MAMMALS. 81 



Order UNGULATA. 



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Sub-order AETIODACTYLA. 

 Family CERVID.33. 



Cervus tarandus, L. Reindeer. 



There seems to be no actual proof that the Reindeer existed in 

 Orkney within historic times, nor do we remember hearing or 

 reading of either the bones or horns of this animal ever being 

 found in any of the numerous brochs that have been opened 

 in the islands from time to time. 



Certainly it would be a curious thing if the former Orkney 

 notables took the trouble to cross the stormy Pentland Firth to 

 hunt an animal that could be found at their own doors, espe- 

 cially when, from all we can now make out, the Reindeer was 

 by no means abundant when they did arrive in Caithness. 



At page 19 of their work, Messrs. Baikie and Heddle refer 

 to the introduction of the Reindeer into Orkney, but give no 

 further details. We have tried to collect all the information we 

 could on the subject, and we here append the results. Mr. Henry 

 Leask, of Boardhouse, by Stromness, writes as follows : 



"In reply to your inquiry about the reindeer introduced 

 into Orkney, I am sorry that I can give you little information. I 

 presume they must refer to a few reindeer brought from Arch- 

 angel about seventy years ago by Mr. Robert Traill, son of 

 Provost Thomas Traill, of Frotoft, and sent to his farm of Wide- 

 ford, about two miles east of Kirkwall. I remember seeing 

 them there, once only, and I should say there were three, four, 

 or perhaps six, but not more than six. I do not know how 

 long they lived, nor the cause of their death. I would presume 

 want of their natural food and climate." 18^ Jan. 1888. 



In another letter, dated 30th Jan. 1888, Mr. Leask 

 writes : 



"The excessive dampness of our climate would alone, I 

 suspect, account for their death, apart from any lack of their 

 most usual food. There is now nobody I know of who can 



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