314 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FOREST 



Abernethy, of the " very romantic " woods of Braemar, and 

 so on through half the counties of Scotland. 



Relics of the great native woods of Scotland still 

 remain in a few places, ghosts of a past grandeur. In the 

 south country the Ettrick Forest is represented by a few 

 natural patches of birch and oak, like that between Ashiestiel 

 and Elibank ; in the midlands a few trees, scattered here 

 .and there throughout the country in Glen Falloch near 

 the head of Loch Lomond, on the mass of Ben Lui, in the 

 Black Wood of Rannoch, in the Ballochbuie Forest at the 

 foot of Lochnagar, in Locheil Old Forest on Loch Arkaig, 

 in Glen Nevis and the neighbourhood of Loch Linnhe 

 are all that are left of the, great " Wod of Caledon," if we 

 except the native Forest of Rothiemurchus. This fine forest 

 whose dark masses of pine woods cluster about the northern 

 base of the Grampians, and spread from Glen Feshie along 

 the valley of the Spey and across into Dulnan Valley at 

 Carrbridge, gives still in its local development a grand idea 

 of the appearance of the wooded Scotland of prehistoric 

 days. The old woods of the northern Highlands survive 

 on the shores of Loch Maree, in the Rhidorroch or Dark 

 Forest north of Ullapool, and furthest north in a few trees 

 on the Oykell above Rosehall. 



Furthermore tradition still speaks of the existence of 

 forest in many a district where it is known only by name : 



Calder 1 wood was fair to see 

 When it went to Cameltrie ; 

 Calder wood was fairer still 

 When it we4it o'er Crosswood hill. 



Yet the end of the argument is this, that whereas in the 

 early days of man's settlement probably half the land was 

 covered with wood, in our day the wooded area is a miserable 

 4 or 4-5 per cent, of the whole. 



1 A parish in Midlothian. 



