WILD LIFE IN A WEST HIGHLAND DEER FOREST 257 



Treig on the west to the north-western limit of Perthshire 

 and the Benalder Forest on the east. Some idea of its rugged 

 nature may be gleaned from the fact that within this domain 

 there are about 2700 acres, including ten mountain summits, 

 over 3000 feet above sea-level, and a vast area over 2000 

 feet. In addition there are several fine lochs, three rivers, 

 and what is probably the highest wood composed of decidu- 

 ous trees to be found in our islands. This combination of 

 characteristics renders the Forest exceptionally advantageous 

 for the study of the altitudinal ranges reached by various 

 animals, and special attention has been paid to this phase 

 of animal distribution. 



For the purposes of this zoological survey, the Forest may 

 be conveniently subdivided into the following zonal areas : 

 I. Highest or Alpine Zone; II. Middle or Subalpine Zone ; 

 and III. Lowest or Valley Zone. 



I. The Alpine Zone, comprising about one-half of the 

 Forest, is entirely a mountain-region. It includes all the 

 ground over 2000 feet, and reaches its maximum altitude of 

 361 1 feet at the summit of Bheinn Ebhinn. Here are 

 rugged crags, precipitous escarpments, arid stone-scattered 

 plateaux, rough mountain sides clad in heather and grass, 

 secluded corries flanked by screes or boulder-strewn ground, 

 a number of hill-lochans, and the upper waters of innumer- 

 able burns. 



This zone is the summer home of the Red Deer; the 

 eyries of the *Golden Eagle 1 and the nesting haunts of 

 the *Raven, *Ptarmigan, and of the few Golden Plover found 

 in the Forest are entirely confined to it, and these are to be 

 regarded as its characteristic birds. In addition, however, 

 to these, there are a number of species of mammals and 

 birds of wider distribution in the Forest, which also find their 

 maximum altitudinal range in the Alpine Zone. They in- 

 clude the Fox, Stoat, Mountain-Hare, Field-Vole, and Black 

 Water- Vole among mammals; with the Ring-Ouzel, *Hooded 

 Crow, Meadow-Pipit, Wheatear, *Mallard, Teal, *Red Grouse, 



1 The birds marked with an asterisk (*) throughout this paper are 

 resident species ; the rest are summer visitors, unless otherwise 

 specified. 



