CAITHNESS. 69 



mean weight of 18 stone 5 lbs. In addition to the 

 stags, 1,115 brace of grouse were shot, which speaks 

 volumes in favour of preservation as compared 

 with the eighteen brace a day only sometimes 

 got in i860. In 1877 the forest was not shot, 

 and but twenty stags were killed by Donald by 

 the Duke's orders, and distributed amongst the 

 tenantry and others. In 1878 the Earl of Cork 



and his party got 45 stags and 1,600 brace of grouse, 

 and again in 1879 49 stags with 2,000 brace of 

 grouse. From this it will be seen that Langwell 

 Forest developed itself well and speedily. 



From 1858 to 1868 but 43 stags were killed in 

 the nine seasons, and then the fun began, as already 

 related, with a score of 50 for the tenth season. In 

 1868 there were between 900 and 1,000 deer of all 

 sorts on the ground, as compared with about 120 in 

 1859. In this rapid increase it must not be over- 

 looked that in those days there was no railway in 

 Kildonan Strath, and thus Langwell profited to some 

 extent by the Sutherland deer coming into the freshly 



