134 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



so it was probably killed in the autumn of that or the pre- 

 vious year. 



" They first made their appearance in South Ayrshire up 

 the Water of Ayr, about eight or nine years ago {i.e., 1870). 

 Next at Martinham estate, between Joppa and Dalrymple. 

 Next at Cassilis estate, and about the same time at Culzean, 

 where the first seen was caught in a rabbit stamp about seven 

 years ago {i.e., 1872). They are numerous on Cassilis now 

 (1878-79). They have increased greatly within the last 

 three years (1876-79), and the keepers kill lots of them now, 

 and they are seen daily. My opinion is, they come from 

 Dumfriesshire."* 



Further, another correspondent writes : '* There are none 

 at Monreath or neighbourhood as yet (1878-79). This is 

 conclusive," says the writer, " they must have come in from 

 the east side of the county." A Mr M'Crerich, however, 

 rather upsets all this by the statement that " they were intro- 

 duced by navvies who came to work at a viaduct on the 

 Water of Ayr some eight or nine years ago {i.e., about 1870). 

 They brought them as pets, and they escaped." Mr M'Crerich 

 says also : " The first squirrel seen in Ayrshire was at Gad- 

 girth, about seven years ago (say 1871), and was brought into 

 my shop to be stuffed. Then they spread to Ochiltree, and 

 every year, becoming more and more common, have now 

 reached as far as Muirkirk (1878)."-^ This lumping of locali- 

 ties all south of Ayr Water certainly is puzzling, unless, as 

 Mr M'Crerich says, they were introduced by the navvies, in 

 which case the one got in 1870 "up the Water of Ayr," pro- 

 bably came ti2^ the river, and they " now have reached as far as 

 Muirkirk " (1878), which locality lies still further up the 

 Ayr Water, not far from the boundary of the county, and not 

 far distant from Douglas Castle, in Lanark. It is thus more 

 than probable that Ayrshire is indebted to two separate 

 introductions for its population. They have also been seen 

 on Bargany estate, adjoining Kilkerran (1878-79), and Dal- 

 gharroch on the Stinchar, and once on Glendoune, near Girvan, 

 in 1880. 



* Letter from Mr J. Cox to Mr J. G. K. Younrr, igth Dec. 1878. 



