Venus was unaware of it, but we were walking over a ruin. "This was about as far as the Romans got," Phil, our guide, explained, pointing out the grassy remains of an ancient camp. "They also introduced rabbits to Britain." When the Romans retreated behind Hadrian's Wall, the rabbits stayed and thrived: the rolling, heather-strewn, pine-covered slopes of Perthshire are pitted with warrens. Venus watched for movement from a branch high above us. Then he and his mate swooped.
You don't go for a walk with a pair of Harris hawks just for the fresh air: these birds are born to kill. Watching these magnificent creatures swoop was one of the highlights of the trip. But I had mixed emotions about seeing a rabbit eviscerated.