188 



MAMMALS. 



Cervus elaphus, L. Red Deer. 



A hundred years ago, although the Eed Deer was perhaps as widely 

 distributed as it now is, it certainly was by no means as abundant : 

 and we believe we are right in saying that the greatest increase 

 has taken place within the last thirty years, or even in a less space 

 of time, when, owing to the decline in the value of sheep, turning 

 the sheep-farms into deer-forests became more profitable to the 

 landowners. 



Although in the Sutherlandshire area of Moray there are only 

 two so-called forests, Ben Armine and Dunrobin, yet there are 

 many other smaller portions of land cleared of sheep, and on most 

 of the sheep-farms and all through the extensive woods of the 

 south-east of the county, deer are to be found in varying numbers. ^ 



In Eoss-shire we have the older forests of (part of) Rhidorroch, 

 Alladale and Deanich, Diebidale, Kildermorie, Wyvis, Strathvaich, 

 Loch Luichart, Fannich, Strathconon, and Monar ; and in that part 

 of Inverness-shire north of the Caledonian Canal we have Glen- 

 strath Farrar, Glen Cannich, Fasnakyle, AfFric, Guisachan, Ceana- 

 croc, Glenmoriston, Balmacaan, Portclair, Invergarry, and Glen- 

 quoich. Many of these are of very large extent, and there are other 

 smp.ller ones which we need not mention here, besides the sheep-farms, 

 a number of which hold a more or less fluctuating stock of deer. 



The large woods of the Black Isle still hold a few Red Deer, 

 mostly now on the Rosehaugh estate, though from all accounts the 

 stags are poor in quality. Before the Cromarty Woods were cut 

 down some fine heads were obtained. 



The making of new forests causes many places in their immediate 

 neighbourhood to be for a time quite deserted by deer. Cutting 

 down a favourite wood has also cleared them out of a district, 

 especially when there has been no forest near at hand to keep 

 them. Such a wood in East Ross used to hold a number of 

 deer, among them some very fine stags, but they almost entirely 

 deserted the neighbourhood with the loss of their favourite cover. 

 Since then much ground thereabout has been replanted, and the 



^ We may here state that with reference to the two buildings mentioned by us 

 in the Fauna of Sutherland and Caithness, p. 87-8, as being the remains of deer- 

 traps, it has since been pointed out to us that these were more Hkely the remains of 

 old hill-forts. We do not venture ourselves to give any opinion on the subject, 

 though we had very good authority for what we then stated. 



