152 KEMIXISCEXCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



It is these great forests, you may say, that feed the 

 others, which are not strictly speaking regular deer 

 forests. No doubt there is a certain amount, but it 

 is very trifling, of waste in having deer forests. The 

 rental probably of the deer forests might be more for 

 the public good if turned into sheep walks ; but as 

 I said before, this chiefly applies to Lord Breadalbane, 

 Duke of Athol, Lord Fife, Mr. Farquharson, Lord 

 Henry Bentinck, Prince Albert, Lord Lichfield, and a 

 few others, who either sacrifice their oiun territory to 

 their deer, or pay for them as a sheep walk, and reserve 

 them for deer.* Now the few people who can do this 

 can do very little damage to the country, and are a great 

 benefit to Scotland, where they spend their money freely. 

 In one forest was paid 550^., and you may always reckon 

 expenses just about double the rent. Then you must re- 

 member that a great portion of a deer forest is only fit for 

 deer, and would not feed anything but a goat. Scrope is 

 the great authority, but his experience is confined to the 

 Blair forest alone. It certainly is the most splendid of 

 all sports. " Ask any of the farmers of Leicestershire 

 or Northamptonshire whether they dislike having packs 

 of fox-hounds in their country ; their answer will be, 

 ' Certainly not ; for although the sportsmen may do us 

 a little damage in riding over our fields, it is amply 

 compensated by the large sums these gentlemen expend 

 in our counties, many of them keeping their ten or 

 twelve hunters, or perhaps more, and the forage for 

 these animals purchased of the farmers.' Independent 

 of this, the noblemen and gentlemen belonging to these 

 -hunts spend much money in the neighbourhood in the 

 expenses of their establishments, and many of the 



* Part of the Duke of Athors forest kept for deer-stalking amounts 

 to 51,708 imperial acres. 



