PROTECTION OF ANIMALS FOR SPORT 211 



sich ane thing sould be in Scotland, that is, so court-lyk and delicious 

 entertainment in the Highlandis of Scotland, quhair he saw nothing hot 

 woodis and wildernes. Bot, most of all, this ambassadour, when the King 

 was cuming back from the huritis, marvelled to sie the Highlanderis sett all 

 this pallace on fire that the King and the ambassadour might sie it. Then 

 the ambassadour said to the King, I marvell Sir yea latt burne yon pallace 

 quhair yea war so weill eased. The King answered, 'It is the use of our 

 Highland men that they be nevir so weill lodged all the night, they will 

 burne the same on the morne.' This being done, the King returned to 

 Dunkell that night, and on the morne to St Johnstoun. It is said at this 

 tyme, in Atholl and Stratherdaill boundis, thair was slaine threttie scoir 

 [600] of hart and hynd, with other small beastis, sick as roe and roe-buck, 

 woulff, fox, and wyld cattis. 



I have already referred to another hunting of James V, 

 when, in 1528, 360 harts were slain in the forest county of 

 Selkirkshire and the adjoining counties. In 1563 Queen 

 Mary was present at a Highland hunt when, in the course of 

 two months "tenchel" driving, two thousand Scottish High- 

 landers collected in the wilds of Athole, Badenoch, Mar 

 and Moray a huge herd of "more than two thousand deer." 

 Many of these, owing to a sudden stampede of the herd, 

 broke bounds and escaped, but notwithstanding, "there were 

 killed that day 360 deer." Taylor, the Water Poet, relates 

 that, in his presence, in 1618, in the "Brea of Marr" Braemar 

 in Aberdeenshire "in the space of two hours, fourscore fat 

 deere were slaine, "and the Wardlaw Chronicles tell how, in 

 1655, in the "Forrest of Monnair" on the borders of Inver- 

 ness, Ross and Cromarty, 



We travelled through Strathglaish and Glenstrafarrar to Loch Monnair.... 

 Next day we got sight of 6 or 700 deere, and sportt off hunting fitter for 

 kings than country gentlemen. 



These facts go to show that, while legislation was unable to 

 save the deer of the Lowlands, where deer-preservation came 

 into violent conflict with agricultural progress, it did result 

 in keeping up the numbers in the wilder areas of the Scottish 

 Highlands. 



DEER PROTECTION AT THE PRESENT DAY 



In our day also, a similar result follows upon the protection 

 afforded to Red Deer. So efficiently are they preserved that 

 there can be little doubt that in many areas the number 

 exceeds what the ground could naturally bear. Why should 

 it be necessary to hand-feed deer in many forests during the 



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