MAMMALS. 



191 



killed by a neighbour, and so there are only the hinds left ; there 

 are three hinds and two calves. The three hinds are very pure in 

 colour, but the calves are of a creamy colour ; this may only be 

 because they are not full-grown, but it looks suspicious.' 



It appears that in the early part of the present century, be- 

 fore so many forests were made, and deer became so numerous, 

 that the proportion of fairly adult stags was larger in regard to 

 the number of hinds than is the case now. The following 

 extracts from a diary kept by George Sutherland, keeper to 

 the Duke of Sutherland, shows this. This diary appears to have 

 been kept and shown as a report of what deer he saw in his 

 travels, to the then factor at Dunrobin, Mr. Gunn, and to have 

 extended from October 1827 to June 1831. 'November 18th, I 

 saw eight bucks and two hinds, and on another part I saw five 

 large bucks and ten hinds in one lot. On the 19th I saw fourteen 

 large bucks on said farm. On the 20th I saw one large buck on 

 said farm. On the 21st inst., I saw sixteen in number, between 

 hinds and fawns, on Mr. Reed's farm.' 



* December. On the 5th I saw fifteen hinds and fa\vns at 

 Benarmine ; 9th, on the same ground I saw ten large bucks ; 

 15th, saw fifteen bucks in same day; saw twenty -four hinds and 

 fawns, etc' 



There is much more of a like nature in the diary, which it is un- 

 necessary to quote further, but it all tends to show the great pro- 

 portion of stags to hinds that existed in those quarters at that time. 



Once the weather allows them, the deer take to the high 

 ground, the first thing in the spring to tempt them from the 

 low ground being the 'mossing,' some particular sedge with a 

 succulent stalk that comes first on the flows and wet places in 

 spring, and afterwards develops into the well-known cotton-grass. 

 Stags are fondest of very high ground in the hot weather, the 

 green mountain tops covered with coarse grass having great attrac- 

 tions for them, though some few remain in the woods. But 

 wherever they are, their great object is to keep ofi' the flies, in 

 the latter case by keeping quiet in some patch of gigantic brackens, 

 where they are quite invisible; in the former by taking advantage 

 of every breath of wind. On a hot day they may be seen standing 

 and lying on any patches of snow that may be left. 



Sure-footed as they are, there have been instances known when 



