DEEK-DEIVING IN MULL. 



" Hunts he Bentalla's nimble deer ? " 



DEER of the woods, although often large and heavy, are seldom 

 gifted with what foresters call "a good head." The cover of 

 trees is. unfavourable to that branching development of the 

 horns which a life on the open hills seems more fitted to 

 foster. As " heath-covered Mull " is entirely grazed by sheep, 

 its deer feed chiefly in the tangled woods and copses, and are 

 loath to show themselves on the bare hill, where they may 

 be chased by a collie dog or " potted " by its master's " swan 

 post," with no witnesses to the murder but the "wild flock," 

 the eagle, or the raven. 



I was tenant of two good deer-drives in Mull, distant about 

 ten miles from each other Bentalla, the faithless " Lord of 

 the Isles " hunting - ground, rising between. The Scalastal 

 range on the " Sound " contained two large woods. One of 

 them, however, called Garmony, had been lately cut, and was 

 next to useless. But the Scalastal wood, when the wind was 

 in the right direction, generally harboured some old deer. To 

 keep all quiet, I also rented Scalastal farm and farmhouse, 

 turning my shepherds into game-preservers, and training their 

 sheep-dogs to run the deer. 



Glenforsa, the other shooting-quarter, was situated on the 

 opposite side of the island. In addition to some smaller 

 patches, there were the fine hillside coverts of Garrochree and 

 Torlochan the former as wild a jungle as even this rugged 



