168 



MAMMALS. 



the Strathoykel crofting tenants have rewarded him with six 

 fleeces of wool, being one fleece for each fox. ^ 



Mr. Mackenzie says that Foxes have held their own, if they 

 are not even increasing on Ben Wyvis, and this despite the efi'orts 

 of himself and the other keepers to exterminate them. 



Captain Ellice says that Foxes have much increased of late 

 years at Invergarry owing to the large number of deer-forests 

 where no trapping goes on ; twenty-five were killed there in 1885. 

 They were found at Ardnamulloch in Glen Affric in 1891 

 (Doncaster). 



Foxes seem to vary a good deal in size ; what is called the 

 'Old Highland Fox' being much larger and very rare in com- 

 parison with the ordinary Fox. One keeper tells us he has only 

 known of one or two of these large ones in the last forty years, 

 the others being common enough. He thinks they are called in 

 the south the ' Greyhound Fox.' 



Even previous to 1844 we find, from a letter to the Rev. G. 

 Gordon of Birnie, fromT. Macpherson Grant, Esq., lessee of Ballin- 

 dalloch, that Scotch Foxes were sent to England to be turned out 

 into the fox-covers there ; ' as many as thirteen (all young) were 

 sent from Ballindalloch at one time, and shipped by steamer to 

 London.' As is well known, this practice continues to the pre- 

 sent day in many other Scottish localities. 



The O.S.A. has many entries, by which the Fox must have 

 been more abundantly distributed through the low grounds at 

 the close of last century than at the present time. The same 

 work gives returns of it from the Deveron valley, from the 

 Cabrach, in Grange parish, and in Kirkmichael of Spey and 

 Mortlach. Early in the present century, as we are informed by 

 Captain Dunbar-Brander, the Marquis of Huntly kept a pack of 

 hounds, and hunted the Laigh of Moray for his own amusement. 

 He gave them up (to the best of Captain Dunbar-Brander's recollec- 

 tion) when he became Duke of Gordon, and gave over riding. 

 Colonel Brander, Captain Dunbar-Brander's uncle, also kept a 

 pack of fox-hounds for some years, and Captain Dunbar-Brander 

 thinks he gave them up about 1832. 



^ We do not know that this payment is at all a usual one in other parts of 

 Scotland. 



