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One day, whilst walking alongside a dry wall dividing a newly-planted copse from some grazing land in the Highlands of Scotland, we noticed a hummock of freshly-piled stones which excited our curiosity. Upon examining it, we discovered a vermin trap and the hind leg of a Mountain Hare inside it. On repassing the same place an hour or two afterwards, we were much amused by a young Pheasant running down a cart-wheel rut for a considerable distance before it could get out. Just when the downy little creature came opposite the hummock of stones, a break in the side of the rut enabled it to escape and disappear in the copse.
Stoat in trap
On stopping to watch him it occurred to my brother to examine the trap again, and upon doing so we were surprised to find that it held a wicked-looking Stoat firmly within its grip, and a photograph was at once taken of the unfortunate captive.
I have often trapped these little animals with what is known in North Yorkshire as a "Samson Post," and in other parts of the country as a "Figure of Four," from the resemblance which the sticks when set in position bear to that numeral when written in the old-fashioned way. In encompassing the destruction of Stoats and Weasels, I have always been far more successful with the flesh of a Blackbird as bait than that of either a Grouse, Plover, Starling, or Rabbit.
Hedgehog
Figure-of-four trap
Hedgehogs are ruthlessly slain by gamekeepers on account of their mischievous habits amongst the eggs and young of Partridges and Pheasants. They are easily caught in figure-of-four traps.
As an instance of the vexatious losses gamekeepers whose beats are near large Rookeries suffer, especially in dry springs, my brother had a Pheasant's nest containing seventeen eggs - doubtless the production of two females - shown him in Mull in 1896 by a couple of gamekeepers, who were naturally proud of the clutch. Happening to pass the place a few days afterwards he noticed three or four Rooks fly up from the nest and alight on an adjoining tree. Upon examining it he found only three eggs of the seventeen remaining intact.
I used to help a Yorkshire gamekeeper to dissect Rooks which he shot and poisoned in the spring on his moor, which in droughty weather they would fly nine or ten miles to visit, and have a very vivid recollection of his pardonable rage when we found pieces of the shell of Grouse eggs in one or two of them.
On one occasion I watched a number of Rooks pull the nearly-fledged young ones out of a Blackbird's nest situated in a large hole under the top "through" of a dry stone wall close to Kirkby Stephen in Westmorland.
Although Rooks are very interesting birds, I am sorry to say that I regard them under certain conditions as little less mischievous than Carrion Crows.
A Scottish game-watcher once told me that whenever he shot a hen Raven as she flew off her nest, if he could not secure the eggs the cock always devoured them, and then went off in search of a fresh mate.
Young raven on nest
Buzzard in trap
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