ARGYLLSHIRE. 39 



get at ; thus a forest that changes hands often is 

 almost sure to suffer a deterioration in the quality 

 of its deer, and I would suggest to those forest 

 owners who let by the year that they would do 

 well to have a strict agreement with the tenant, not 

 only as to the number to be killed but also as to 

 their quality, a condition which should apply equally 

 to stags and hinds. In a satisfactory forest the 

 most important feature must ever be the possession 

 of a full complement of fine healthy hinds, and such 

 a result can only be arrived at by abstaining from 

 killing them ; as soon as the desired result has been 

 reached, then it can be maintained by exercising 

 great care in not selecting the flower of the flock 

 for slaughter ; better by far to kill sixty ragged 

 poor hinds than thirty of the fattest and best. 

 Of course overstocking must be guarded against, but 

 it would be better protection to kill weakly hinds 

 and even weakly calves than to reduce the numbers 

 of strong healthy matrons. The Jura hinds average 

 8 stone 12 lbs. quite clean, while with regard to twin 



