APPENDIX B. 



Vermin. 



I HAVE SO much material under this heading that there might easily be 

 sufficient to form an entire treatise for Scotland. As regards Tay I can only 

 give a few examples, which I must put down in a condensed form, and these 

 only from a very small portion of the Breadalbane estates. 



On Remony shootings, between 1849 and 1854, Mr. Duncan Dewar 

 accounted for 958 head of vermin of all sorts. Then there is a blank 

 in my returns. But again, between 1868 and 1880, he answers for 10,446 

 head of all kinds of vermin. Peter Mackay, another keeper, who worked under 

 old Guthrie of Capercaillie fame, did not preserve his lists, but he told Mr. 

 Dewar that the numbers of vermin of all sorts that were killed about that time 

 were " Extraordinary," often three Golden Eagles being brought in in one 

 day. Before Peter Mackay was keeper, Wild Cats, Martens, Polecats, and 

 Badgers were very numerous, but were nearly killed out by the time he went 

 there in 1833. It took about fifteen years before they could get the better of 

 the different kinds of vermin. 



The above notes were sent to me by Mr. Dewar in 1882. 



The rarer British Mammals included in these lists have been utilised by me 

 before in my papers upon the "Rarer British Mammals." The above, whilst 

 including these in the totals, principally consist of the following : Stoats and 

 Weasels, Crows, " Hawks," a few Magpies, and more Jays (35 on Mornish, and 

 57 on Remony), Ravens (21 on Mornish, and 146 on Remony), Peregrines (38 

 on Mornish, and 23 on Remony). Only 1 Marten all the time ; no Polecats, 

 no Wild Cats ; 7 Badgers. 



" Hawks " in general are usually " lumped " in the vermin list, and such 

 species as Buzzards, Kites, Kestrels, and indeed all others, are entered simply 

 under the column for "Hawks." There is a column for "Eagles." As an 

 instance of the quantities of " Hawks " killed, I give the figures of 2517 in ten 

 years upon the Perthshire estates of the Breadalbane territory — i.e. so far as 

 these have been paid for at the estates office. 



Otters, usually looked upon as vermin, were, however, for a long time pre- 



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