﻿MAMMALIA. 
  

  

  61 
  

  

  present 
  day. 
  Each 
  horn 
  has 
  seven 
  points. 
  This 
  fine 
  head 
  

   was 
  found 
  at 
  Dee 
  Village 
  in 
  April, 
  1901, 
  while 
  excavations 
  

   were 
  being 
  made 
  in 
  blue 
  clay, 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  unquestionable, 
  however, 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  past 
  

   man 
  has 
  played 
  no 
  insignificant 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  change 
  that 
  has 
  

   taken 
  place. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  

   of 
  our 
  Deer 
  forests 
  are 
  annually 
  let 
  to 
  strangers, 
  whose 
  sole 
  

   wish 
  is 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  finest 
  Stags, 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  good 
  

   stock 
  being 
  to 
  them 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  little 
  moment. 
  The 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  breed 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  maintained 
  by 
  

   immature 
  animals. 
  Another 
  fact 
  which 
  may 
  tend 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  direction 
  is 
  that 
  Deer 
  were 
  enclosed 
  within 
  particular 
  

   areas, 
  which, 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  compelled 
  them 
  to 
  subsist 
  

   upon 
  a 
  poor 
  or 
  short 
  supply 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  this 
  had 
  a 
  marked 
  

   effect 
  on 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  their 
  antlers. 
  To 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  

   overstocking 
  and 
  interbreeding. 
  

  

  In 
  1884 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Stags 
  were 
  brought 
  from 
  England 
  to 
  

   Mar 
  Lodge, 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  an 
  enclosure 
  " 
  specially 
  prepared 
  for 
  

   their 
  reception, 
  and 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  supplied 
  with 
  turnips 
  

   and 
  other 
  wholesome 
  provender." 
  To 
  these 
  were 
  assigned 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  females 
  from 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  forest, 
  with 
  the 
  

   result 
  that 
  the 
  male 
  descendants 
  of 
  this 
  stock 
  maintained 
  to 
  

   the 
  full 
  the 
  ■•fine 
  heads" 
  of 
  their 
  ancestors, 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  they 
  

   were 
  kept 
  within 
  the 
  enclosure, 
  but 
  gradually 
  deteriorated 
  

   when 
  turned 
  into 
  the 
  forest. 
  

  

  It 
  is. 
  therefore, 
  reasonable 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  if 
  Deer 
  were 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  roam 
  at 
  will 
  as 
  of 
  yore, 
  they 
  would 
  find 
  food 
  

   for 
  themselves 
  sufficient 
  to 
  sustain 
  health 
  and 
  strength 
  

   during 
  winter: 
  whereas, 
  in 
  many 
  instances, 
  numbers 
  die 
  of 
  

   absolute 
  want, 
  and 
  those 
  that 
  survive 
  their 
  winter 
  and 
  

   spring 
  trials 
  do 
  not 
  — 
  cannot 
  — 
  produce 
  the 
  full 
  formed 
  body 
  

   and 
  fine 
  heads 
  of 
  former 
  days. 
  It 
  would 
  thus 
  seem 
  that 
  

   their 
  diminution 
  in 
  size 
  is. 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent, 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  short-sighted 
  policy 
  of 
  man. 
  Happily, 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  

   confining 
  Deer 
  within 
  particular 
  areas 
  is 
  seen 
  by 
  most 
  

   present-day 
  proprietors 
  to 
  be 
  fallacious. 
  They 
  are, 
  therefore, 
  

   now 
  allowed 
  to 
  roam 
  in 
  greater 
  freedom, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   hoped 
  that 
  this 
  will 
  tend 
  to 
  improvement. 
  

  

  Our 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  the 
  Eed 
  Deer 
  has 
  been 
  chiefly 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  of 
  Deeside, 
  but 
  more 
  particularly 
  in 
  

   the 
  forest 
  of 
  Glen 
  Tanner. 
  By 
  the 
  kind 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  E 
  

  

  