MAMMALS. 



193 



one of his numerous wire-fences, and — our thirteen-point stag was 

 not seen again. Had he been killed in the neighbouring shooting 

 we should most likely have heard of it, and that year Mr. Winans 

 was not shooting the end of his ground that marched with us. 

 No doubt there are many other sportsmen who have noticed the 

 same thing. 



Deer that are accustomed to come and feed on the low ground 

 at night regard these fences much less than a real hill deer, and 

 the greatest offenders in this respect are those that have been 

 hand-reared, which have lost their fear of man, and have become 

 accustomed to wire-fences. We well remember watching a stag 

 on a hillside walking along a fence; he must have walked a 

 quarter of a mile alongside it before he could make up his mind 

 to go over it, stopping now and then and looking to the other side. 

 At last, having decided to jump, he went over without the least 

 effort ; of course this was only a low sheep-fence. 



The O.S.A. (vol. vii. p. 364) speaks of Red Deer as inhabiting 

 the Cabrach ; and that work also mentions that they were induced 

 to take up their abode in a newly planted forest in Elgin (vol. ix. 

 p. 173). It is related also that they occurred in Kirkmichael parish 

 (Spey) [oj). cit. vol. xii. p. 449] ; Abernethy and Kincardine (Spey) 

 [op. cit. vol. xiii. p. 136]. 'Came to Lord Fyfe's plantations in 

 Elgin and remained' (Spey) [vol. xv. p. 99]: * 1000 or more head 

 in Glenfiddich Forest, in Mortlach parish ' (Banffshire), [vol. vii. 

 p. 418] : and the New Statistical Account speaks of the Monadhliath 

 Mountains as containing very large deer (N.S.A. Inverness, vol. 

 xiv. p. 55). At one time, says the last quoted account, the largest 

 deer in Scotland were supposed to frequent the Monadhliath 

 Mountains, their predilection for it being caused by the abundance 

 of lichens, and a species of fungus. We think in this account the 

 name fungus has been applied to the white reindeer moss or lichen, 

 which, whilst dry and easily broken in dry weather, becomes 

 tougher and sappier during rains.^ 

 * The popularly so-called Reindeer moss is a lichen (Cladonia rawjiferiiia, Hoffm.), 

 and in reply to our inquiry Dr. Buchanan White wrote as follows :— ' It is common 

 on hills, mountains, and heaths in Great Britain and Ireland— from the Channel 

 Islands northwards, and from the sea-shore up to a high altitude (I don't know 

 that it occurs in every county, but it is widely spread throughout the countr>*). 

 Tlie geographical distribution embraces Europe, North and South America, Asia, 

 Africa, India. The height of the plant in Britain is from 2 to 6 inches (the latter, I 



