294 DELIBERATE INTRODUCTION OF NEW ANIMALS 



the valley of the Feugh to Banchory, where they appeared 

 about 1855. From this station they seem to have spread up 

 the Dee, reaching Glen Tanar near Aboyne in 1857, and 

 becoming distributed throughout most of the woods of Upper 

 Dee by 1 864. Two routes apparently led them' to the fertile 

 valley of the Don, one from Aboyne up the Tarland Burn and 

 down the Corse and Leochel Burns to Vale of Alford, where 

 one was killed by a dog in 1859. Thence an easy journey 

 took them to Kildrummy about 1860 and Glenkindie some 

 three years later. A second route lay by the haughs between 

 the lower waters of Dee and Don, for Squirrels were seen on 

 the estate of Thainstone near Port Elphinstone in 1862 and 

 at Manar, three or four miles farther up the river in 1868. 



Whether the waves of this invasion from the Central 

 Highlands now found themselves spent, or whether they 

 spread farther across the less wooded portions of Aberdeen- 

 shire is difficult to decide. Since I am of opinion that 

 the former was the case, and that the consecutive dates 

 of arrival in these areas indicate invasion from another 

 centre, I shall discuss the colonization of northern Aber- 

 deenshire in the section dealing with the Northern Highland 

 dispersal. 



IN THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS - 



An isolated introduction took place in Argyllshire about 

 1847, when, along with the Rabbit, the Squirrel was brought 

 from England and set free at Minard House on the western 

 shore of Loch Fyne. This establishment formed the centre 

 of a small and isolated colony. The strongest army of 

 migrants moved northwards, reaching Inverary, twelve miles 

 from the starting point, in 1855, and Glen Orchy ten years 

 later. The western advance rounded the south end of Loch 

 Awe, and speedily spread along the western coast, so that 

 by 1880 its outposts had reached the environs of Oban. 

 As in most other areas, the southern movements lagged 

 seriously behind the others, for not till 1877 and 1878 were 

 Squirrels seen even in the neighbourhood of Lochgilphead, 

 only eight miles from the starting point. 



