﻿MAMMALIA. 
  

  

  63 
  

  

  a 
  question 
  which 
  the 
  lapse 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   sufficient 
  historical 
  testimony 
  render 
  difficult, 
  if 
  not 
  im- 
  

   possible 
  of 
  solution." 
  He 
  believes 
  "that 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   originally 
  transplanted 
  from 
  a 
  more 
  genial 
  climate." 
  Further 
  

   on 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  indeed 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  severe 
  climate 
  than 
  

   our 
  own, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  the 
  dark-brown 
  variety, 
  which 
  is 
  far 
  

   more 
  hardy 
  than 
  the 
  usual 
  one, 
  and 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  imported 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  quality 
  by 
  James 
  the 
  First, 
  

   from 
  Norway." 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  James 
  the 
  First 
  of 
  England, 
  

   we 
  presume. 
  If 
  so, 
  and 
  supposing 
  the 
  writer 
  of 
  the 
  song 
  

   is 
  correct 
  in 
  the 
  identity 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  it 
  seems 
  strange 
  

   that 
  King 
  James 
  should 
  have 
  sent 
  to 
  Norway 
  for 
  a 
  more 
  

   hardy 
  variety 
  than 
  that 
  already 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  England, 
  

   when 
  such 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  more 
  easily 
  from 
  

   the 
  wilds 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  if 
  the 
  song 
  is 
  true. 
  I 
  am 
  inclined, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  doubt 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  this 
  Deer 
  on 
  Donside 
  

   at 
  the 
  date 
  referred 
  to, 
  and 
  disposed 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  this 
  

   is 
  merely 
  one 
  of 
  many 
  tricks 
  in 
  " 
  Small 
  Poets' 
  splay-foot 
  

   Rhimes," 
  where 
  feet 
  for 
  their 
  doggerel 
  are 
  of 
  more 
  importance 
  

   to 
  them 
  than 
  regard 
  for 
  truth. 
  

  

  Fallow 
  Deer 
  are 
  still 
  kept 
  at 
  Haddo 
  House, 
  the 
  residence 
  

   of 
  Lord 
  Aberdeen. 
  There 
  also 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  some 
  in 
  the 
  Park 
  at 
  

   Pitfour, 
  but 
  these 
  were 
  turned 
  loose 
  many 
  years 
  ago, 
  and 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  descendants 
  are 
  still 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  

   woods. 
  

  

  In 
  Dinnie's 
  History 
  of 
  Birse, 
  p. 
  118, 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   estate 
  of 
  Finzean, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  "during 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  

   Archibald 
  Farquharson, 
  the 
  park 
  was 
  well 
  stocked 
  with 
  deer," 
  

   but 
  what 
  species 
  of 
  deer 
  is 
  not 
  stated 
  ; 
  probably 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  

   Fallow. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  of 
  Kincardineshire, 
  p. 
  333, 
  parish 
  of 
  

   Banchory- 
  Ternan, 
  is 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  Cervus 
  dama 
  or 
  

   Fallow 
  Deer, 
  is 
  now 
  found 
  wild 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  

   Blackhall, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  understood 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  by 
  

   a 
  late 
  proprietor." 
  This 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  late 
  Archibald 
  

   Farquharson 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  

  

  A 
  lively 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  Highland 
  gathering 
  for 
  the 
  

   chase, 
  in 
  the 
  reign 
  of 
  Queen 
  Mary, 
  is 
  preserved 
  in 
  William 
  

   Barclay's 
  Contra 
  Monarchomachos, 
  pp. 
  80-81. 
  He 
  was 
  a 
  native 
  

   of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  and 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  had 
  a 
  sight 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  

   extraordinary 
  sport. 
  In 
  1563 
  the 
  Earl 
  of 
  Athol, 
  a 
  prince 
  of 
  

  

  E 
  2 
  

  

  