The Scottish Naturalist. 185 



the Deer of the Scottish Highlands. In fact, in winter the Deer 

 have to descend to the low country for food, and if they have the 

 chance, commit depredations upon fields of turnips not intended 

 for them. They have generally an allowance of turnips and hay 

 provided specially for them ; and without this, and if they were 

 entirely dependent upon their natural food, it is very probable 

 that the stock of Deer in this country would rapidly diminish. 



The late Duke of Athole made some experiments on the horn- 

 producing power of certain kinds of food. x\ young stag was 

 selected and kept in an enclosed field and fed well, powdered 

 deer-horns being mixed with his food. His antlers, as they were 

 shed each year, were carefully preserved, and now form a most 

 interesting and instructive illustration of the progressive annual 

 development of the horns, as well as what judicious feeding can 

 produce. " Tilt," as he was called, at last became too danger- 

 ously playful to keep any longer, and he now, as well as all his 

 horns, is preserved in Blair Castle. 



The horns that the Red Deer annually shed are general]}^ 

 eaten by themselves or others ; even the hinds, who have no horns' 

 to grow, taking what they can get, and not always waiting for 

 cast horns, as the following fact observed by Sir T. Moncreiffe, 

 shows. I give it in his own words. " I have myself seen a 

 hind nibbling the top of a live stag's horns, whilst he dozed away 

 with closed eyes, apparently quite enjoying the proceeding. I 

 stalked him, and shot him there and then, and found the tops of his 

 antlers eaten down to where they branch from the main horn." 



In the hot weather the Deer are much troubled by the flies, 

 and to avoid them lie on the highest tops. They are also sub- 

 ject to the attacks of a kind of bot-fly, as James M'Donald, the 

 observant and obliging keeper at Forest Lodge, to whom we were 

 indebted for much interesting information, told us. The maggots 

 of this fly live just below the skin of the Deer, and when full- 

 grown come through the skin, and falling to the ground, then 

 change to pupse. The hide of a Deer that has been thus in- 

 fested retains the marks of the ulcers always. Not having seen 

 the insect, I cannot refer it to its proper species, but suppose that 

 it is CEstrus (or Hypoderma) elaphi., Schrk, which seems to be the 

 same as H. AdcBon., Brauer. 



The Red Deer has another dipterous parasite, in the shape of 

 Leptotena cervi L., one of that curious parasitic family, the Hip- 

 posbosfidce, which include the spider -flies, and various other 

 sheep, bird, and bee parasites. The one in question does not 



