NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 99 



Ruminantia. Cervidae. 



16. RED DEER. 



Cervus elephas (Linn.) 



Martin in his time computed the number of deer in Harris to be 

 "at least 2000." 



John Macgillivray tells us that deer "were so plentiful in Harris 

 and Lewis 30 years ago," (i.e., about 1800) that the poor had an 

 abundant supply of food. A peasant is said to have killed five at 

 one shot, and another to have killed 18 in a season. They rapidly 

 decreased, however, when the local Militia became instituted, and 

 after Lord Seaforth's time, who had protected them. He 

 (Macgillivray) seems to have been under the impression that the 

 species had become extinct in all the Long Island except Lewis 

 and Harris; but Captain Feilden and I were told nothing in 1870 

 which would lead us to suppose that it had ever become actually 

 extinct in North Uist, although it was generally considered that it 

 was rapidly approaching extinction. In 1879 it was reported to 

 me that there was no increase in their numbers in North Uist, 

 but at the same time no perceptible decrease since 1870. 



Perhaps the finest collection of stags' heads and horns — of animals 

 killed in Lewis — is that of Mr. A. Williamson, of Edinburgh, who 

 rented the Aline and Soval shootings for several years. I had the 

 pleasure of seeing these lately. The small but beautifully sym- 

 metrical horns are indeed a contrast to his marvellous collection of 

 Wapiti and other trophies from Colorado, but they are none the 

 less interesting and valuable. I am also indebted to Mr. William- 

 son's courtesy for the following account of the Deer of the Lews, 

 and as these experiences cannot fail to prove valuable additions to 

 our knowledge of the history of the Red Deer in Great Britain, 

 I transcribe those parts of his letter in full, which relate to this 

 species : — 



" 26th March, 1879. — Stags in the Long Island I found rapidly 

 deteriorating as they are doing elsewhere. From a table I kept 

 very carefully during the first three years I was at Aline, I find 

 the average weights were as follows : — 



1872. — 16 stags averaged 11 J stones (clean). 

 1873.— 18 „ „ 11 stones 3 lbs. 



1874.— 22 .. „ lOf stones. 



