1885-86.] Edinburgh Naturalists Field Club. 279 



heaven. It is this south-eastern corner of Rum that is tlie Deer- 

 forest, though the Deer find their way more or less all over the 

 island. The greater part of Rum is let as a sheep-farm, and dur- 

 ing the summer the proprietor puts a number of sheep also into 

 the forest, as there is sufficient grazing for both them and the 

 Deer ; but in the winter time the sheep are withdrawn. I was 

 several days on the island, climbing the mountains and wandering 

 over the Deer-forest, without having seen even one of these ani- 

 mals ; and I naturally began to think that there must be some 

 mistake about the Deei*. I mentioned my doubts to some of the 

 inhabitants, who assured me that I would yet see plenty of the 

 big game, and added that I must have been near many of them 

 without having discovered their presence. On the sixth day after 

 landing I arranged with a shepherd to ascend Aisge-meal (pro- 

 nounced Askival\ the highest and most inaccessible peak of Rum. 

 We attempted the ascent from the eastern side, a point from 

 which the shepherd had never reached the summit before ; but by 

 assisting each other from ledge to ledge, we at last found ourselves 

 at the top. We were taking a rest on the sharp ridge after our 

 climb, and were scanning the depths of the vast corrie that lies 

 immediately to the west of Halival and Aisge-meal. I expressed 

 to my companion the intense joy I felt at having an opportunity 

 of looking on such rugged grandeur, and casually remarked on the 

 absence of Deer in such a likely spot for them to frequent. He at 

 once said, " I am sure there are plenty of Deer in the corrie, but 

 they will be lying down." He then began to halloo at the top 

 of his voice, and in a minute or so said to me, " See, there they 

 go ! " But though I looked in the direction he pointed out, I at 

 first could see nothing but the rugged mountain-side, with patches 

 of verdure and masses of broken rock. At last I saw one Stag 

 spring up from the ground, and, watching him closely, observed 

 that he joined some others, and then I noticed in front of them 

 quite a procession of Hinds. This was my first view of the wild 

 Deer of Rum. It was a distant one, however, as we were at an 

 altitude of 2659 feet, while the Deer were at least half a mile off, 

 and were on ground not more than 500 feet above sea-level. The 

 next day I had a much closer acquaintance with one of the mon- 

 archs of the forest, and I cannot say I felt quite at ease when we 

 met. I had been fishing one of the numerous tarns, and, with the 

 intention of testing the fishing capabilities of another, had just 

 started to cross an intervening ridge of rising ground. I had only 

 got a short distance on my way when suddenly there sprang up, 

 from a slight hollow in front of some rocks, a splendid Stag with 

 antlered head. The wind was rather high, and was blowing in my 

 face, so the Stag had neither heard nor scented my approach until 

 I was almost upon it. When it first rose it turned its head to- 



