316 FORESTS OF SCOTLAND. 



THE ISLE OF SKYE, AND NORTH UISH. 



THERE are about 230 deer in the Isle of Skye, which are 

 the proper! y of Lord Macdonald ; they range over his forest 

 near to Sconsar, and wander occasionally into the grounds 

 of Macleod of Macleod, the other proprietor of the island. 

 This herd has been represented to me as being in very bad 

 plight, the full-grown stags not exceeding ten or twelve in 

 number. 



Lord Macdonald has also deer in North Uish which cannot 

 well be got at, or followed without the assistance of boats, 

 the island being almost entirely flat, and intersected by arms 

 of the sea in all directions, so that there are not two miles 

 of continuous land, and the deer, when pursued, imme- 

 diately take to the water. Their number here is about 100. 



LOCH ETIVE AND DALNESS. 



MR. CAMPBELL of Monzie, whose property is situated at the 

 head of Loch Etive, is forming a forest there, and has joined 

 to his own lands (by lease) the old forest of Dalness, of 

 which he is the hereditary keeper, but from which the deer 

 have, of late years, been almost entirely expelled. By this 

 arrangement his forest will march with Lord Breadalbane's 

 for an extent of about six miles. Mention has already been 

 made of a white hind referred to in the old family manu- 

 script at Taymouth, called the Black Book, which existed 

 in and near the forest of Corrichibah in the year 1622, and 

 previously. It is not to be wondered at, that some supersti- 

 tion should attach to an animal varying so much from the 

 natural colour of its species. Thus a tradition has been 

 handed down in the district of Loch Etive, that, should a 

 white hind again appear, death by violence would ensue. 

 A few years ago (I have not received the precise date), 

 another white hind did make her appearance, and created a 

 great sensation on account of the above tradition. In the 

 depth of the winter in that year, some determined poachers 



