﻿MAMMALIA. 
  

  

  47 
  

  

  places 
  may 
  or 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  quite 
  satisfactory, 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  

   taken 
  with 
  caution, 
  for 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  Wild 
  Cats 
  are 
  

   often 
  reported 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  observed 
  or 
  killed, 
  which, 
  

   when 
  the 
  evidence 
  is 
  carefully 
  sifted, 
  or 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   examined, 
  have, 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  majority 
  of 
  cases, 
  turned 
  out 
  

   to 
  be 
  mere 
  domestic 
  cats 
  that 
  had 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  woods. 
  

   There 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  meagre 
  

   notices 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Statistical 
  Accounts, 
  referring 
  as 
  they 
  

   do 
  to 
  a 
  period 
  when 
  the 
  Wild 
  Cat 
  was 
  far 
  more 
  abundant 
  

   than 
  at 
  present, 
  may 
  be 
  accepted 
  as 
  fairly 
  satisfactory, 
  

   although, 
  perhaps, 
  in 
  a 
  less 
  degree 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  

   publication 
  of 
  1843. 
  Turriff, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  within, 
  but 
  

   beyond, 
  the 
  northern 
  margin 
  of 
  "Dee;" 
  still 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  

   districts 
  within 
  the 
  county 
  of 
  Aberdeen 
  where 
  the 
  Wild 
  Cat 
  

   is 
  less 
  likely 
  to 
  have 
  held 
  out 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  comparatively 
  late 
  

   date; 
  therefore, 
  the 
  statement 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  with 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  reserve. 
  

  

  In 
  Robertson's 
  General 
  View 
  of 
  the 
  Agriculture 
  of 
  Kin- 
  

   cardineshire, 
  which 
  was 
  " 
  brought 
  down 
  only 
  to 
  1807," 
  under 
  

   " 
  Game, 
  sect. 
  1, 
  Wild 
  Animals," 
  p. 
  395, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  "Wild 
  

   Cats 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  woods." 
  

  

  In 
  Braemar, 
  its 
  Topography 
  and 
  Natural 
  History 
  (1861), 
  by 
  the 
  

   Rev. 
  James 
  M. 
  Crombie, 
  p. 
  71, 
  we 
  are 
  told 
  that 
  the 
  "Wild 
  

   Cat 
  is, 
  however, 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  common, 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  

   exertions 
  of 
  the 
  gamekeepers 
  who 
  contrive 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  

   down, 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  will 
  soon 
  succeed 
  in 
  extirpating 
  

   them 
  altogether." 
  Few 
  real 
  lovers 
  of 
  nature 
  will, 
  we 
  think, 
  

   join 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  thanks 
  " 
  of 
  this 
  reverend 
  gentleman. 
  

  

  In 
  Dr. 
  George 
  Skene 
  Keith's 
  General 
  View 
  of 
  the 
  Agriculture 
  

   of 
  Aberdeenshire 
  (1811), 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  animals 
  is 
  given 
  at 
  

   p. 
  509, 
  but 
  no 
  notice 
  is 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  Wild 
  Cat. 
  

  

  MacGillivray 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  " 
  generally 
  distributed 
  ; 
  at 
  

   one 
  time 
  very 
  common, 
  but 
  now 
  extremely 
  rare." 
  

  

  Smith, 
  in 
  his 
  New 
  History 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire 
  (1875), 
  vol. 
  i., 
  

   p. 
  686, 
  gives 
  a 
  long 
  list 
  of 
  animals 
  for 
  the 
  parishes 
  of 
  Glen- 
  

   muick, 
  Tullich, 
  and 
  Glengairn 
  ; 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  vol. 
  ii., 
  p. 
  1237, 
  

   under 
  parish 
  of 
  Strathdon, 
  wherein 
  the 
  Wild 
  Cat 
  finds 
  a 
  

   place. 
  These 
  lists 
  are, 
  however, 
  unreliable. 
  

  

  Turning 
  to 
  Harvie-Brown's 
  " 
  Rarer 
  Animals 
  of 
  Scotland," 
  

   Zoologist, 
  1882, 
  pp. 
  11-12, 
  we 
  tread 
  upon 
  solid 
  ground, 
  and 
  

   learn 
  that 
  " 
  Two 
  Wild 
  Cats 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  a 
  gamekeeper 
  

  

  D 
  2 
  

  

  