THE EXTINCT BRITISH WOLF. 
259 
44 He sallied forth one morning, as he was wont, in quest of 
venison, accompanied by his servant. In the course of their 
travel, they found a wolf den — a wolf being at that time by no 
means a rarity in the forest. Macpherson asked his servant 
whether he would prefer going into the den to destroy the cubs, 
or remaining outside to guard against the approach of the old 
ones. The servant, preferring what appeared to be an uncertain 
to a certain danger, said he would remain without ; but here 
Sandy had miscalculated, for, to his great dismay, the dam 
came raging to the mouth of the cave, which no sooner did he 
see than he took to his heels incontinently, without even warning 
his master of the danger. Macpherson, however, being an active, 
resolute man, and expert at his weapons, succeeded in killing 
the old wolf as well as the cubs.” 
This Macpherson of Braekaely was commonly called Callum 
Beg, or Little Malcolm ; and there is reason to believe that he 
was one of those who fought in the famous battle of the Inch of 
Perth in the reign of Robert III. (1390-1406.) 
In the districts where wolves last abounded, says Stuart in 
the 44 Lays of the Deer Forest,” many traditions of their his- 
tory and haunts have descended to our time. The greatest 
number preserved in one circle were in the neighbourhood of 
Strath Earn. 
At Inver-Rua, on the Spean, and consequently within the 
lands of Keppach, there lived a Campbell of the Slioched Chailein 
Mhic-Dhonnacha, or Glen Urcha race. Although thus a tenant 
of one of the principal branches of the Clan Donald, and removed 
to the distance of forty miles from his ceann tighe , he continued 
to pay his 44 calps ” to his blood chief, the Knight of Loch Awe. 
This tax was a heifer, which was paid annually, and it happened 
one year that a short time before it fell due, the beast was killed 
on her pasture and half eaten by a wolf. Campbell left what 
remained to tempt his return, and on the following night, 
watching the carcase, he shot the wolf from behind a stone. 
Not being able, however, to afford another 44 calp,” he flayed the 
dead heifer, and sent the torn hide to MacChailein Mhic-Don- 
nacha, with a message that it was all which he had to show for 
his 44 calp ; ” upon which the chief observed, that he had sent 
sufficient parchment to write his discharge. 
This is said to have happened in the time of Sir Duncan 
Campbell, called 44 Donacha dubh o’ Currach’d ,” 44 Black 
Duncan of the Hood,” so called from having been the last- 
person of his rank who wore the old Highland hood in Argyle- 
shire, and who lived in the reign of James VI. (1567-1603.) 
Several traditions relative to wolves are evidences of the ac- 
curacy with which oral relations have been transmitted through 
many generations, which is exemplified by the familiarity and 
