on the mainland perhaps kill these germs, and here deer in 

 winter eat closer to the ground than on mainland, where they eat 

 largely the top shoots of long heather. Jura heather will not 

 generally keep fresh when it is long. Mainland deer scrape the 

 snow with their feet to get at the long heather. In Jura there 

 practically is no snow. We believe stags to be more liable to 

 husk than are hinds, but we are not sure of this. 



Twenty-two years ago an observant watcher commenced to 

 reside at a place (near the Free Church) where deer were then 

 very scarce, perhaps three or four hinds frequented the place, it 

 is good feeding and shelter ; a large stock of deer, stags and 

 hinds, now frequent this place, and those of the best quality. 



This bit of ground was cleared of the Laird's stock, 1878. 



Age of Hinds 

 One of these hinds had very peculiar ears, she was rather tame (continued.) 



and was seen constantly. Twenty-two years ago she was a large hind 

 with a good calf at her side. In November, 1889, she broke her 

 neck by falling down some rocks, she was then looking ragged and 

 feeble, but had a calf at her side. She reared 20 calves during 

 the period of 21 years observation, having gone yeld (or lost her 

 calf) only once during that long period, viz., the year before her 

 death. She must have been no less than 5 years old when first 

 observed, for she was then a large hind with a good calf at her 

 side. Consequently we cannot set her down at less than 26 at 

 her death. Her last calf died. This hind had a complete set of 

 teeth. Her calves were good, except the last. 



It would seem that healthy hinds, in favourable positions, Hinds 



. Fertility very 

 continue to calve nearly as long as they live. Doubtless in exposed variable. 



and unfavourable positions, the result in calves is very much less 

 satisfactory. Our count of hinds and calves late February, 1890, 

 establishes this fact, the favourable districts show by far the best 

 results. 



I think we may conclude that wild red-deer occasionally reach 

 30 years of age. 



When hinds are picked for the larder (November and December), 

 at least 19 out of 20 shot, are in calf, this shows that it is ex- 

 tremely rare for a good hind to go yeld more than one year at a 



