The Ordway new era., 1909-06-18

rC'DhG 2lREGf2lrE <11ZCOH
The distribution of birds of prey in
the Highlands At the present day fur
nishes a striking objectlesson In the
effects of protection on any given
species. says writer in Country Life.
In the middle of last century, when
game preservation as source of in
come began to be considered an asset
OF the country, there were few sports.
men who realized how easily and
quickly any non-migratory bird could
be eXterminated. At that period
birds of prey were unquestiOnably too
numerous. and game could scarcely
have been expected to flourish under
such conditions. Our forfathers. per-
haps better sportsmen than their de
scendants. skilled In all manner of
woodcraft and content with small
bags obtained by their own unaided
efforts. were more tolerant and for
bearing towards the birds and beasts
Of prey than we have since proved
ourselves to be. The rising value of
sport. however, marked the com.
mencement of n relentless warfare
against all marauders other than man
himself. warfare which has contin-
ued to the present day and threatens
TO eNterminate many of our most in
teresting species. which. once van
ished. can never be replaced. The
position Of many of our birds OF prey
Is matter of the greatest concern
70 ornithologists and sportsmen alike,
for there are few sportsmen who
would knowingly exterminate a spe-
cies whose members are already SO
few as to cause no concern to game
preserves. The harm done by the few
pairs Of eagles. peregrines and buzz
yards which still survive is not worth
consideration, and the fact that most
of their prey is obtained in the deer
forests renders their presence desir-
able. rather than otherwise, In many
Of the latter.
OF the British eagles, two species
have already vanished, or almost van
Ished. Experience shows that we
cannot hope for migrants to take their
place. The sea eagle is now but rare
ly seen on our coasts. and the fishing
eagle, the graceful osprey, is no Ion
ger a familiar feature of our inland
lochs. On some lone islet or surf
beaten rock an odd pair may survive,
but for most of us they are but men,
ories of the past, and never again
may we watch them as in days gone
by. The golden eagle ia the only one
remaining to us. For him alone OF his
race protection came not in vain. The
preservation of this grand species Is
the only bright spot in the history of
the British eagles. In some districts
the king of birds is actually increas-
Ing: almost everywhere he holds his
own. This Is due entirely to the
action taken by proprietors to protect
the eyries, and to the courteous for
bearance shown towards the birds by
the great majority of shooting tenants
-forbearance which is, unfortunately,
not accorded to them in the south,
where the appearance of any large
bird of prey seems to be regarded as
the signal for its destruction. The
buzzard, in appearance closely re-
sembling the golden eagle when on
the wing, though easily distinguished
by its smaller size, has in the past suf-
fered for the sins of its bolder neigh
bors, for OF all birds Of prey this is
the least harmful to game; mice,
yoles and carrion form it's diet. and it
Is probably quite incapable of striking
down any game-bird on the wing un-
less the latter is weakly or wounded.
In flight slow and heavy and by ma
ture a coward, common sense will
show us that the character of this
species quite bellies its predatory ap-
pearance. Yet in spite of these facts,
which have been proved times with
out number, keepers continue to shoot
these harmless birds on their migra-
lion in autumn, the period when the
young birds, driven away by their
parents, are seeking fresh quarters.
If proprietors would include buzzards
in their orders for the protection of
eagles something might be gained. OF
ali our birds of prey, the buzzard is,
at the present moment, most In need
Of protection.
Two other species claim our atten-
uon-the kestrel and the merlin, both