﻿62 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  proprietor, 
  the 
  late 
  Sir 
  W. 
  Cunliffe 
  Brooks, 
  we 
  have 
  visited 
  

   that 
  wild 
  domain 
  at 
  all 
  seasons. 
  We 
  have 
  wandered 
  on 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  tops, 
  and 
  heard 
  the 
  familiar 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  Snow 
  

   Bunting, 
  and 
  watched 
  the 
  sun 
  descend 
  behind 
  the 
  mighty 
  

   bens 
  to 
  the 
  west; 
  when 
  the 
  evening 
  mists 
  have 
  circled 
  

   round 
  the 
  mountain 
  brow, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  day 
  shaded 
  into 
  

   night; 
  when 
  all 
  was 
  still, 
  save 
  that 
  there 
  came 
  every 
  now 
  

   and 
  again, 
  echoing 
  through 
  the 
  forest, 
  the 
  deep 
  bellow 
  of 
  the 
  

   rutting 
  Stag, 
  to 
  be 
  instantly 
  answered 
  from 
  some 
  distant 
  

   point. 
  There 
  is 
  something 
  in 
  this 
  that 
  is 
  eerie, 
  yet 
  pleasant. 
  

   To 
  hear 
  the 
  deep-toned 
  roar 
  near 
  at 
  hand, 
  and 
  listen 
  to 
  its 
  

   being 
  echoed 
  and 
  re-echoed 
  from 
  glen 
  to 
  glen, 
  decreasing 
  in 
  

   volume 
  as 
  it 
  distances 
  the 
  point 
  at 
  which 
  we 
  stand, 
  is 
  

   calculated 
  to 
  make 
  one 
  think 
  of 
  the 
  endless 
  methods 
  adopted 
  

   by 
  nature 
  in 
  her 
  arrangements 
  of 
  the 
  amours 
  of 
  her 
  various 
  

   creatures 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  ask 
  why 
  those 
  Stags 
  should 
  be 
  caused 
  at 
  

   such 
  times 
  to 
  fight, 
  often 
  to 
  the 
  death, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   season 
  to 
  be 
  reduced 
  to 
  mere 
  skin 
  and 
  bone, 
  with 
  voices 
  

   almost 
  inaudible. 
  

  

  Cervus 
  dama, 
  Linn. 
  Fallow 
  Deer. 
  

  

  In 
  Watt's 
  History 
  of 
  Kintore, 
  p. 
  130, 
  is 
  given 
  the 
  song 
  of 
  

   "The 
  King 
  and 
  the 
  Tinker," 
  where 
  the 
  author 
  says: 
  "At 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  incident 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  song 
  the 
  whole 
  land 
  

   between 
  Kemnay 
  and 
  Kintore 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  wood; 
  and 
  

   the 
  King 
  and 
  his 
  nobles 
  had 
  been 
  out 
  hunting, 
  when 
  the 
  

   Royal 
  party 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  mender 
  of 
  kettles, 
  as 
  mentioned 
  in 
  

   the 
  song 
  which 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  ' 
  We 
  sing 
  of 
  King 
  James 
  of 
  the 
  Scottish 
  throne, 
  

   A 
  pleasant 
  young 
  monarch 
  as 
  ever 
  was 
  known; 
  

   The 
  King 
  was 
  a-hunting 
  his 
  fair 
  Fallow 
  Beer, 
  

   And 
  dropt 
  all 
  his 
  nobles 
  — 
  of 
  them 
  he 
  got 
  clear.' 
  " 
  

  

  The 
  allusion 
  to 
  the 
  Fallow 
  Deer 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  interest, 
  for 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  above, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  running 
  

   wild 
  in 
  the 
  woods. 
  Can 
  such 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  ? 
  Is 
  this 
  

   species 
  indigenous 
  to 
  Britain, 
  or 
  was 
  it 
  ever 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  

   common 
  in 
  Scotland 
  ? 
  Bell 
  says 
  (British 
  Quadrupeds, 
  p. 
  403) 
  : 
  

   " 
  Whether 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  indigenous 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  

   or 
  whether 
  introduced 
  at 
  some 
  remote 
  period, 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

  

  