42 



MAMMALS. 



proprietors who are planting to any extent have them temporarily 

 killed down, but they soon appear to recover their numbers, and in a 

 few years again become as numerous as before. 



Wild White Cattle. 



Any attempt to give minute details of past distribution cannot, I think, 

 result in much usefulness here, because that has been written over 

 and over again. Pennant's long-time remark, quoting from older 

 authors such as Boece, seems sufficient, viz. : "In Boetius' days wild 

 everywhere," etc., and Sibbald says that in his time, "a wild white 

 breed was found in the Scottish hills." However that might be, 

 Pennant brings their history up to date of his writing by saying : 

 " None at present found unconfined " ; and he then mentions that 

 " the offspring of the original breed (are) still preserved in the parks 

 of Hamilton and Drumlanrig, and also in that of Chillingham in 

 Northumberland." 



In Tay I may give a few records to preserve continuity. 



Newburgh, Fife, a skull (Dr. J. A. Smith in Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot.y 

 vol. ix. p. 587), figured. 



Of the remnant of the herd which was at Atholl, some were sent 

 to Taymouth, and the rest to Dalkeith ; but both these lots are 

 extinct, though from them descended the half-wild herds at Kilmory, 

 Argyllshire, the property of the late Sir John Powlett Orde. 



Ohs. — Eemains of Ox and Goat were found during excavations in 

 the centre of Perth city at a depth of some eighteen feet, but these were 

 associated with green glaze pottery of the thirteenth century. These 

 have not been submitted to an expert, but are probably from a 

 "midden," or refuse-heap, of an old tannery, Perth city having been 

 at one time famous for its leather manufactory. 



Order RODENTIA. 

 Family SCIURIDiE. 



Sciurus vulgaris, Z. Squirrel. 



I intend in this article strictly to confine my remarks to the history of 

 the animal as relating to the Tay Basin and Strathmore ; but in 

 order to render this account complete, I will necessarily require to go 

 back and trace the advances made from the earlier introductions to 



