26 British Birds of Pi^ey. [Sess. 



The Kestrel. 



The kestrel is the commonest of the hawk tribe in this 

 country. He is a beautiful object in Nature, hovering for a 

 long time at one place. When quite a lad I shot one 

 carrying off a young partridge from the coops, but for years 

 after I dissected every one I got, and found their staple food 

 was mice, caterpillars, beetles, &c. For years I argued in 

 favour of their preservation, and even yet it is a special 

 favourite, for who does not love to see him hover ? Years 

 after, when visiting Abington, in Lanarkshire, I saw a kestrel 

 nailed to the vermin-board. Kemonstrating with the under 

 keeper, a young lad, for killing it, and arguing that it did no 

 harm to game, he replied, " It's no use arguing with me ; come 

 to the hill and 111 show you." I went, and he showed me 

 the remains of a good many young grouse at the nest. That 

 distinguished naturalist, the late Duke of Argyll, told his 

 keepers not to destroy kestrels, as they did no harm. James 

 Cameron, his head keeper, also a most accurate observer, assured 

 his Grace they would not be interfered with if he wished them 

 preserved, but he respectfully requested him to visit a nest of 

 the bird in question. The sight of the numerous remains of 

 young grouse carried to the nest by the parent birds was the 

 means of the Duke changing his mind. Since then I have 

 been in many rearing-fields, and have shot kestrels carrying off 

 pheasant chicks. It is because some naturalists attempt too 

 much that they are not listened to. What is the good of 

 talking of ignorant keepers, and of saying that kestrels do 

 no harm to game, when most of these men have shot them in 

 the act ? Still, I deplore their destruction, and have often 

 requested keepers to find out what they are feeding their 

 young with before resorting to extreme measures. 



The Merlin. 



I am sorry to see a merlin killed, — he is such a beautiful 

 little bird. At the same time, he is a dreadful murderer. 

 Though destructive to game, he is more of a small-bird 

 destroyer, and a pair of them are computed to kill a thousand 

 birds in a year, including, of course, those carried to their 



