394 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



I saw one which was killed there about 1885, and was told 

 another had been obtained in 1891. They were also said to 

 be still about Elmscleugh at that time. 



In May 1895 a Badger was dug out of an earth on the 

 south side of the Pentlands near Boghall, but there is little 

 doubt it was an animal which escaped a short time before 

 from confinement at Craiglockhart (see my note in Ann. Scot. 

 Nat Hist, 1895, p. 249). 



Offshoots from the colony introduced into Dalmeny Park 

 in 1889 have reached, and for a time, at least, established 

 themselves at Corstorphine Hill to the east and Hopetoun 

 woods to the west. I examined a specimen from the 

 former locality in August 1903, and three — all females, the 

 largest weighing only 17 J lbs. — from the latter in March 

 and April 1904. A pair from Dalmeny were turned down 

 on Rosebery estate in 1900 (B. Campliell). The native stock 

 among the hills at the head of the Forth valley still holds 

 out in a few places. Two captured in 1898 and 1901 respec- 

 tively, in the Balquhidder district, have come under my 

 notice. In April 1897, one was got near Dunipace, Stirling- 

 shire (Harvie-Brown). 



Much has been written recently in reference to the period 

 of gestation in the case of the Badger, but uncertainty still 

 surrounds the question (c/. the Zoologist for 1903 and 1904, 

 where some evidence for a period of eight months is put 

 forward ^). About all we know is that the young are born 

 in spring ; evidence of this has, on several occasions, come 

 under my own observation. An interesting little book on 

 the Badger, by Sir Alfred Pease, was published in 1898. 

 The author has much to say in the animal's favour. It is 

 not, however, so near the vanishing point in Scotland as he 

 supposed. 



Polecat {Mustela futorius, L.). 



There is an old undated specimen, labelled Polmaise, 

 Stirlingshire, preserved in the Kelviugrove Museum, Glasgow. 

 In the New Statistical Account of the parish of St Ninian's, 



^ Millais thinks between live and six months more probable {Mammals 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. ii., 1906), 



