The Yale expositor., 1909-06-18

The distribution or birdS OF prey In
the Highlands at the present day fur
nishes striking object-lesson in the
effects of protection on any given
species, says a writer in Country Life
In the middle of last century, when
game preservation as a 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 a relentless warfare
against all marauders other than man
himself, warfare which has contin-
ued to the present day and threatens
| to exterminate 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 a matter of the greatest concern
to ornithologists and sportsmen alike,
for there are few sportsmen who
| n
| 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 lon
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 mem
cries of the past, and never again
may we watch them as in days gone
by. The golden eagle is 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 az
the signal for it's destruction. The
.buzzard, in appearance closely re
sembling the golden eagle when OF
the wing, though easily distinguished
| Wy It's ohAdiNi oiNCs hao III NhC pdcb sui
fered for the sins of its holder neigh
bors, for of all birds OF prey this II
the least harmful to game; mice
voles and carrion form its diet, and 1
is probably quite incapable of striking
down any game-bird on the wing un
less the latter is weakly or wounded
In fight slow and heavy and by ma
ture a coward, common sense will
show us that the character of thi
species quite bellies its predatory an
pearance. Yet in spite of these facts
. which have been proved times with
, out number, keepers continue to shoe
these harmless birds on their migrs
ton in autumn, the period when tn
young birds, driven away by thei
parents, are seeking fresh quarters
II proprietors would include buzzard
in their orders for the protection @
eagles something might be gained. o
all our birds of prey. the buzzard IL
!. at the present moment, most in nee
of protection.
Two other species claim cur after
tfon-fhe kpstrel and the merlin hot