1884.] ANCIENT WOODS IN THE HEBRIDES. 127 



kitchen middens of this ancient people, the remains of certain animals 

 that usually inhabit woods, such as the pine marten {Martes foina, L.), 

 red-deer {Cervus elcphas, L.), the ^vild boar (Sus scrofa). These animals 

 have long been extinct on both Colonsay and Oronsay. The order 

 in wliich they disappeared, judging from the position of the remains 

 in tlie deposits, was first the wild boar, then the marten, and next 

 the red-deer ; and as far as we can form an opinion from a study of 

 deposits of a later date than the shell-mound found under the floor 

 of the New Cave, Colonsay, the marten and the red-deer must have 

 become extinct about the time of the Norse occupation of the islands ; 

 and it seems likely that at this period may have occurred the con- 

 flagration, if such took place, when the woods on Colonsay and 

 Oronsay were destroyed. It is well known that the Dubh Gaills or 

 Black Gaills, and the Fin Gaills or White GaUls, who were in all 

 probability Danes and Norwegians, ravaged the islands about the 

 beginning of the ninth ceutiuy, and did everything in their power 

 to exercise a terrorism over the inhabitants. If further proof were 

 wanted that at one time large trees grew on Colonsay, the evidence 

 is to be had in the immense tree-stumps that are still to be seen 

 along the shores of Loch Fada, a place where the action of the waves 

 has washed away the upper deposits of turf and peat. An examina- 

 tion of the wood of these stimips has shown them to belong to the 

 goat willow {Salix caprea, L.). 



Such is a very short account of what is known of the ancient 

 forests of Colonsay and Oronsay. In a future contribution we will 

 bring under the notice of our readers some information as to the 

 present state of arboriculture in the islands. 



SlTtllNGTOX GkIEVE. 



