

 the farms on the Duke of Sutherland's property, 

 which is delightful to the passer by, and must be 

 doubly so to the kind and liberal landlord. Very 

 striking too is the different appearance of the 

 tenantry on some neighbouring properties, where, 

 to keep up a forced and contemptible show, the 

 proprietor rack-rods his tenants to the very utmost 

 pitch of endurance. 



I will endeavour to give, for the use of the natu- 

 ralist, a list of the wild birds of the county ; which 

 he must take, however, exceptis excipiendis, as a list 

 of an unscientific observer of nature. 



To begin with the finest of our indigenous birds : — 



1. The Golden Eagle is still to be found tolerably 

 numerous, but gradually decreasing, in the north 

 and north-west part of the county ; though likely to 

 be soon extirpated, owing to game-preserving and 

 sheep-farming. To the latter the eagle is far more 

 destructive than to the former. 



2. The Cinereous or White-tailed Eagle is per- 



