DEER DIKES. 373 



well as in other forests in Scotland, when the deer were 

 collected by scouts, and driven to certain passes. One of 

 these was along the side of Craig-More, one of the most 

 prominent summits of Ben-Ormin, where there is a station 

 still, called " the Earl's Scat," and farther on there is 

 another, called " Angus Baillie's Seat," having been se- 

 lected by a forester of that name. There are also the remains 

 of several ancient hunting lodges, which were chiefly 

 constructed on the islands in the freshwater lakes. 



There seem to have been two modes of killing deer in 

 the Sutherland district, quite peculiar to the country one 

 was the erection of an enclosure, called Garru, na-bhiu 

 (the deer dikes): it was formed of two opposite rough 

 stone walls, about a quarter of a mile in length, and 100 

 yards apart at one end, this distance being gradually con- 

 tracted to a narrow opening at the other. The deer having 

 been driven in at the wide end in numbers, could not get 

 into the moor at the narrow extremity without great delay, 

 and thus became an easy prey to the sportsmen. The 

 other method alluded to was formerly practised at two 

 extreme points of the Sutherland forests. A strong force 

 of men collected them in herds near the sea- coast, urged 

 them forwards, and at length, forced them down the cliffs 

 and crags, and drove them into the water. Boats were 

 concealed amid the rocks, which were put in motion at the 

 proper time, and the deer were attacked with such weapons 

 as were then in use, for I speak of a period previous to 

 the introduction of fire-arms. In this defenceless position 

 of the deer, the slaughter must have been considerable, as 

 it is probable that spearmen and bowmen occasionally 

 leaped from their boats into the waters ; the commotion of 



B B 3 



