THE MANAGEMENT OF DEER FORESTS 115 



became restless and would move off of their own 

 accord ; that in the days we are speaking of such 

 stags were seldom pursued by sportsmen ; and, lastly, 

 that when they were successfully stalked, some of 

 their heads proved exceptionally fine, from their 

 having been allowed time to arrive at maturity. 



Some remarks as to feeding deer artificially in 

 winter seem not inappropriate in dealing with their 

 preservation in forests. 



The practice is resorted to in some deer forests, 

 not in others, and there is a twofold reason for it. 

 You may either feed your deer to keep them alive, or 

 to improve their condition and add weight to their 

 horn. 



In certain forests, especially those which are 

 situated in the Grampians that is, the succession of 

 Estates which are under deer, on the east side of the 

 Highland Railway from Dalwhinnie to Grantown 

 feeding would appear to be a necessity ; at any rate, 

 provision must be made for feeding, and I suppose 

 that a winter rarely occurs when it is not advisable to 

 ' help ' the deer to some extent. It will be observed, 

 in looking at a map of Scotland which shows all the 

 deer forests, that a sharp and easily noted division 

 exists between the east and the west. The Highland 

 Railway marks pretty nearly where this division lies, 



I 2 



