12 WEIGHT OF DEER. 



stone, Dutch, sinking the offal ; and stags are occasionally 

 killed of seventeen stone ; and, in the forest of Ben Hope, 

 of a somewhat larger size. Now Dutch weight reckons 

 sixteen pounds to the stone, and seventeen ounces and a 

 half to the pound ; so that adding the offal, and reducing 

 the whole to imperial weight, a stag of fifteen stone Dutch 

 would be about twenty-five stone imperial as he stands. 



In corroboration of what has been advanced above, as to 

 the starving condition of the Highland deer in severe 

 weather, I shall mention a fact that happened about the 

 end of the last century. 



One Donald M'Kay, a farmer, who lived in a remote 

 glen on the estate of Reay, in Sutherland, received so 

 much injury from the depredations of the forest deer, 

 which made continual inroads upon his crops, invading him 

 from the west and from the north, that he at length marched 

 off to Tongue, the residence of his landlord and chief, to 

 endeavour to procure some redress. Having obtained an 

 audience, Lord Reay, who probably gave little credit to 

 his tale, told him to go back and pound the deer whenever 

 they trespassed in future. Donald did not presume to say 

 aught against his reception, though he was bitterly vexed 

 at having walked forty mortal miles for nothing. 



On his arrival at his little farm, he set his wits to work 

 to devise some plan for making use of the permission which 

 had been conceded to him. Donald was a shrewd fellow ; 

 but it was not particularly easy to pound the denizens of 

 the mountains. He was pretty secure for the present, as 

 he had built a large barn, and kept his crop on rafters, out 

 of the reach of all depredators ; when the winter came on, 

 he put part of this crop very carefully into one end of his 



