442 Lord Glenbervieow the devastations of Mice in Forests ; 



very young plantations there, and he did not observe that they 

 gnawed the bark of any of the trees ; but a severe winter hav- 

 ing supervened, vast numbers of them were found dead upon the 

 ground. This case contributed to encourage the hope I have 

 before mentioned, that a similar destruction would have happened 

 this year in our Forests, and also furnished reason to conjecture, 

 that the great multitude of those vermin, which infested our 

 inclosures last season, might have only been a sort of accidental 

 epidemical plague, not like to have returned, perhaps, till after 

 our plants should have outgrown the danger of any further injury 

 from them ; for they do not attempt to bark or eat the roots of 

 trees whose stems have acquired a diameter of two or more 

 inches. 



It is proper to mention, that they bark indiscriminately, besides 

 hollies and oaks, ash, chesnuts, beech, &c. and, as has been lately 

 observed, even larch and fir. 



Mr. Davies informs me, by a letter dated the 5th instant, that 

 in Dean Forest, no Mice have been taken for a very considerable 

 time ; and that having inspected the several inclosures which had 

 been infested with them, no traces of them were then visible, nor 

 any appearance of recent damage ; so that he hopes they may 

 have been effectually exterminated, and that the mischief done 

 last year, will not recur in the ensuing season. Directions how- 

 ever have been given to the woodmen, still to attend to the holes, 

 keeping them open, and inspecting them from time to time. 



In New Forest, on the 13th instant, I was informed, that 776 

 short-tailed and 56 long-tailed had been taken since the 29th 

 ultimo. I continue to have a weekly return from that Forest. 



You know the unsuccessful pains I took when the alarming 

 damage which was discovered to be done by Mice in our planta- 

 tions, by barking the young plants, was first made known to me 

 in the month of May last year, to discover if the same mischief 

 had been observed to be occasioned by those vermin at any for- 

 mer period, either in those Forests or elsewhere, in order to learn 

 whether any methods had been discovered to check or prevent its 

 return ; and your own enquiries were, I understand, long equally 



