533 
The strict preservation of game has had an influence in another 
direction. War is waged against every bird believed to be hurtful 
to the eggs or to the young of the pheasant, partridge, and grouse. 
The kite has disappeared from the middle and south of Scotland. 
In Berwickshire, the hen harrier is now rare ; and in Linlithgowshire 
it appears at long intervals as a straggler only. The merlin will 
soon cease to be met with in both counties. The sparrow-hawk is 
fast disappearing ; and even the kestrel — the farmer’s friend against 
field mice, and several beetles, whose larvse are most hurtful to his 
wheat crops — is ignorantly shot down as a plunderer, though entirely 
innocent touching game. In comparatively recent times, the raven 
used to nest in Linlithgowshire. It is now never seen. In Berwick- 
shire, it is rare. In Linlithgowshire, the jay is seldom met with, 
and even the magpie is not able to cope in cunning with the game- 
keeper. 
Agricultural improvements are also beginning to tell unfavour- 
ably on some of our native birds. If the alternative were, — 
“ You must either lose the green and corn crops, or destroy the 
birds,” I suppose even the most enthusiastic naturalist would choose 
the latter. But it should be the chief aim of the agriculturist to 
keep the birds alongside of his improvements. Since by drainage, 
he has banished the wild duck, the curlew, and the snipe, from 
localities in which they used to abound, he would find it profitable 
to set apart a spot specially for them. And if he must have stone 
walls and wire fences, in order to get quit of weeds and to save his 
crops from insects which find shelter during winter in the hedge- 
rows, he would never regret having left a bush here and there for 
the birds to build in. If this be not done, he will assuredly find in 
the turnip-beetles and saw-flies, in the corn-midges and wire-worms 
— the larvse of weevils and elaters — “ a great people and strong,” 
enemies, any thousand of which will do more harm to his crops than 
all the birds of the air would. 
In the following list the birds of Linlithgowshire are referred 
to on the left hand of the column. Those of Berwickshire are 
characterised on the right hand. 
The letter R denotes Regular, or birds which breed constantly 
in the districts ; H denotes Historical, or birds which used to breed 
in the localities, but which have for many years ceased to do so ; 
0 denotes Occasional , or birds which have been known to breed at 
