316 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
writes, " its re-introduction from Sweden was successfully 
accomplished in Perthshire, and from that county, Forfar- 
shire, and some other centres of distribution it has now 
[1899] spread on to the central districts as far as Locb 
Lomond, East StirHngshire and Fife, while its further 
extension seems chiefly a question of time."* An introduc- 
tion of this species to Dumfriesshire was attempted about 
1865 near Sanquhar ; and in the Dumfries and Galloway 
Courier of December 7th, 1869, we read of two females being 
recently shot, one at Auchencairn (Kirkcudbrightshire), the 
other near Newton-Stewart (Wigtownshire) both of which 
were stuffed by WiUiam Hastings. The supposition having 
been expressed that these birds came from Perthshire, a 
correspondent of the same journal writes from Sanquhar 
as follows : " This may be the case, but I now beg to inform 
you that I have brought both eggs and birds, on different 
occasions from Arran. The eggs were hatched by greyhens, 
and we have now a few in the plantations here. Should 
any sportsman fall in with a stray bird, I hope he will spare 
it."t is stated by Dr. Anstruther Davidson, that the 
late Duke of Buccleuch "reared CapercaiUie with difficulty ; 
that they haunted the surrounding woods for a brief space, 
and then one by one disappeared to faU before the marauder's 
gun in other districts."! In answer to my inquiries 
Dr. Anstruther Davidson writes in 1908 : "I can add nothing 
about the Capercailhe, except that as the story goes the last 
seen of those liberated was near Scaur ; but ask Mr. Wilson." 
The latter gentleman very kindly rephed to my inquiry as 
follows : " The late Mr. Lindsey, keeper, got some eggs 
from the Duke of Hamilton's keeper in Arran, and brought 
out five, which were set free in the Bank plantation ; this was 
in 1865. One was shot in Galloway, and another in the 
Scaur direction. All were scattered and lost. A second trial 
* Man. Brit. Birds, 1899, p. 491. 
t Dumfries Courier, December 14th, 1869. 
:*: Hist. Sanquhar, p. 32. 
