﻿130 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  account, 
  and 
  on 
  visiting 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  the 
  following 
  autumn 
  took 
  

   the 
  occasion 
  to 
  search 
  the 
  spot, 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  it 
  was 
  possible 
  the 
  bird 
  had 
  

   been 
  defending 
  a 
  nest. 
  This 
  appeared 
  very 
  unlikely, 
  as 
  the 
  attack 
  

   took 
  place 
  practically 
  at 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  a 
  mountain 
  nearly 
  3000 
  ft. 
  

   high. 
  No 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  nesting-place 
  could 
  be 
  seen. 
  I 
  know 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   three 
  occupied 
  eyries 
  within 
  two 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  spot, 
  but 
  all 
  are 
  between 
  

   1000 
  and 
  2000 
  ft. 
  ; 
  none 
  near 
  summits. 
  The 
  nearest 
  is 
  well 
  over 
  a 
  

   mile 
  distant. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1902 
  I 
  found 
  and 
  examined 
  a 
  nest 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  three 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  (April 
  20th), 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  

   the 
  birds 
  behaved 
  in 
  their 
  usual 
  manner, 
  sailing 
  round 
  with 
  their 
  

   wailing 
  cry, 
  and 
  gradually 
  disappearing. 
  I 
  may 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  not 
  disturbed 
  by 
  me, 
  and 
  were 
  probably 
  hatched, 
  as 
  the 
  buttress 
  

   on 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  was 
  decidedly 
  difficult 
  of 
  access. 
  The 
  nest 
  

   was 
  not 
  remarkable 
  except 
  for 
  its 
  small 
  size 
  — 
  merely 
  a 
  lined 
  hollow 
  

   in 
  the 
  turf 
  — 
  and 
  for 
  its 
  containing 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  thick 
  string. 
  

   My 
  only 
  theory 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  attack 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  which 
  made 
  

   it 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  eyrie 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  away, 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  recently 
  robbed 
  

   when 
  almost 
  hatching. 
  I 
  am 
  glad 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  in 
  this 
  

   district 
  seems 
  little 
  persecuted, 
  and 
  that 
  diabolical 
  atrocity, 
  the 
  pole- 
  

   or 
  stamp-trap, 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  little, 
  if 
  at 
  all, 
  used. 
  Though 
  I 
  have 
  

   never 
  seen 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  behave 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Salter, 
  

   yet 
  I 
  have 
  known 
  two 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  of 
  prey 
  — 
  the 
  Merlin 
  and 
  

   the 
  White-tailed 
  Eagle 
  — 
  to 
  exhibit 
  great 
  boldness 
  in 
  defence 
  of 
  their 
  

   nests, 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  told 
  an 
  apparently 
  authentic 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  killing 
  

   of 
  a 
  would-be 
  robber 
  by 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  birds. 
  Possibly 
  the 
  

   incident 
  in 
  the 
  Frithjof 
  Saga 
  is 
  close 
  to 
  actual 
  fact. 
  The 
  gun 
  is 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  the 
  secret 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  timidity 
  of 
  naturally 
  fierce 
  and 
  bold 
  

   wild 
  mammals 
  and 
  birds. 
  — 
  H. 
  Raeburn 
  (Craigmillar, 
  Edinburgh). 
  

  

  Habits 
  of 
  Willow-Grouse 
  : 
  a 
  Reply. 
  — 
  In 
  ' 
  The 
  Zoologist 
  ' 
  for 
  

   September 
  (ante, 
  p. 
  348), 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  A. 
  Harvie-Brown 
  has 
  made 
  a 
  critical 
  

   remark 
  anent 
  a 
  passage 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  written 
  by 
  me 
  about 
  some 
  

   " 
  Riporre 
  " 
  specimens, 
  and 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S., 
  1904, 
  pp. 
  411-15. 
  

   I 
  have 
  related 
  there 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  hybrids, 
  when 
  they 
  got 
  scared, 
  

   "perched 
  in 
  trees, 
  as 
  the 
  Black-game 
  does, 
  unlike 
  the 
  Willow- 
  Grouse." 
  

   Mr. 
  Harvie-Brown 
  seems 
  to 
  find 
  this 
  statement 
  about 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  

   habits 
  of 
  the 
  Black-game 
  and 
  Willow-Grouse 
  incorrect, 
  and 
  declares 
  

   that 
  he 
  has 
  seen 
  " 
  scores 
  of 
  Willow-Grouse 
  perch 
  on 
  trees 
  !" 
  In 
  the 
  

   winter, 
  when 
  the 
  snow 
  is 
  deep 
  and 
  heavy, 
  and 
  the 
  Willow-Grouse 
  

   cannot 
  find 
  its 
  food 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  therefore 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  

   must 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  buds 
  (especially 
  "amenta") 
  of 
  birch-trees, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   common 
  occurrence 
  to 
  see 
  such 
  buds 
  perching 
  on 
  trees. 
  The 
  condition 
  

  

  