252 ANTLERS 



and shortage of winter food. Mr. Winans has achieved 

 satisfactory results by his experiments with crossing 

 deer in his park at Surrenden in Kent; but the 

 winter conditions in ' the Garden of England ' are not 

 comparable with the alternation of arctic cold and 

 pitiless wet that prevails for at least half the year 

 in such elevated forests as Corrour, Ardverikie, and 

 Rannoch. In the eastern Highlands, indeed, where 

 the rainfall is not so excessive, the wapiti strain might 

 have a favourable influence for a time ; but this cannot 

 be expected to be permanent, for the wapiti is much 

 less patient of wet than our native red deer ; even in 

 sheltered parks it is very liable to consumption and 

 wasting. 



So much for the conditions of climate and nutrition 

 with which Scottish red deer have to contend, and in 

 which it would be unreasonable to expect any improve- 

 ment; but, as if the adversities were not injurious 

 enough to the quality of the stock, the mischief is 

 greatly aggravated by the reckless mismanagement 

 prevailing in most Scottish forests. On the Continent 

 (I write of things as they were before the Great War) 

 scrupulous care is shown to improve the race ; but in 

 our Highlands the finest stags are picked out by the 

 stalker without a thought for the future quality of 

 the herd. 



' How often,' says Mr. Winans, ' one hears a stalker say, 

 " Do not shoot that stag ; he has a bad head " ; or, " We had 

 better go on ; there is no head worth shooting in this lot." 

 Whereas he ought to say, " There is a stag with a very bad 

 head ; you had better shoot him." What would be thought 



