INTRODUCTION 7 



of any other living creature. And, in addition 

 to its personal picturesqueness, the reindeer would, 

 probably, be found of some economic importance. 



In 1874-75, the Marquis of Bute placed some 

 beavers on his Mount Stuart estate, where the 

 stream runs through a wood. In 1878, the keeper 

 was sure of sixteen being alive, which made an 

 average increase of four for each season. The 

 last of them died about five years ago, because, 

 it is assumed, there were no more trees to cut 

 down. 



With the latest survivor of the restored exiles, 

 the amiable experiment terminated; and, so far 

 as I know, there is no boar, reindeer, or beaver, 

 in a wild state, in all the land. 



A decreasing number of herds of wild cattle, with 

 black ears, thus differing from the red-eared Chilling- 

 ham breed, are still preserved in some of our parks. 

 These, which have been supposed to represent the 

 original wild ox of the country, are more probably 

 related to the tame cattle brought over by our 

 Saxon forefathers. Even so, their preservation, in 

 undiminished purity of colour and descent, is 

 interesting. 



Colquhoun was surprised to coine across a herd, 

 grazing, tranquilly, by a moorland roadside, in 



