STANDING IN THE WAY OF EXTINCTION

BOOK

IN SEARCH OF ONE LAST SONG

BY PATRICK GALBRAITH

WILLIAM COLLINS, £18.99 (HB)

is a strange book. Is it about our increasingly rare lapwings, hen harriers and turtle doves and the conservationists helping them to retain a foothold on our crowded island? Or is there something else going on? Yes, author Patrick Galbraith meets the farmer in Scotland who is fighting a losing battle against the decline of black grouse by running Galloway cattle to improve the habitat. It’s a hard business – traditional breeds don’t put on weight as well as modern ones, so he doesn’t