Protection of Wild Life im Yorkshire. 125 
and by helping to keep these creatures in check, makes himself 
worthy of our consideration. It is a mistake for any keeper 
to wage a war of extermination on the Stoat or Weasel, and 
they deserve a better fate than the one usually meted out to 
them. 
Turning our attention to the avifauna, we have to deplore 
the extinction of quite a number of interesting birds. The 
Golden Eagle, judging only from certain place names, was 
probably once an inhabitant of Yorkshire, but owing to the 
increasing population and the accessibility of its haunts it 
would as a natural consequence be driven beyond our borders. 
It probably lingered in Cumberland and Westmorland much 
later than with us.* The Kite was formerly abundant and did 
not deserve to be wiped out, as it was a useful species. It 
still maintains a precarious hold in Wales and, I believe in 
Scotland, but every nest has to have individual watch kept 
upon it, ifit has to escape from the raids of collectors. 
The Harriers, owing to their habit of nesting on the ground, 
on account of their conspicuous size, and the fact that they 
are hawks of a kind, could hardly be expected to survive. 
The three species nested with us ; the Marsh Harrier, amongst 
the reeds surrounding marshy ground and meeres ; Montague’s 
Harrier on the moorlands and sand-dunes and the Hen Harrier 
in similar localities. The latter is reported to have nested in 
the county only a year or two ago, but I am afraid that, despite 
the fact that they are comparatively harmless, there is little 
chance of their ever again becoming permanent members of 
our bird fauna. Individuals of most of the Harriers are shot 
almost every year. Another class of birds has been banished, 
mainly through the drainage of their breeding haunts. Their ° 
edible qualities probably assisting in no inconsiderable degree. 
The Ruff and Reeve have recently nested on the Durham side 
of the Tees and in Norfolk also, and seeing that they are abun- 
dant on the Continent opposite us, there appears to be no real 
reason why they should not nest again in our county. The 
Black-tailed Godwit, another toothsome bird, formerly much 
esteemed as a table delicacy, hence their banishment. There 
are several localities in Yorkshire, typical breeding grounds, 
corresponding exactly with the Dutch haunts of these birds 
where both they and the Avocet are still very plentiful. One 
experiences a great want and a deep regret in passing these 
places as they seem lost without the birds which are a common 
and familiar sight in Holland. The Spoonbill, no doubt, also 
nested in the county. From records we have of Spoonbills in 
—_—_—_—_—_—_———— SS 
* The slides of the Golden Eagle, which were shown when the address 
was given, are from photographs kindly supplied to me by Mr. H. A. 
Macpherson, author of ‘The Home Life of the Golden Eagle.’ 
1916 April 1. 
