1 86 The Scottish Naturalist. 



confine its attention to the Red Deer, but lives amongst the hair 

 of other species, as the Roe and Fallow Deer. 



Deer are very cunning, and many stories might be told of their 

 various dodges, either to escape when pursued, or to get at food 

 protected from them. The wood Deer (that is, those which live - 

 in the woods all the year round, and do not take to the bare 

 hills) are much more cunning than the hill Deer, and differ from 

 the latter in several respects. 



The other wild mammals of Glen Tilt are few and unimport- 

 ant, and need not detain us. I do not know whether the Wild 

 Cat is yet to be found there. Though never abundant, it still 

 remains in a few places, especially to the north of the Grampians. 



Birds, as might be expected, are not, as a rule, abundant in 

 the upper part of the glen. The Golden Eagle may sometimes 

 be seen soaring over Ben-a-Ghlo, and probably nests in or near 

 the forest. The beautiful Peregrine Falcon breeds in the forest ; 

 and, of course. Grouse and Ptarmigan are not uncommon. 



The most noteworthy ornithological fact, however, is the 

 occurrence of a large colony of the House Martin on a rock- 

 face not far from Pool Tarft', and miles away from any house. 

 Over a considerable part of the rock the nests are plastered 

 thickly, and to see on a bright morning the feathered multitude 

 flying to and fro in front of their dwellings is a very pretty sight. 

 A considerable number of Rooks and Jackdaws come far up the 

 glen and hunt about the hillsides all day, returning to the lower 

 country about Blair in the evening. At the time we were there 

 in July, they were engaged in picking up caterpillars, I fancy — 

 especially those of the sometimes destructive Charaas graffiinis. 

 Many of these caterpillars had retired under the moss on the top 

 of stones to change into chrysalises, and the Rooks apparently 

 knew this, as the moss was frequently all ploughed up with their 

 beaks. In places where Empctrum nigrum is common, the 

 Rooks resort to the hillsides to feed on the berries, which prob- 

 ably derive their name of Crow-berries from this reason. Wood- 

 pigeons, also, frequently come up Glen Tilt to feed upon the 

 wild berries of various kinds — such as blaeberries. In speaking 

 of the Golden Eagle, I forgot to mention that Sir T. Mon- 

 creiffe pointed out a dead tree on the ridge near Marble Lodge, 

 on which he once saw no less than five eagles all perched 

 togetlier at one time. 



The other vertebrates of Glen Tilt arc few in number. Of 

 course the common Frog is not rare upon the hills, always appear- 



