80 
MAMMALS. 
a fishing excursion one day, and was highly delighted with 
the graceful movements of Leopold when hunting for trout 
in a stream and mill-dam. He knew the route to these 
fishing-grounds, and would not follow, but led the way ; and 
in going and coming, passing a flesher's shop, he regularly 
called and got a piece of beafsteak, which he seemed to 
enjoy much, though taking a long time to masticate it. 
Leopold was sold to the Eothesay aquarium, where he 
was much admired, but, by some accident, lost his life 
shortly afterwards." ^ 
28. M e\es taxus, Schreb. Badger. 
Still found, but in decreasing numbers and in more restricted 
areas. Previous to 1867 no vermin were killed in the Eeay 
Forest, but after 1872 premiums were paid by Mr. M'lver, 
the factor. The badger's name is quite absent from lists of 
vermin killed in Assynt and Durness between 1870 and 
1879, also from Eeay Forest lists between 1866 and 1880, 
and from the Assynt li^ts. One only is included in the 
Dunrobin list between 1873 and 1880. We know of no 
part of Sutherland where it can be called abundant, but the 
absence of its name in all cases must not be held as invari- 
ably indicative of its absence in the flesh, as in some parts, 
very wisely, no premiums are paid for badgers. At one 
time the " Brocair " or badger-hunter was a well-known 
man ; now he is never heard of, and is replaced in person 
and in name by the fox-hunter. Supposed to be extinct, 
or nearly so, in the Tongue district, none having been 
heard of during the last seventeen years, and only two seen 
by Mr. Crawford during twenty-five years. 
We have no record of this species from Caithness. 
1 We have witnessed also bow wonderfully tame and familiar an otter may 
become, if taken young and trained, and we remember one in tbe county of 
Stirlingshire, belonging to a local fisherman in Carron Ironworks, which 
fished for his master in the river Carron. 
