﻿MAMMALIA. 
  

  

  51 
  

  

  sometimes 
  met 
  with, 
  but 
  the 
  race 
  is 
  not 
  numerous, 
  being 
  

   proscribed 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  depredations 
  on 
  the 
  poultry." 
  

  

  In 
  Smith's 
  New 
  History 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  the 
  Polecat 
  is 
  

   only 
  twice 
  mentioned. 
  

  

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

   Zoologist, 
  1882, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  "three 
  Polecats 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  Mowat, 
  keeper 
  at 
  Urie, 
  Kincardineshire, 
  in 
  1843, 
  and 
  

  

  another 
  between 
  1849 
  and 
  1853 
  In 
  1851, 
  one 
  of 
  

  

  these 
  animals 
  attacked 
  a 
  Ferret 
  belonging 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Mowat. 
  

   About 
  1832, 
  one 
  was 
  killed 
  in 
  a 
  moss 
  near 
  Pitsligo, 
  Aberdeen- 
  

   shire, 
  and 
  another 
  at 
  Know-head 
  of 
  Pitullie 
  in 
  1834." 
  

  

  In 
  1850, 
  one 
  was 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  of 
  Scobbach 
  

   (now 
  Ardmiddle) 
  by 
  a 
  brother 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  writer; 
  about 
  

   1853, 
  another 
  was 
  killed 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  lime 
  kiln 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  

   Boghead, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Turriff. 
  In 
  two 
  years' 
  

   trapping, 
  Mr. 
  Mackie, 
  keeper, 
  Littlewood, 
  Alford, 
  killed 
  

   upwards 
  of 
  thirty. 
  Twenty 
  years 
  ago, 
  Polecats 
  were 
  

   numerous 
  at 
  Crathie. 
  In 
  1858, 
  one 
  was 
  killed 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  

   of 
  Ellon, 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  M'Donald, 
  keeper 
  there. 
  

   From 
  1865 
  to 
  1870, 
  six 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  me 
  from 
  Yockieshill, 
  

   Mintlaw. 
  One 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Edinglassie, 
  Strathdon, 
  in 
  1872, 
  

   and 
  another 
  at 
  Kinnaird's 
  Head, 
  near 
  Fraserburgh, 
  in 
  1879 
  

   or 
  1880. 
  In 
  1882, 
  one 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  the 
  " 
  Back 
  of 
  the 
  Lion's 
  

   Face," 
  Braemar, 
  and 
  two 
  others 
  near 
  Invercauld 
  boat-house. 
  

   In 
  1890, 
  one 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  Ballochbuie 
  Forest. 
  

  

  In 
  Horn's 
  Mammalia 
  of 
  Buchan, 
  the 
  Polecat 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  

   " 
  formerly 
  very 
  common" 
  ["and 
  still 
  occasionally 
  killed 
  among 
  

   the 
  cliffs 
  on 
  the 
  rock-bound 
  coast."] 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Nicol, 
  gamekeeper, 
  Skene 
  House, 
  informs 
  me 
  that, 
  up 
  

   to 
  1875, 
  Polecats 
  were 
  " 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  " 
  there, 
  but 
  they 
  

   have 
  now 
  completely 
  disappeared. 
  

  

  If 
  this 
  fine 
  animal 
  is 
  not 
  already 
  extinct 
  within 
  "Dee," 
  it 
  

   cannot 
  fail 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time, 
  for 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  

   every 
  keeper, 
  sportsman, 
  landowner, 
  farmer, 
  and 
  rabbit 
  

   trapper 
  is 
  raised 
  against 
  it. 
  

  

  Genus 
  LUTRA. 
  

  

  Lutra 
  vulgaris, 
  Erxl. 
  Otter. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Otter 
  is 
  generally 
  becoming 
  scarcer 
  within 
  

   " 
  Dee," 
  there 
  are 
  still 
  a 
  few 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  main 
  

  

  