THE RED DEER 
castles, and it can be enjoyed and with far greater satisfaction to the 
tenant if he is a stalker. 
There have been of recent years various official returns of the Deer Forests 
of Scotland on the motion of members of the House of Commons. These 
compilations, of which we are promised a fresh one shortly, are entrusted 
to the district assessors of taxes, who do their best to secure accuracy, but 
are as a rule hopelessly ignorant of both deer and deer forests, and their 
economic advantages. These returns, made in 1891, 1899, 1905, 1907 
and 1908, are full of inaccuracies, are influenced by evidently hostile 
intentions and framed for obvious political reasons. As descriptions of 
the present and future uses of forests they are quite valueless as a 
foundation for legislation, though it must be pointed out that up to the 
present no hostile steps to interfere with the present state of things have 
yet been taken. As a result of the first Commission in 1884 it was 
ascertained that the number of deer forests then existing was 98, whose 
aggregate extent was 2,006,926 acres. Later the famous “ Deer Forest 
Commission” published a report to the effect that a very large area 
of deer and sheep -ground was available and ought to be applied to 
crofts and small holdings. But the report was received, even in Scotland, 
with such general distrust that the Government took the same view and 
did nothing. 
In all cases where the subject of deer forests has been under discussion, 
expert evidence has been painfully wanting, and if given it has been ignored ; 
for it is patent to all unprejudiced observers who have studied the subject 
that the charges that deer forests have led to depopulation and loss of 
employment are without foundation, whilst the many advantages, both 
to lairds, farmers and crofters, amply justify their existence. The history 
and literature of the subject, combined with a knowledge of what uses 
the north lands may be put to, will show at once that nothing can be done 
with the greater part of the Highland wilderness except to make it a 
resort for deer, and it is incapable of any other use, such as agriculture 
or arboriculture. A few years ago Lord Tullibardine, with characteristic 
broadmindedness, conducted a party of farmers, crofters, town -dwellers 
and in fact any one who wished to come to see for themselves what a 
Highland deer forest was like and if they would care to settle there. 
After many hours’ tramp over the mosses and peat hags of Glen Tilt 
the visitors shook their heads sadly, and went their way. 
The great increase of deer forests is due to certain economic causes — 
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