302 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 



structive, and at times give even more trouble 

 than rabbits. For large coniferous forests in 

 the Scottish highlands and on Irish moors 

 wild boar and deer of sorts, 'black game' and 

 'red game' might well be maintained in eco- 

 nomically-managed forests. There, too, the 

 comparatively rare and shy capercailzie as well 

 as the black grouse could be re-introduced on 

 a large scale, while wood-pigeons and stock- 

 doves would increase naturally, and furnish 

 sport of a sort not to be despised by any 

 true sportsman. 



Sporting considerations have assuredly hitherto 

 been one of the chief causes of the apathy of 

 landowners towards forestry in this country. 

 They have certainly been the cause of fre- 

 quent complaints that woods are unprofit- 

 able, and that the growing of timber will not 

 pay as an investment. There seems to me, 

 however, to be much confusion about this 

 matter. Landowners who hold this view seem 

 to have formed their opinions without duly 

 considering or discriminating between causes and 

 effects. They do not seem quite to realise that 

 the difference, often very considerable, between 



