PHYSICAL FEATURES AND CLIMATE lxxi 
and surmises, at the date at which he wrote that " probably 
not much more than one acre in a hundred is occupied by 
trees."* 
Perhaps nothing in Nature tends to change the avifauna 
of a county more rapidly than its cultivation. It is there- 
fore most interesting to compare the local agricultural con- 
ditions circa 1835, as set forth in the New Statistical Account 
of Scotland,-^ with those found at the present day, as given 
in the Agricultural Statistics for 1909, published by the 
Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. J 
Circa 1835. 
Acres. 
In 1909. 
Acres. 
Acres cultivated, 
or occasionally 
in tillage 
234,648 
Arable land 
133,732 
Acres supposed 
capable of cul- 
tivation with 
profit 
Acres uncultiva- 
ted 
Permanent grass 
121,889 
17,160 
381,499 
398,659 
Mountain and 
heath land 
used for graz- 
i ing 
378,223 
500,112 
Acres under wood 
18,087^ 
1 Woods (1905) . . 
30,275 
The above figures, it will be observed, do not take into 
account the acreage occupied by water, roads, houses, 
foreshore, tidal- water, etc., of the county : and the dis- 
crepancy between the total acreages as shewn by the two 
comparative tables is remarkable. 
In 1832 Sir William Jardine wrote : " The Missel-Thrush 
deserves notice on account of its increase during the last 
few years. Fifteen years ago they were rarely to be seen ; 
but in consequence of the increased extent of plantations, 
they are now frequently met with in pairs, or in parties of 
five or six."§ 
* Gen. View of Agriculture, in Dumfries, p. 286. 
t New Stat. Acct. Scot., 1845, Vol. IV., p. 587. 
t Agric. Stat., 1909, Vol. XLIV., pt. 1, p. 57. 
§ New Stat. Acct. Scot., 1845, Vol. IV., p. 178. 
