124 A VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE MORAY BASIN. 



up on the slopes of our mountains, here and there, notably in 

 Argyll and Moray ; as for instance on Ben Cruachan, and high up 

 on the haunches of Ben Muichdhui, Cairngorm, and Glen Guisach ; 

 reaching far up Glen Derry of Dee, and Tromie, and Feshie of 

 Moray. Evidence remains even in living giant pines, which are 

 still numerous in the sheltered valleys of Moray, some measur- 

 ing sixteen feet in girth five feet from the ground. Such are 

 ' Porter's Pine ' in Abernethy, and ' The Queen of the Forest ' also 

 in Abernethy, and a pine by the roadside, of the same name as the 

 last, in the old Crannach Wood of Duthil; and many more 

 besides. The old wood still occupies literally thousands of acres 

 along Speyside, Dulnan, and Findhorn. There are fewer of these 

 remains now at Guisachan and Glen Affric, in Inverness-shire, 

 but at this latter locality, it is believed, are the largest existing 

 specimens of individual trees in Scotland, some of which are still 

 in vigorous old age.^ 



Of the gradual decrease at times, and the rapid destruction at 

 others, of the greater part of these extensive forest-tracts, the 

 history is well known — though no perfect chronological account of 



^ By the kindness of the late Lord Tweedmouth we had the great pleasure of 

 inspecting a handsome folio volume of drawings, by Kilgour and Mr. Wilson, 

 of Guisachan, Glen AflFric, and the old pines of the forest there. We give the 

 measurements of two taken from Lord Tweedmouth's notes : 



The * Mammoth,' blown down in February 1889, measured — 

 Girth at 1 foot from the ground 19 feet. 



,, 3 feet ,, 17 feet 4 inches. 



6 „ „ 22 feet. 

 It stood near Plodda on the banks of Garvagh. 



* Magog ' — Girth at ground 16 feet. 



3 feet from the ground 14 feet 9 inches. 

 6 ,, 14 feet 7 inches. 



9 ,, ,, 15 feet 3 inches. 



12 ,, 16 feet 8 inches. 



15 ,, ,, 17 feet. 



Cubic contents of the 15 feet = 210 feet 11 inches. 



We have seen also in this collection drawings of ' The Burnt Firs,' near 

 Garvagh Bridge, in a limb of which are the borings of Woodpeckers ; and the 

 ' Ospreys' Fir,' with the nest on the top. The larger and finer specimens of pine- 

 trees are found on the south side of the strath. 



