ARGYLLSHIRE. 15 



In the Black Mount there are many high, rocky 

 and precipitous hills, of which Stob Ghabhar (3,563 

 feet) and Ben Staray (3,541 feet) are the highest, 

 and around the bases of all these high hills are 

 splendid corries. As a rule, and in all ordinary 

 seasons, this forest yields 100 stags to the rifle, but 

 the seasons of 1893 and 1894 were phenomenal, and 

 as showing what a great difference a good or bad 

 season makes to even a very old forest, Lord 

 Breadalbane has very kindly given me the following 

 particulars of these two seasons. 



The stalking season of 1893 in the Black Mount 

 was one of the wettest ever known there, and the 

 incessant rain with the accompanying mists so 

 interfered with stalking that but eighty-four stags 

 were put into the larder, with an average weight of 

 13 stone 6 lbs. 14 ozs., of which the heaviest was 

 17 stone, and the lightest but 9 stone. In this forest, 

 however, it is the invariable rule that everything 

 shot is entered into the book, whether laid low by 

 mistake or not, the deer being then weighed quite 



