Mr Harvie-Broum on the Squirrel in Great Britain. 131 



the other side, and when near the side leaped off the stick on 

 to the bank."* 



The above seems possible, but I take the parallel dis- 

 persals from other centres, and I think we are bound also 

 to consider the natural barriers in the mountainous tract 

 intervening and the natural faunal divisions. If intro- 

 duced at Castlemilk, in Dumfriesshire, then the spread west- 

 ward is easily understood ; but we can hardly at present 

 admit that they crossed naturally over from Eoxburgh. 



In 1875, the first squirrels were seen at Dildawn, in Kelton 

 parish, but they are reported to have been seen at Argrennan 

 a few years previous to that date. Argrennan is an estate on 

 the opposite bank of the Dee from Dildawn, or west bank. 

 Since then they have become numerous. 



Mr Hugh Aitken writes from St Mary's Isle, parish of 

 Kirkcudbright : " It is not more than four years since squirrels 

 were seen here," — say 1874 or 1875, — and he adds under 

 Dumfriesshire, " There were none at Closeburn Hall, Close- 

 burn parish. West Dumfriesshire, when I was there sixteen 

 years ago." 



The gamekeeper on Glenlee, Kells parish, states that 

 squirrels first made their appearance there in 1867, but the 

 keeper at Kenmure, adjoining, says, it is only about four or 

 five years since they were first seen there. The latter in- 

 formant thinks they came from Hensol — another property in 

 Kells parish, where they were seen fifteen years ago — say 1864. 



In 1869, squirrels had reached the south of the county, 

 one having been seen by the gardener.-f- at Arbigland, parish 

 of Kirkbean, in that year. Since then it has become very 

 numerous, and orders for their destruction have gone forth. 



Mr Service, however, believes that a pair of squirrels from 

 Perthshire were turned out in a Kirkbean wood in 1867, and 

 that these may have produced young. 



* I am quite unable to give any tliorouglily reliable evidence, from an 

 actual eye-witness, of this method of crossing rivers as reported by several 

 correspondents. Many similar reports have reached me, I have, however, 

 received undoubted evidence of their crossing water by swimming {vide infra, 

 p. 169). 



+ Mr Charles Black, a well-known naturalist and botanist {vide " Good 

 Words," April and May 1878). 



