304 THE DEER FORESTS OF SCOTLAND. 



intimates, and with whom I had several friendly 

 tussels behind the traps in the days when he shot ' 

 pigeons so successfully — witnessed a curious incident 

 in Rhidorrach, when on one occasion he had wounded 

 a stag, which, going slowly off, while bleeding freely, 

 was seen to be attacked by a fox ! 



In the days of Mr. Hay Mackenzie, of Cromartie 

 — the great-grandfather of the present proprietrix — 

 and long before Rhidorrach was regularly afforested, 

 there were a number of very heavy stags on the 

 ground, for Mr. Mackenzie had his deer fed by 

 hand all through the winter, with the result that 

 stags could be seen there as early as May with 

 royal heads from which the velvet was nearly 

 ready to drop. Two of these big fellows became 

 comparatively tame, and were christened " Bill " and 

 " Bean," one of them having a most remarkable head, 

 and easily known anywhere. This beast, imprudently 

 straying beyond the bounds of safety, became the 

 victim of a noted deer poacher, who, having dis- 

 posed of his ill-gotten meat, became fearful of 



