206 



BIRDS. 



will take a young Partridge at times, because if I did, I would be 

 going against the plain evidence of my own undoubted observations. 

 I have seen a Kestrel seize a young Partridge on the wing more 

 than once in my life ; but I deny that it is a common sight to see ; 

 and it is quite the exception which proves the rule to the contrary, 

 viz. that they are far fonder of "mice and voles and such small 

 deer," and do an infinitude of good against a minimum of evil. As 

 I have said, they have not been, however, quite so much persecuted 

 of late years as at one time they were, and a good many reasonable 

 gamekeepers begin to realise that they are not so punishing to young 

 Pheasants and young game as they supposed. Nevertheless, I would 

 like to see that their name is for ever banished from the general 

 class of vermin, and that landowners would take up their defence. 



The sentence which heads this article was enunciated, as I have 

 said, long ago — some seventy years ago — by an ancient and very able 

 keeper on the Breadalbane estates. He acted and spoke according 

 to his lights, and could scarcely be blamed for performing what he 

 believed to be his duty to his employers ; but in more enlightened 

 times we get to look upon such a dictum very much in the same 

 view as that taken by naturalists of the somewhat similar dictum of 

 the English gamekeeper, who after dandling a Xightjar up and down 

 in his open palm, as if weighing its sins against its goodcomings, and 

 in utter perplexity at the evidence shown to him by a naturalist, at 

 last chucked it away from him with the contemptuous remark : "^/? / 

 hd^ sir, them 's no.stij floiypin' things.'' I pity the next Xightjar that 

 enlightened keeper came across. 



Again, may I be allowed to make the remark that if Kestrels 

 become too abundant, and their natural food becomes too scarce, 

 it is possible that a revision of their census may have to be taken, 

 in the interests of the game preserver and the balance of Xature. 

 The happy medium in such affairs is not to be struck by legislation, 

 but I must add — the Kestrel is the least harmful of all our '^haaJcs," 



[Faico vespertinus (L.). Red-footed Falcon. 



Ohs. — I only make mention of two "Red-footed Falcons" which are in Mr. 

 Marshall's collection and which he received from Jersey, in order to avoid any 

 future compHcations, because by far the larger portion of Mr. Marshall's cabinet 

 has been formed of local bu^ds, and most of these again were obtained in Tat. 

 (See also under Chough, etc.)] 



[FaIco cenchris, Naum. Lesser Kestrel. 



Ohs. — A statement by Mr. Wm. Duncan (in lit. to me, under date of 12th 



