WOOD DEER HEAVIER. 11 



As a proof of this position, I may mention, that such 

 stags as have, for the most part, abandoned the Scotch 

 mountains, and pastured in the large woods in the low 

 country, have been found considerably to exceed the hill 

 stags in size and condition. The late Duke of Atholl 

 killed a hart that had been feeding for four seasons in the 

 woods of Dunk eld, where he remained, with twelve 

 others, during nine months of the year. He weighed 

 thirty stone six pounds imperial as he stood. His horns 

 weighed thirteen pounds two ounces ; but they were still 

 inferior to such as have been found buried in peat mosses. 

 The fat on his haunches was four inches and one eighth 

 thick, though he was killed in July, much too early in the 

 season to have arrived at his full condition. 



In the year 1836, an outlying stag was killed at 

 Woburn, which weighed thirty-four stone imperial as ho 

 stood. These are much higher weights than are to be 

 found in the forest of Atholl. 



In the forest of Glengarry, where the snow never lies 

 long, where there is much rich pasture in the low grounds, 

 sweet grass on the hill-tops, and large woods for shelter, 

 the late Glengarry killed a hart which weighed twenty- 

 six stone after the gralloch or offal was taken out : now, 

 allowing six stone six pounds for the gralloch (computing 

 it at about one fourth of the entire weight), this noble 

 animal must have been thirty-two stone six pounds as he 

 stood. 



From the accounts that have been sent to me from the 

 various forests in Scotland, I am inclined to think that the 

 average weight of the best deer in Sutherland is superior 

 to that of the other forests. It reaches about fifteen 



