T H E D E E R FO RE STS

SCOT LAN D

IMB LE A . Q R

A UT H OR OF " " D E E R A I N H H ST L K G, S OOT I N G A N D S AL M ON F I S I N G “ ” A N D H I GH L A N D S PORT

I L L U S T R A T E D

LONDON

K E T R U B N E R CO . GAN PA U L , T RE N C H , L IM I TE D

P ATE RN OSTE R H OUS E , CH AR IN G CR OS S R OAD , WC .

1 896

LIST O F CONTENTS .

P R E F ACE

— H I . E D E E H C A PT E R A B R NS I R E .

L R L B A L L OCH B UIE AN D A BE R GE L D I E BA MO A ,

G L E N M U I CK A N D B ACH N A GAI RN

GL E N TAN A

I N VE R CA UL D

M A R

H - Y H E . C A PT E R I I . A RG LLS I R

A R DTOR N I S H

B L ACK M OUN T

CON AGL E N

DAL N E S S

GL E N E TIVE

KI N GAI R L OCH AN D G L E N S A N D A

JU R A

AN C E S L E OF M L L LAGG , LO HBUI , I U v iii L I T E TS S O F CON T N .

— P AGE H . F F H E C A PTE R I I I BA N S I R .

G L E NF I DD ICH

G L E N AVON

H E I V H . U C A PT R B T ES I RE .

I S L E OF A R R AN

V - H E . H H E C A PT R CA I T N ESS S I R .

LAN GWE L L AN D BR AE MORE

H V I —F O F H C A PT E R . R A RS I RE .

CAE N L OCH AN

G L E N CA L L E Y

I N VE R MA R K

V - H E I I . V E H C A PT R I N RN ESS S I RE .

ABE RN E T HY

A CH N A CA R R Y

A F F AR I C .

A M H U I N S UI D H AN D A R DVOU RL I E

R DVE R E A IKI .

A R ISAIG

A R N ISDAL E A N D LOCH H OURN L S T ix I O F CON TEN TS .

BAL MACAAN

B E N L D E R A .

B OB L AI N E

B RA UL E N

CAE N N OCROC RT , NO H

COI GN AF E AR N

COR R I E CH OI L L I E

COR R OUR WIT H B E N E V R I CH

CUCH UL L I N S L E OF E , I SKY

CUL ACH Y

D UN D R E GGAN AN D SOUT H CAE N N OCR OC

E RCH L E S S

FAR L E Y

FAS N AKYL E

GA I CK

GL E N CAN N I CH

G L E N D OE

G L E N F E S H I E

GL E N GAR R Y

GL E N MO R E

GL E N Q UOI CH L I S T O F CONTE NTS.

G UI S A CH AN

I N CH N ACA R D OCH A N D POR TCL AI R

I N VE R E S H I E

I N VE R MOR IST ON

KI N VE A CH Y

KN OYD ART

M CD N L D OR C N S E R S L E OF E A O A S O , I SKY

M AMORE OR KIN L OCHMOR E

BJ OR AR

R OT H I E M UR CUS

S TR UY

H H H E V . C A PT R I I I . P E RT S I R E

AT HOL L

CRA GAN OU R

D A L N A CA R D OCH A N D S T R ON P H AD R I CK .

F E AL A R

G L E N ARTN E Y

G L E N B R UA R

RAN N OCH

T UL L AD H -A - B E ITHE ST T TS xi L I O F CON E N .

P A GE

— - C H A PT E R I X . ROSS S H I R E .

C N L T S T RAT H B RA N AN D C S E A HA A , LO H RO Q U

A CH N AS H E L L ACH

A L L AD AL E

L N E T R N A A I , S O OW Y

AMAT

APPL E CR OS S

A TTADAL E OR B E N D R ON AI G

B E N D AM P H A ND N E W KE L so

B E N MOR E

B E N WYVI S .

B RAE MO R E

CL UN IE

CORR I E H AL L Z I E

COR RI E M UL L Z IE

COUL I N

D E AN I CH

D I B I E D AL E

D RUM R UN I E OR COUL MOR E xii L I S T O F CONTE NTS.

DUN D ON N E L L

F AN N I CH

F L OWE R D AL E

G L E N CA L VI E .

G L E N CA R RON

G L E N S H I E L D AI G

IN CH BAE , S TR ATH R AN N OCH AN D T OL M UI CK

I NV E R L AE L A N D G L E N BE G

KI L D E R M OR I E

KIN L OCHE WE

KI N L OCH -L UI CH AR T

LE CKME L M

E TTE R E E F IS H E RF I E L D AN D L W , A RD L A I R

M ONAR

ATT K L L L N R I OCH AN A P , I I A , N D G L OM ACII

R H I D OR RACH

S CATWE L L

SHIE L D AIG

S TRATH CON AN

T ORRID ON L S T NTE NTS I OF CO .

P A G E

—~ H X U H . C A PT E R . S T E R LA N D

B E N H E E AN D CO R R Y KIN L O CH

L E N D H U L E N L A N D B E N T R E G , G COU S OM

GOBE RN UIS GACH

KIN L OCH

G L E N CAN I S P

U F F AT

LIST O F ILLUSTRATIO NS .

S CAV E N G E R S OF T H E FO R E S T to face p ag e

A JU R A C R OMI E

G A I CK F O R E ST LO D G E

G L E N Q U OI CH LO D G E

' M R D H R R R E E - H R N . . . BA Y S TH O

B R AE MO R E

CAL F AT TACK E D B Y E AG L E

L OCH M OR E LO D G E

P R E F A C E .

“ T H E kind reception given to my book of Deer

” 1 8 8 8 r a stalking , in , by dee st lkers as a body,

coupled with the fact that sportsmen in ge ne ral passed a favourable verdict on “ Shooting and

1 8 2 o n Salmon Fishing in 9 , and H ighland Sport

1 8 e in 94 , has induced me once mor to put pen to paper on a subject for which I think there is still

I room in the literature of sport, for, as far as am

o r aware , no one has hitherto attempted to describe

relate the anecdotes and statistics o f the Scotch Deer

Forests . Before , however, proceeding further with

s a these pages , I wish to y , as I have previously said

in each of my other books, that I wholly disclaim any

pretension to literary merit . I write as a sportsman

for sportsmen , resting my hopes of success not at all xviii P R E FA CE .

on neatly turned ear- pleasing phrases (would that

o n the gift were mine) , but solely the ability to state in pl ain simple words a number of facts and fancies collected together o n a subject in which I

- know many brother sportsmen are greatly interested .

” o f I n Deerstalking I tried , to the best my power, to describe the habits and wily ways of the wild

and Red Deer of Scotland, how best to circumvent them ; for these reasons in that book I wrote entirely

of stag and stalker , saying but little that gave

of any idea the wilds, the morasses , and wastes

of moorland and mountain , over which the red deer range in unmolested freedom for ten months of

“ every year. I n a word, my Deerstalking treated of the inhabitants of a territory without describing the nature of the country in which they lived : for this reason those gentlemen who have read my “ Deerstalking ” need not be under any apprehension when perusing the following pages that they will be likely to meet with old matter dressed

- T o up in a new form for book making purposes .

P R E F A CE .

The reader will see for himself that the knowledge gathered has in some instances been more Copiously

a given than in others, but in all c ses my best and most grateful thanks are due to the ladies and gentlemen who have so courteously and so kindly

helped me, for without their friendly aid I should have felt it almost impossible to put these pages together in

a sufficiently interesting and authentic form and now,

Of at the end my task, my earnest hope is that in them no one will be able to find anything to which

c an they fairly take exception . I n a very few cases I have not been able to get any information given

me, and in these circumstances I have stated this has

been the case, while merely mentioning of such forests that which is public property and known to everyone

who cares to make enquiries .

The wild , romantic , and beautiful scenery of the deer forests quickly imbues in most men a feeling

of admiration , romance and desire of being able

as to soar above mere prose, so to describe in verse those ever- changing beauties of nature with which P R EFA CE . xxi

c an this sport brings him into daily contact , and I hardly recall to mind any of my friends who have

been much on the hill , who have not confessed

to having had their feelings, chivalrous, poetic , and

“ sat romantic , quickened and enhanced as they by the mossy fountain o n the top of the hill of the

” winds , while searching with their glasses the depths

“ below for thos e whose skins gleam red in the

” o f sunshine . Granted that the presence a good stag in front o f o ne does away with every feeling of

o r o f romance enjoyment beautiful scenery , yet it often s o happens that Stags are no t visible for many

—o r a o n is s o an hour the st lker may be called , as

“ Often the case, to play patience and endure the

o n tedious monotony of a long wait a lying deer, let us say o n the banks o f the Sword Loch o f Co rro ur ; surely then it will help him to pass such time more qu ickly and pleasantly if he be acquainted with

how its so the story of the loch won name , and enabled to recall to life and picture to himself the curious

scene , such a mixture of treachery with chivalrous xxii P R EFA CE .

o n confidence , that was once enacted the banks of

- - an Claimadh . Loch With regard to these stories ,

o n m o st of them founded actual fact , for there is no

deer forest in the north , or hardly a hill in any o f them , but what has at one time or other been a

witness to deeds and events , a knowledge of which could not fail to make the country more interesting

to those pursuing their sport therein therefore , as far

as I have been enabled to do so , I have mentioned

u all s ch details of bygone days , and regretting not to

have been qualified to do more in the same direction ,

I take this opportunity Of humbly suggesting to forest owners and renters that they would derive additional pleasure from their days on the bill if they were to make themselves “ well acquaint with the traditionary incidents of the Old times of the

particular forests in which they are interested . The c ounties , together with the deer forests in each , have

been dealt with alphabetically, but no mention has

been made of rentals , for many are never let, while those that have tenants are S ubject to variations just E E P R FA C . xxiii

the same as other marketable things , and I can only assure anyone thinking Of renting deer ground that

“ he will speedily discover that to find o ut how much

? ” to pay is the easiest part Of the business . I t has been a custom with me to dedicate my books to some kind friend who has given me

o r happy days with deer or grouse salmon , but

! death , alas has been busy in their ranks , for first

Sir Robert Bateson Harvey , then H enry Spencer

O Lucy, and lastly , in ctober of this year, my old

so friend Colonel J ohn H argreaves, for long the renter of Gaick Forest with Gle ntromie grouse shoot

ings , have each joined the great majority, and the

“ longer I live , the truer I find the saying that the

o f o ur o f deaths friends are the milestones our lives .

Y e t old , however, I am loth to abandon my habit , and therefore I dedicate these pages to H is Grace the Duke o f Westminster as a trifling ackno wle dg

ment of the kindness shown me by him , the

L o chmo re Duchess and all their family at , where this past season I had the good fortune to stalk over xxiv P R E F A CE . one of the most wild and beautiful parts of Suther

land . For over thirty years the Duke has been the renter from the D uke of Sutherland of four

o ne L ochmo re forests rolled into , namely, , Stack,

Ben Hee , and Gobernuisgach , or the whole tract of

“ ’ ” ground once known as Lord R e ay s country ; and I doubt if any gentleman has a better knowledge Of

co m deer and forest management generally , and this , bine d with an almost too chivalrous regard for the deer themselves (for from the moment a stag roars

L ochmo re f at he is safe from the ri le , and stalking is

r st week Of O discontinued some time in the fi ctober) , has ended in producing an average yearly kill over the whole ground of nearly two hundred of the

- Of heaviest bodied stags to be heard in Scotland . T H E DEER FORESTS OF SCOTLAND

CHAPTE R I .

D E H E A B E R E N S I R .

I N this county there are only five deer forests , but

o f 2 as they spread over an area some acres ,

it will be seen that, though numerically small , they

in are very large in extent . Taking them then

first : alphabetical order, there comes

’ H E R E S T S R E S TS L RAL BAL L OCH B U I E MAJ Y FO OF BA MO , ,

A N D AB E R GE L D I E .

S i THI latter ground s rented from M r. H ugh

c M a kay Gordon , and the three forests together represent an area extending to about acres of lofty mountains covered with moss and grey ,

B N TH E DE E R F OR E S TS OF S CO TL A D .

u o o f granite bo lders , broken up by c rries green

- c grass ; the less high hills being heather lad ,

and these again having the i r bases c lothed with

wood co nsisting o f Scotc h fir and patches of birch

bO e rin rd g on two sides with the Open forest , and

" ‘ " aS the shelter thus offered covers some

e acres of ground , it mor than takes the place

of a sanctuary.

The forest marches on the sou th and east with

Gle nmuick o n , and the north and west with Inver

- - cauld . The highest hills are Loch na gar, feet,

whic h being interpreted by Gaelic scholars is by

“ ” some said to mean The Moaning Rock , and by

“ ” others The Lo c h of the Rock ; then c omes Cuidhe

“ ” o Crom , feet, Crooked Wreath , f llowed by

“ ' ” Cairn Taggert, Priest s Cairn , feet, and

many hills nearly as high . Clearing was commenced

o 1 8 8 in this f rest in 4 , although for many years previous to that there were always deer on the

u f gro nd . I t will carry three ri les every day of

i the season , and somet mes towards the middle Of

TH E DEER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

forest in plenty, Often nesting in the giant firs , which they seem to prefer to the precipitous cliffs

usually chosen by them . During the last decade

- pole cats have been sometimes killed , but they now appear to be extinct ; badgers are still to be fo u n d ;

while foxes, as in most other forests , are inconveniently

u T plentif l and difficult to keep down . o compare the sport o f o ne forest with that of another is no t my

province, but with regard to the deer grounds Of

’ the county under discussion , I think I may safely assert that in respect of climatic conditions they rank

o n before all others , and that the summits of the

i Aberdeensh re hills less rain is to be encountered,

and mo re - . bracing, finer, health giving air is to be met with than can be found anywhere else in all

Scotland .

R E T L E N M I K N D H NA AI R N FO S OF G U C A B AC G .

“ ” L E N - N A - M UI G o r n G , The Stormy Glen , accordi g to

“ ” some Gaelic scholars The Glen o f the Pig the ancient word for the wild boar—belongs to Sir Allan

A B E RD E E N S I—I I R E . J

Mackenzie , and extends to over acres . I t is

somewhat long for its breadth , and on the east and

north - eas t marches with I nv e rmark forest ; o n the

Gle nd o ll south with some sheep ground and forest ,

which continues to bound it o n the west ; on the

u north it r ns with Balmoral . At one time this

of property was owned by the Gordons Aboyne , and tradition says—although I vouch not for its accuracy — that o ne day the laird o f Aboyne met the laird o f

I nv e rcauld u o f , both being belated in purs it deer, at a

- o n G le nmu ick small farm house , and finding a pack of

. w as cards , they began to play Fortune dead against

c the laird of Aboyne , who, exasperated by an in essant

o f as his run bad luck , eventually staked last coup

the property of Gle nmuick against a corresponding

o f I n v e rc auld extent , and losing the game , Glen

muick o f I nv e rcauld passed into the hands , from whom it was purchased by the late Sir james

1 8 Mackenzie in 70. That gentleman planted large

- stretches of low lying moorland with larch , spruce and

Scotch fir , which thriving wonderfully well affords ’ E R I L E S TS S TL A N D TH E D E F O OF CO .

at present splendid winter shelter fo r the deer ; it likewise o ffers the foresters an easy chance of hand

u feeding d ring very severe winters , and although this

Of c sort feeding is never very satisfa tory, as it is rarely

o so that the beasts in sorest need get the f od given ,

yet it is better than nothing . Sad to relate , the big

' no t has h ad his stag is a selfish fellow, for until he fill

will he allow his weaker kin to join in the feast .

When this forest was first made in 1 8 7 0 it yielded only

- fiv e twenty to twenty stags each season , but now it

-fiv e gives from sixty to sixty , with an average weight

1 of 4 stone quite clean , and the heaviest stag ever got

n 1 o it scaled 9 sto ne 1 1 lbs . O wing to the narrow

c u ness in some pla es , this ground req ires extra care , with great knowledge of the wind ; but it is fine

ground to stalk over, and the present owner, Sir

c o ne Allan Ma kenzie , in day was once fortunate

1 6 enough to get seven stags, averaging stone 3 lbs . ,

f in five dif erent stalks . A B E D E S HI R E R E N .

R E N E FO S T OF G L E N T AN A B Y ABOY .

S u THI forest, the property of Sir William C nliffe

u Brooks , takes its name from the river Tana which r ns

“ “ ” : o r a w through it Tana signifying small sh llo , as compared with the mighty Dee in which it loses

itself about a mile above Aboyne suspension bridge .

“ I t is no t to be called Glen Tanner as if it were the haunt o f the hide dresser o r the Cockney glen

r of Sixpence, and neither is it spelt with an as if

m ” it were An ar Mariar . Tana is a Gaelic word , and there is the same one with the same significance in — Welsh , viz . tanen likewise tonos in Greek and tiny

. c in E nglish With an area of some a res , it is about thirteen miles long by some seven at the

- greatest breadth , the low lying parts being splendidly

f timbered, chie ly with Scotch fir, which portions are

Off well fenced from the arable lands around Aboyne .

From these low - lying lands the forest gradually spreads to the west and south - west until it reaches

0 the 3 7 7 feet summit of Mount Keen , where it marches

a with I nv e rm rk Forest . TH E E E R F R S TS OF S C TL A N D . V D O E O

From time immemorial there have been deer in

Glen Tana, and in the old days more than once it has been attempted to extirpate them or drive

m o ff u the clean the place , but tho gh the whole country

n side gathered together and formed a compact li e ,

and although there was a great slaughter, the plan

u failed and the deer ret rned , to become as numerous as

ever. For the last ten years the average kill has

n - 1 bee sixty one stags, scaling 4 stone clean . The

normal character of the horns is broad, strong , and

wild , and the heads of many good royals adorn the

sp lendid ballroom of Glen Tana House .

At o ne time the fastnesses of Glen Tana were

favourite sites for the Operations of the illicit still , but

' as the amount of the fine increased pa r z fiassu with the

v m u acti ity of the excise en , these stills grad ally dis

b u t u appeared , and nothing now remains a few r ins

of these attempts to get cheap whisky. I have had

the pleasure of spending a few days at Glen Tana, and it is not possible for me to leave this forest without making mention of all the other sport this grand

TH E DE E R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

important matters to occupy their attention ; there

fore I proceed on my way , much regretting that

I am unable to s ay more of this ancient and well known forest than that I have read it is 1 8 miles i n

. length from east to west , and from 4 to 5 miles wide

E T M AR FO R S OF .

THIS splendid forest, belonging to the Duke of Fife ,

u is one of the most ancient, if not act ally the oldest,

c o fall the Scot h forests . I t consists of acres

on the north side of the Dee , with other acres

on the south side . I t marches with the forests of

G le nfe shie Glenmore , Glenavon , and Atholl , and in

addition to a large sanctuary, there is a considerable

extent of wood on both sides of the Dee for wintering.

c o f The forest is full of high and ro ky hills, and these

- - D hui f t . Ben mac , , and Cairn Toul , are

the two highest . Ronald M c D o nald is head forester

over the whole, while his brother Ewan has charge

of the ground on the south side of the Dee . I t will c o f arry five rifles every day the stalking season , and A B E E N S HI RE RDE . with a favourable wind as many as seven have often

u f been o t. Towards the end o the season a deer

o drive takes place at times , and also occasi nally deer

“ are moved when they are in plac es where it is not

possible to stalk them . The annual kill of stags is

2 00 o f 1 about , 4 stone clean , while in the low ground

1 1 8 stags of 7 and stone are got each season . The

Duke o f Fife is himself a very keen hard - working

o f stalker, and I doubt if any other gentleman the same age as H is Grace has ever killed more stags

to his own rifle . N D 1 2 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A .

CHAPTE R I I .

Y H ARG LLS I RE .

R E T R R N I H R V E N FO S OF A D TO S BY MO .

OF this little forest no authentic information has reached me of the numbers or weights of the stags

killed . Belonging to Mr . T . V . Smith , it is situated on the Sound o f Mull ; Loch Aline bou nds it on the

o f west the waters the Sound on the south , and Loch

- Linnhe lies on the south east, and thus these lands

o form a peninsula, although not a very pron unced

- one . O n the north east they march with the deer

Kin airlo ch on - ground of g , and the north west with

- the sheep walks of Morven . Although the highest

b ill ft. does not exceed , yet the beauties of

f this property are great, the distant views af orded by an island - dotted se a more than compensating 1 A R G YL L S H I R E . 3

for the somewhat desolate - looking surroundings of

the mainland .

T H E L A N Y T N D R B CK MOU T B Y UM .

S THI magnificent and ancient forest, the property of

the Marquis of Breadalbane , extends to some

acres , the eastern and southern boundaries being entirely under sheep ; o n the west and north - west the

r o f E tiv e prope ty marches with the forests Dalness , , and the waters o f Loch E tiv e ; o n the north it runs for a long distance with a narrow strip o f Sheep

ground , on the other side of which lie the well

Co rrour B e ne v rich known forests of Mamore, , with

f ’ and Rannoch , a buf er state which , as the rutting

season begins , the stags are incessantly crossing o n their travels from one deer ground to the

other . I n these pages I have endeavoured to keep as much as possible to the spelling considered correct in

the county containing the deer forest under discussion , and as a Simple illustration of the difficulties which 1 4 THE DE ER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D. beset the speller of Gaelic names I will take the

“ prefix Ben borne by most of the high Scotch hills , which some Gaelic spec ialists maintain means moun

“ ” tain , while others hold that ben is merely a

“ o corruption of ban , pale , and is applied to only th se bills that continue snow- capped longer than the

u o c surro nding ones . Gaelic spelling and pr nun iation

w like ise vary greatly according to the county, and as proof of this may be mentioned the different metho ds of Spelling and articulating the Gaelic for the “ red

” “ mountain , for spelt in Perthshire Ben Derg and

“ ” eri - pronounced Ben J g, in Ross shire these become

“ arrac k Beim Dearg and Bin j again , in Perth

a sa shire , very good Gaelic scholar taught me to y

’ - Fie eh , as correct for Feidh , deer, while an equally

“ well informed ROSS - shire authority vowed that fay was the only correct method of arti c ulating the word

o f and so , finding that a smattering Perthshire Gaelic

e - would not h lp in Ross shire, I gave up any attempt

- to acquire a small knowledge of the throat breaking,

- nostril stretching language . l A R G YL L S H I RE . 5

I n the Black Mount there are many high , rocky

Ghabh ar and precipitous hills, of which Stob

S tara feet) and Ben y feet) are the highest, and arou n d the bases o f all these high hills are

u splendid corries . As a r le , and in all ordinary

1 00 seasons , this forest yields Stags to the rifle , but

o f 1 8 1 8 the seasons 93 and 94 were phenomenal , and as Showing what a great difference a good o r bad

season makes to even a very old forest , Lord Breadalbane has very kindly given me the following

particulars of these two seasons .

The stalking season of 1 8 93 in the Black Mount

was one of the wettest ever known there , and the incessant rain with the accompanying mists so interfered with stalking that but eighty- four stags

were put into the larder, with an average weight of

f 1 6 . 1 o z s . o 3 stone lbs 4 , which the heaviest was

1 . I n 7 stone , and the lightest but 9 stone this forest ,

however , it is the invariable rule that everything

shot is entered into the book , whether laid low by

u mistake or not, the deer being then weighed q ite 1 6 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

clean without heart or liver, and the average at the end of the season is struck so exactly that oun ces

c o are unted, which is the only instance I have met

I n with of su c h acc urate weighing . many forests small beasts killed by accident are not entered in

the deer book , and of course such an omission greatly

increases the average of weight . The winter of

1 8 93 was one of the worst ever experienced in this

1 0 forest, and upwards of 4 good stags were found

as dead , many of them with very fine heads , while

to the young stags that perished, it was not possible

to make any estimate, as the horns were all that were left to tell the tale of the fate of their bigger

’ brethren . The stalking season of 94 that followed this severe winter turned out to be one of the driest

s ever known , and for the greater part of the sea on the

- wind blew from the north east, which is the worst

- possible one for this forest , and but seventy four

1 stags were killed , with an average weight of 3

1 0 . 1 0 . stone lbs 5 ozs , of which the heaviest scaled

1 6 8 1 1 st . lbs . , and the lightest st . 4 lbs . I t was

‘ A D 1 8 THE DE E R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL N .

: before and after th e gralloch ; it was shot o n .

m 2 : e e h e i fe ll 1 8 Septe ber 5 , and w igh d as st

mJ e o 1 st. 9 5 , but when clean he scal d nly 3

h i ht’ e v . 1 . as t e we l a ing 5 st 5 lbs g of the gralloch ,

n ' w h r? i cluding heart and liver, hic is somewhat u nde

- n . the usual estimate of O e third of the , gross w eight

. as . . l M r Scrope , estimates the gra loch o ne - n v fourth the e tire weight, and probably it aries

z n o f. according to the . si e and co dition the animal :

I t is somewhat remarkable that eac h of the seasons

’ ’ 93 and 94 in the Black Mount should have been

a decidedly below the verage , while accounts from other fo rests reported great numbers o f heavy deer

-it to have been got, and perhaps was late in the

n d season , and after stalki g had been iscontinued in th e a w e re ob taine d Bl ck . . ;

; ; for some forests depend almost entirely on , the last.

' h ba an ' , t e _ d ten days of the season to make up g,

u s ar n , e then of co rse ma y stag which far run are .

’ b o und to . I th e , be killed n the Black Mount

’ ot to s talk n . stalkers have the strictest orders - _ Stags R 1 A G YL L S HIR E . 9

that are not in perfect condition , and such an order

of (although it greatly improves the breed deer, and is mu ch to be commended and where possible

imitated) cannot . fail in early rutting seasons to

u o f s . T he n reduce the n mber tags . killed golde

' ' '

c in . o eagle . breeds se urely the Black M unt, and although most of the o ld naturalists speak of the

“eagle - stone as possessing ' both magical and

. ? medicinal properties , and assert that from the

' o o f eagle downwards n .bird prey can hatch their ,

oun w ithou t y g a stone in the nest, the ornithologists

‘ o n o me ntio n o f f the present day make , these stones

’ and d be find o ut a it woul interesting to . how such

tradition arose .

o ld d z o f u od ; , I n the ays clanship d ring , the peri

h f uds - i B W e n ; e s . c e were nce sant, the la k Mount, lik

o e no almost every th r part of the H ighlands , was t

t ‘ exempt from scenes of strife . I was in the mountain

o f . a t , fastnesses hese l nds that the proscribed , clan

’ ~ h Macgregor took s elter , after they. had nearly exterminated the Colquh ouns o f Luss at the battle S T N D TH E D E E R FOR ES TS OF CO L A .

Gle nfruin 1 6 0 of in 3 , when they were led by their

c l nstra chief Alexander Ma gregor of G e e .

For this the Macgregors were outlawed, Alexander,

c their chief, was taken prisoner and trea herously done to

death in Edinburgh . Tradition tells that some years

prior to the death of this gallant man , his son , while

' out after. deer one day in the Black Mount, met the young laird of Lamond travelling from Cowal to

' I nv e rlo ch u y , and together they dined at a ho se lying

’ o between Tyndrum and King s H use . During the

u evening they q arrelled , dirks were drawn on both

c sides, when Ma gregor was killed, whereon Lamond f u u led,hotly p rs ed by the attendants of the young laird,

o c the ho use but utrunning his pursuers , he rea hed

of Alexander Macgregor, the very man whose . son

' and witho ut he had just slain , mentioning what had

S O happened , he earnestly begged protection , that the chief pledged him his word that whatever he had

' done , no harm should befall him as long as he was

with him . Then arrived the pursuers to inform

the father of the true state of affairs , but Alexander, R Y L S HVR E . .A G L

considering his word was pledged , would not allow the

so n slayer of his own to be harmed , and restored

o u young Lamond to his pe ple unh rt, an act for which

the name o f Alexander Macgrego r of Gle nstrae has

rightly been handed down to posterity as a typic al example of a gallant H ighlander ’ s unswerving deter

‘ a a f min tion to keep his plighted troth at ll hazards .

Some sixty years later there appeared o n the s c ene

“ a descendant of this Alexander, the celebrated Rob

” c Roy, but I annot discover that he was ever in the

Black Mount, and indeed his energies always appear

’ to have been turned more to his neighbours cattle

than to their deer.

R CON AGL E N BY AR D GOU .

THI S small forest , belonging to the Earl of Morton ,

extends to between ten and eleven thousand acres ,

with a highest altitude o f feet . I t is situated near the head of Loch Linnhe on the western shore

O and due south o fLoch E il . N authentic information has been obtainable . H E E E S S OF S COTL A N D . T E D R FOR T .

Y T N L T D AL N E S S OR R OYAL FO R E S T B AY UI .

S o ne THI forest, of the most ancient of all the deer

forests , having been afforested as far back as the time

o f M rs . J ames I V . of Scotland, belongs to Elizabeth

Mary Stuart, and consists of some seven to eight

thousand acres of a most mountainous district, em

f bracing the western ridges O the Grampians . These secluded and alm o st inaccessible fastnesses with their lovely corries have ever formed a natural home for

the red deer, imparting also a wildness to their

heads which greatly enhances their beauty, and the

o f o f fine stout long brow antlers the stags Dalness , that have broken out o f the forest during the rutting

o season , can still be traced in the surr unding deer

u n no t c mmn gro nds . S talki g is o e ced before the I st o f e and on 1 0th 1 2 O Septemb r is ended or th of ctober ,

' according to the year . ; the stags average 1 6 stone

and t o f quite clean , as some wenty these good beasts

' ' m a e ach se ason is c e rtainl o f y be got , it y one the best

small forests in Scotland . The highest altitude in

bu t Dalness is feet, the whole forest is composed 2 A R G YL L S H I RE . 3

— Of hills nearly as high very steep and very stony . f O late years it has not been let , and it is essentially

' ’ ' for e in a young man s forest, ach day it is nothing more or less than stalking a succession of gigantic

‘ ' th e to sugar loaves , and stalker has no sooner toiled the top of one hill than he finds he has to descend

. and mount a fresh one equally high and equally steep .

. From the nature of the ground many shots have to

- be fired nearly directly down hill , but , nevertheless ,

' it is a grand little forest fo r anyone who is still o n

the right side of fifty.

L E N - E T I V E R E T T N L T G FO S BY AY UI .

S THI is a small forest belonging to Mr . E . S .

o f E ti e Greaves , situated at the head Loch v and marching on the north with Dalness ; the remainder

‘ ' ‘ of the forest marches o n the other three sides with

d - very rough sheep groun . I t has n ot been afforested

' ‘ no t be e n able ' b a many years , and I have tO O t in any authentic information as to th e number of deer killed

eac h season . 24 TH E D EE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

R FO R E S T S OF KI N GA I R L OCH AN D GL E N S AN D A BY A D GOU R .

THI S fo rest in the Morven district marches on

- A rdtorn ish the south west with that of , the remaining

boundaries being sheep ground . I t belongs to M r .

I . B . Sherriff and is at present rented by Mr . H enry

G rddino Platt of o g. The total extent is some

Gle nsand a u acres , having been afforested abo t ten

Kin airl o ch years ago and g at two different times since, and except where G le nsand a marches with A rd tornish

Kin airl o ch it is mostly low ground . g rises abruptly from the sea sho re of Loch Linnhe to a considerable

height, and on it there are two splendid corries which being kept as a sanctu ary hold deer of all sorts the

’

u . O to u whole year thro gh wing M r. Platt s caref l

nursing, he is reaping his reward in sparing the heaviest stags and best heads by an annually im

in proving increase weight . Up to the present time

’ thirty stags have been the season s total , but Mr .

- fiv e Platt hopes to make this up to thirty , which

number he considers will be the maximum . The

2 6 TH E E R E S D ER FO TS OF S CO TL A ND.

jura Red Deer, which , although never purchaseable , has been freely distributed amongst his personal

friends and others interested in the matter .

This book lies before me as I write , and having

’ o f e the author s full permission to make use it, I hav

not hesitated to avail myself of the kind offer . jura Forest—and some authorities say that jura ” means deer island —consists of acres divided into

“ ” O S crinadale four sections . n the west coast lies ,

acres , and to the south of that section lies

”

. O I nner, acres n the east side of the

“ “ ” island are Gatehouse, acres, and Largy,

acres . Gatehouse is bounded on the north by

Loch Tarbert , a sea loch which nearly divides J ura

in two .

O n the extreme south the divisions Of I nner and — Largy are bounded by the se a girt sheep ground of

T O o f A rdfin . , acres the north the Gatehouse section lies the sheep ground of Corrie nahe ira and

Tarbert, the two together covering some acres .

a The winters are occasion lly severe , but artificial A R G YL L S H I RE . 2 7

feeding cannot be resorted to owing to the difficulty of

distributing the food over so large an area . With

regard to the age of deer, Mr . Evans puts the outside

’ duration of a stag s life at thirty years , which I believe is much more in accord with the facts than the reports and traditions of stags and hinds that have lived to attain ages varying from fifty to over o ne hundred

. o f years M r. E vans bases his theory the length o f stag life chiefly o n the fact that in every forest

where they get the chance of living long enough , it is common to kill them with some o r even

all their front teeth missing , and he contends that an incomplete mouth is an absolute indication of the

first Sign o fdecay ; and as it is prove d that stags begin

to lose their teeth even at fourteen years Old , it is probable that they do not attain a greater age than

O . thirty years . n the sheep ground of Tarbert M r Evans shot a stag he had seen every season for Sixteen years ; this beast had been caught and marked as a

calf by Mr . D . Fletcher, the tenant of Tarbert, so n o possible mistake could be made, and when he fell in 2 8 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

his sixteenth year he had already lost o ne tooth and

to was rather lean . Little appears be known about

the longevity of hinds , but as apparently they are quite

i as s ta s as hardy g , do not fight, grow no horns , and do not

run down very low in condition every season , there is a possibilitv that they are naturally longer lived than

stags , and also they are not Often picked up dead or

* killed with missing teeth . I t is possible that wood stags maintain their prime longer than those living on“ the open hills certain it is that they c ome to maturity

more speedily, and a remarkable instance of this rapid

growth of a wood stag happened in Jura. A calf stag

A rdfin having lost its mother, strayed on to the

enclosures and pastured amongst the crops on the farm ,

o O and became well known to all ab ut the place . n

oth 1 8 2 the 3 August, 7 , when he was eight years

Old , he was Shot by mistake in a mist and then

2 6 weighed perfectly clean stone 4 lbs . ; his head

was what could be called a good head , but nothing

I t will b e seen later on that two c ases are mentioned in the ma n an orests of n s av n ost th e r teet i l d f hi d h i g l i h. G S H 2 A R YL L IR E. 9

bill more . As to stags, there is but little doubt

that these attain their prime at twelve years old ,

and this they maintain for five years , when they

” c begin to go back . That this is co rrgt I quite

believe to be the case, and I remember killing a

Co rrour o ld M ac Callum stag at which Allan , the

veteran stalker there , told me he had known for nearly

1 1 0 . twenty years . This beast weighed 7 stone lbs

quite clean , but neither horn was more than 7 inches

in length , while five of his eight front teeth were

missing, and his face was nearly white . He was only

fairly fat, and well do I remember old Allan saying that

u 2 0 five years ago he wo ld have been stone at least .

With regard to the age of jura hinds , there was rather

a tame hind with very peculiar ears , and Mr . Evans

- she knew her for twenty two years, and was a large hind with a calf by her side when she first came under

- Observation . During the twenty two years s he reared

twenty calves and was yeld but once . I n November of 1 8 8 9 she fell over some rocks and broke her

neck , but she was then looking very ragged and feeble , 30 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

and had with her a poor and sickly calf, which did not

long survive its mother. As she was put down as five

Old she years when first observed , must have been

twenty- six o r twenty - seven years old at the time

of her death , but in spite of her advanced years

' she se t . had a perfect of teeth . Mr Evans theory

r of the age of deer does not at all ag ee with Mr.

’ “ Scrope s assertion that stags live to 1 50 and even

” 1 8 0 years ; and in support of his theory Scrope quotes the case of Captain M acdonald of Tulloch in

- S ix Lochaber, who dying at the age of eighty knew the white hind of Loch T re ig fo r the last fifty years

for of his life , while his father knew her an equal time , and his grandfather knew her for Sixty years of his

1 6 0 time , which seems to make this white lady to be

Old years . I n further support of his belief Mr. Scrope also quotes the old H ighland saying as if he fully

believed in it, that

“ Thrice the age of a dog is that of a horse ,

man Thrice the age of a horse is that of a ,

Thrice the age of a man is that of a deer, 1 A R G YL L S H I R E . 3

o f Thrice the age of a deer is that an eagle,

ak Thrice the age of an eagle is that of an o .

The first two propositions contained in this wisdom

of old days are nearly correct, but the third makes deer live to over 2 00 years ! eagles to over 6 00 years I! and oaks for some Therefore the probable explanation of the reputed long- lived hind of Loch

T re i was g is that there a succession of white ladies ,

o n always supposed to be e and the same animal . There is no doubt that healthy hinds continue

as to breed nearly long as they live , and the result

in calves will be satisfactory o r the reverse according to the exposed o r sheltered nature o f the ground

during severe winters, and more calves will die that are born of poor hinds than of those belonging to

- well conditioned ones, which is established by the

o f is fact that the I nner division Jura , which the

- most exposed breeding ground , shows only twenty

eight calves alive to every hundred hinds in the

O February following their birth . n Largy division ,

c which is the hoicest, best sheltered ground of R R E S T F S C TL A N D 3 2 TH E D E E FO S O O .

- fiv e the forest, the return is forty calves to every

hundred hinds ; in arriving at this result, M r . Evans has reckoned as “ hinds all the female

o ld o n e deer of one year and upwards , and it is to

hundred of these that the rate has been calculated , as it was thought this method o f reckoning was less liable to error than attempting to deduct the yearlings and two - year- o ld hinds and ascribing the calves to

o f the balance left, though , course , the calves must

be due to that balance, whatever it may be .

I n jura hinds usually breed when twenty- eight

o months old , and present the f rest with their first

o ld fruits when three years , and I believe the same u r le holds good for the deer forests of the mainland .

With regard to woods for winter shelter, J ura is

o - not too plentifully pr vided , the sheep ground of

A rdfin being best off in this respect . I n the early

s e a jura winter the blasts wither up the herbage ,

while, on the other hand, the spring feeding is ready

much earlier than in the mainland forests . March

~ and April are, however, the months most fatal to

3 4 TH E D EE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D. right well how much the situation and lie of a forest — have to do with the well being of deer . Wherever

se a- the shore is favourable the jura deer, like horses

and sheep , eat a great deal of seaweed, and likewise they devour all horns and bones of dead deer pretty

quickly, and are not even at all particular how soon

they begin on them , for Mr. Evans once found a large piece of deer’ s hide the size of a pocket handkerchief chewed full of holes in the stomach o f a stag he

shot . Twice also has he seen stags with large pieces

- of Skin and leg bones entangled in their horns , and he relates how one of these bone - carriers was the

terror of his friends, for when he trotted or galloped the leg-bone rattled with a great noise against his horns

thus one day , on getting wind of Mr. Evans and his

stalker, this stag in dashing off set several others on the run : these were urged to top speed by the

“ “ music bones played behind them , the result

being a desperate, but ludicrous , race , till at length

s k hunter and hunted disappeared over the y line .

O 1 8 88 n the I nner beat, in , a fine stag was found dead A R G YL L S HIR E . 3 5

with the skull of a calf firmly fixed in his mouth , and

several times others have been picked up dead , choked

and so by bones , nearly always these have been stags ,

that it is an error to suppose , as is sometimes thought,

that only hinds eat bones and horns .

M r. Evans is a great advocate of heather burn ing in

six a forest, and having pursued this plan for the last

o f years , he has found a considerable lessening mor

u tality ; therefore , with this knowledge to g ide them , other forest owners might well give heather burning

a trial . I n addition to the husk parasite Mr . Evans

has Observed five other varieties in the island . Neither

fluke nor sturdy are rare in deer of all sorts , while stags especially are liable to be infested by a very large worm adhering to the throat and lower part

T of the tongue . his worm , usually found in the

spring, is nearly as thick and as long as the little

- finger, with a most repulsive, leech like appearance , and for a long time nothing quite certain w as known

f ’ o how it came to be in the stags throat .

“ ” The so - called bark o f a suspicious hind is a 36 TH E DEER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND

- sound but too well known to deerstalkers , but Mr . E vans relates that on four different occasions he has

heard a stag bark as loudly and as Often as a hind ,

and of this I have never before heard, and I imagine

it will be news to many .

There was at one time rather a heavy death - rate

amongst the deer of J ura , where there is an average

6 rainfall of 5 inches per annum , but such mortality

could not be attributed to wet weather only, for there

are other forests in the north where the downpour is

much heavier ; therefore Mr . Evans has come to the

conclusion that many deer die o f the hair-like lung

“ ” 1 8 worm causing the disease called husk , and in 90 two freshly dead stags were found with their lungs

full of these parasites, which makes it a matter for regret that dead deer are seldom found fresh enough

’

to permit of any prolonged and close examination .

. . n Recently Mr Percy H Grimshaw, whe pursuing

- his investigations on this parasite in ROSS shire, has established the fact that this worm is the child

- Of the bot fly . Deer also suffer from warbles pro A G YL L S HI R E R . 37

d uce d -fl by some insect probably of the gad y type ,

for each warble contains a grub , and there is a perfora

tion of the skin immediately above the warble . I t

is highly probable that a careful study of parasites ,

accompanied by special knowledge , would result in discoveries sufficiently important to warrant great

o f alterations in the management sheep and deer, which might eventually lead to the permanent

reduction of the present heavy death - rate prevailing

amongst these animals . Mr. Evans is confident that burning considerable tracts of heather almost entirely

checks parasite mischief ; but of course there must be

a limit to this remedy, as in burnt ground there is

hardly any feeding for the first winter after burning,

and , therefore , good judgment as to where and how

much to burn is essential to the success o f this plan . That the mortality in all deer forests is heavy

d n may be taken for grante , the following havi g been

- the death rate in J ura , which , from its position , should be better o ff in this respect than the forests o f the mainland A D 3 8 TH E DE ER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL N .

I n jura the search fo r dead deer is carried on

strictly and continuously, and if this were not

done , it would be quite easy to overlook many,

for it is surprising how quickly the bodies disappear, only to leave behind them for a short time a

so gruesome carpet of hair ; consequently the search ,

unless carried on systematically, is nugatory, and many foresters will declare it is rare to find dead deer on their grounds simply because they do no t

half search for them .

I n the ten years from 1 8 79 to 1 8 8 8 the bodies

2 2 2 2 6 of stags, 3 hinds , and 443 calves were found ;

o f 1 or a total 99 deer, which , as it is not likely that

c - o f every car ase was discovered , gives a death rate

fully one hundred deer a year. Those gentlemen who rent forests for one season only too often appear

to think that stags grow out of the heather, and accordingly they shoot every good one they get a

e. chance at, and then tak their departure, bequeathing

n u their leavi gs to the next tenant, who in his t rn will again strive his utmost to kill the best beasts he can A R G YL L S H I R E . 39

get at ; thus a forest that changes hands Often is almost sure to suffer a deteriora tion in the quality

of its deer, and I would suggest to those forest owners who let by the year that they would do

well to have a strict agreement with the tenant, not only as to the number to be killed but also as to

ualit u their q y , a condition which sho ld apply equally

to stags and hinds. I n a satisfactory forest the most important feature must ever be the possession

o f of a full complement fine healthy hinds, and such

a result can only be arrived at by abstaini ng from killing them ; as soon as the desired result has been

reached , then it can be maintained by exercising great care in not selecting the flower o f the flock

for slaughter ; better by far to kill sixty ragged

poor hinds than thirty of the fattest and best .

' ‘ O course o v ersto ckin f g must be guarded against, but it would be better protection to kill weakly hinds and even weakly calves than to reduce the numbers

n of strong healthy matro s . The J ura hinds average

lbs 8 stone 1 2 . quite clean,while with regard to twin 40 THE D EE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

calves, Mr . Evans is of Opinion, after long observation , that they only occur but once in several hundred

births .

Mention must no w be made of an extra

“ ordinary curiosity of the jura Forests, called the

” ” cromie stag, Gaelic for crooked . I n Jura only do these stags exist ; how they got there or whence

they came no one knows , but there they have been

I from time immemorial , and confident feel either

that they are a distinct race, or that some stag from foreign lands once managed to get to J ura in days

m gone by and left his ark behind him . Even in

“ ” c ro mie s jura these are very scarce, living only

in certain parts of the island, where perhaps three

“ or fo ur c ro mie s - may be seen to one hundred

others , and the whole forest may not contain a

w score of them . I n t elve years Mr. Evans has

s e asons ast shot but eleven , and for several p none

all at , although by this it must not be inferred that absence from the larder means absence from the

’ hill , for, thanks to Mr. Evans care, there are still

A R YL L S I RE G H . 4 1

” “ ’ o f c ro mie s in Jura . The horns the cromie sl o pe backw ards and are set on the head at a totally different angle to tho se of the ordinary stag ; likewise

o u the beam is seld m round like the sual horn , but

r tends to va ying degrees of flatness , and in a cast

horn , kindly sent me by M r . E vans , that part above

the coronet is nearly quite flat . I consider these

“ ” s o cromie heads so curious , so interesting , and

c o f difficult to onvey any idea by words , that I have

“ ” deemed the head o f the crooked o ne well worthy o f illustration , and the drawing shows most accurately

“ ” the remarkable features o f the best cromie head

o t ever g in jura , and though at first Sight it may appear ugly as compared with that of the

u d usual monarch of the glen , I am s re all eer fanciers will eventually agree with me in regarding

o ne the head as a wild and beautiful , while the sight o f it cannot fail to aro use speculation as

. . to its origin According to the season , the, average weight of the J ura stags varies from 1 4 stone to 1 4 stone 7 lbs . , but this does not include 2 4 TH E DEER FORES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

S crinadale the small stags of the Paps and , and

o - ther very stony hill tops . Throughout J ura the

o f so deer carry very heavy coats hair, much more

than those of the mainland , but the small fellows

r that frequent these stony hills are extra hai y , and from living so much in mist they have become light

in colour, and very similar to the H arris Stag both in body and horn ; they are most excellent

venison , while as showing how small they are , it may be mentioned that a very pretty royal from

1 1 the Paps weighed but stone clean . Mr . Evans

o f is opinion , in which I agree , that only a certain

o f number stags are born to the purple , but be that m as it may, in jura any vigorous onarch is more

Often than not safe from the rifle , being preserved

for breeding purposes, while endeavours are made to

collect the shed horns . By this system o fsearching for

“ ” cast horns Mr . Evans has discovered that even royals

have their bad years , and that their heads increase or

diminish in glory, according to the season . I t must

not, however, be supposed that no royals have been A R G YL L S HIR E . 43

killed in Jura during the last ten years, for that is

not at all the case, albeit certain favoured ones have

been spared . Mr . Evans states that he had a three

- six - year old very tame pointer stag, the grandson o f - o ne a Ross Shire hind , and as he had ear cut Off

him to render bullet proof, there can be no possible

two doubt as to his identity . This stag passed years

o f out as a knobber instead one , and then threw s ix c points the next year, whi h is a somewhat

- awkward fact for the cock sure division of observers .

Mr . Evans also possesses a fossil stag antler, dug

c up in jura gravel , which learly demonstrates that

- the jura red deer are pre historic . To improve

the breed , deer have been introduced from Athol ,

Kild e rmo rie Black Mount and Forests , and how

1 8 they have increased since 44 may be imagined ,

’ when in that year it is a fact that Mr . Campbell s

A rdfin t o S cre eb forester searched from , a distance

o f eight miles, before he could find a shootable

’ o f stag for the Duke Argyll s wedding, while the forester ofthat date declared there were not Sixty stags T R E TS F S TL A D 4 4 H E DEER FO S O CO N .

on the whole of the ground , which now yields Sixty

good beasts each season . I n taking leave of this bonnie

e n island forest , which the kindness of M r. Evans has a bled me to deal with at length , I cannot refrain from expressing a strong Opinion that that whic h he has found benefic ial and good for the welfare o f his island deer will also be found equally advantageous

d for their relations on the mainlan .

R E T L N L C E L E L L FO S OF AGGA , O HBUI , IS OF MU .

THI S small forest o n the so uth side o f the I sle o f Mull extends to a little over acres ,

u u situated on a very prono nced penins la . I t

o f c o f is the property Ma laine Lochbuie , and

possesses a small sanctuary , while the hills in it run n from feet to early feet high ,

c with ro ky, stony summits, and bases covered

i fi w th a mixture of ne grass feeding, natural wood and heathery corries . Although there have been Maclaines and deer in Mull from the days o f e Noah , this ground has only be n absolutely A R YL L S H I E G R . 45

fo r cleared of Sheep the past eight years . the present owner having introdu c ed fresh bl o o d from the Black Mo u nt and Ashridge and V ano l

s . c o ne Park The place arries rifle comfortably, b u t as for the last fe w years all th e best stags

o e have been kept for breeding purp ses , the averag

1 o u weight has not exceeded 5 st ne , weighed q ite c O lean . n the deer ground there are also some wild

o - o goats and f ur horned sheep fr m St . K ilda, while both spec ies o f the eagle nest an nually in the rocky

to o hills . The sea views be enj yed by the stalker ar e u o f S carba s perb, the Isles the Sea , , jura ,

in in Colonsay and I sla , all appear g the panorama .

The Maclaines have ever played a stou t part in th e

o f E ac huin feuds and wars days gone by ; , their c hief, fell at Flodden in a gallant attempt to save the life o f K ing james fro m the arrows o f the English

w o u fo r o bo men , the clan f ght Montr se , and , almost

“ ” sa 1 1 ho . w needless to y , were out in 7 5 These ,

so t ever, are matters that will not appeal much o the deerstalker as the following telling poem o f the 6 4 TH E D E ER FORES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

chase by the Marquis of Lorne . I t speaks for itself

and needs no praise .

T H E WI L D R E V E N GE OF H E CTOR M AL COL M ;

OR A L E GE N D OF T H E M CL I N E S OF L OCH BU I E I S L E OF M U L L . , A A ,

A E TH E R S L R N E K PO M BY MA Q UI OF O ,

P AR T I .

Dark with shrouds of mist surrounde d

R se th e mounta ns rom the s ore i i f h ,

Where th e galleys o f the Islesmen

’ Stan u rawn e r vo a e o er. d pd , th i y g

H orns this morn are hoarsely soun ding

’ F rom L o chb uie s anc en t wa i ll ,

While for c h ase th e guests and vassals

at er in h c ur n G h t e o t a d hall .

H ounds who se v oi ces c ould giv e warn ing

F rom far moors of sta s at ba g y ,

u ver in eac ron musc e Q i h i l ,

H ow m at ent Of e a . l, i p i d l y

H enc men wa t n for the s na h , i i g ig l ,

’ At t e r e s m er ous wor h i Chi f i p i d,

Start to r ve from i and c orr e , d i h ll i

T the ass the watc u o p hf l herd .

TH E E E F R S D R O E TS OF S COTL A N D .

H e ar n was w t t em o e n i g i h h b yi g,

’ A nd th e unte s stron m s lie h r g li b ,

Boun w t t on s rom tawn o en d i h h g f y x ,

’ ’ N eat the e ta n s c rue e h Chi f i l y e .

M ore th an two sc ore stags have passe d him ;

M ark th e numb er on his fl esh

t r tr f s w Wi h e d s ipe s o this good a h ood .

” M e nd we th us thi s b roke n me sh 1

“ Ah ! Loc hb uie ! faint and sullen

B eats the eart onc e ea and ree h , l l f ,

T at had e e e e u t n h yi ld d lif x l i g , f I it bl e d for thine and the e .

’ D eem st t ou t at no onour vet h h h li h ,

Sav e in haughty b re ast like thine ?

’ T n st t ou men e o s in s r t hi k h , lik d g pi i ,

At suc h blow s b ut winc e and whine ?

O ten in the an e rous tem est f , d g p ,

en th e w n s e ore the ast Wh i d b f bl ,

Sur n c ar e e c re ste orsemen gi g, h g d lik d h

Over e m and an an d mast h l , pl k, ,

H e and all his kin e ore him , b f ,

' e av e e t th e C ansman s a t W ll h k p l f i h ,

Se rv n t ee in eve an er i g h ry d g ,

S n r m rm and s a t hi eldi g th ee f o h a k i h .

th e en s and s in c om at Mid gl hill b ,

ere th e a e s o f swor smen meet Wh bl d d , A R G YL L S H I R E . 49

H as h e ou t w t t ee th e am e s f gh i h h C pb ll ,

n n w t d at Mi gli g gl ory i h e fe .

B ut as wate rs roun B orsa , d ,

Dar and e e t e n anc in oam k d p , h bl h f ,

Wh e n the wi nds B en Mo re has harb oure d

Burst in th und er from th eir h ome ;

S o the b row fear never c loude d

’ ’ B ac e ns now ne at an e r s a l k h g p ll ,

A nd the s to s ea d s a n n lip , p k i d i i g,

’ ” ten at re ven g e s c a ! Whi 0 ll

P A RT I I .

ate w e n man ears had asse him L , h y y p d ,

’ A nd the c e s old a e e an hi f g b g ,

S e eme his out a a n to ossom d y h g i bl ,

h r f h s a r s n With t e bi th o i f i o .

ate w e n al l his a s h ad ar ene L , h d y h d d

I nto fl nt h is n ature w i ild ,

Se me it so ter rown and n er e d f g ki d ,

F or th e sake of that one c hild .

A nd again a hunting morn ing

S aw oc u e and his men L hb i ,

t his b o his uests and nsmen Wi h y , g , ki ,

’ n H idden o er a c oppic e d gl e .

D e e w t n its oa en t c ets p , i hi k hi k ,

R an its waters to the se a ; T R T D H E D EE FOR E S TS OF S CO L A N .

On the the e l a care e ss hill Chi f y l ,

e the c watc e e er Whil hild h d ag ly .

’ N eat t em on th e s n n oce an h h , hi i g ,

I s an e on s an la l d b y d i l d y ,

’ Wh ere the peaks of Jura s b osom

’ R r r a ose o e h oly O ons y .

Wh ere th e gre ene r fi eld s of I slay

P o nte to the far Kintire i d ,

F ru t u an s of a ter a e s i f l l d f g ,

aste t e n w t swor and fi re W d h i h d .

F or th e s e t at onc e had at ere p ll , h g h d

All th e c hie fs b e neath the sway

Of the anc ie nt royal sc eptre f h O t e I s e s had asse awa . l , p d y

Once rom R athlin e to the sout war , f h d ,

e stwar to the low T ree W d i ,

‘ N ort war ast the A s of oo n h d , p lp C li ,

So mer e ru e land an d sea l d l d .

o on sa smore and Scat a C l y, Li h ,

Bute and Cumrae u and S e , M ll ky ,

’ Arran ura ew s and I s a , J , L l y,

S oute t e n one att c r h d h b le y .

B ut th ose I sles that still unite d

’ F ou t at H arlaw Scot an s m t gh l d igh ,

Bro en t he r fi erce c ontent on s k by i i ,

S n wa e sastrous fi t i gly g d di gh . ! A R G YL L S H I R E . 5

And the teaching of forgiv eness

’ G re I ona s cree ecame y d b ,

N ot a S n for men to reverence ig ,

B t u n n ran f s ame u a b r i g b d o h .

S t amon th e name s t at R u n ill g , h i

H ad not num ere in h er tra n b d i ,

ve th e re at an rou as ev er Li d g Cl , p d ,

‘ Of the race f stron ac a ne o g M l i .

And his b o e her h e we e y , lik dd d ,

T ou of nature e th e ov e h gh lik d ,

Showed th e eagl e spirit flashing

T r u r ta f v h o gh a h e i ge o l o e .

’ H e ir of all th e vassals homage

R en ere to th e r s S re d d g i ly i ,

’ H e h ad rown his eo e s treasure g p pl ,

’ F ostere as t e r ea ts es re d h i h r d i .

Sure sa e t uar s his ootste s ly f y g d f p ,

E nmity be hath not sown ;

Y et who stea t e s near him l hily glid ,

Wh ose th e arm around him th rown ?

I t is E achan who has wo - ke , lf li Sei z e d upon a h elpless prey !

F ear ess and as h e ears him l ly f t b ,

’ re c ff erhan s h b a Wh e a li o g t e y.

“ ’ ' Ca e to t s d a a co m s Clifl ll d hi y M l l . H E E E R R E S TS F S T A N D T D FO O CO L .

T ere w e th e sea- r s sc ream aroun h , hil bi d d

H o n his t roat th e b o ldi g by h y ,

B ac an turns and to th e at er h , f h

Shouts in sc orn and mocking joy

Ta e the un s ment t ou av est k p i h h g ,

Give b e fore all th e se a ple dge

F or m ree om or th ar n y f d , y d li g

Dying falls from yonder le dge !

T a e the stro e s in e v en num er k k b ,

A s t o u av e st o w for ow h g , bl bl ;

T en s onoure on t ne onou r h di h d hi h ,

w ar r S e to l et me f eely go .

S ent in his o we r e ss an er il , p l g ,

Stoo th e c e w t all his o d hi f, i h f lk ,

And b e fore th e m all th e ransom

W act st f r tr as e x ed ro ke o s oke .

Th en again th e v o ic e of v engeanc e

’ P ealed from E achan s lip s in h ate

e ss and s on oure v a n Childl di h d ill i ,

E xpiation c ome s to o late !

” My re ve nge is not c o mpl ete d !

A nd t e saw in um e s a r h y , d b d p i ,

H ow h e hurle d his vic tim d o wnward

n r u th m t ir H eadlo g th o gh e e p y a .

T en t e ear a e of au te r h h y h d y ll l gh ,

A s they turned away the ey e ; A R G YL L S HI R E. 5 3

And t e az e a a n w e re not n h y g d g i , h hi g

M e t the ir sight b ut c liff and sky !

F or the mur erer are to o o w d d d f ll ,

Where the youthful spirit fl e d

T O the t rone of the Ave n e r h g ,

T th u f u c n De a O e J dge o Q i k a d d .

There are deer more or less all over the island o f c r Mull , and it is satisfa tory to relate that thei

’ u Gle n forsa n mbers are increasing. At Col o n e l

l G ard n ne Gle n forsa Greenhi l y , whose check of brown ,

‘ d e c blue and white is hardly isc rnible from a ro k ,

o u has always deer on his ground , and has at vari s times mingled fresh blo od from the parks o f

Po we rscourt Windsor, , and Stoke , and this property

o u is well suited to a forest, as there are many r gh

- - a v ith and high hills in it, the two tallest , Dun dha g (the hill of the two winds) and Ben Tulla (the hill o f rich soil) , each rising to feet, with their

- bases full of fine corries and well wooded slopes .

At G ruline (which was formerly part of the

Gle nfo rsa . w estate) Mr Melles also al ays has deer, no less than fifty - two being in sight at once one 54 TH E D EE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

O o f day last spring . n the mainland Argyll there

w u are like ise many grounds on which , altho gh not

o o t . O aff rested , a good few stags are annually g f

these , the chief are Strontian , at present rented by

o B els rov e . . B C lonel H enry, g , let to Sir R M rooke ,

A rdsh e llach o and , let to Lord Howard of Gloss p ;

the yield of these three grounds , which march with

each other and belong to S ir Rodney S . Riddell ,

being some thirty to forty stags annually . Also on

o f A chdalie u the shootings Ardgour, , Acharacle , and

Craig by Dalmally, a fair number of stags are

killed each season .

56 TH E DE ER FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

“ in honest theft . as deer stealing was then called

c by the poa hers , had one of his eyes put out and

his right arm cut off, but surviving these barbarities

an by the aid of a strong constitution , and having

c ineradi able love for the chase , he yet in spite of his c rippled state managed to kill many more deer . This vast property eventually bec ame split up between the predec esso rs o f the present Marquis of Huntly and

those of the present Duke of Richmond and Gordon , whose ancestor was a so n o f a sister of one of

“ the Lords of Huntly, and by degrees the western

f parts o the estate were sold . The forest of Glen

fid dich , which lies some dozen miles south of

u e Craigellachie on Speyside, is retained by the D k

iddich for his own use . I t takes its name from the F ,

u o f a trib tary the Spey, which rises in and runs

through the whole forest , which extends to some

acres of moor and moss , with some small

f u quantity o woo d . Although entirely s rrounded by

sheep farms , these lands contain some high and

Co rr hav v ie rough ground , y being over feet, B AN F F S H IR E . 57

’ and Cook s Cairn just under that height . I t has been a fo re s m t fro time immemorial , and will easily carry

w v t o rifles every day of the season , while as it is ery

N O v carefully Shot, no sanctuary is required . dri ing

is done . Lovat mixture is the best coloured cloth

to wear, and the annual average kill is fifty stags,

o which are weighed clean , but inf rmation has not

reached me as to the mean weight.

R E S T L E N AV N B AL L I N DAL L I FO OF G O BY OC I .

S THI fine forest, of which the late Lord Henry

Bentinck was for a long time the tenant, is at present

rented by M r. Godman , and marching on the north

o n with the forests of Abernethy and Glenmore ,

I n e rcauld the south it runs with those of Mar and v .

w I t contains acres of ild rocky ground , in

which lie some of the highest hills in Scotland , and on their steep sides several pairs of eagles nest each

season .

M acdhui ) Ben , feet, Cairn Gorm . feet,

and Ben Avon , feet, together with many other 8 E R R E S TS F D 5 TH E DE FO O S CO TL A N .

al l - hills nearly as high , are within the confines of

this property, the lower lying portions of which

abound in fine corries and splendid pasture. The

w as 1 8 1 estate, which cleared in 4 , hardly grows any

nd wood , but quiet a shelter are offered the deer in

a sanctuary of some acres . Three rifles can

' go out daily, while just at the end of the season

N . O a fourth can join in the sport driving is done, and the limit o f eighty-fiv e stags is nearly always

reached by fair stalking . At the foot of Cairn hi Gorm lies Loch Avon , in close proximity to w ch

“ a is the celebrated Shelter stone , in which dozen

“ m e n Of can rest , _ and here in the days H ighland

feuds and cattle lifting many good H ighlanders ,

s intent on bloodshed or pillage, pas ed their nights .

For some twenty miles the Avon River, renowned

s o f for the clearnes its waters , runs through the

of forest till it reaches the Lynn Avon , near the

' forest lodge, and there each autumn congregate many

- spawning salmon from the Spey . TE R CHAP I V .

U H E B TE S I R .

H E R E b ut o ne o f there is a single forest , the celebrated

u Arran , belonging , but a short time past , to the late D ke

of H amilton , and left by him to his infant daughter,

- the Lady Mary Louise Douglas H amilton . Although

there have ever been a few deer in Arran , it was

f 1 8 first regularly af orested in February, 5 9 , and in that month Captain Robert Sandeman took to the

island , for the late Duke , fourteen hinds in calf,

six along with young stags from K nowsley Park , a n d now deer are more o r less over the whole

property, although they stay chiefly between

c Of D ubh haradh Brodi k Castle and the Lodge g ,

in which latter part there is the sanctuary o f some

' a acres, while at Brodick quantity, of natural 6 0 TH E E T DE R FOR ES TS OF S CO L A N D .

c c birch , Scot h fir and lar h plantation affords splendid

wintering.

Grey cloth is best suited to the ground . The highest

- G o atfe ll hill is the well known , feet, or the

0 hill of the wind . N driving is done , and the average

o f 1 . kill is 4 5 stags , with a mean weight 7 stone

lbs u n c . H 4 . , heart and liver in l ded avi g started his o 1 8 f rest in February, 59, the late Duke , whom I

had the pleasure of knowing for many years , and

co mme nce d ' s talkin who was a fine rifle Shot, g in

1 8 6 2 1 8 80 b i , and up to he killed many very g

S 2 8 . tags , of which the heaviest weighed 9 stone lbs

. From that date both heads and bodies began to ge t

smaller, and since then fresh blood has been introduced

o n . o c nine different occasions J hn Ma kenzie , the

head forester, has been in Arran with the late Duke

" fo r over thirty years , and he relates that prior to

’ 1 8 79 there had not been an eagle s nest in the

island for many a day, when in that year a pair

o n G o atfe ll returned to nest , and since that

e date there has always b en one or two pair, B TE S HI R E 6 1 U . which shows how quiet and preservation will tell

sa eventually , for needless to y these birds are strictly

o f preserved . While speaking of the preservation

all these Splendid birds , and indeed of rare birds , I cannot refrain from expressing my detestation at the ways of some of o ur bird stuffers and egg

dealers , who send circulars to foresters, keepers , gillies ,

o f d and Shepherds, containing a printed list the bir s

w ill and eggs they require , with the price they pay

o f fo r the same marked against each variety. Many

o f t these circulars must fall into the hands poor men . o whom the offer o f a pound or more is o f c onsiderable

e u import ; many, howev r, m st fall into the hands

f n o men above want and holding responsible positio s , and I would advise the empl o yers o fsuch to ask them

I to forward all circulars to them , and then think

“ ” TIze F ield if the senders were gibbeted in , that it might perhaps make some of their customers

sh o f fight y dealing with them , and thus the fear o f loss o f trade might fo rce an abandonment of this odious plan o ftempti ng servan ts and others to supply ' 6 2 TH E E R F R E S TL A D D E O TS OF S CO N .

them with specimens of birds that without preservatio n

1 8 will eventually become extinct . I n December, 94 ,

the late Duke turned down a wapiti hind , and though at first the ladies of the red deer family were b mortally afraid of her, they ecame good friends by

e degre s , and it only remains to be seen if She will

breed . A remarkable feature of the island is the absence

f o r o foxes , stoats weasels , neither ever having

been known to exist there , but badgers are in

plenty, all having sprung from a single pair turned

down by the late Duke . The grand hall at Brodick contains a splendid

D ubh haradh Show of horns , while the lodge of g on the west side of the island presents a most u n i ue and a q remarkable appear nce , as it is covered

outside with over two hundred pairs of horns . I t is o n this side of the isle that Stalking is commenced , and c ontinued later at Brodick as the season advances , where many wild stags come into the park and

appear quite tame , but well they know that there

T A N D 6 4 TH E DE ER FOR E S TS OF S CO L .

T E R CHAP V .

H CA I T N E S S .

E E R R E D L E FO R E S T S B R A MO R E A N I) L AN GW E L L B I A .

T S HI fine ground , the only afforested part of the

county, belongs to the Duke of Portland , and the

two estates together contain some acres ,

6 1 8 8 0 covering about 3 square miles . Up till Brae

a more was a separate est te , when it was purchased

u and cleared by the present D ke , and added to

L c — u f angwell proper, on whi h last named gro nd af orest

1 8 ing had been commenced in 5 7 , and ultimately

1 8 6 completed in 4 , and on both properties very large

sums have been expended . The interior of this fo rest presents a continuous succession Of hills and

i valleys , follow ng the course of the Braemore and

Langwell streams, and though the valleys are narrow, T CA I H N E S S . 6 5

c steep and rugged , they are yet lad with fine pasture , while many o ftheir bases are well wooded with natural

f birch and hazel , af ording good winter Shelter for the

deer . Although the hills do not display peaked and

jagged outlines , they are yet steep and sterile , rising

to their highest altitude o f feet on the summit of Morven , or the Big H ill . The lowest forest ground

is chiefly peat, moss and heather, well cut up with

a - w ter courses, which are frequently the only friendly

c cover the stalker finds, and along whi h , clad in

the yellow and white mixture found best su ited to

’ o n the ground , hands and knees the stalking party

u must make their way to the q arry . O n the north the forest is bounded as well as sheltered by an

almost unbroken range of high hills, comprising the

i s o f I S ke rab n 00 . , or H ill Scars, , 5 feet The Maiden

- n e arnach Pap , Morven , and Cnoc , or H ill of the

’ so I rishman , named from a tradition that a native

o f the Emerald I sle o nce perished o n it . Between

T o rb re ach to Morven and , and near the p of the

. forest, there is a sanctuary of some acres

K TH E E E R R S TS OF S COTL A N D 6 6 D FO E .

e Donald Ross , the genial and v teran stalker, who

1 8 8 i first went to Langwell in 4 , is now pens oned

M c E wan off, and Archibald reigns as head forester

u in his stead . The ground will carry fo r rifles every

day, who make up the bag by fair stalking only, and

depending on the fineness of the season , the total

c kill varies from eighty to one hundred stags, s aling

1 6 on an average stone each , with heart and liver

included, and in this number there are always some

1 8 88 c ro yal heads . I n a melan holy event occurred

2 6 th u here , for on the of Aug st of that year Sir

o o ut J hn Rose, while after deer, died on the hill .

Up to the m o ment of his sudden death he had

u been in his us al good health , but on that day,

after firing at a stag, he dropped down and expired

from apoplexy . The following further particulars of Langwell will

be of interest to sportsmen, as they Show the length of time required to make a forest under favourable cir cumstance s f , and how speedily e ficient and persevering

preservation of grouse produces the desired result . CA I THN E S S . 6 7

These notes are c ollected from a statement made

Of by Donald Ross for the present Duke Portland , to whose kind courtesy I am indebted for them

sa and all else I have to y about this forest . Donald Ross came to Langwell as gamekeeper

1 8 8 . n in 4 , the estate then belonging to Mr Do ald

i H orne . As Ross na vely observes , gamekeepers in

the n o rth at that period were not so nu merous as

o ne c at present , and man would often be expe ted

o f o to look after acres ground , and D nald

himself well exemplifies how that o ne man with

his heart in his work can accomplish wo nders .

1 8 8 - now u u I n 4 pole cats , q ite extinct, were plentif l

no t in Langwell ; wild cats abounded , and these , if

so quite done away with , are nearly gone that the

capture o f o ne is quite a remarkable event . At

u n these vermin Donald went with a will , for d ri g the

- first y ear of his servi c e he destroyed fifty pole cats .

- mar twenty eight wild cats , five foxes , two otters , one

d , ten cat , and over two hun red weasels together with

“ ” b arrie rs a number of ravens , hoodies , , falcons , and 6 E T F L A N D 8 TH E D E E R F OR S S O S CO T .

vario us other hawks : a wonderful total ! The gro use

bags in Langwell at that time ranged from nine to

u o eighteen brac e a day to two g ns . The wh le estate

u was under sheep , while few deer freq ented it, and

b ut - c some half dozen , hinds included , were got ea h

S 1 8 k u eason . I n 5 7 the late Du e of Portland bo ght

the property and at once began to afforest it . I n

1 8 o 5 9 the game bag for the season was f ur red deer, two ro e - , sixty nine hares , one hundred and eighty

u eight rabbits, seventy gro se , and seventeen part

tw o n c ridges , while in the followi g years it was mu h

1 8 6 8 1 8 V about the same . From to 7 5 iscount

Galway and the H on . G . Monckton shot Langwell .

1 8 6 8 I n , nine years after being cleared, Lord Galway

- M - six had twenty four stags and Mr . onckton twenty , or as o , fifty between them but in th se days Langwell

did not possess a weighing machine , no mention

o f 1 8 1 can be made weights . I n 7 Lord Galway

- - go t forty two stags and M r. Monckton fifty one ;

- 1 l s b . the ninety three averaged 4 stone 5 , with heart

and liver included, and the best twenty beasts gave a CA I T N E S S H . 6 9

of 1 8 mean weight stone 5 lbs . I n addition to the

o stags, brace of grouse were sh t, which speaks volumes in favour of preservation as compared with the eighteen brace a day only sometimes

1 8 6 1 8 0. got in I n 7 7 the forest was not shot, and but twenty stags were killed by Donal d by

’ the Duke s orders, and distributed amongst the

1 8 8 tenantry and others . I n 7 the Earl of Cork and o f his party got 4 5 stags and brace grouse , and again in 1 8 7 9 49 stags with brace o f

grouse . From this it will be seen that Langwell

Forest developed itself well and speedily .

From 1 8 5 8 to 1 8 6 8 but 4 3 stags were killed in

the nine seasons, and then the fun began , as already

f o 0 o . related , with a score 5 for the tenth seas n I n

1 8 6 8 there were between 900 and deer o f all

as 1 2 0 Sorts on the ground, compared with about in

1 8 5 9 . I n this rapid increase it must not be over looked that in those days there was no railway in

u K ildonan Strath , and th s Langwell profited to some extent by the Sutherland deer coming into the freshly 0 E N D 7 TH E DE E R FOR S TS OF S CO TL A .

cleared ground . As showing how far deer will travel

when there is no barrier against them , such as

is made by a railway, Donald mentions that in

1 8 7 3 a three - horned stag was shot in Langwell by

c I n hb a Mr . Monckton whi h had been Shot at in c e

- 1 8 6 8 forest by Garve, in Ross shire , in ; there is no

chance of any mistake , for Donald Ross knew the

so stag well , and it turned out did his brother, J ohn

w ho I nchb ae Ross, was at that time stalker in to

my old friend , Major Vaughan Lee . The railway having cut o ff the interchange of blood with other

forests, park deer from Welbeck were introduced to

1 8 Langwell in 7 7 , and right well they have answered

their purpose .

2 F S TL A N D 7 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS O CO .

into G le ncanne s on the east and Cae nlo ch an on

the west . This forest contains the highest hills in

the county, of which Glass Maol , feet, is the most

- lofty. There are 400 acres of well grown plantations r for winter shelter, and the g ound , in favourable

o u winds , will carry two rifles each day, who sh ld

0 6 0 get, by fair stalking, 5 to stags each season ,

1 1 2 w averaging 3 stone lbs . , weighed ith heart

c o and liver in luded . This pr perty has been owned

O by the gilvies from almost time immemorial , and

at one period the tenants of the Earl were bound ,

by a clause in their agreement, to bring in to

Cortachy Castle all deer killed in Cae nlo c han from

c the spot where they fell , but as there is an an ient

o - n f ot and bridle path belongi g to the ground , and

passing right through it , this was not probably such

an onerous condition as may at first sight appear.

I n days gone by this path was much used by cattle

t lifters , and it was on his track that one Mudie Of

Crandart Gre war and his five stepsons, by name ,

d .a once surprised and slew with their , broa swords R F A R S I R E FO H . 7 3

o f much larger force raiders . All the caterans but

one fell before the sword of Mudie, and the solitary

“ rascal that escaped fled , vowing vengeance ; he was

as as good his word , for a short time afterwards three o f the G rewar brothers were surprised by the relations of the vanquished men ; they immediately

o ne fl e e t fled , and separated for greater security ; fo o ted brother saved his life by hiding in the rocks

- - of the Dhu Loch , near Loch na gar ; a second ,

equally active , secured his retreat by leaping the

A lto etch Burn , swollen on that day by heavy rain

to an impossible size, and the spot still goes by the

“ ’ name of G rewar s Leap the third brother had nearly made good his escape when he trod on a

o f M one a patch of frozen snow , near the top g , and

slipping, he fell right down to the very feet of his

pursuers , who quickly killed him , and that spot in

“ ’ ” G re w ar s o ne the forest is yet called Gutter. At period there was a good deal of poaching in this

forest, carried on by otherwise quite respectable

o f people , and when any them were caught in the D 7 4 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N .

’ act a fine w as usually imposed by the forester s

u employer, which was paid without a murm r, and

there all proceedings ended . Whatever may be the origin of the Airlie drummer

boy, he is at times reputed to quit Cortachy Castle and play his tattoo round Tulchan Lodge in Caen

c O lo han Forest . ne tradition is to the effect that a drummer- lad having in some way angered an

ancient Earl of Airlie, he was ordered to be shut up in his dru m and thrown from the walls of

- Cortachy, and ever since that deed the drummer boy never fails to beat his tattoo at Cortachy or Tulchan Lodge whenever disaster or death is coming to the

o f bonnie house Airlie .

Cae nlo c han There is also a legend, in , that one

M cCombie u once s rprised , caught, and carried o ff Crand ar t a mermaid to his house at , where his captive began to negotiate for her freedom , and

M cCo mbie demanded , as his price , some fore know

o f ledge the time , place or manner of his death ;

whereupon his prisoner, pointing out a large stone on

A N D 76 TH E DE ER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL .

M R FOR E S T OF G L E N D OL L BY KE R R I E UI .

c THI S forest is owned by the heirs of Mr . Dun an

Macpherson , and is usually let . I t extends to a little

B ac hna airn over acres , and marches with g ,

G le ncall Cae nlochan a y and . There is a sm ll sanc tuar o y , and later on there will be good w od for

wintering, but it is too recently planted to be of any

T o mb uie immediate use . The highest hills are , the

T o lmo nt yellow hill , and , the peat hole , both about

. . 0 ft high I t will carry two rifles , and 4 stags

w is the annual kill , all got by fair stalking , ith an

1 average weight of 4 stone , heart and liver included .

Crae lo ck o f The late General , whose drawings the d so eer forest are well known , rented this forest in

1 8 0 9 , and it is very fully described in his deer

stalking book .

R E S T F I N V E R M A R K B R E C N FO O BY HI .

S THI forest, the property of the Earl of Dalhousie, is at present jointly rented by Lord H indlip and

Lord Dudley and spreads over some acres R F FO A R S HI R E . 7 7

o f is forested land , in addition to which there about

o f O acres extra good grouse ground . n

the west and south - west these lands march with

Gle nmuick Gle nd oll H unthill , , and the sheep walks ; on the south -east they spread aw ay up to the summit o f o n Mount Keen , feet , the watershed of which

hill the boundaries run with the forest of Glen Tana .

There is a good road from Brechin to I nv e rmark

o f — Lodge , a distance twenty two miles, over which I made several pleasant journeys in the autu mns of

1 88 . 1 884 and 5 , when the late Sir Robert B H arvey leased this forest and I had the good fortune to be

o ne o f his guests . About a mile before reaching the present house o f I nv e rmark the road passes

o ld the ruins o f the castle, formerly a stronghold o f the Lindsays and most picturesquely placed on

E sk the banks o fthe North .

The forest is divided into three beats ; over the

southern o ne J ohn M itchell , the head forester, used to preside when I w as at Inv ermark ; John Mac

gregor ruled over the north beat, and a third man F T D 7 8 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS O S CO L A N .

had charge of the middle one . I t is a fine open

rolling country and without any very rocky hills ; some of them are yet tho ught by many to be

o o quite high en ugh before the t p is reached . They

range from feet up to feet, but they are big “ lumps ” of hills and do not rise to jagged peaks ; for this reason they are in places somewhat

c v not bare of stalking o er, and more often than

— is long shots have to be taken that , at distances

1 ranging from 2 0 to 2 00 yards .

There is no sanctuary and no wood for wintering, and many of the I nv e rmark deer seek shelter in

Gle nmuick the dense woods of Glen Tana and , while a few come down to the grouse ground at

I nv e r mark E sk , and the banks of the North , on

which there is a certain amount of natural wood .

The forest will carry three rifles daily. The south

beat is the best, and between the other two there

is nothing to choose . There are good pony paths

“ in the forest, and the one that winds up The

Of Drum is a nearly sensational character. This

80 E D E E R R E S TS OF S L A TH FO CO T ND. for the old heads are far finer in all respects than

c an no any that w be seen in this forest . I n the early part of the season large bags of grouse are made in the deer ground round the heather- clad

' bases of the high hills, and the deer do not seem

&c to mind the noise of the shooting, . , in the least, for when first disturbed they merely trot off to

some high grassy top , and there they will stand watching the proceedings of the shooters in the

valley . E R CHAPT V I I .

V E - H E I N R N E S S S I R .

R E S T A E R N E T N E T H Y R D E FO OF B HY , BY B I G .

T H E Dowager Countess of S e afie ld is the owner of

1 8 6 these lands, which were first cleared in 9 , and

- Spread over acres , about one third being

wood , affording a vast tract of fine winter Shelter for

o f the deer. The forest marches with that Glenmore ,

and contains many high hills , chief amongst these

being Cairn - gorm The yearly to tal is

n 1 6 0 stags a season , Showi g an average of 4 stone

c ea h , weighed with heart and liver included , and

here one Of the best beasts o f recent years was shot

— - 1 8 2 . a in 9 , by Mr Payne fine fourteen pointer of

1 8 stone .

I n or about the year 1 6 3 0 this forest was the

M R S A N D 8 2 TH E D E E R FO E TS OF S CO TL .

c s ene of bloodshed , as one J ames Grant, of the

Carron family, having in some feud made matters

c c unpleasantly un omfortable for himself, es aped to

these regions, and , collecting a party of fellow h desperadoes , he proceeded to arry all the district

u o f c ro nd about, and especially the lands his hief

f B allind allo c h o . enemy and relation , Grant As a

w Of o ne nephe of his, J ohn Grant, Carron , was day cutting timber with seven or eight others in Aber ne th B allin d allo ch y forest, suddenly pounced on him

o u with a f rce double in n mbers and thoroughly armed ,

and , under pretence of seeking J ames Grant, John

’ Grant s party was attac ked and J ohn himself

was killed after a desperate resistance, for he and

c his ompanions sold their lives very dearly. Sir R .

o f Gordon , the historian those days , in his remarks

“ : on this encounter, quaintly says Give me leave heir to remark the providence and se crait judgement o f A lmi htie the g God, who now hath mett Carron

with the same measure that his forefather, John

R o o f o f y Grant Carron , did serve the ancestor

R A N D 8 2 TH E D E E R FO E S TS OF S CO TL .

c o f s ene bloodshed , as one J ames Grant, of the

u Carron family, having in some fe d made matters

c c unpleasantly un omfortable for himself, es aped to

these regions , and, collecting a party of fellow

c desperadoes , he pro eeded to harry all the district

c round about, and especially the lands of his hief

B allin d allo ch A s enemy and relation , Grant of . a

his o ne nephew of , J ohn Grant, of Carron , was day c utting timber with seven or eight others in Aber n e th B allind allo ch y forest , suddenly pounced on him

c with a for e double in numbers and thoroughly armed ,

e and, under pr tence of seeking J ames Grant , J ohn Grant ’ s party was attacked and J ohn himself

was killed after a desperate resistance, for he and his companions sold their lives very dearly. Sir R .

Gordon , the historian of those days , in his remarks

“ o : on this enc unter, quaintly says Give me leave heir to remark the providence and se crait judgement o f Almi htie the g God , who now hath mett Carron

his with the same measure that forefather, John

R o o f o f y Grant Carron , did Serve the ancestor I N E RN E -S I R E V S S H . 8 3

B alle nd allogh (being the eleventh day o f September) the v e rie same day of this m o nth was Carron Slain

B alle nd allo h e irs by John Grant of g , many y there

R o o f after . And , besides , as that John y Grant

- so o f Carron was left handed , is this John Grant

B alle nd allogh left- handed also ; and moreover it is to

B alle ndallo h o f be observed that g , at the killing this

u Carron , had upon him the same coat of armo r or maillie - coat which J ohn Roy Grant had upon him

at the Slaughter o f the great - grandfather o f this

B alle nd allo h maillie - B alle n d allo h g , which coat g had ,

t me a little before this y , taken from James Grant in

a Skirmish that passed between them . Thus wee doe

o f G o d Sie that the judgements are inscrutable , and

n t me unish e th that in H is o w y H e p blood by blood .

H N A A R R Y R T L L FO R E S T OF AC C BY FO WI IAM .

THI S fine and historical property , belonging to

f Cameron o Lochiel , is at times let for the season , but is also Often kept by the pro prietor for his o w n

o f G ulv ain sport . Those parts the lands of which A 8 6 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL N D .

subsequent replacement of the sheep ; this somewhat

c remarkable fact, which ertainly is not the case

c with other sheep grounds, is a counted for by the protectio n afforded to the deer by the thickness

the o ld o ld u of wood and heather , and the f rther guard against all distu rban c e provided by the

A rkai water boundary of Loch g side . This method o f working answers well when A chn ac arry is

fo r f r let the season , as thereby is a forded a ve y

u c large extent of what is practically , tho gh not stri tly

speaking , forested ground, while even if anything

Should go wrong the tenant has to deal with the

o r . landlord nly, and not with thi d parties Loch

A rk ai u g , which is some fo rteen miles long, bisects

u this gro nd , and by the aid of a steam launch it forms an exceptionally useful and pleasant way Of sending sportsmen to and from their beats o n either

o f A ch n side or at the far end the loch . acarry and that part o f G ulv ain going with it yield an average of abo ut sixty stags each season ; a greater number c ould doubtlessly be killed , but it is rarely that

E E R R E TS F S TL A N D 8 8 TH E D FO S O CO .

1 - o f w 9 stone, and twenty one them ere just over

1 o f 7 stone . These good weights the owner Ach nacarry attributes in a great measure to the fact that most of his neighbours have j o ined him in a compact not to Shoot stags out of season or “ far

1 1 run o r l o th even run at all , and on the of

O ctober stalking is ended .

’ L o chie l s With regard to method of weighing,

c viz . , with heart and liver left in the car ase, there are also many gentlemen who follow this system ; at the same time it Should not be overlooked that — — part o f the poch - a - buie the tripe is also brought

home for eating , and yet that is never by any chance

’ included in the stag s weight . I am sure all stalkers will agree with the idea that there sho uld be but

one recognized method of weighing deer , and if

c su h a plan were adopted, then in future there

’ never could arise any misapprehensio n as to a deer s

real weight . I t will be seen from a perusal o f these pages that there are more people who weigh

“ — their stags quite clean that is without heart, I N VE RN E S - S S H I R E . 89

— liver or lungs than there are of those who incl ude

these in the weight ; this then being the case , may not the question be put as to whether the minority

Should not yield gracefully to the majority in a

o f ? d matter no real importance Certainly, as regar s

u the forest with which I am now dealing , it co ld

ff o f not possibly make any di erence, for sixty stags

1 6 n d a over stone with heart a liver, or sixty st gs o f 1 over 5 stone without heart or liver, is distinctly

a very fine average which is not often surpassed . O f course in a forest where beasts average a little

1 . over 3 stone, with heart and liver, it will sound perhaps better to speak of them in this way instead of all uding to them as a little over 1 2 stone without these appendages !

o n 1 0th o f O By ceasing to stalk strictly the ctober ,

' and in early seasons even a few days . sooner, the calves become the offspring o f the best sires of the

o f c forest and not some hance and perhaps small stag, who steps into the shoes of the big one that has

d been killed . Some time ago a very curiously marke N E S 90 TH E DE E R FOR TS OF S CO TL A N D .

stag suddenly appeared in A ch nacarry ; he had a

c u perfectly white fa e , and after every enq iry had

been made from the neighbours, it could not be

discovered that he had ever been seen before,

' although he was a full - grown beast with six points

ot n a very big stag, but yet not a very small

A chnacarr one . For ten years he remained in y ,

with the exception of one season , the eighth , when

he was not seen ; at the end of the ten years he dis appeared as suddenly and as mysteriously as he had c ; If ome, and has never been seen or heard of since

’ killed , it must have been poachers work, for all the

neighbours knew of him , so that no rifle was ever

- pointed at him , and although the deer stealer may

c perhaps have a counted for his vanishing , it is after all

so not remarkable as his first sudden appearance, and

where he came from must ever remain a puzzle, for

u s o no one co ld have failed to notice a beast strange , as the whole front of his face from forehead to tip

of nose was so purely white and s o conspicuous that even at a good distance he could be seen

2 E T N 9 TH DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO L A D.

Sir Ewan upbraided him bitterly with his effeminate desire to make himself comfortable ! This gallant

o ut o n gentleman also , when a skirmish with the

r Fort William ga rison , becoming detached from

f o f his men , was surprised by an English o ficer much

greater size and strength , who called on Sir E wan

to surrender. That, however, was the last thing to

f be thought of, and the two closed with equal ury ; at length Lochiel struck his adversary ’ s sword from

his hand , when both closed and fell to the ground ,

where for long they wrestled in deadly grip . Bit by bit the weight and strength of the Englishman began

be to tell , until at last, being fairly above Lochiel ,

stretc hed out his neck to make himself free to draw

use and his dirk , when the chieftain , seizing the

o o f his pportunity, sprang at the throat foe like a

so dog, and biting it right through , he held on tightly

u that he brought away his mo thful and killed his man .

Sir Ewan was worthily succeeded by his grandson ,

though his father was still living, and only died one

him —“ ” year before the gentle Lochiel , who suffered I N VE R N E S S - H S I R E . 93

s o severely in that ill - fated attempt of 1 74 5 to restore

o f Prince Charlie to the throne his ancestors . I n that year A ch nacarry was pl u ndered and bu rnt by

’ u the D ke of Cumberland s soldiers, and , like his

prince , the gentle Lochiel had to hide in the hills . For eight days Prince Charles Edward lay hidden

T o rvu ilt o f in the wood of , opposite the ruins

A chnacarr 2 6 th y House ; while later, on August ,

1 6 74 , Captain George Munro , of Culcairn , a brother

of Sir Robert Munro , met his death on the banks o f Loch A rkaig by a bullet from the musket of

Dugald Roy Cameron , a devoted adherent to the

Pretender .

F F A R I C E L FO R E S T OF A BY B AU Y .

THIS is o ne o fthe most western o fthe six Chisholm

s e a D uic h forests, as it reaches nearly to the at Loch ,

o n o . the west c ast I t covers some acres , and marches on the south with sheep ground o n the west with K intail ; o n the east with G uisachan ; and o n

l n 1 8 was the north with B rau e . I n season 95 it rented R A D 94 TH E DE E R FO E S TS OF S CO TL N .

by Mr. Arnold Morley, but I have not been able to collect any reliable details of what sport he or any

previous tenants have had, although I have heard that in 1 8 94 well over one hundred heavy stags

were got, a large number, taking into consideration

1 8 - the extent of the forest . When , in 93 4 , Mrs . Chisholm ’ s factor gave his evidence before the

H ighland and Island Commission , he stated the

A ffaric - E rchle ss three forests of , Glen Cannich , and

' Of held nineteen peaks , all reaching an altitude over

feet , while the combined acreage of these three

properties was stated to be acres, let to three

d 1 s 6 . tenants at . an acre, or a year, but

u i i I do bt if this rental has been ma nta ned .

FO R E S T OF A M H U I N S UI D H A N D A R D VOU R L I E BY

S T R N O OWAY .

E S E A rdv o urlie TH two grounds, for has been

A mh u insuidh -two joined to for Over twenty years,

extend to some acres, and are the property

o f . Cle isham Lady Farquhar , the highest hill ,

S 96 TH E D E E R FOR E S T OF S CO TL A N D .

se e head as one could wish to . Eagles nest each

season in this forest, and under the watchful eye

c M c A ula of Frederi k y , the head forester, they are

o never molested . Although Stornoway is the p st

A mhuinsu idh so u u l town of H ouse , bea tif l y placed

s e a- on the shore , it is more easily reached by those

coming from the sou th by steamer from Oban to

East Loch Tarbert .

R E S T R D V E R E N S E FO OF A IKI BY KI GU SI .

OF this place I have not been able to c ollect any

authentic details . I n my map of the deer forests it

w is put do n as containing acres , with the

- greatest altitude feet . O n the south west it — marches with the forest o fBen Alder the o nly forest — which it joins so that probably the deer of Ard v e rikie and those of Ben Alder are o ne and the same

animal , and the stags of this latter place are famed

for their bodies and heads . Ardverikie is always let

each season , and has had a good many tenants during

w the last t enty years . I t belongs to Sir J ames I N R S - VE N E S S HI R E . 97

c W . Ramsden , by whom it was pur hased some twenty

years ago , together with Ben Alder, from Cluny

Macpherson . I t was in this forest that Landseer painted a series o f old frescoes on the walls of the Ardverikie House ,

“ o f comprising studies his celebrated pictures , The

” “ ” “ Challenge , The S tag at Bay, Children of the

” “ “ ’ e M ist, The D ad Stag , and The Forester s

Old Daughter . When the house was burnt down ,

o o f o f the wh le these perished , but photographs the originals still remain in the possession of Sir George

o f B allindallo ch Macpherson Grant, . I n connection

with the destruction o f old Ardverikie House may be mentioned the curious coincidence that it should have been burnt down on the very day that Landseer was

buried .

R R T FO R E S T OF A I S AIG BY FO WI L L IAM .

S . n THI is a small forest owned by Mrs N icholso ,

~ and at present let to Mr . R . G . Dunville . I t is

situated on a peninsula, and covers between three

0 S A N D 98 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF CO TL .

and four thousand acres , but I have not been able to c ollect any reliable details . I t was in this forest that Prince Charles Edward

o 1 8 th 1 6 . O f und himself on J uly , 74 n that day he arrived at the summit of a hill at the eastern ex tremit o f S co orv u y Arisaig, called y , and, having rested

o n there , he started afresh that wonderful series of hair breadth escapes and wanderings which only terminated

s e a when he was safely at , on his way to France .

R E S TS AR N S D L E AN D L C UR N L E N E L FO OF I A O H HO BY G G .

E E 1 8 0 TH S two properties , owned since 9 by Mr .

Robert Birkbeck , and purchased in that year from

D o chfour Mr . Baillie of , march with the forest o f

G le nquo ich and the Glenelg and R atagan estates of

Mr . Baillie . The Loch Hourn ground covers some

Of c acres very steep, broken , high , ro ky, sterile

country . The grazing is excellent, while the natural

f T woods of er perfect wintering for deer. hese

1 8 0 grounds were cleared of Sheep in 9 , and being

a new forest, at present only thirty stags are killed

TH E DEER FORE S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

o seen rotting in the fields in November, and bef re the

c o f pla e was cleared sheep, many hundreds perished

annually during the winter months . Like all other

gentlemen who purchase new property, Mr . Birkbeck

has spent considerable sums in improvements, the

crofters especially benefiting at his hands, for

he has greatly bettered their houses , which were

in a dreadful plight when he took possession ; none

- of their dwellings were water tight, chimneys and

windows were rare, roofs and walls were rotten , and

N ow in wet weather the floors were deep in mud. ,

- however, water tight houses with slate roofs are every

’ where , and M r. Birkbeck s crofters are fully alive to

all the kind works that have been done for them , while many o f them are employed at good wages

by the generous - hearted proprietor of these two

estates .

R E S T OF B L C N N V E R N E FO A MA AA BY I SS .

S o f THI fine forest, on the banks Loch Ness in

G le nur uhart q , is owned by the Countess Dowager I N E R N E S S -S HI R E 1 0 1 V .

o f S e afie ld , and leased to M r . Bradley Martin . I t spreads over some acres of grassy corries

o f and fairly high hills , which the highest is Meal

fo urv ie . , feet I n addition to the excellent

pasturage , there are some acres of wood , with

good grazing in them . I t is bounded on the east by Loch N e ss ; on the west by the forest of I nver

is mo r ton ; while the other marches are Sheep walks .

f 1 8 I t was first a forested in 5 7 , and was cleared solely because it was found impossible to let the grounds to

- u any sheep farming tenant . Three rifles can go o t

- tw daily, and it now yields an average kill of Sixty o

1 . stags of 4 stone , heart and liver included

The late Earl of S e afie ld killed many heavy stags

2 0 th e of upwards of stone, fine heads of which now hang on the walls of Balmacaan House ; and

Crae lock here , too , General H ope often stalked , and on this ground to ok place many o f the scenes

“ and adventures so v ividly illustrated in his Book of the Deer Forests The present tenant has

spent considerable sums of money on the place, TH E D EER F OR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D. and by his banker’ s book it was proved before the last Deer Forest Commission that his expenditure had averaged over a year during the

whole period of his tenancy .

“ c I n Balma aan , which is Gaelic for The town of the

” o ne o f son of H ector, also occurred those deplorable

’ o f tragedies conqueror s cruelty, common to the history

of all nations , as after the battle of Culloden a party

of fugitives , having taken refuge in a barn , were

’ surprised by some o f the Duke o f Cumberland s

se t soldiers , who surrounded their refuge , fire to it,

and o r either burned killed the whole party, with the

" c o ne M ac L e an e x eption of , who made good his escape

and alone lived to tell the tale .

O o f n the confines of this forest, on the shore

o f Loch Ness , are the ruins the celebrated Castle

u o r U rchard Urq hart , and the loch itself, according

to traditionary legend , was formed in the following

: manner At one period the great glen , which now

lies under the waters of Loch Ness , was a beautiful

n a d fertile valley, containing a wonderful spring,

1 04 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

while to this day the splendid sheet of water is

called Loc h N is or Lo ch Ness .

o f u I ncredible as this story course m st be , it may yet howe v er be true that at o ne time Loch Ness did n o t L o ch ne ll exist , for beneath the waters of near

O o a o o u ban , s me thirty years g , there c ld be seen o n still bright days the remains of a su nken village

some fifteen feet below the surface . Nothing is kno w n in the neighbourhood as to ho w this village

became submerged , but there is the fact for certain , and that which has occu rred o n L o ch nell may also

c have happened on a large scale to Lo h Ness .

E arly in the 1 3 th century Castle Urquhart was c aptured by K ing Edward and the English after a protracted Siege later on it became the chief strong

o f hold the Lords of the Isles , while after their defeat at H arl a w to Sir Duncan Grant was entrusted the command of the castle and the restoration of

— - o o f - rder in those disturbed and out the way districts . The Grants of Strathspey were originally a Strath

E nrick family , of whom tradition says that they lost I N E RN E S S -S H I R E V . 1 05

their last possessions at Foyers on Loch Ness in

the following manner : the bride o f Gruer Mor of

Po rtclair o f went forth , as was then the custom

newly married women , to receive the presents of

she her friends . At Foyers was grossly insulted

by Laurance Grant , and the matter being reported

to her husband, he at once started to punish

P o rtclair the Offender , sailing from with several

galleys full of fighting men . Grant and his clan

fi rowed out to meet them , when a desperate ght

took place in the bay to the west of Foyers , to

“ ” u M ho rbh D hao in e this day known as Cam s ,

“ The Bay of the Dead Men .

was u Grant eventually defeated , purs ed , overtaken

“ ’ ” R u id h L aurais and Slain , at , Laurence s Slope ,

R uiskich i above , and G ruer se zed and retained

I c Foyers . The clan Nian at that time held castle

U rquhart, and long and stoutly they and the Mac donalds o f Gl e nmoristo n fought against the Grants

e to and the men of Strathspey, whom they rous d fu ry by surprising and slaying a small party Of ' 1 06 Th E D E E R OR E S TS F S A N D F O CO TL .

their men , whose heads they cut off and sent to

o f John Grant , the chief the clan , better known by

“ ” the name of the Red Bard . Slowly but surely

the power of the Grants won the day , and The Bard taking possession of Urquhart Castle ruled the

whole district with a strong hand , and history states

“ that in 1 5 0 2 he sold the king sixty- nine marts with

’

5 o o . 1 0 skins for 7 1 2 . Later on in 5 9 the properties of Urquhart and G l e n moristo n were bestowed on The

Bard in reco gnition of his servic es by a grateful

c 1 1 monar h , and all went pretty well until 5 3 , when

a one Sir Donald Macdon ld of Lochalsh , who revived

o f and claimed the title the Lord of the I sles, being

at enmity with the Grants , collected his forces and

z o sei ed Castle Urquhart, together with a great bo ty, while for the following three years he forcibly held

the lands . At the end of this period the Grants

once more prevailed and returned to Castle Urquhart, b ut in 1 54 5 their possessions were again seized by

M o idart J ohn of and his friends, who committed depredations so serious that it took the glen several

1 0 TH E F S TL A N D 8 E D E R FOR E S TS O CO .

property a finer candlestick and more brilliant light

than could be found in London ; the wager was

u M ac bhain E b d ly made , and I ain ain was sent

for from the wilds of Glen Urquhart, a man distin

h w i uis e d t . g alike for his , grace and fine figure At the appointed time Big J ohn ’ s opponent appeared with a splendid silver candelabrum holding a great

c quantity of the best wax andles , when in reply

M ac bhain to a signal from Grant, stepped forth

from behind a screen , arrayed in full H ighland

u cost me , holding a blazing torch of pine in each

hand , while the delighted and astonished spectators

“ w ith one accord proclaimed Big J ohn the winner

of the wager . Sad to relate, the name of this great man is associated with the contemptible plunder and

Gle m ri n murder of a pedlar in n o sto .

B E N L D E R N FO R E ST OF A BY KI GU S S I E .

’ THI S is another of Sir J ames Ramsden s forests of

whic h I have not been able to gather any information

. as to very recent doings I t contains acres, N E R N E — 1 0 I V S S S HI R E . 9

and marches with the forests of Rannoch and Co rrour o n u E rricht the so th and west, Loch bounds it on

the east , and Ardverikie on the north . I t is very

- rugged , sterile looking ground, and Ben Alder rises

ft . se a to . , while at about ft above

level there is a loc h called Beallach - a- bhea Of some

f u o . two miles in circumference , f ll good trout

I n the days when I used to stalk at Co rro ur many

u and long were the spies I had into this gro nd , and

at that time ( 1 8 8 0) plentiful were the stags to be

seen on it . Well , also , do I remember meeting the

late Mr . Gretton in the train going north from

Perth in the days when he paid a big rent fo r

his Ben Alder, and how greatly I was amused by

“ a naive admission , that when he took to st lking he

” had no idea it would interfere so much with racing .

The Leger week had just ended , and Mr. Gretton

was going up to the forest for a few days, only to

hasten back to the south to his more favourite pastime,

and after telling me this , he finished up by saying, I

mean to have a deer drive one day whatever way the T R E S T F T A H E D E E R FO S O S CO L ND .

s a wind may blow or Clarke may y . Three days later

Mr . Gretton did have his drive, for on that same

o Co rro ur day I was sh oting grouse at , on the Sheep

s ground of Ben Alder glen , when uddenly in many places in the s ky - line there appeared large herds of

trotting, frightened , galloping deer ; I think from five to seven h u ndred beasts of all sorts m ust have been

o u r u . put on to gro nd , while later I heard Mr Gretton had insisted on his drive in spite o f a bad wind and

all the entreaties of Edward Clarke , the then head

! o forester . Poor Clarke for nearly f rty years he

1 8 8 8 had been in Ben Alder, till in the winter of he met with his death from an accident in the forest he was so devoted to for w hen out after hinds with his so n in the winter sno ws on the nearly precipitous

sides of Ben Alder, as bad fate would have it, they s at w - down side by side on some sno covered heather, and the next sec ond they were both rolling headlong

o f down the hill in the midst a small avalanche . The son escaped with a severe bruising and a broken

leg, which caused his progress in search of help

1 1 2 S T TL D TH E D E E R F OR E S OF S CO A N .

his good management , the number of the slain was

worked up to fifty o r fifty - fiv e stags of the same

very heavy weight . I t was in this forest that Cluny Macpherson hid fo r o so l ng in the time of the Pretender, as for nine

o u years after Cull den he laid low in h ts , caves and

u va lts in this district , while during all that time a

o heavy price was placed upon his head . A go d part of these years of concealment he passed on Ben Alder

“ ” in a singular natural retreat known as The Cage ,

and here , when Prince Charles Edward escaped from

fo r the Western Isles , he was entertained by Cluny some three months as well as circumstances would

permit . When the Prince arrived in Ben Alder he was

b ut ut actually in rags , his devoted host soon p matters

right for him , Charles Edward then passing his spare

time in the study of Gaelic while , as he had for com

u panions both Cl ny and Cameron of Lochiel , whose trusty H ighlanders kept them well supplied with the

o f necessaries and even some the luxuries of life, it is I N E R N E S S -S H R E V I . 1 1 3 probable these three months passed in “ The Cage m u st have been the pleasantest and most cheerful time the Pretender had experienced since the fatal

day o f Culloden . When at last Cluny made up his mind to follow the example of so many of his other brother Chieftains

by seeking safety in France , he went to take leave

of Mr. Macdonald of Tulloch , an old deerstalking

friend , and on Cluny saying how much he wished to kill o ne more deer in Ben Alder ere he qu itted

his beloved country for ever, Macdonald and he at once proceeded to put the plan into execution ;

arriving in the forest , they soon discovered a solitary

but stag, , on getting nearly within Shot , something

o ff - alarmed him , and he bolted full tilt for about

two miles ; then suddenly stopping, he seemed to be considering whether there was any real cause for alarm ; at the end of the pause he abruptly wheeled

about and most deliberately cantered back . to the

’ was sho t very spot he started from , where he dead

o his by Cluny, who lo ked upon the manner of last

Q 1 1 T 4 H E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D . stalk as being a very good omen for the time to c o ome , in which he was not wrong, as pr ved by u f ture events .

’ I t is impossible to read the accounts of Clunie s

u u advent res , d ring the nine years of his wanderings , without being impressed with the chivalrous daring

of his character . Clearly he was a firm believer in

“ the Old H ighland saying of : Better trust to a

” u b lwark of bones than a castle of stones, and if ever there was a chieftain who was both “ steel lord

” Old and skin lord , Cluny Macpherson was he . The Highlanders used to call those chieftains steel l o rds who kept and held their lands by the sword ; the Skin lords were those who relied on their title

deeds engrossed on parchment to prove their rights .

One o f the mos t ancient stories in connection with Ben Alder relates to the days when wolves

were common in the mountain fastnesses . At that

o f B re akach period a M r . Macpherson y having

e o ne u charge of this for st, was day in q est of venison accompanied by a servant when they . came

1 16 T E E E R T H D R FO ES S OF S CO TL A N D.

on the face of a dead man . H iding all feelings of

“ astonishment, he turned to his servant , saying , I don ’ t like the comforts of this bothy we shall get " better in the other one a short distance off, and accordingly they sallied forth in search o f this fresh

w shelter, hich being duly reached and a fire lit,

M - acpherson , pretending he had left his powder horn

on the bed of the first bothy. sent his man back

for it, and it may be readily guessed what a terrible shock the dead body gave to the nerves of this

- to faint hearted retainer, who fled back at top speed

h w ere he had left his master, but on regaining the but he found to his great dismay all was dark

se t and empty, for Macpherson had off home as soon as he saw his valiant man depart for the

powder flask . Tradition says the fright nearly cost

“ the man his life, for he fevered and was many

” weeks before he recovered . E R N E S S -S HI R E ~ 1 1 INV . 7

R E S T B OB L A I N E FO OF .

' S THI is a small forest of Lord Lovat s, let with

Beau fort Castle to M r. Lucas Tooth . I t is similar

ground to Farley, but has a larger area , and probably

2 00 contains the biggest wood in Scotland , of , 5 acres

’ S e afie ld s in extent . I t marches with Lord and

E skadaile u the shootings , but I have no partic lars

o fthe number of stags killed .

R E B RA L E N E L FO S T OF U BY B AU Y .

THI S is o ne of the seven deer forests owned by

1 8 Lord Lovat , and was afforested in 3 5 by the

T grandfather of the present Lord . he late Lord

Lovat was in the habit of letting B raule n and Stru y

as a whole , and in those days the two combined

o f Gle nstrathfarrar went under the name Forest of .

f 1 8 \ l n o . V B rau e . . , rented for the season 95 by Mr J

Baxendale, covers about acres , in which are

many fine bold corries , and altogether it is a big

sk featured ground of one long wide glen , with the y 1 1 8 TH E E R E S TS OF S TL A D D E FOR CO N .

o u - -l h he n . a ic t line the march either side Sco r na pp ,

o f Ridge M ires , and Scour na Corrie Glas are both w ell over feet , and there are many other high

o n hills in the forest. I t marches with Struy the

Gle nca nn ich north , with on the south , and Patt

and Monar on the west . O n the south side of the

glen , opposite the lodge , there is a large sanctuary, while the slopes of some of the hills are well wooded

B raule n for wintering, although many of the deer descend to the lower ground o f Stru y for winter

shelter . The kill is limited to ninety stags, which

' l as 1 1 0 . c . B rau e n w average about 4 stone lbs , lean

’ at . r one time one of M r Winans chain of fo ests , which reached from se a to sea and practically made

o f . o ne vast sanctuary, out which Mr Winans had

B raul e n . the deer driven into , where he killed them

When the late Lord Lovat first let Gle nstrathfarrar

to M r . Winans, there were fully stags of all

w u so rts in the sanctuary, hile d ring the last two

a . years of his ten ncy Mr Winans killed , by driving,

1 8 8 and 2 20 stags .

1 20 H E D E E RE S S T R F O T OF S CO TL A N D .

to being severely wounded , owed his life the kindness

Gle n mo risto n of one Macdonald , of the race of M ac

Chao il o n I ain , who carried him his back off the

- l c so battle fie d . For this servi e the Marquis was grateful that he inscribed over the gate of his castle

Chao il u the words , Cha bhi Mac I ain a mach , ag s

” “ Go rd o na ch sti h Chao il no t a g , A Mac Iain Shall

” be without and a G o rdon within .

Also in this forest , close to the public highway , there is still to be seen the cairn that marks the spot w here

the gallant young Roderick Mackenzie fell . The son o f an E dinburgh jeweller, he took up the cause of

u the Stuarts . and , after C lloden , was hiding on the

Cae nno cro c lands of , when he was surprised by a

’ party of the king s soldiers , and bearing some personal

to e resemblance Prince Charl s , he was at once shot dow n in order that they might gain the

’ c o n reward that was pla ed the Prince s head . This devoted adherent made no attempt to deceive the

soldiers , and drawing his sword , refused to surrender

“ i : Y o u alive , and exp red exclaiming have murdered I N R N E S S - S HI R E 1 2 1 VE .

your Prince ! an ac t o f self- sacrifice that went a long

’ way to ensure the Prince s safety , as for some

’ time it w as believed Mackenzie was really the true

“ ” adventurer from France ; and , until Government

u o f was undeceived , the watchf lness the pursuers was

c much sla kened .

R E S T F I E FO O CO G N AF E AR N BY I N V E R N S S .

S T HI magnificent sporting property, belonging to

the Mackintosh of Mackintosh , spreads over

o f acres , which nearly acres are afforested , the

remaining acres being good grousing ground , an adjunct which it is certainly most desirable

to have in connection with a forest, for even

“ ” o deer always are apt to become m notonous ,

and there is many a forest I know of from whi c h

I would knock Off three o r fou r thousand acres

Of low - lying good heather groun d to turn them into

f c Co i na e arn has . grouse shooting . g . a large san tuary

f e e o some five miles long by three wid , whil plenty of birch wood with juniper offers Shelter in severe E F 1 22 TH E D EER FOR S TS O S COTL A N D .

c o f wo n weather. This fine tra t country quite all the sporting instinct and nature of that charming

u writer, the late Mr. St . J ohn , who in his beautif l

“ o o o b k , The Wild Sports of the H ighlands , dev tes — a whole chapter The River Findhorn to what is

Co i nafe arn : now g forest, and he ends it by saying I

w o nder Mackintosh does not turn this into a deer

” forest , for which it is specially adapted . This was

u 1 8 0 written abo t the year 5 , but it was not until

’

1 8 8 . . o 3 that M r St J hn s suggestion was carried out .

M o nadhliah u Situated in the mo ntains, the forest is

o f r a splendid stretch wild ground full of sp ings ,

burns , tarns , grassy corries , while no less than three

- o . g od sized rivers rise in and flow through it, viz , the

Croclach , the Eskin and the Dalveg, the three

eventually form ing the Findhorn , of which this forest

Co i nafearn is the watershed. g is at present rented

. . F , by Mr J Bradly irth where a previous tenant ,

Mr . H olland Corbett, once killed three thousand

brace of grouse entirely over dogs . I t is high ground ,

. se a the house itself being ft above level , while

1 E A N D 24 TH E DE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL . thefts began to make people think these outrages might in some way be connected with the missing

M ac N i e ns v . Therefore it happened that one

o Alexander Macpherson , a heavy l ser by these c onstant depredations, determined to try to find out something abou t the inhabitants of this mysteriou s house ; accordingly he feigned illness until his beard

u had grown , and then disg ising himself in other ways ,

o n he arrived at the suspected h use late in the eveni g ,

n pretendi g he had lost his way and was starving .

T Old he door was opened by an woman , who freely

u Offered him plenty of food , while sternly ref sing

. B ut c shelter Ma pherson proved such a good beggar,

that at length he got leave to lie down in a corner,

n where, curli g himself up , he feigned sleep . Towards midnight the eighteen M ac N iv e ns returned from a

n no t foragi g expedition , and noticing Alexander, they pulled back the Slab by which they gained

the secret room . Alexander having been a witness o f o ff the whole thing, then slipped and returned

w to his home ith all speed , and summoning the N E RN E S S - S H I R E I V . 1 2 5

neighbours far and near, he retraced his steps next

day, when the whole of the remaining M ac N iv e ns

were killed after a desperate resistance .

R E T COR R I E CI I OI L L I E R T L L FO S OF BY FO WI IAM .

S o THI forest belongs to L rd Abinger, and in compliance with his wish I give but such meagre details of it as are published for the benefit o f the

“ world at large in the last blue book o f The

” H ighlands and I slands Commission . Before that

’ - somewhat prejudiced , one sided tribunal his lordship s factor stated that Co rrie cho illie consisted of

acres of wild , broken , high and sterile ground , the highest part of which reached an altitude of

o r feet . Afforesting was commenced in about 1 8 70

1 8 8 d and finished in 3 , the groun now yielding forty

Stags , but no mention was made of weights . The arable lands adj o ining this forest have been protected

n from the deer by some nine miles of wire fenci g .

The autumns at Fort William are very wet, the

average rainfall for the year being about 7 5 inches , TH E E E R E L D FOR S TS OF S CO T A N D .

o f the April being the driest month , while the bulk

moisture descends from September to February,

w hich must interfere somew hat with the pleasures

o f stalking just at the very best of the season .

I t was through Co rrie cho illie that Montrose marc hed

into Glen Nevis with his army on the I st of

1 6 o f I nv e rlo ch February, 4 5 , to fight the battle y

o f - c with the Duke Argyll , whose army, panic stri ken

by the first onset, fled in all directions and were

c mu h cut up by the victorious H ighlanders , many

o f the fugitives being overtaken and killed in

lli Co rrie cho i e .

B E N E V R ICH N L C R A N N I I COR ROU R WI T H BY KI O H OC .

THE S E lands were purchased not very long ago

by Sir J ohn Stirling M axwell from Colonel Walker,

and extend to over acres o fevery description

w of ground , hich , until the recent railway to Fort

William was brought through the moor of Rannoch ,

“ w as always a remote and inaccessible part o f

o Sc tland .

1 2 8 TH E E E R R S TS F S TL A N D D FO E O CO .

The heads were unusually stout, wild , rough and

c bla k , for before M amore was entirely wired in by

hi l h ai e Co rro ur . T st e t w t the late Mr , the hinds of m found mates from there , from the Black Mount, fro

A rde rikie Ben Alder and , so that no forest could po ssibly be better placed for incessant change of

“ ” u Co rro ur blood , and the hind gro nd of was ever do ing good service as a nursery to the young

stags of all those adjoining forests . I n the rutting season so incessantly continuous was the c oming to

o f M ac Callum and fro stags that Allan , the head

Corrour stalker, who during the season lived chiefly at

“ ” Lodge , ever kept an early look out over the flat o f Co rrour c , across whi h the Black Mount deer were

accustomed to travel , and more than once Allan was in time to arou se his master and get him into the pass leading to Corrie Craegacht fo r which the

o deer usually made , but as on these occasi ns Mr .

Lucy , forced into a hasty toilet, merely pulled on his knickerbockers and hurried a covert coat over his

w nightshirt , hile thrusting his stockingless feet into I N E RN E S S -S HI R E V . 1 29

“ his hardy brogues , he thus presented an appearance

c at whi h we had many a hearty laugh .

The celebrated hunter - bard already quoted was one

M ac F inla P Donal y , who lived in ersit, on the very

’ spot now occupied by the shepherd s house ; he passed

his days on the hills o f Loc h T re ig and tells how

in Corrie Chre agaich and D hulo chan he killed

wolves as well as deer with his arrows, for no

other weapon did Donal ever use . H e died at

P a very old age at I nverlair, not far from ersit, and in accordance with his last request he was

buried , wrapped in a deer hide , on the brow of

T re i a hill overlooking Loch g, where , as he said , “ the deer could couch on his bed and the little calves rest by his side and to this day where

breathes the deer- stalker who could wish for a more

suitable o r pleasanter resting- place ?

Corrour At the east end of , and now, I believe, in

o f c - an- Chlaid view the railway, is the celebrated Lo h

b amh , or Sword Loch . The story of how it won this

name is so interesting and so well authenticated that 1 30 TH E DEER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

no excuse need be made for relating it here . I n the middle o f the 1 6 th century Cameron of Lochiel

B e nev rich Corro ur then owned with , with most of the

- d adjacent lands ; a long standing ispute existed, how

o f ever, with the Earl Athol as to their marches and the grazing rights of certain of the eastern slopes of

B e ne v rich c , whi h were then , even as they are now, f c amed for their ri h pasturage ; therefore many, but

sanguinary, were the petty fights over this disputed point which were continually taking place between

the followers of the two lairds . I t happened that Lochiel and the Earl of Athol met by chance in

Perth , when the Earl expressing his regret at the

constant loss of life entailed by the dispute, proposed they should both meet on the property

to in question, each bringing but two retainers ,

o n endeavour, the spot and in a friendly manner,

c to settle the boundaries . Lo hiel at once consented

f to such a reasonable Of er ; a date was fixed, and the day before the meeting was arranged to take place he started with his two followers in order to

1 2 E 3 TH E D E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D . which signal fifty fully armed Athol men bounded

into sight from behind a bill that had hidden them .

Lo chiel sternly asked the Earl what these men might

“ fo r : O ! mean , and received reply h these are just

B e nev rich so fifty Athol wedders come to graze on ,

now, Lochiel , as you are powerless, you must submit

f ” tO my terms for the settlement o dispute . I n the meantime Lochiel had taken off his cape and turned

- fiv e it inside out , at which signal his sixty men

“ darted into sight as he replied to the Earl , And

- fiv e c o ne here are Sixty Lochaber dogs , ea h thirsting

o f to taste the flesh the Athol wedders . As it

happened , the Lochaber men were nearer to the

own so Earl than his men , seeing at a glance that it would be fo lly to engage a superior fo rce

with the certainty of being killed himself, he frankly

admitted Lochiel had outwitted him , and immediately

agreed to yield all points in dispute, while then — and there he swore o n the hilt of his sword in those days the most solemn H ighland oath that could be taken—that he would give up all claim to the I N E R N E S S -S H R 1 V I E . 3 3

B e ne v rich o u grazings of , in t ken of which he h rled

“ c fo r his sword into the lo h , to remain ever as

” o c o an acknowledgment of this c mpa t . This d ne ,

each Side having fraternized , departed to their homes

u with mut al good wishes . I n the year 1 8 2 6 this

o r c very sword , all that remained of it , was pi ked o ut u of the lake in a season of great dro ght , by the so n o f Caimb w ho o to c o the herd , t ok it a colle t r

Kilmo n iv ai . of curiosities , the Rev . Dr . Ross of g

The story, however, got wind , and presently the reverend gentleman was -waited o n by twelve stout

c as Lo haber men , who demanded back the sword

o ne a relic which no had a right to remove , and

o f o having obtained it, the remains the old weap n , o f whic h nothing remained b u t the basket hilt and

o f u a few inches r sty blade , were once more deposited

in the l o c h with great solemnity .

Prince Charles Edward , when making his way from Lochaber to shelter in the Cage of Ben

Alder with Cluny Macpherson , passed a few days

Co rrour o n M e alane ac h in , in a bothy a hill called ; 1 TH E E E RE S S F S T N D 34 D R FO T O CO L A .

s here Lochiel with two attendant was also hidden ,

and the Prince was for some time in danger o f

meeting his death at the hands o f his devoted

fo r adherent , they were at first taken for foes , and

d Lochiel being woun ed in the ankle , resolving to sell

c his life learly, the muskets of the bothy party were actually levelled at the prince and his friends before the

N O mistake was happily found out . trace of this bothy

M e alane ach now exists on , and many a good stag

has been killed on this hill since those days . I t is

very stony , rocky, broken ground , where , if a solitary

to . stag chanced be lying down, only very good and

sharp eyes could detect him . I t was on this hill on

one Sunday in August, when taking a stroll with Mr .

saw Lucy , that we both the best head either of us had

ever seen on a living stag. We each had our glasses

with us and got within a hundred yards of him , but

he passed on to Co rrie cre gach without being aware

of the two pairs of envious eyes fixed on him , or

the murmured expressions of our bad luck in no t

to o being able f llow him up then and there . Next

1 E E R RE S TS OF S TL A N 36 TH E D FO CO D .

d uring the months of August and September the

ground is never quiet ; added to this, there are

so also sheep on some parts, that it may be easily

u g essed that chances at deer are not plentiful , and from four to five stags a season is the most to be

to o . expected , and these, , not very good ones

This ground is more often called Gle nd ry no ch

C uch ullin than the Forest, and poor as the stalking

o f may be , the other sport, in spite the very wet c o f limate , is good ; for in addition to a fair bag

grouse , black game and ptarmigan , a heavy score

can of woodcocks and snipes usually be made .

R E T C L ACH Y FO S OF U .

S THI forest , of about acres, marches with

o f Gle nd o e u that ; it has a small sanct ary, good w w u intering oods , and the highest gro nd of

c Co rrie arrick feet is rea hed on the summit of . When

is out the wind right two rifles can go , and thirty

stags a season is the usual kill . I t has been occupied

n by the present proprietor, M r. M . K . A gelo , for the I N VE R N E S S -S I R E H . 1 37

past eighteen years , who has been both tenant and

w ch o ner, as he pur ased the property when it reverted to the Lovat estate on the death of Frazer of

A be rtarf o f , who was a direct descendant the well

known Simon , Lord Lovat . This is the only forest in Scotland where “ cold

deer are habitually killed by deerhounds , for out o f the thirty stags go t in season 1 8 95 nearly o ne

half were taken with dogs . The deer are some times approached with these hounds just in the

“ same way as if a rifle were making the stalk ;

at other occasions , when the wind is favourable and the

deer hidden from sight , the hunter can trust to the

o f n scent the hounds , which is wo derfully keen ; as

they near the quarry , the dogs , straining at the leash ,

se e are permitted to where the deer are , and then instantly made to lie down . I t now requires no small amount of skill with patience to slip the hound

r at the desi ed stag, which cannot be done until he

separates himself sufficiently from . the herd so as

do — to allow the g to see him and him only. A TH E R E S T D DEER FO S OF S CO TL AN .

good hound , once having had a view of his quarry,

will never change his stag, and it is marvellous to se e how truly they hold to the original beast they

have been slipped at, even though he may have forced himself into the midst of a herd o f other deer

f in the hope of ba fling pursuit.

’ o f These hounds Mr. Angelo s, when used only

after wounded deer, soon learn to pick the wounded o ne out of a herd, and as they possess the ability

u to kill , are much quicker and more powerf l than

trackers , collie or ordinary Scotch deerhounds , a wounded beast is put out o f his misery in less time than would be required by the ordinary hound

I n this coursing o f cold deer only one dog is

as slipped, the other being let go soon as it is seen the first hound has gone right the second dog is then

sure to follow the first , and as they are not slipped

o f at deer in very unfavourable places, a good view the

chase with the eventual kill can usually be obtained .

’ These hounds of M r. Angelo s are the result of long

and careful breeding for power combined with speed .

1 0 E R F R S TS F S C TL A 4 THE DE O E O O ND.

benefits to be derived by deer from feeding Off fresh

sub - pastures, and he has divided his forest into five

N I portions . From O. division the deer are excluded

and H ighland cattle turned in ; the season following

these are replaced by sheep , and the cattle are put o n to No . 3 division ; then the Sheep are removed

1 2 re - from No . to No . , and the deer admitted to

I No . , and to this fresh pasture almost the whole of the deer in the plac e will gather ; thus there

o f are successions cattle, then Sheep , then deer, on

each division of the forest . I n addition to the benefit

o f to the deer, there is also by this method manage

ment a reduction of forest rent, as ground suited to

cattle and sheep fetches even yet a fair price .

During the extremely severe weather of J anuary,

1 8 . 95 , Mr Angelo noticed that very large numbers of

deer came into a hillside covered with thick whins ,

and that not only did they shelter here, but they lived

on the whin bushes , which fact may perhaps give a hint to those gentlemen in whose forests trees will

not thrive, for I believe the whin will prosper any I N E R N E S S - S HI R E V . 1 4 1

o where when once it has laid hold of the s il . I n days gone by the country people used to keep utensils and implements specially for bruising and breaking up the

c u gathered whins, whi h their cattle then devo red w ith avidity .

FO R E S T S OF D U N D R E GGAN ( T H E M E AD OW OF

T H E D R N N V E R C A N D S T CAE N N CR OC AGO ) , I WI K OU H O

B Y G L E N M OR I S TON .

E S E TH three properties all belong to M r. Grant

f Gle n moristo n n o o e . . , and are let as to Mr . J G

fi rst- Bannatyne . The two named consist of acres o f forest and some ac res o f gro use

u Cae nno cro c u gro nd and wood . South is abo t

o f acres cleared ground , with a little over

u u r c acres of gro se gro nd . The fo est mar hes

I nch nacard o ch G le n uo ich with I nvermoriston , , q , and

Cae n no cro c o f North . Part the ground has been

for ages under deer, and indeed as regards this particular portion there is no record that it has ever

c been anything but deer forest . I t will arry three 1 42 THE D E ER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

b a rifles ; the g is made solely by stalking, and

- fi v e 1 averages Sixty stags of about 5 stone , but o f ho w they are weighed I have no information .

E A L FO R E S T OF E R CH L E S S BY B U Y .

A B E AU T IFU L L Y situated but small Chisholm pro

o f . perty, which some acres are under deer

O S catwell o n n the north it marches with Forest,

the south with Urchany, on the east with sheep

o n Co rrie hallie . E rchle ss ground, and the west with

— E r lass E ar hlas E aste r las s written also g , g and g

“ ” means in Gaelic the grey valley, and here in his

1 6 8 o f u castle , in 9 , the Chisholm those days manf lly

- resisted a Siege by his enemies, and it is of this hero the sto ry is told that o n hearing some rival

“ c hieftain spoken of with the prefix the attached

in to his name , he proclaimed loudly and with dignation that only three people in the world were

“ entitled to such distinction , namely , the K ing , the

” Pope , and the Chisholm .

H E E A 1 44 T D E E R FOR S TS OF S CO TL N D .

pressed to escape from the royal troops at Fort

Augustus . There are several high hills , of which

the highest rises to feet . As a rule , the forest

o carries two rifles all thr ugh the season , though

towards the end o f the time and in good wind a

third can be sent out . This forest has a history of

1 8 8 0 1 8 its own , as from to 93 it formed one of

the Winans group , and on good authority I am

told that during all that time no shot was fired o n

o f o n it, and that, as far as the actual killing deer

’ this ground was concerned , it had a twelve years

j ubilee , although probably the deer were at times

’ driven off it into Beauly forest, for Mr . Winans

- a deer drives ; thus many fine be sts were produced ,

but , nevertheless , during all these twelve years

ih — o ne breeding was telling its tale, and for good

- a- stag that was reared, there were half dozen poor

1 8 ones which never came to anything . I n 93 ,

when Mr . Winans gave it up , Mr. W . H . Walker

I t o ne rented , and got from one hundred to

o f hundred and twenty the best stags in the forest, I N E RN E S S - V S HI R E . 1 45

which was more than the ground would fairly

. 1 8 c w as stand Sir J ohn took it for 94 , whi h a

r rd ve y late season in this forest, for on the 3 of

O c tober he saw a seven - pointer still in full velvet in that season he was limited to seventy- fi v e

- 2 th stags, and having killed sixty seven by the 7 o f he o n September, stopped that date owing to

1 the beasts being then already far run . I n 8 95 up

1 6 to the th of September, Sir J ohn had but fourteen

b u stags and t two real good ones in the lot . I t

was in this district that that good sportsman , the

as late M r . Edward Ross , commenced his career

1 8 deerstalker, when in 54 he killed his first stag

i o f o in Gle ncan n ch . I n those days none the Chish lm

b ut property was afforested , beyond the head of

ffari o u t in Loch A c M r . Ross on his first day fell with some of the real big ones in a very steep and

Cralich wild corrie beyond , his first shot result ing in a Splendid royal of 2 0 stones clean ; he

slept that night in a wooden bothy at Alt Beg, a d a u n w s o t at dawn next day, when he again had U 1 D 46 TH E DE E R F OR ES TS OF S CO TL A N .

“ the good luck to fall in with this herd o f great

” o n gentlemen in some very rough broken ground ,

o f which in four shots he got four others the herd,

two of which were also royals . Five shots and

w ma five stags, three of hich were monarchs , as y well be supposed made a great impression on the

! lad of seventeen , as indeed it ought

T E R E S T GA I CK OR GAI G OR GAVVI CK II FO OF , , , BY

N E KI GU S SI .

S o f THI forest, together with the others the

c u Badeno h district, is of great antiq ity, the whole of them at one time having belonged to the Earls

o of H untly . Two hundred years ago that n bleman

G aick Gle nfe shie owned , , Glenavon , Glenmore, Drum

Och te r T re i , Ben Alder, and the Loch g district

o r 2 2 0 right up to Fort William , some square miles o f truly magnificent property. I n those days n one

Of the forests were appropriated e n tirely to the

ut deer, for the tenants were allowed to p up shielings

on the edges of the deer grounds, and their cattle

E E TH D E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

E rle h o g , that staunch friend and g od sportsman , who

O c G e ntro mie early in last tober died at l Lodge , in

c o s o G aick the untry he loved well , and is now

t held by his sons . The o her previous tenants have

L ittle d ale been Sir J oseph Radcliffe , Captain , Lord

Lilford and M r . Edwards Moss .

’ lo d e o f The forest g , which a drawing is given , is

u u Old q ite a unique b ilding of the days , which ,

however, is to my mind more in keeping with its w ild rugged surroundings than any more modem or prettier style of architecture could be ; while o nce inside a house of this sort the interio r w ill u o sually be found more solid, warm , and comf rtable

- fo r than the present day shooting box , on entering the hospitable doors of G aick Lodge the scene

u c q ickly changes , and it can be re ognized at a glan c e that the very thi c k walls must not only keep

w the lodge arm , but offer sure protection from and resistance to the fierce gales that periodically sweep the valley with such force as to make even this

’ stout building rock, Shake and quiver like a ship

1 0 TH E D E R R E S TS F S C TL A N D 5 E FO O O .

” “ “ - Clo iche Chio ch Bogha , stoney bow , and A , the

” u pap , are each j st about ft . high .

The fo rest is divided by a natural conformation

of deep ravines into three distinct beats, north , east

u o f o and so th ; these the east is the best, and ver

w O it E d ard rmiston , the head forester, most ably

c u presides, for no gentleman o ld wish a better,

bolder, more brilliant stalker, or pleasanter companion

on the hill . The south beat, when I was last at

“ G aick , was well cared for by one David, while

o f Big J ohn did the honours the north division , and each of these men was abo ve the average

G aick of stalkers . is splendidly suited to deer,

o n o n e being joined all sides but by other fine forests, for on the west and south - west come the recently c leared grounds , belonging to the Duke of Athol ,

S tro n h ad ri D al name in . of p g, South , and Glas Choire

O - Bruar n the south east, Glen and Atholl join in ,

le n fe shie while G runs on the north , and this latter forest divides G aick from Mar by but a narrow slip

T o fland . he annual kill varies a good deal , according I N E R N E S S -S H I R 1 1 V E . 5

to the wind that prevails during the Stalking season ,

—fiv e to and ranges from forty sixty good stags , with

o f 1 a mean weight 4 stone 7 lbs . , clean . During

the tw enty years Colonel Hargreaves had G aick he

u c killed just under a tho sand stags , whi h makes an

c average of a fraction of lose upon fifty stags a season . The worst winds for this forest are long spells of

- south and south easterly ones , while breezes that

continue to blow from north and north - west are the

best . The present lodge has been built nearly a

hundred years, and near it may still be seen the

o f old G aick ruins Lodge , which , being placed too

near the over- hangi ng brow of the steep hill o n

o f w as 1 8 00 d the left the illustration , in estroyed

c by an avalan he , by which Captain John Macpherson

o f B alac hro an his , together with four attendants and

u some deerho nds , were all killed , for they had most unfo rtunately sheltered in the hou se only that very night in order to avoid the fury o f a hill snow storm in which they had been overtaken when out

o f in pursuit o f the hinds . The body Captain 1 5 2 TH E DE ER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

Macpherson was found lying face downwards on

s o o his bed, but great was the f rce of the rush of

snow and stones that it not only laid the house low, b u t carried the bodies o f the fou r servants to a

u considerable distance from the r ins . About half

G airb G aic k way up the steep ravine , called the ,

c u h c whi h divides the so t from the east beat, a tra k

’ o called Comyn s road runs int it at right angles ,

1 0 and at this spot, somewhere about 3 9 , Walter

“ ” o f n c Comyn Bade o h , a descendant of The Wolf,

met with his death . Tradition has it that this

o Walter, who inherited all the fierce tyrann us nature

c of his ancestor, Bu han the Wolf of Badenoch , had

c u ommanded a n mber of his farm girls to appear,

clad in nothing warmer than the garb o f mother

o f u E ve , at one his farms at R thven , where they

Of were to reap a field corn . On the day fixed

u for the carrying out of this infamo s project, Walter

Co myn started on horseback to travel through G aick

c to rea h Ruthven , where he was to witness this

u o trage on maiden modesty, but his advent was

1 T E E E R R E S TS OF S TL A N 54 H D FO CO D .

entirely exploded , that babies could not come into

the world unless the mother had plenty of whisky, and at the time of this c atastrophe one of the G aick fo resters was returning from the purchase of a cargo of whisky (carried outside him) for his wife when

o f he met the party in search Captain Macpherson ,

sa and having joined them , it is almost needless to y

the whisky did not reach the wife . The baby was,

however, born all right, and without the help of spirits , w as d ul , y named Donald M acpherson , and lived to

o Cae nnocro c become head f rester in , where he died

s o . not very long ago , for he lived to a great age Stories of witches and fairies are rife in every o f rest, and indeed for that matter all over Scotland ,

G aick being no exception to the rule , and the follow ing two may serve as Specimens for this forest and all — the others A noted deerstalker was o ut early one

morning in the forest, and observing some deer at

a distance got near them, but without being quite within shot ; o n taking a peep at them over a

knowe , he was astonished to see a number of tiny N E R N E S S -S HI RE 1 I V . 5 5

women , dressed in green , milking the hinds, one of whom had a hank o f green worsted throw n over her

Shoulder, at which, while She was milking , the hind

made a grab and swallowed it . The fairy in a rage stru c k the hind with the leather band which She had

been using to tie its hind legs during the milking ,

“ calling out at the same time : May a dart from

’ ” u Murdoch s quiver pierce yo r side before night .

Now Murdoch was no other than the silent witness of

this scene, and , fearing to be detected , he turned the

other way and departed to seek venison elsewhere .

Later on in the same day he killed a hind, in which ,

o when he gralloched her, he f und the identical hank

he had seen the deer swallow in the morning . On

c another occasion this same Murdo h , who appears to

u have been somewhat favo red by the fairies , had got

o f within shot a hind on the Doune H ill , and as he took

no t aim he saw it was a young woman , and a hind , w that stood before him . He at once lo ered his

w as weapon , when immediately the thing once more W . a deer, and this happened several times hen , how I 6 S TH E D E E R FORE S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

s un ever, the set, he again took aim , and on firing

the object fell dead in the actual Shape of a deer .

Murdoch being then suddenly overpowered by Sleep,

laid down in the heather to rest, when in a few

“ : minutes a voice thundered in his ear Murdoch ,

o u Murdoch , y have this day slain the only maid

” ! ! of the Doune and , jumping up , he retorted

“ !” I f I have killed her, you may eat her while he at o n c e bolted o ff as fast as his legs would

carry him . I n the present prosaic days this story sounds uncommonly as if stalker Murdoc h had a

as weakness for the whiskey bottle, but be that it

u may, his s ccessors claim that the celebrated Mr .

’ Sheridan was descended from o ne o f Murdoch s

o su e rs daughters . An ther commonly prevalent p ti tion was the belief in a L e annan S tie th o r fairy

sweetheart, and all those stalkers who passed their days and nights in the forest were credited with such

a connection , from which the earthly wife was ever supposed to be in great danger on account of the evil

wishes and designs of the fairy one .

TH E DEE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

most unprofitable , but nearly impossible, while the

washing away of ro ads and bridges is a common

Occurrence .

FO R E S T OF C L E N D OE BY FO R T AUGUS T US .

S o 1 8 o THI good f rest, formed in 7 7 , bel ngs to

Lord Lovat , is rented by Colonel A . H . Charlesworth , and consists of some acres of fine deer

ground , of which the west beat is very steep and

to rocky, while that the east is fine Open undulating

M urli an . o f hill g wood , sloping to the Shores

c fo c Lo hness , af rds Splendid wintering, while the lo h itself forms a good water march on the north of

’ u the forest . O n the west Mr. Angelo s deer gro nd

Culach to y comes in , while on the other side it joins

' o f the sheep grounds of Killin shootings, and one

’ Sir J . Ramsden s moors . The highest hills are

- - u - - Carn na h llin and Meal na caca, from which latter

hillside issue springs nearly as potent as those of

c is H unyady, and hence the Gaelic name , whi h not

translatable to ears polite . I n the middle beat is I N E R N S S -S HI R E V E . 1 59

o f a sanctuary considerable extent , zealously looked

o after by R ry Chisholm , the head forester . The

o - fiv e usual kill is from forty to f rty Stags , which

1 6 average the fine weight of 5 stones lbs . clean .

w During the life time of Mr . Ed ard Ross , he and the present Lord Lovat shared this fo rest between

o n e . them , and day when stalking together they

approached a stag in Corrie Arrick on a side wind ,

when , having got to about three hundred yards from

n their quarry, the beast laid dow , and they had to wait o n him ; suddenly the deer sprang up to

c bolt full tilt towards them , a proceeding whi h w as followed by bang ! bang ! from the opposite

o f u o n side the corrie , while two b llets smacked the rocks not very far above the heads of the lawful

o c stalkers . The p a her had clean missed his stag,

which came galloping full tilt past Lord Lovat, who

killed him dead, and after running up to cut the

b ut throat, without waiting to perform the gralloch , the whole party dashed off in pursuit of this daring

’ fellow, but Lord Lovat s shot had of course given TH D E A E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL N D .

s o him warning, what with the good start he thus got and aided by the broken nature of the

- be - c ground , the would deer slayer managed to es ape

- w scot free . I n this forest Mr . Ed ard Ross made a remarkable piece of good shooting at a fourteen

c pointer, who after a diffi ult stalk got wind of the party when they were some 1 5 0 yards distant ;

o off he gall ped best pace, and when at about

1 8 0 . yards Mr Ross sent in his first bullet , the

“ smac k o f which could be heard as it struck the

stag, who , however, did not stop , but turned end on ,

2 0 Off giving no further chance till about 5 yards ,

o when an pening at length presenting itself M r .

O Ross fired again , and the stag fell dead . n

reaching the spot, it was seen that the first bullet

had passed through the heart, while the second one

e c had almost xa tly followed the same line , for the

- two bullet holes were not an inch apart .

O Gle nd oe ld Murdoch , who was forester in until

old age forced him to retire from active service, relates a pretty story of the kind- heartedness of the

1 6 2 E E R R E S TS OF S C TL A N D THE D FO O .

Chuime in o r whole immediate district around Kil , the

present Fort Augustus, became but one hundred

o f o and fifty years ago the scene atr cities which , if

historians are to be believed , nearly equalled those Armenian horrors against which all civilized Europe

is at present indignantly protesting .

R E L E N F E H I E N E FO S T OF G S BY KI GUSSI .

S s o THI most excellent forest, seldom in the market , belongs jointly to The Ma ckintosh and Sir George

M acpherson Grant o f B allind alloch this last - named

gentleman owns the larger portion , but unless the

o ne G le nfe shie two properties are let as , would not

f be the good forest it is . M r. Macpherson o

B allindallo ch pu rchased his part o f the forest in

o f F o r 1 8 1 2 from the Duke Gordon . the past

fo ur seasons it has been rented by the Baron J . W .

S chrOd e r H . , and covers some acres, in which

however is incl u ded about acres o f grouse

and l ow ground shooting . More than two parties

are never sent to the forest, which is essentially N E R N E S -S H I R 1 6 I V S E . 3

o f a stag ground, the number hinds being com

arativ el p y small , as they prefer the lower lands

o f G a ick G le nb ruar w c Mar, Atholl , and , hi h almost

l n fe shi G e e . c surround The late M r . Elli e was here

“ the introducer o f the well - know n G le n fe shie Mix

” ’ c ture , a shepherd s plaid with a large red heck

u c no w r nning through it , whi h , though here not

uc m h used , still remains a favourite cloth in the

o f I n v e re shie adjoining forest , while later on , when

Mr . Ellice bought Glengarry, it became the standard

pattern fo r that ground also . The stalking is not

f c as di fi ult, , although many of the hills are high and

ft. exceed , the stags are more often found

round the bases than o n the tops of these very tall

“ ” admir ranges . Brae Riach , the brindled top , an

“ f M na t. o dh able description , is ; Mor, big

” “ M e all T io nail ft. mountain , ; , the gathering

” “ Cam ft. hill , ; and Ban , the pale cairn ,

ft . . , while there are many others nearly as high At the present time the season ’ s kill is between

1 1 0 1 05 and stags , weighed with heart and liver A THE DE E R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL ND.

u incl ded , while for the past four years they have

1 averaged about 4 stone , although every care has

been taken not to kill small beasts . The present

lessee attributes this shortness o f weight to two

: so causes first, the grazing is not good as could

be wished ; and, secondly, owing to the small

number of hinds , all the best stags desert the

c forest as soon as the rut commen es , to make for

ad ace nt ~ o ne s the j , in which the bulk of the hinds

o are quartered . Since Baron Schr der has had Glen

fe shie 1 8 o t , his best season was in 93 , when he g

1 1 6 several fine stags of from 9 to stone, one of

c whi h had a splendid head of thirteen points , with

a span o f 34 in c hes inside and 3 8 inches outside

measurement .

Since 1 8 9 2 there has been a beautiful white hart

in this forest, which has grown into a fine beast with

’ a good head , but up to July, 95 , he had not made

re - his appearance , albeit the Baron has no doubt of

as o f seeing him again , he has the assurance all his

neighbours that they will not touch him . I n a case

A D TH E DE E R F OR E S TS OF S COTL N .

w as o disused, this chalk drawing left exp sed to the

o o f damp , and th ugh the remains it are Still to be seen ,

o f they are in a very dilapidated condition . The other

these huts was for a long time occupied by Georgina ,

u o f o c D chess Bedf rd , who was greatly atta hed to the

s o c s o c place, and mu h that when the Ma kintosh

s he u proposed to sell some of the pine wood , p rchased

o f c o f most the finest trees , and her mark , onsisting a c tablet with her oronet and initials , may still be

o seen identifying s me of them , although , horrible to

o f relate, many these badges have been removed by

tourist visitors to the glen .

’ “ Landseer s well - known pi c tures of Waiting fo r the

” “ ” Deer to Rise and Stealing a March are both

' ' in Gle n fe S hie c scenes , and the former ontains the

o f o three portraits Captain H orati Ross , Charles — c Ma kintosh , the stalker, and a then well known

c o character in Badenoch , one Malcolm Clark , mmonly

” called Callum B ro cair Malcolm the Fox - hu nter who is drawn holding the nose o f a deerhound .

’ The following story of this man s great strength I N E R N E S S -S HI E 1 6 V R . 7

— is still often spoken of in the district z Captain Ross and Clark had followed a herd of deer on to Cairn

u u t c o To l , where they p them into a pre ipitous h llow

U a ine c above Lochan , from whi h they could only make good their escape by ascending the steep face very

A S slowly . the stags came into Shot, they fell one by o ne u , ntil five had bitten the dust , when the firing was

to brought a standstill , because , in the heat and hurry o f n loadi g, a bullet was rammed down the rifle barrel

before the powder had been put in . O n examining

so o f the Slain , Captain Ross was pleased with one

“ u to u them that he t rned Clark , saying , I wo ld give twenty p o unds to se e this stag taken home

” whole . Clark replied that it should not cost the

sum so Captain that , , bending down , with the help of his master the big stag was hoisted on to his

Shoulders , which he then carried to such a place as a

' pony could come to , when the stag was put in the

saddle , eventually to be laid out later in the presence

o o f the Du c hess of Bedford , on the green in fr nt

i m u R o th e urc s . of the Doune H ouse , at This deer TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

1 8 all scaled stone , and the other four were brought to the pony in halves !

R R FO R E S T OF G L E N GA Y .

THI S nice forest of acres is the property o f M rs fo r . Ellice , whose husband , over forty years

’ - the well known member for the St . Andrew s Burghs ,

u 1 8 6 2 fo r p rchased it from the late Lord Dudley, in , the then Lord Ward having previously p u rchased it fro m the Marquis of Huntly for

“ the Marquis being the first stranger owner o f the estate after Mac donnell o f Glengarry was forced

f to part with his hereditary property . I t was af orested

1 8 6 6 in , and the whole ground is admirably suited

to deer. Much of it is high rocky heights,

o Ghlais C ire and Ben Tee each being feet, while large quantities of sheltering woods run along the

o ou t sh res of Lochs Lochy and Garry, of which

s o latter lake flows the Garry, famed for its early

spring salmon fishing , which is perhaps the best in

G s Scotland . Loch arry also bound this forest on the

TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

shores of the north end of Loch Lochy was fought ,

1 Blar- - o r in 544 , the celebrated battle of nan leine ,

“ ” o f The Field Shirts , in which Lord Lovat and

son his eldest , together with three hundred Frasers ,

u Clanro nald were ro ted and slain by the . That

rd day, the 3 of J uly, being unusually hot , both sides stripped to their shirts before commencing

Clanro n ald the fray , in which five hundred of the

men were faced by but three hundred of the Frasers , tradition relating that only four of the Frasers with ten

Clanro nald of the survived the contest, while had it not been that later on eighty o f the wives of eighty of the slain men presented eighty fatherless sons to

the clan Fraser, there would have been great danger

o f of the total annihilation this old sept .

R E S T L E N R E AV E R E FO OF G MO BY I MO .

S 1 8 THI nice forest, formed in 5 9, and co vering

o f some acres, is the property the Duke of

c Ri hmond and Gordon , by whom it is at present let

to the Earl of Z etland . O n three Sides it joins other - I N VE R N E S S S HI R E . 1 7 1

o n forests , while the fourth the deer are fenced off the

lo w - uc A lying lands ; it to hes bernethy on the north ,

R o thie murc us o n o n the south , and Glenavon the

is r west . There a sanctua y of some acres , with

u u o ld abo t an eq al portion of very fir wood , in which

not only the stags of Glenmore, but also large

numbers from the surrounding forests , pass the

winter . I n the centre of the wood lies Loch M o r

o n o f c lich , the bank whi h stands a very large fir

- tree , for many years used as a nesting place by the

. 1 8 ospreys Their last appearance was in 93 , when ,

in spite of all precautions , they appear to have been

wantonly disturbed , and since then they have not

rli f again v isited Loch M o ch . Most o the ground is

very high and wild , as may well be supposed, when

- — the highest hill is the well known Cairn gorm , of

ft . The ground carries two rifles , and should

0 s o f yield 5 stags each sea on , but late years this

number has not been obtained , only because the ground has been lightly shot and not from any scarcity

f Z o deer, for the present lessee , the Earl of etland , is 1 2 TH E E E R R E S TS OF S TL A N D 7 D FO CO .

as much devoted to fishing as to all other Sport, as

’ is witnessed this autumn of 95 by his capture of a

— a 5 4 lb . salmon from the Tay early in O ctober time

u - o u which is j st the very best for the hill . Fifty f r

w pounders are , ho ever , extremely rare , and there are but few deerstalkers w ho are also anglers who wo uld n o t prefer to kill a monster to the rod in preference

“ ” to a real big one with the rifle .

Tradition says that the forest o f Glenmore is

w L h a md e ar haunted by a fairy knight kno n as g,

“ ” b u t or Red Hand , , as his last authenticated

1 6 6 appearance was in 9, it is more than likely that

o o r s mething has happed to the knight , that the

o f e whiskey the district is l ss potent , and belated

stalkers can return home in the dark fearlessly .

R L E N I CH N V R R R FO E S T OF G Q UO BY I E GA Y .

E LIK Glengarry, this famous forest, of

c o . . two a res , als belongs to Mrs Ellice The e states are contiguous , the whole at one time forming the ancient possessions o f the M acd on ne lls

N E N S - 1 I V R E S S HI R E . 7 3

o f F o r w - fi e Glengarry . the past t enty v years

u o this forest has been rented by Lord B rt n , and at

his hands it has had careful nursing , with all the benefits and advantages of large o u tlays in numerou s

o f o s improvements , for even in the single matter r ad al o ne upwards of a hundred and thirty miles of

carriage drives and pony tracks have been made , by which means the lodge o n the sho re of Lo c h Q uo ic h has been placed in communication with all parts o fthe

u Gle n uo ic h deer ground . The b lk of the lands of q are

o f very high and extremely steep , the bases the hills

c being well covered with ri h pastures . The very highest ground is reached on the s ummit of Glo urv ac h

. o w e ft ) at the back of the l dge , hile ther

o o are upwards of a d zen other hills ver ft .

' G le nquo ich marches o n the west with the deer

c o - grounds of Lo h H urn , while on the north west and

u in north it runs with Cl nie Forest, Glengarry comes

o n on the east, and Glen Kingle the South . This

- c o n last mentioned property, of nearly a res , bel gs to Lochiel , being quite a good forest in itself ; Lord 1 TH E E R TS F S TL A N D 7 4 DE FORES O CO .

to o Gle n u o ich Burton rents it j in it on to q , and it

was o n these lands that he killed the famous twenty

f le n u ich pointer of 1 8 93 . At the back o G q o Lodge

is o f c a sanctuary several thousand a res, together with

a few hundred acres of plantations, while in Sheltered

situations in other parts o f the forest are numerous

o f detached woods natural birch . The greater part of these lands have been frequented by deer from time

immemorial , but until about fifty years ago Eastern

G le n uo ich w o n q was not actually cleared , hile later in

w 1 8 7 8 the western portion follo ed . J ames H enderson fills the place of head forester to

n the satisfactio of all , while stalkers and gillies are

uniformly clad in a neat brownish check , which experience has proved to be the most suitable for the

ground . Three rifles, who are expected to kill all

deer by fair stalking, can take the hill daily, and though

o n no limit as to number is imposed Lord Burton , and

though more deer could doubtlessly be got, he contents himself with a modest annual kill of one hundred good

beasts , which for many years past have maintained the

I 6 7 TH E D E E R FORE S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

w o f c kne he had got a head the like whi h has , perhaps ,

H nble o o . never before been seen in Sc tland . The

D o c hfo ur o Nellie Bass and M r . Baillie of were b th w o f itnesses this good Shot , and when they were

G le n uo ich married , the people of q and Glengarry gave them as an appro priate wedding present the head and

figure o f the great stag m o st c orrectly modelled

in silver.

\Vhen the M acd o n ne lls owned this fine trac t of w c o fo r ild untry over two hundred years , it was the scene o f in c essant bloodshed and strife ; fo r the Clan

R a n ald and the Clan Mackenzie of Kintail were ever

o at l ggerheads , and neither appears to have had s u ffic ient prepo nderating force to deal to the other

- w a d nn lls w a death blo . That the M c o e ere entitled to

o o f u fo r be pr ud their sept is q ite certain , , after the

am be lls u u u C p , they were the most n mero s and powerf l o f o so all the thers , and greatly was this fact impressed o n o ne c c an an ient hieftain of Glengarry, that on occ asio n w hen he unexpec tedly arrived at a feast

given by a neighbour, apologies were made to him I N E R N E S S - S H R E 1 V I . 7 7

that he had not been placed at the head of the

w “ table , and to these his ans er was , No matter w herever Glengarry sits , that is the head of the

” “ ” am table . An assertion of I cock of the walk ,

c c whi h was allowed to pass un hallenged .

From time immemorial the Macdo n n e lls were a

c hunting and a fighting ra e . They joined Montrose ,

” and were out in 1 7 1 5 and 1 745 . The last of

h the clan w o ruled at Glengarry was Col . Alexander

Macdonnell , who adhered strictly to the dress and mo de of living of his ancestors ; he was a typical

M ac I v o r H ighland chief, and as Fergus he figures in

” so n Waverley . H is , finding his estate hopelessly

u u enc mbered , sold it to the Marquis of H ntly, and

he and his family, together with a large number

o f c . the lan , emigrated to Australia

R E S T GU I S ACH A N FO OF .

- THIS forest, which is about twenty two miles from

to Beauly, covers some acres , and belongs

te u Lord Tweedmouth . I t dispu s with Glen U rq hart

2 A TH E R R E TL A D DEE FO S TS OF S CO N .

and A ssy nt for the honour of the death o f the last

1 . O wolf destroyed in Scotland , which was in 743 f the kill of stags or their weights I have been u nabl e to obtain authentic information ; but as a further

o f instance how stags ramble and roam , it can be stated that Lord Tweedmouth shot a stag in this forest the morning after it had been stalked at

- Beauly, a distance of fully twenty two miles as the c row flies .

FO R E S T OF I N CH N ACAR D OCH A N D POR TCL AI R

R T A S T S BY FO UG U U .

’ S - o f THI is a very easily walked forest Lord Lovat s ,

1 8 0 C 1 0 . formed in 7 , and now let to Charlesworth .

o f n I t covers about acres rolli g slopes , some

what like exaggerated Sussex downs , the highest f ground being eet . I t is bounded o n the

south by Loch Ness , whose wooded Shores give splendid wintering ; on north and east it marches w Gle nmo risto n ith , while I nverwick (also called

on Dundreggan) meets it the west . T he kill is

1 80 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

“ ” G o av ith . , the windy peak , is feet The cl th

Gle n fe shie f called mixture , already described , is chie ly

o c used , and suits the gr und exa tly, which will carry

I nv e rsh ie one rifle comfortably . The first tenants of

c were Mr . Farquharson of Finzean and M r . Bar lay o f o Urie , the f rmer gentleman once killing with one dog and a flint gun seventy- fiv e brace o f grou se in the day !

FO R E S T OF I N V E R MO R IS TON BY GL E N M OR I S TON .

S THI ground , of acres of good stalking,

l m is o n G e n o r t . belongs to Mr . J . M . Grant of

“ ” - - Glen mhor essan , the glen of the great falls ,

has been cleared for many years , carries two

i rifles, and is at present rented by Capta n A .

O D unnistane H . . , and to him and his friends it

- fiv e gives from twenty to thirty stags each season ,

which work out, taking one with the other, just

1 no t under 5 stone , but how weighed I have been

able to ascertain . As a rule , several royals are got I —H 1 8 1 N VER N E S S S I R E .

a o f u e e ch year, and the walls I nvermoriston Ho s

Show heads ru nning up to seventeen po ints .

I t was mainly owing to the true aim of a Glen

m o risto n man that the H ighlanders c harged with

such c onfident fury at K illiecrankie ; fo r j ust befo re

u the battle began Lochiel , who was s pposed to have

u the gift of foretelling events , was q estioned as to what

“ o u c w in he th ght of their chan es . That side will

who first spills blood , answered he ; and on hearing

that prophecy Iain a Chragain tu rned to a noted

G le nmo risto n deerstalker, shouting to him , Do

? ” you hear that ? Do y o u hear that while pointing

’ o u t u an officer of General Mackay s , who , mo nted

o n o ut o f a white horse, had rashly galloped his

c lines to survey the s ene of the forthcoming battle .

The stalker instantly firing, the gentleman fell

from his horse shot through the heart, while on seeing this happy omen the hillmen with exulting

shouts rushed to the fray.

There have always been deer in I nvermoriston , as is proved by the name of the mountain stretch L A D TH E D E E R FOR ES TS OF S CO T N .

lying between A ffaric and Corrie Dho in Glen m o risto n , which for centuries has been called Tigh

” “ ” - - l f S e i o . Mor no g, the great house the hunting

1 6 Gle nmoristo n I n 74 House , with every cottage

’ o o f near by, was destr yed by the Duke Cumberland s

w orders, a proceeding hich forced the numerous

H ighlanders o f those parts to seek safety o n the

l - hi l sides . Amongst these was Patrick Grant, together

o f with three of the Chisholms, two the Macdonalds,

“ and a Macgregor . T hese seven men of Glen

” mo risto n fled to the hills, binding themselves together by a solemn oath never to yield to the

English , but to stand by each other to the last

n drop of their blood . They were all stro g, active

t e o f men , and making their home in h Cave

“ U amh R uaraidh S e il o f na g, the Cave Roderick

” - S rain e the H unter, in Corrie g g , they commenced

o f to lead a life adventure , losing no chance

of harming any small parties of soldiers o r Whig

T H ighlanders . hey pillaged convoys , Shooting the

u g ards, and in carrying Off the proceeds they

T A N TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO L D .

\ r Vilson , being entirely surrounded by the grouse moo s

and Sheep grounds of the D uke of Richmond . I t was

1 8 o first cleared in 7 5 , the highest p int of the

ac res o f which it consists being reached at the — u S le am- hu inn 2 2 1 o f s mmit of Carn , 7 feet , while the

o ON E -T R D t tal area no less than HI is thick wood ,

o f o T fering a vast dense shelter t the deer . wo

c an o u t rifles go , who should kill twenty stags a

1 o season , which will average 4 st ne , with heart

nd o 1 8 1 a liver included . I n the seas n of 9 the present tenant had the good fortune to secure one

o f Kinv e ach the best beasts shot in y in recent years ,

u a heavy stag with fo rteen good po ints .

R E KN OYD A R L E R N AY FO S T OF T BY IS O S .

T I I I S estate is of surpassing wildness and beauty ,

being full of steep , narrow glens , with high hills

peaked , jagged , and fantastic in outline , with their

o ur- — t ps nearly sterile . S g na liche is the highest

ground and rises to feet , but there are

five more hills of over feet , and twenty - H E 1 8 INVER N ES S S IR . 5

one that exceed feet , while as a good part

- of this ground is sea girt , with the hills close to and

rising abruptly from the salt water, it can easily

be imagined the walking is severe , while even the

“ most hardy brogues soon wear o u t during a

’ month s stalking here . At one time , for more than

Kno d art two centuries, y was the property of the

M acdo nne lls o f ame s Glengarry ; the late Mr. J

1 8 Baird bought it in 5 7 , and was succeeded by his

o 1 8 6 nephew , M r. J hn Baird , in 7 , with whom it was on c e my go od fortune to stay at I nverie House to

1 8 stalk o ver these romantic hills . I n 93 my friend

K no d art . . . sold y to Mr E S Bowlby, of Gilston Park ,

fo H ert rdshire , and each of these three proprietors

spent largely on the place . There are some

o n acres under deer, with a fine house at I nverie ,

r Loch Nevis , and a good lodge at Ba risdale . but it is from I nverie H o use that the bulk of the stalking

is done . The present owner limits his kill to one

1 hundred stags, which average 5 stone clean , but in the season of 1 8 94 he contented himself with just

2 B TH E DE ER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

over half this number, as the severe winter destroyed

- many good beasts , no less than thirty eight having

‘ o f been found dead, and course all the carcases

’ o f were not discovered ; these fifty stags shot in 94 ,

five were royals, nine had eleven points , and twenty

Kno ar on one had ten . yd t marches the land side

Gle n uo ich and with q North Morar, having, in addi

tion to a small sanctuary, some useful woods for

o f wintering . From the earliest days the Mac donnells K no yd art has seen a great deal o f clan

1 6 warfare . I n 43 Alexander M acdonald , (the cele brate d Colkitto o f J ohn M ilton) , a H ighland relation

o f Kno dart of the Earl Antrim, landed in y with

o f o f a force I rish for the assistance Montrose ,

and joining him , they shared in all his victories and formed part of his troops when the Marquis made that remarkable forced march over the snow- clad

tw hills be een Fort Augustus and Ben Nevis , which the day following led to the surprise and nearly

’ o f I nv rl total annihilation Argyll s army at e o chy .

The last bloodshed that took place in Knoyd art was

1 8 TH E E E R R E S TS S TL A N D 8 D FO OF CO .

pursued them until he headed the detachment , when ,

as they came up to him , he at once shot the rider

of the white horse dead . H e saw his mistake too

- late, but escaping scot free , he again came up with

f all his persecutors , when the o ficer, thinking that

was safe, having resumed his horse, also paid the

penalty of his cruelty, and the injured father once

more escaped .

I n the time of the Armada one o f the . Spanish

Kno d art ships was wrecked on the y shores, and to

this day there are a race of Catholics settled there , who Show all those well - marked peculiarities o f

feature which belong to the Spanish race .

R E T CD N AL D OR S C N S E R R D R D FO S OF MA O , O , B OA FO .

S c THI is an an ient forest of nearly acres ,

belonging to Lord Macdonald , and at present let

to Mr . A . H . Sharp, in whose rental is included

the u wages of fo r keepers , all rates and taxes, and

“ k . the up eep of the lodge I t is mostly rough , bare ,

black , moorland ground, cut up by precipitously rocky N S - I 1 8 I VE RN E S S H R E . 9

is u w . hills , of hich the highest is ft I t bo nded

S li ach an on the north by Loch g , on the east by

o R aasa c A in or t o n the S und of y and Lo h , and

’ the west by Macleod of M acleod s grou nd of Glen

‘

o c . Dryn h There are no crofters on this property,

b ut the tourists are very troublesome , keeping the

deer constantly on the move , and spoiling many

so s o b ut Stalks , much that the average kill is

twelve stags a season . Deer are said to swim to

o f and from the I sland Skye to . the mainland across

Alsh Loch , and also even to come from Applecross

in - R aasa Ross shire , swimming first to y and from

thence to Skye . This property has been in the hands

o f of the Macdonalds Sleat for several centuries , and although there have been other claimants to the proud

” o f title of Macdonald the Isles, the honour rests at

this day with the present owner of Sconser. From

towards the end o f the year 1 5 90 numerous were

the clan warfares these Macdonalds took part in ,

c o f D owar t espe ially with the Macleans , and in

1 5 9 1 each o f these chieftains was condemned to TH E TL A D D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO N .

pay a fine of to the king, as a pledge that

they would keep the peace , but the penalties were

shortly forgotten , and a year later the Macdonalds

and their neighbours, the Macleods , fought a desperate

o n o f B e n uillin w battle the hill q , hen the latter clan

was nearly cut to pieces . The Macdonalds joined

“ o ut In 1 1 1 Montrose, and were both 7 5 and 7 4 5 ; and the then chief was the first to commence the battle of S he rrifmuir ; they likewise did much to

protect and shelter Prince Charlie , when he arrived

M u sto t o f e at g , in the north Skye , the residenc

o f Sir Alexander Macdonald, after a perilous voyage

ula from B e nb e c , disguised as Betty Burke , the I rish a maid - servant of the celebrated Flora M cdonald .

A R E OR N L C R E N C . FO R E S T OF M MO , KI O HMO , BY O I H

A FORE S T celebrated for the size of the horns and

f M rs . weight o its deer, belonging to Cameron

le t Campbell o f Monzie, by whom it is to Sir

Charles Mordaunt, the previous tenant for many

A . years having been the late Mr . . F . Thistle

1 2 T T T 9 H E D E E R FORES S OF S CO L A N D .

o f to the foot the corrie , and plunged into a large

deep pool of the river Nevis . I t happened that

A chreach the forester was about at the time , and

seeing what was likely to happen , he raced down

n to his side of the pool , while J amie bei g on the

other Side with the baying hound , the stag swam

’ o o n r und and round , till , nearing J amie s bank , he

“ o u um at nce j mped pl p astride the animal , Just

w as like the rash little man he , as Mrs . Campbell

w as is well warranted in saying. J amie then carried

abo ut till he managed to open his knife with his

e o n t eth , and f rgetti g that he could not swim , in

c c sti king the stag he s uttled his own Ship , and

wo uld assuredly have been d rowned had not the

o as ther man , by dashing into the water as far he

o u u m to c c ld venture , j st anaged rea h J amie with

c . his sti k as he was sinking The river Nevis was ,

o w o l fo r h ever, eventually fatal to the p or fe low ; a

to little time after this adventure , and purely

f save himsel a short walk to a bridge , he lost

his life when attempti ng to j ump from stone to I N - 1 VE RN E S S S HIRE . 93 stone at a bad place when the river was in high

flood .

Co rro ur Mamore marches with the forests of ,

n v e rlo ch I y and Black Corries , but unless the fence put

T histle thwaite up by Mr . has been partially removed , these adjacent forests can be o f no use to Mamore

as far as interchange of blood goes . The present

tenant is limited to seventy stags , the bulk of which

are got by stalking by two rifles , and give a mean

1 6 weight of 5 stone lbs . clean , while in good seasons

1 the average runs as high as 6 stone .

I n connection with the owner o f Mamore and

M e oble forests I must not omit to mention that

Mrs . Campbell has been spirited enough to have translated into Gaelic for distribution amongst the

H ighlanders a pamphlet on the deer forests , most

ably and impartially written by Mr . Malcolm , the

’ - well known and popular manager of Mrs . Ellice s

o f Gle n uo ich estates Glengarry and q , and to him my best thanks are due for the greater part of my informa

- tion concerning these two last mentioned forests . 1 94 TH E DEE R F ORE S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

I n the above description o fMamore I have alluded

M rs o f o f to . Campbell Monzie as the owner the

o f M e oble forest , but this is hardly correct, as that

o f part her estate is let as a sheep farm , the tenant clearing a portion o f it before the commencement of

fe w the stalking season, to ensure some good heavy

stags to his shooting tenant .

R R R FOR E S T OF MO A BY FO T WI L L IAM .

S 1 8 8 0 1 8 8 THI estate , afforested between and 5

so - and well known for its very heavy deer, is one of

o n the Lovat properties , and it the present lord

killed his first stag . I t covers some acres of

very steep rocky ground, the highest point of which

“ S ur- - o r is g na natt, the hat hill , of nearly

s feet ; there are many fine gra sy corries, and the absence of any wood for winter shelter is in a great

measure compensated for by a small sanctuary, and the fact that the lower grounds of the forest descend

of to the salt water shores Loch Nevis, where neither

frost nor snow ever hold long sway . O n the east and

TH E DEER FORES TS OF S CO TL A ND .

air, and on the fourth , having placed himself under

o f the guidance J ohn Mackinnon of Morar, Charles had a most narrow escape of capture whilst being rowed further down the loch to a place of greater

o f Security , for, coming suddenly round a corner

o f rock , they found themselves in the presence a party

of militia who had just landed , but before the soldiers

could regain their boat, such a good start was got that the P retender’ s party were enabled to save themselves by running ashore at a spot where a

w ’ dense wood came down to the ater s edge , in which

they made a successful escape . The prince then

sought Shelter with Macdonald of Morar, taking the

’ ki n s place of M ac nno servant on the journey . O n

approaching a swollen ford, Mackinnon , being anxious

“ r to keep Cha les dry , asked their guide to carry this

poor sick fellow across , a request which was angrily

“ o n refused , the man saying, The deil be the back he

of comes, or any wretched fellow a servant like him ,

s ir c but, , I will arry you over with pleasure ; to

f this kind of er M ackinnon replied , No, by no means, — 1 IN VER N E S S S HI R E . 97

so if the lad must needs wade , then I will wade

se e s o with him to he comes to no harm , taking

Charles by the arm , they proceeded to ford the

O swollen waters . n reaching Morar House , they

u o wn fo nd Macdonald living in a hut , his mansion

’ e having b en destroyed by the king s soldiers , and

Charles , fancying he was not too welcome , continued

i t b l h s journey o B oro o .

R E S T R OT H I E M R A V E R FO OF U CUS BY I MO E .

THI S ancient forest is o ne of the few of which I

have not been able to collect any reliable information .

I t is owned by M r. Sheriff Grant, rented by Mr .

H argreaves Brown , and covers some acres

- fi ne - of well wooded , looking deer ground, the greater

part o f which can be seen from the H ighland rail

way , as the train runs from Kincraig to Aviemore .

’ I t was near the old castle of R o thie murcus that the

M arquis of Montrose pitched his camp when p ursued

by the Duke of Argyll , from whence he made a

masterly retreat into the forest of Abernethy . R o thie 1 8 TH E D E E R R E S T F TL A N D 9 FO S O S CO .

’ murcus is still famed for being one o f the very few

places where the nearly extinct osprey yet breeds , as o n Lo c h - ah - E ilean they continue to nest on a

small island in the middle of a lake ; here also, in

1 2 6 o ne M alcolmso n 5 , there took refuge J ames , who

L auchlan had murdered his kinsman , Mackintosh ,

a v e rrie honest and wise gentleman ; the water

o f girt shelter, however, was no avail , for during a

’ L auchlan s dark night friends crossed to the isle,

surprised , and slew the assassin .

FOR E S T OF S T R UY BY BE AUL Y.

’ o f THI S is another Lord Lovat s forests , of about

- r acres of big featured high ground, ve y similar

B raule n o n . to , and now let a long lease to Mr

1 88 Douglas H . Barry . Cleared in 5 , it is wholly

surrounded by other deer grounds, for it marches

B raule n S trathco nan with on the west, on the north ,

E rchle ss on the east, and Cannich with Fasnakyle

on the south ; there is no absolute sanctuary, but

o f the hill Carn Ban , feet, is kept quiet till

I E R N E S S -S HI RE 1 NV . 99

o n late in the season , and added to this , each

side of the glen there is some s ix miles of wood .

I t carries two rifles , but takes a third during the

f last few days o the first fortnight in October . The

kill is limited to sixty stags , which are weighed

with heart and liver, and owing to careful nursing, c ombined with good management, a steadily increasing

o f gain weight is being established , for while in

’ 1 8 2 Mr . Barry s first year, of 9 , the average was but

1 6 lbs . 3 stone , it has been steadily increased, until

in 1 895 it reached 1 4 stone 5 lbs . ; an improvement which the lessee is hopeful o f augmenting for several

h . O t O 1 8 seasons to come n the 9 of ctober, 93 ,

re Mr. Barry had the good fortune to secure a

- of markable three horned stag, whose head an illustration is given ; his curious head proved his

- death warrant , for he was much run when shot , and only killed for the sake of the extraordinary

horns , each one having a distinct coronet , the right

2 6 horn being inches in length , and the two left

1 2 2 . O 1 8 . ones 2 2 and } inches I n ctober, 95 , Mr TH E E R D E F OR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

Barry also had the luck to lay low the heaviest stag

got in this forest for very many years , which scaled

2 1 l 0 stone 0 bs .

s — u s— The hou e of Struy Gaelic , Str i , Stream is

u b ilt near the j unction of the Farrar with the Glass ,

“ to - - and close it is the ford of Ath nan ceann , the

ford of the heads, which derives its name from a fight which took place there about two hundred years

ago , when some of the clan Fraser being detected

by a number of the Chisholms in a cattle-raiding

expedition , the opposing parties actually met in the

water, when in a fierce contest the Chisholms were

c vi torious , although next day so many heads of both

vic tors and vanquished were found in the ford that

hence its name .

T D TH E DEER F OR ES TS OF S CO L A N .

in addition to a number of deer, five wolves were

included in the Spoils of the day. Mr . Scrope states

1 8 8 t that in his time, 3 , the whole proper y extended

to imperial acres, of which acres was

forest, the rest being sheep ground, while he estimates the total head of deer of all sorts to have been

between five and six thousand . I t is probable that in the above - mentioned estimates there is incl u ded the

o f F e alar Gle nbruar areas and deer of the forests and ,

both of which being now let to tenants, leaves the

Atholl forest of to day to extend over some 3

o f acres as fine deer ground as could be desired , of which the most prominent features are the two big hills of Ben Derig or Dearg The Red H ill ”

and Ben - y - Gloe which o fitself

- contains no less than twenty four separate corries, and

’ as even in Scrope s day , it is still supposed to be the

abode of a witch who , feeding on live snakes , has the

o f o f power assuming the shape hind, eagle or raven ,

together with the ability to drive cattle into morasses,

destroy roads or bridges, and commit other damages , P E TH S H R 20 R I E. 3

which , however, the forces of Nature can usually

f accomplish but too well without the aid o witchcraft . The cloth worn as the most suitable to this forest

- is a peculiar slate grey, which varies very much in appearance according to the light in which it is

viewed , but doubtlessly well adapted to sunshine

“ ” and shadow o n stony ground . The Atholl grey was introduced about o ne hundred years ago by

’ the fourth Duke, whose foresters dress then consisted

“ - to of an Atholl grey swallow tailed coat , ve sts

’ match (as my tailor s bill puts it) , red and green

Tartan hose , with an Atholl Tartan kilt , the — whole being topped by a o f ‘ an Atholl bonnet sort

one Balmoral , with a red, green, and white diced

o f band, identical with the regimental ribbon the

’ 2 th O old 5 King s wn Borderers , now the Scottish

Borderers . When the present Duke succeeded in

1 8 6 4 , he substituted black and red worsted hose for

e the the Tartan ones , moderniz d cut of the coat, while

- s an Atholl grey stalking cap , with peak fore and aft

- fla s o f and ear p , took the place the bonnet, and TH E D R EE FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

Atholl now remains the only forest where the use

of the kilt is still strictly adhered to . During the

’ o present Duke s time this small alterati n in dress ,

together with the abolition of deer drives , have been the only changes made in the forest manage

us ment since rifles and spyglasses first came into e .

Towards the end of the fifteenth c entury saltpetre was being burnt on the hill , one Angus Baillie ,

U at of pp , having the credit of killing deer early

“ ” lasnabhe an in that century with his g , or mountain

’ - rifle s match lock, although the helpmate, the spyglass,

1 did not come into use before 7 7 7 .

o When Mr . Scr pe stayed in Atholl , deer drives

on a large scale Often took place , and spirited indeed

o f are his descriptions them , while equally enter taining also are his narrations of the adventures and hardships to be faced by the stalker ; but whether he

i discourses of stalk ng or driving, one cannot but notice the great number of stags he and his friends

he wounded, only to eventually secured after a

r lengthy pu suit , and it has always seemed to me that

TH E DEE R FORE S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

6 6 . stone lbs , which , if correct, brings the clean weight o f - 0 the above mentioned stag to 3 stone, and thus the

’ o ne Gle nmore o n O shot by Lord Greville in , ctober

2 nd 1 8 , 7 7 , which was verified to be 3 3 stone clean , still remains the heaviest Scotch stag I can ever hear

’

f. o f o I rather think Mr . Scrope s estimate the weight

o f e the gralloch is und r the mark, and that as a rule

in good - conditioned beasts one- third of the total weight

is more nearly correct ; thus a stag scaling 1 8 stone

as he falls will rarely turn the beam at anything over

1 2 lb but stone 7 . ; as only on five occasions have I

ever seen the whole carcass weighed , I may not have had opportunities sufficiently numerous to speak with

confidence , and the foregoing remarks are derived

solely from the small experience already mentioned .

saw The beasts that I weighed, however, were fine,

1 8 2 fat, healthy stags of from to 7 stone gross weight ;

se e and this being the case , I cannot why the weights shown by these few should be incorrect when applied

to larger numbers .

O ld Blair Castle stood several sieges , and was P E R THS HI R E . 2 07

h ow the scene of many tragedies . Early history tells

O wh o it was stormed by Angus g, Lord of the Isles,

took the earl and countess prisoners to I sla, releasing

r 1 0 them ve y soon after their arrival . I n 5 9 Allan

M acruari or M ac R o ry was beheaded in the courtyard

o f of the castle in the presence the Scottish king, but

history does not record the reason . When Sir

William Murray o f T ullib ardine came into the family

1 1 6 estates in 4 , he married a daughter of Sir John

o Colquh un of Luss , and the union being blessed by

o f seventeen sons, it is from them that the bulk the numerous families of Perthshire Murrays are

descended . Tradition states that these seventeen

o ne sons all lived to be men , and they day went with

’ their father to attend the king s court, at Stirling ,

“ ” each with a servant, and their father with two .

- These thirty seven men made a brave Show , but as a law had just been passed fo rbidding anyone to go

w o fT ullibardine about with a large follo ing, the Laird

o n u w ho was challenged the s bject by the king, , when

w he learnt that they were only his sons , ith a 2 0 8 TH E D E E R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

so servant apiece, was pleased with the matter that he

presented each o f them with small lands in heritage .

1 6 8 I n 9 the Atholl men fought for Dundee , per o f rming prodigies of valour at K illiecrankie , although

not with their chief at their head, as he did not

n . joi the Viscount An Atholl laird , Stewart of

B alle chin , pursued the enemy so hotly, while wielding

a tremendous broadsword , that at the end of the fight his hand had become so swollen that it could only be released from the basket hilt by sawing away

’ - the fret work . Some traditions state that on Dundee s

r being mo tally wounded he was carried to Blair Castle, and died there ; bu t the best authenticated records say

U rrard that he was watering his horse, close to House ,

o when a bullet , fired from one of the wind ws , laid lo w the gallant soldier, who , on receiving the wound , was carried to the inn at Blair to expire there ; but

o ne be that as it may, of the most treasured relics in - Blair Castle is the breast plate , pierced by the

fatal ball , just as Dundee wore it when he fell . I regret I am unable to give my readers the

TH E D E R E S TS ER FO OF S CO TL A N D .

- being sheep ground . I t carries one rifle comfortably, but I have no information as to what sport it has hitherto yielded ; but in any case it cannot yet have

arrived at its best .

R E S T F E AL AR T L R FO OF BY PI OCH Y .

S of THI property, about acres, joins Atholl

o f to Forest, and is really a part it, and belongs

the Duke . I t holds a great number of hinds , is very

easy walking, and is best worked by one rifle , while the bag varies so considerably that no fair average

- can be stated ; but as many as sixty three stags , with

o f 1 1 1 a mean weight 4 stone lbs . clean , have been

got in a season .

’ N E B Y C R E FO R E S T OF GL E N AR T Y OM I .

E L N N B O GI G to the Earl of Ancaster, who keeps it' his ow n in hands , this is a very ancient royal

o n forest of some acres, the highest ground

which attains an altitude of ft . I t is the most southern of all the mainland forests ; H H 2 1 1 P E R T S IRE .

sheep grounds surround it on all sides , the nearest c leared lands being those of the Black Mount, some

-fi no in twenty v e miles distant . I have authentic formation Of the total annual yield of Stags from

bu t this forest, as the property is never in the

i i o ne market , and not likely to be , the om ss on is

which will not be of much importance to my readers .

O o f n the Callender end the ground , a portion of

so the hill of Uam Var, made well known by Sir

Walter Scott , forms part of the forest , and the

“ ” Opening scene Of The Lady o f the Lake is laid

here , when the hunted stag, who

D e ep his midn ight lair had made

’ ” I n one Gl enartn e s az e s a e l y h l h d , is used as the means o f introducing F itz Jame s to

f the Lady o the Lake .

o f I n this hill Uam Var is a great den or cave , reputed in remote ages to have been the abode o f

o f a saint, and in later years used as the abode a

of very different sort people , who were either cattle

‘ t lifters or robbers . I t was in Glenar ney in 1 5 89 that F T A N D TH E DE ER FOR ES TS O S CO L .

some of the proscribed Macgregor clan , when on

u o ne a poaching expedition , m rdered John Drummond o f E rnoch , a royal forester, an incident which forms

’ “ the foundation of Sir Walter Scott s Legend o f

” Montrose, and a barbarity that likewise led to many desperate en counters between the Macgregors

and the clan o f the murdered man .

L E N B R R L R T L L FO R E S T OF G UA BY B AI A HO .

R N D o f A G OU about acres, marching with

G aic k G le n fe shie , Atholl and . I t belongs to the

Duke of Atholl , and was let to M ajor E . H . Baldock

o f 1 8 for the season 95 . There are but few corries

n on it , and a good deal of stalki g has to be done

o f over peat bogs , while , as much of this sort ground

- is very bare, long and snake like flat creeps are

often the order of the day . The bag here varies very much according to the prevailing winds of the

stalking season , while it likewise makes a great difference to the total whether the nearest adjacent

TH E D E E R T F S T A D FORES S O CO L N .

- an - half hour, the poor beast suddenly rolled down the hill stone dead

R E S T R AN N C L D E KI N L OCI I R N N C . FO OF O H O G , A O H

THI S is another o f the properties of Sir Robert

Menzies, which has been cleared for a considerable w time . I t is fine wild ground ith several very

large bold corries, holding both stags and hinds,

o ne o ut and rifle can go in any wind , although at the end of the season a second rifle can usually take

the hill when it blows from a suitable airt . The

whole estate is some acres, beautifully placed

is at the head of Loch Rannoch , of which

Co rro ur forest , marching with and Ben Alder, with a

c o f san tuary acres, the remainder being sheep

re and grouse ground . Five hundred acres have ce ntl o n B y been planted Loch richt side , where the

trees are doing well , which , when once the deer can

be admitted , will prove a great shelter to them . The

limit at present is thirty stags , which with heart

1 and liver average about 5 stone 7 lbs . , and this P E R T I 2 1 H S H R E . 5

u o t n mber Should always be g , and it is not the

fault o f the forest if the maximum be no t reached .

The lodge was built in 1 8 03 at the far end o f

Loch Rannoch , and looks on to one of the finest

o f views in all Scotland , although the hurricane

1 8 November, 93 , has made the background appear

somewhat bare for the moment , as no less than

o f was sixty acres wood , planted when the house

u built, were laid flat . I t wo ld be inconsistent to take leave o f the Rannoch Forest without reference

to the clan Menzies, who have been established there

u for many centuries . They fo ght for Bruce at Ban

“ no ckburn o ut 1 1 ; many of them were in 7 5 , and

— o f Culd are s — notably one laird Menzies who , being

o n taken prisoner at the battle of Dunblane , receiving a

free pardon , felt himself in honour bound not to join

1 the rebellion of 74 5 in order, however, to Show he

was still devoted to the cause , he sent a valuable horse

who as a present to Prince Charles . The H ighlander

o f had charge the animal was arrested, and though offered his life if he would divulge the name of 2 1 6 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D.

his master, he nobly preferred death to betraying his

u tr st . I t was a descendant of this Menzies of

Culd are s that first introduced the larch into Scotland

1 o f in 7 3 7 , and from two plants he gave one the Dukes of Atholl come all the immense larch planta

u tions that now flo rish in that district . The present Sir Robert Menzies is well known as one of the

most hardy and skilful deer stalkers of the north , and I believe I am right in saying that never yet has he availed himself of a seat on pony back either

to get to or return from the forest , and as that book

from which those who . have titles to their names c annot escape , says that the popular baronet was

1 8 1 born in 7 , his powers of endurance are rendered

the more remarkable , and all good sportsmen will join with me in wishing health and long

“ “ au life to the gael us dearg suas , or the

’ red and white for ever, which was the old Menzies

- a battle cry and is descriptive of their t rtan , to my

mind the most handsome of them all .

2 1 8 THE DEE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

been charging him . H e had to risk moving some hinds in order to get near the stag ; as the ladies

c ran together , some small stags ame in to join

them , on which the big one stopped , promptly

c o ut hased them , and rejoined the hinds , who were

all standing staring in the direction o f the hidden

stalkers ; on the big stag seeing this , he , evidently

o supposing the hinds were looking at ther stags ,

started off full tilt for the spot where M r. Weller

P o ley was concealed ; the beast c ame Straight at

u him f ll trot, stepping very high , and was but

thirty- fiv e yards off when he was shot in the

chest . H ere also the present tenant, whilst shooting

saw o f his grouse on a high beat, one retrievers

L C o kill a small B A K rat, which no d ubt was one of

the original British rats, and it is to be regretted that

it did not receive the attentions of the taxidermist . E R X CHAPT I .

- H ROS S S I R E .

R E S T S C N AL T S T RA T H B R A N AN D L C FO OF A HA , , O H

R S E D N L L O Q U BY I GWA .

E S E TH three estates are the property of Mr. Arthur

B i no ld 00 g . Achanalt extends to 4 , 5 acres, Loch

S trathb ran to Rosque to acres , and

e acres , making altog ther some acres of ex ce lle n t u deer ground , and the Parliamentary ret rn , whic h put the acreage of these three properties at

acres, is altogether erroneous . These three

o estates , now r lled into one, are bounded by the

o n river Bran the south , by the forests of Loch

L uichart F annich and on the north , and the sheep grounds of Kinlochewe on the west“ Achanalt was

1 8 S trathbran first afforested in 7 9, came next in TH E D E E R E A N D FOR S TS OF S CO TL .

8 8 1 c 1 8 8 0. 7 , followed by Lo h Rosque in The three properties are exc ellent examples o f what can be

B i nold fo r . done with deer in a short time , when M r g

first bought the property, there was nearly as good a chance of meeting with a Red I ndian as of c oming

S trathb ran across a red deer . The section holds ,

F annich at the western end of Loch , the beautiful

“ Cabuie o f Glen , together with a large part The

”

o r O . o Cailleach , ld Woman H ill The highest gr und

of the forest is in the Loch Rosque division , where

o f an altitude feet is reached . During the

last ten years the proprietor has planted so me five

o n million trees the low grounds, while in addition

to this the Achanalt part contains the natural birch

Chuillim u wood of , which , extending for f lly three

is and a half miles , celebrated for the large stock

u o f of black game it holds , the n mbers woodcock

breeding there every season , and the nesting of the

golden eye and goosander o n the wooded Shores of

uillim Loch Ch . The Loch Rosque beat is under the charge of

E S L A TH DE ER FOR E S TS OF CO T ND.

deer belonging to the three grounds is somewhere

between and head , while up to the present only two stags have been killed weighing

2 O S z a ar over 0 stone . ne was got by Count p y

ix o f 2 1 6 . s stone lbs , and the other, with only points ,

o scaled a st ne heavier . I n an enclosed portion of

Chuillim Bi nold the wood Mr . g has a nice herd of

wild J apanese deer, the produce of some beasts given

Pow e rs court him by Lord some ten years ago . They

are somewhat smaller than fallow deer, and are

i remarkably savage to strangers of their own spec es,

for on two fresh stags being introduced to the

herd , they were both promptly killed . At present these deer have not been turned wild on to the

as o f hills , but they are very fleet of foot, quick

eye , and possess the most sensitive of noses , they should make exciting and difficult stalking whenever

that time comes . With this herd there was also at

B i nold one time a pair of Axis deer, imported by M r. g

from the H imalayas, but the experiment did not turn

his out satisfactory , as the stag invariably killed - R E 2 2 R OS S S HI . 3 offspring (dropped at Christmas time) as soon as

they arrived at or about two years o f age ; the

n o w o . old stag is dead , and the hind al ne remains

I n the u nenclosed part of this Chuillim wood there

is likewise a herd of about two hundred fallow deer,

free to roam where they like , and fresh blood has

been introduced from Windsor Park . Amongst this

authe nti herd there was at one time a white doe , well

cate d o ld to have been twenty years , who , after

reaching that age , died from starvation through the

loss of her teeth , this being one of the few instances

u o n u of any beast dying of h nger this gro nd , for the

w intering is so good as to render such distressing

occurrences most rare . The clearances made by

B i no ld u to Mr. g have had the effect of opening p deer a most extensive and continuous chain of

t forest ground , and they can now wander from nor h

a f to south (or vice vers ) , rom the southern boundary on the river Bran to the northern extremity of the

R hido rrach forest of , a distance of forty miles as

the crow flies ; again , from the western march of 2 7 TH E D E E F T 4 R ORE S S OF S CO TL A ND .

Loch Rosque to the eastern boundary of Ben Wyv is

Forest a similar chance is offered to the deer o f

travelling over a like distance, stretching from east

f - - c 1 8 . O o to west n the hill Ben y vi h , in 94 , there

u o was a pair of dotterels , s pposed to be alm st the

last of this race in the north of Scotland ; in the

u o f Faden B rn , on the west end the ground , the

golden eagle and the peregrine frequently nest, whilst among the rare small birds Ray ’ s wagtail may be

1 8 1 sad mentioned . I n the winter of 9 a accident

S trathbr n happened in the enclosed deer park at a .

With the tame deer there was a royal red deer stag,

who had been taken as a calf out o f Corrie R e och

F an n ic h in by J ohn Maclennan , the forester there .

- and I t had been hand fed with milk , eventually

w as turned out into this park, and eleven years old

. 1 8 1 at the time of the tragedy I n December, 9 ,

poor J ohn came across the hill from F an nich early

S trathb ran in the morning to reach , and in order

to avoid a very small detour he j umped the deer

fence , and crossed the park where he well knew

TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

head , holding on by the horns , and being a strong

man , he contrived to keep his seat , while the stag

kept carrying him round the enclosure . At last

fo r his cries help were heard by a shepherd , the father of the J ohn Maclennan this stag killed shortly

to after, who , armed with a spade, made haste the

c res ue, and as good luck would have it, as he

reached the gate o f the enclosure . the stag with

u so D ncan came close past it, the shepherd Opening

off it smartly, Duncan bounded his unpleasant

steed, to make a dash for the opening, through which he just managed to squeeze in time for

o f them to close it in the face the infuriated beast .

O so nce in safety, Duncan was utterly exhausted

by the prolonged struggle that he fainted clean away, and it was some time before he recovered sufficiently to proceed to his house .

“ OF ACH N A S H E L L ACH TH E E L D OF S T R S FO R E S T , FI O M ,

B Y ACH N AS H E L L ACH .

THI S forest, nearly surrounded by other deer

grounds , was purchased not very long ago by S - HI R E 2 2 RO S S . 7

Mr. Emerson Bainbridge , from Lord Wimborne , who

1 8 1 became the owner in 7 . I t covers a large extent o f to high , rough ground , but I have not been able

” procure any reliable information . The Field , which

o - is rarely inc rrect, states that twenty eight stags were

o f 1 8 killed in this season 95 , but from other equally t rustworthy sources I hear that the ground was very

w lightly shot, and that this forest, hen harder worked , is capable of making a far better return from the

V a acres over which it extends . Corrie nie is

a large and celebrated corrie on this ground, and it

o n was from here that the stags were driven when ,

O th 1 8 0 . ctober 5 , 7 , Mr Tenant, the then occupant,

c gave a deer drive to the Prince of Wales , whi h

o f resulted in the death nineteen good beasts .

'

OR E S T OF AL L AD AL E AR D GAY . F ,

THI S fine ground o f Some . acres is the

o f B al na o w an prop erty Sir Charles Ross of g , and

. . o n D e nic h is let to Sir H B Meux , who joins it to a .

' O n the east it marches with the forests of A mat and 2 28 TH E E R S TS D E FORE OF S CO TL A ND .

Gle ncalv ie o n - D e an ich , the south and south west with

Corrie mullz ie and , and the Langwell sheep ground

- on the north and north west . I t contains no

u sanctuary, but there is a fair q antity of winter

o f ing woods on some the lower slopes , while , if it

o n is let a long lease , no limit is made as to the kill ,

but on the other hand , if the let is a Short one, then

c the proprietor imposes a limit, whi h is a reasonable

and sensible way of dealing with long and short leases .

For many years this ground has been more o r less

c a forest, and the sheep have been leared from time

T to time as was deemed expedient . he hills run up

to ft. The forest will carry three rifles, and yields from sixty to sixty-fiv e stags o f from 1 5 to 1 6 stone clean weight .

R E S T AL N E S T R N FO OF I , O OWAY .

E L N S B O G to Lady Matheson , and is at present

rented by Mr. H . H olmes . I t has an area of some

acres o f chiefly burnt ground w ith but little

of is heather, and thus the prevailing tint the ground

T E R E S TS F TL H DEER FO O S CO A N D.

o f Harris , which is a part of the county I nverness .

I n addition then to Aline , Lady Matheson owns four

other forests in the island . Park covers some

M o rs ail S calis cro acres ; g , acres ; but

acres ; while Arnish , a small home forest , or rather

a big deer park to Stornoway Castle , extends but to

o f acres . I regret to say that of none these four grounds have I been able to procure good

information .

M RE S T OF .A AT AR D GAY FO BY .

S llad ale THI is a very small forest, touching A on

D iebie dale o n the west and the south , the other

boundaries being sheep and grouse ground . I t

Pitcal nie belongs to Mr. Ross of , and is at present

T . G e rv ers . let to Mr. F

E S T A L E CR S S L C CAR R N FOR OF PP O BY O H O .

o ne THI S vast property, at time the home of the

o f clan M acdonnell Glengarry, was purchased en Noe by the Duke of Leeds. I t then consisted o f S S - H E 2 1 RO S IR . 3

u acres, which the D ke bought for or

1 8 5 d . o n . 4 . an acre Later the property was resold

1 8 1 L in several lots . I n 7 ord Wimborne bought

A ch nashe ll ach Gle nuai O and g, M r . gilvy Dalgleish

Co ulin 1 8 6 1 took , while Lord Middleton in became

o f o the owner Applecross pr per. The forest is a

o ne u o n peninsular , Loch Carron bo nding it the

n south and Applecross Sou d on the west, while the

o o f Gle nshie ld ai other sides march with the f rests g,

D am h . Ben p and New Kelso I t is rough , stony, high

ground, Ben Bahn being feet, with several other

hills ranging from feet upwards . The grounds

f o n O the crofters, who are this estate a really happy

o ff family, are carefully wired from the forest , and Lord M iddleton has spent over on the

whole place since he bought it . I have heard on fairly good authority that from seventy to eighty

stags are killed each season , but as the rainfall of

6 0 these parts is returned at inches a year, I should

imagine that the numbers o f the killed must vary

very much , for in seasons where a good part of this R F S T A N TH E D EER F O ES TS O CO L D. rainfall came in September and October the bag

would perforce suffer a considerable reduction .

R E S T TT D L E OR B E N D R ON AI G S TR AT C R R N . FO OF A A A , , BY H A O

E L N N . r B O GI G to Sir Kenneth J Matheson , and ented

W o by the Baron . Schr der, a brother of the lessee of

Gle nfe shie , the cleared ground of this estate covers

“ some acres , in addition to which there is

other of grouse ground . The proper ap

o f B e nd ronai pellation this forest is undoubtedly g,

o f for it is called after the big hill that name which ,

rising to an altitude of feet , lies in the midst of

to the deer ground , but owing the Attadale shootings

being let with the forest , the whole place by degrees

has become known as Attadale .

Although the ground is steep and rocky, the grazing is good ; the bag varies from thirty-fiv e to forty

1 stags of 4 stone clean , but the number killed is

affected more or less by winds and seasons . I t is said that Prince Charlie passed a night on B e ndronaig while waiting for news of a scout he had sent to

2 TH E E E RE S TS OF S T A N D 34 D R FO CO L .

has spent very large sums on repairs , improvements ,

plantings , buildings , and river embankments .

R E S T S B E N D AM P H AN D N E W E L TOR R I D ON . FO OF K SO,

PU R CHAS E D some years ago by the Earl o f Love

no w lace from Mr . Duncan Darroch , these properties

to belong Captain the Hon . Lionel Fortescue King . — The two forests make up acres Ben D amph being acres and New Kelso acres o f o ut high rocky ground , with the hills standing

singly, their sides much cut up by watercourses , w hile on the very high ground there is b u t little

’ u feeding. The valleys and b rn sides afford excellent

- grazing . The forests which to day are known as

D am h T o rrid on Ben p and were cleared by M r.

u 1 8 2 1 8 8 D ncan Darroch in 7 , and up till 5 that

gentleman stalked the whole ground himself. I n that year the Ben D amph portion was sold to the

se t late Earl of Lovelace , who at once to work to

u b ild a fine house on it, making roads, pony tracks ,

- boat houses , plantations , fences, otherwise spending R - 2 OS S S HI R E . 35

largely on the place, as is the wont with most pur

n w 1 8 8 8 chasers of e properties . I n New Kelso

w as o b ught by the Earl from Sir Kenneth Matheson ,

o f A rdro ss D am h o n , while as it joined Ben p

was to the east side , it added that forest, which

T o rrido n marches on the north with , on the east

Co ulin A ch nashe llach with , , and New Kelso sheep

T o rrido n ground , while on the west Loch forms

o n c a water boundary, whi h are the woods of Ard

o more , which cover, together with the other wo ds o n c D am h the shore of Lo h p , the deer frequent in

numbers during hard weather . The greater part

acres) of the hill of Ben D amph feet) is

u devoted to a sanct ary . The ground carries two r ifles until the end of September, and will then take

a third in suitable winds . A cloth the colour o f

“ ” Aberdeen granite , in fact, a Black Mount mixture , harmonises best with the prevailing tint o f the surroundings ; from thirty to forty stags are go t

“ 1 each season , weighing, one with the other, 4 stone, heart and liver included . Some royals are killed TI I E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

to each year ; the horns, however, appear grow

o more to beam than to p ints, a fine specimen of — this description of head being got in 1 894 a very

- - massive nine pointer with a 3 7 inch span . I n

1 8 0 . 9 Mr E . B . J enkins shot a remarkable three

u horned stag, with the right horn q ite natural and

of large size ; the left was nearly as large , but grew

o C down ver the heek , while a third horn sprang

o o f n u fr m the base this left one , growi g in a nat ral

position to a length of seven inches . This mal

u o f n formation was doubtless the res lt an i jury , but though the beast had all the appearance of a

- three horned animal . it cannot be called a true three

o n horn , as there should be three separate coronets

the head ere su ch a distinction can be Claimed .

At Ardmore and B algay there are small lodges for

the use of stalkers or fishers , as occasion may require , for in addition to the deer the fish at Ben D amph

se a are also a strong point, and salmon and trout

are in plenty .

E E R R E S TS F S TL A D TH E D FO O CO N .

Sir Charles was away, the stag the forester was

watching got up and moved off, and the man not

o f o n liking to lose sight him went also, and thus when Sir Charles returned he fo und himself quite

“ o u al ne on the hill , and being unable to pick p

o f his man by the aid his glass , he turned short o u o r nd and continued his way int the forest, where

tw o he soon found stags , which he stalked , killed,

o c and grall hed for himself, and then before he came ho me late that evening he got o ne more stalk at a

o ut o f small herd , which he killed three , thus leaving five good stags on the hill for the ponies to fetch

home next day, the heaviest of which was 2 1 stone

1 6 A ll and the smallest stone . five of these beasts fell o n such steep ground that they had to be cu t in

to halves, and carried by the gillies a spot accessible

to the ponies, sent from I nchnadamph .

R E S T B E N WYV I S E V N T N FO OF BY A O .

S - o THI well known f rest, so closely associated with

o f the name that devoted admirer of deer, the late - 2 R OS S S HI R E . 39

o f M r . H oratio Ross , consists at the present time

o f some acres , part which was first cleared in

1 8 1 8 6 1 8 8 1 . 5 7 , more in 9, and finally the whole in

The grou nd is remarkable for the conformation o f the

W v is . very high hills it contains , for Ben y is ft

h f - an - Cho n n ic h f S v e ac t . t . An , ; Tom , ;

f o t. and C rrie Grand , , while there are many

“ no w others of over ft . all these big fellows ,

unlike the bulk of the high grounds of Scotland, are

neither rocky nor precipitous , but are great, bold ,

” - rolling hills , having grass clad sides , with stretches

f o mossy ground round their bases .

b . S ho olb re d This forest , purchased y Mr Walter ,

in 1 8 8 . 5 , from M r Colin ROSS , marches on the

- north , north east, and south with the sheep grounds o f Swordale , Castle Leod , and Novar ; while on the remainingSides it joins the forests of I nchbae

Kild m ri e r o e . and I n the main valley, and close to the new lodge the present owner has bu ilt at the

o f head Loch Glass , there are three nice stretches

f o birch wood for winter shelter. The ground will 2 40 TH E DEE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

carry two rifles each day of the season ; all deer are

o t g by fair stalking , the average kill being fifty to

fift - fiv e y stags , which weigh , one with the other,

1 1 . 4 to 45 Stone , heart and liver included Charles

Mackenzie, the present head forester, together with

fo r . his father J ohn , both stalked M r H oratio

Ross, who entertained a sincere friendship and a

high opinion of them . I t is almost needless to say

S ho ol that when Mr . bre d too k over the property

“ Old J ohn remained in wel c ome possession of his

V ackie cottage at Corrie , at the door of which he

may still usually , be seen in the morning, spyglass

in hand, and ready for a chat with any sportsman

O making his way to the forest . n the east beat here

S ho olbre d Mr . had a somewhat remarkable day on

o th 1 8 the 3 September, 93 . Up to lunch time he had

three separate stalks , each of which owing to Shifting

wind was unsuccessful , and then , while seeking a

saw sheltered spot to rest in for a short time, he the

’ tops of a stag s horn coming towards him, and there was barely time to drop down and get the rifle out of

2 42 TH E D E E R F OR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

trotting on after him , only also to fall dead within ten

S ho olb re d y ards of the friend he sought . Thus Mr. got three good beasts on the same hill without stalking

o f either them, of which the two last each weighed

1 6 over stone , while carrying respectively ten and

nine points .

V FO R E S T OF B R AE MO R E BY GAR E .

S I R JOHN FOWL E R purch ased this property from

1 8 6 . Mr . Duncan Davidson of Tulloch , in 5 At that time no part of the acres of which it

consisted was in forest, while some fifteen stags was

the usual annual kill , obtained chiefly from the east

B e inn side of the ground, where the corries of

Dearg afforded food and shelter, which never failed

1 8 6 6 1 8 6 to attract stags . During the years of and 7

the daringly placed house of Braemore was built, and while this was in course of construction about

acres of ground had been cleared . With

o f reference to the erection the house , which stands

0 - some 75 feet above sea level , the people of the

2 TH E A N 44 D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL D.

artist himself selected from the Braemore kennels , and carried o ff with him to the sou th to study from

’ at his leisure . The visitors book is one of the

o f features of life at Braemore , and from the day its commencement Lady Fowler has taken much

interest in its yearly progress . Amongst other matters are two beau tiful drawings by Landseer ; a

c series of sketches by M illais, one of whi h illustrates

’ u u an uns ccessf l day s stalking , while another Shows

the adventures of a day on the hill , shared by Sir

c o 1 8 6 William H ar urt and himself. I n 9 Sir Roderick

o Murchison , the distinguished ge logist, spent three

o f weeks at Braemore , and revisited the scene his

- labours on the west coast forty two years earlier.

“ ” “ H is o : remarks in the book run as f llows Adieu ,

Braemore , where the cordial reception of kind host and hostess have made an indelible impression on the old Sil u rian ! Forty- two years have lapsed since (when in company with Professor Sedgwick) I

hammered the rocks at Ullapool , and now, by the

active assistance of Sir John , and the aid of his - 2 R OS S S HIR E. 4;

handy steam yacht, I have been enabled to place

all the great rock formations , which are exposed on

the shores of Loch Broom , in their true order of

c u age and suc ession , from my F ndamental Gneiss

o f ( Laurentian) , through the grand massive rocks

and Benmore , the Lower Silurian Q uartz rocks

Limestone of U llapool , up to the overlying Grey

Gneiss of B raemore ( Metamorphic Lower Silurian), o n which the mansion stands , and from which ,

c looking northwards , the specta le commands , in one

” unrivalled view, all the glorious geological series .

The aforesaid book does not s ay if Sir Roderick

bu t was a deer Slayer, the above remarks have suggested to the author that possibly he would have

given a novel , interesting. and perhaps puzzl ing

o f V description a stalk , from his own point of iew .

’ I n 1 8 6 9 M illais again enriched the visitors book

” ’ With a drawing showing the effect o f a Noah s flood

at the lofty site of Braemore House ; then in the

year following the names of M r . Samuel Morley

and Sir William H arcourt appear in the book , 2 6 4 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

on which occasion great pains were taken by M r. Morley ’ s host to make him thoroughly understand

the difference between the restric ted capabilities o f

a mountainou s H ighland estate and the wild state ments given to the world by his Radical friends

' o f hundreds of thousands of acres kept out of

cultivation , and withdrawn from civilisation , for the

benefit of the deer and the indulgence of the

sporting proclivities of the wealthy Conservative .

M r . Samuel Morley, having been blessed with a

o f liberal share common sense and quick perception , soon recognised the hollowness of these most

so fancifully erroneous assertions , and much was this M r the case that at the present time . Arnold

s o n - Morley, his , is himself a keen forest renting

1 8 stalker. I n 7 3 Sir William H arcourt wrote the

following lines in the Braemore book , and while

those who are of his political way o f thinking

s o can find no fault with them , the sentiments

prettily expressed are likely enough to cause a kinder

“ ” feeling for the big man in the hearts o f those

2 8 TH E E E 4 D R FORES TS OF S CO TL A ND.

’ c Chancellor s seal to offi ial documents, when Sir

W . H arcourt wrote the following description of the

incident :

8 1 8 . R E R E . 2 B A MO , Sept , 74

u o ne A singular scene occ rred evening, there

being occasion to affix the Great Seal , which the

Lord Chancellor always keeps in his own custody,

‘ ’ f - to authorize patents . The o ficial Chaff wax was

busily occupied in melting the wax in the c overed

court where the deer are brought home, and it thus happened that by lamp light the unusual spectacle w as Observed of the solemnity of sealing being per

formed in the centre of a group of ponies laden with

’ the Chancellor s dead deer. We are unhappily left

to imagine how the pencil o f Landseer would have

” illustrated so novel a H ighland picture . Beneath these remarks Lord Cairns wrote as follows

“ About this date a great seal was for the first

time seen on this part of the coast, and was allowed

to depart, not only unmolested, but thankful and R - RE 2 OS S S HI . 49

happy, carrying away impressions of Braemore more

” lasting than any which it made while there .

The area of ground under strict forest is 2

acres , nearly surrounded by the deer lands of

S trathv aic h - luichart F an n ich , I nverlael , Kinloch , , and

u . I n 1 8 6 1 8 6 6 D ndonnell 5 and , upwards of five million

o n o f trees were planted the eastern slope the valley , which have now grown into a go od plantation o f

acres . The sanctuary on the western extremity o f the forest covers some acres , and holding

in itself shelter, solitude , and fine grazing, it makes

an unusually good one, for in addition to its self

contained capabilities , the deer are also within easy

o f B e in n - A o naclair o n reach the grassy slopes of ,

which they can take their fill during the night, and ere day breaks regain the lo neliness of the

sanctuary. The highest ground on the estate is

B e inn at the summit of Dearg , feet above

n the sea level , but there are many other surroundi g

hills which rise to nearly feet . From the

o f 1 8 6 period afforesting in 5 , the average kill has

2 K 2 0 TH E E E R R E S TS OF S TL A N D 5 D FO CO .

o t been sixty stags a season , all of which are g by

fair stalking, and though a greater number could

be Obtained , yet as Sixty is considered the proper

quantity, it is never exceeded , except perhaps by

o r c one two , while the average weight , in whi h all

u 1 c . small beasts are incl ded , works out at 4 stone lean

1 8 6 8 o I n , Major H lmes had the good fortune to secure a very fine royal head with most perfect

w symmetrical equality of both horns , and hen

Mackay, the I nverness taxidermist, returned it to

“ Braemore , he volunteered the information that it was the finest head o f many thousands whic h have

” passed through my hands in modern times . This

head had a span of 3 7 3 inches outside measurement,

6 4 with a circumference of } inches round the coronet, the 2 6 c horns measuring in hes in height , taking a

straight line from the centre of the forehead .

’ Mr. Robert Fowler, Sir John s brother, met with

a remarkable adventure when stalking in Braemore,

Of o f the like which I have never heard . H e and

M c H ard y , the head forester, who has been there

2 2 T TL 5 H E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO A ND.

o ne been triumphant, for even strong, heavy,

resolu te man getting such a hold of a stag has

him at a great disadvantage , as the longer the h o rn the greater the leverage offered for twisting

c . his neck . I t was a curious coin idence that Mr

’ w s o n Arthur Fo ler, Sir J ohn s , later on also surprised

o f a sleeping stag, and got within a yard or two

o him before the beast w ke . Braemore Forest will

carry two rifles each day, although when the wind is in the east greater care is required than when

w o it blo s from any ther quarter ; this , however, is

e generally the case all over Scotland , there b ing some peculiar property in a Sharp east wind that will

Often make deer very restless , and indeed at such

times they will gall o p off at full tilt for no dis

ce rnible reason . The whole of this forest is so

u scattered with h ge boulders , big stones , and rocks,

“ that a grey cloth similar to The Blac k Mount

” Mixture is best suited to the ground . Remains

of whiskey stills are here , as in other forests, pretty

numerous on the hills , though perhaps the most S S -S H RE 2 RO I . 53 interesting relics of olden days are the mounds of

scoriae, found in spots where iron was smelted on a small scale to provide the rude weapons o f the

ancient inhabitants . These mounds are common in

- many parts of Ross shire , and in those days there was doubtlessly sufficient wood for smelting the small

o n quantity required , but as there is no iron ore

w or any here near the spot, the question naturally

arose as to whence it came . When Sir William

Siemens was at Braemore, he was greatly interested

in this problem , and after a very elaborate investi

atio n g by chemical analysis , he came to the conclusion that the north of Ireland was the only place capable

o re of furnishing the particular which , when smelted ,

would form the scoriae he had analyzed . Although eagles are strictly preserved in this and

the surrounding forests , and though they do not

no t diminish in numbers , yet certainly they do

increase, and probably as long as high prices are

f of ered for their eggs they are not likely to . Near Braemore H ouse are three ancient stones placed H N T E DE E R FORE S TS OF S CO TL A D.

“ ’ eighteen feet apart, the spot being called Rory s " Leap , after a fine , active , gigantic fellow who had

a home and wife at Ullapool , although he , being of

a restless , unruly nature, was generally to be found

in Perth , where he was ultimately put in prison

h i to keep m quiet . J ust at that time there was

o f living in Perth a quarrelsome, giant Frenchman

whom the people were much afraid, and it was suggested that Big Rory of U llapool should be

released and introduced to the foreigner, which

two being done, the quickly came to loggerheads ,

c when Rory, hallenging the bully, killed him in fair — fight an act for which he received a permanent

pardon , whereupon , like a good husband , he started

fo r away home , and arriving at this particular spot

’ ” his of Rory s Leap , on catching sight of native

village, he was so overjoyed that he gave three

o f tremendous bounds forward , each them covering

eighteen feet , which splendid performance, inspired by

ardent affection , has been remembered from that day to this, and the stones placed on the exact Spots

2 6 T 5 H E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D.

otters, are still in Braemore, but all three of the

former animals have become very rare .

The hedgehog is quite a recent visitor, and is supposed to have been imported in baled hay ;

foxes, as in other forests, are much too numerous ,

the annual kill of old and young being some fifty.

“ ” Then coming down to small deer, the natives

assert that the old British black rat still exists, an animal much to be preferred to his ordinary brother

- o f . 1 8 2 every day life I n January, 9 , Braemore and

the adjacent county was visited by a flood, scarcely

- less destructive to roads , bridges, and river beds than

1 8 2 so the great Morayshire flood of 9, vividly described

O 2 nd w by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder. n J anuary sno

began to fall in the Braemore district, and continuing

8 nearly incessantly until the th , an average depth of

nearly two feet was accumulated, while the drifts on

the hills and in the valleys were o f course of a far greater profundity all wheeled traffic became entirely

d . suspende , and the mails were carried on horseback

O 1 6 w n the th a gentle tha set in , continuing - H E 2 ROS S S I R . 57

2 th until the 7 , when a much warmer temperature

with a high wind was fo llowed by extraordinary

o f torrents rain . It was in the midst of the pitch

dark night of the 2 8 th that the dwellers in the Lo c h Broom strath were woke from their sleep by the

alarming roaring of the river Broom , which told them ,

only too plainly, that a flood of unusual violence was

raging. The morning light exhibited the valley in a plight that will never be forgotten the whole strath

was o ne vast lake ; I nverbroom House with many smaller ones were half submerged by the tearing

flood, on which great trees, together with the bodies

in of cattle , Sheep , and deer, were borne along at

te rv als , while for weeks afterwards the road between

n Loch Broom and Garve was re dered nearly useless ,

e so as every bridge on it had b en washed away, that passengers progressed but slowly from point to point only by exchanging conveyances at every broken

bridge .

The history of the Braemore plantation , already

mentioned as holding five million trees, and covering 2 58 TH E DEER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

one thousand acres, may be of use to forest owners

contemplating the formation of woods . The one

1 8 6 —6 under discussion was planted in 5 , on the

a e stern Slope of the valley of the Broom , and commencing at an elevation of but fifty feet above

se a . the , it rises to an altitude of one thousand feet

The trees are chiefly Scotch pine and larch , although

o o f in the best s il , on the lower ground , a variety

as oak hard wood trees were put in , such ash , , elm ,

copper beech , birch , maple , sycamore , rowan , and

c chestnut, each being given a chan e of seeing how

they would fare in the Braemore soil . The height of the now thirty- year- old trees varies from a maximum

fift - of y one feet, a larch , to a minimum of fifty inches

o f - n in height, with a maximum girth sixty six i ches

six to a minimum of inches . This extraordinary variation is due to the richness o f the low level soil as co mpared with nearly total absence of any soil

at all at the highest points . The deer were kept strictly out of this plantation until the trees had

o f reached a height about fifteen feet, when they were

2 60 TH E D E E R FORES TS OF S CO TL A N D.

and from it the hill rises in a constant steepness for

m more than a ile in ascent . “ This little plain was at that tine all covered over

with a firm standing wood , which was so very old that

not only the trees had no green leaves , but the bark

was totally thrown off ; which the old countryman , who was in my company,told me was the universal

manner in which fir woods did terminate , and that in twenty o r thirty years after the trees would ordinarily

o cast themselves up from the ro t , and that they would lie in heaps till the people would cut them and carry

them away . They likewise did let me se e that the

and outside of these standing white trees, for the

space of one inch inwards, was dead white timber, but what was within that was good solid timber to the

as very pith , and as full of rozin it could stand in the

to wood . Some fifteen years after I had occasion

come the same way, and called to mind the old woods

was which I had seen . Then there not so much as

o r a tree, appearance of the root of any kind , but in

the place thereof, the whole bounds where the wood R - E 2 6 1 OS S S HIR .

was C had Stood , all over a plain green ground , overed

with a plain green moss . I asked the country people ,

who were with me , what had become of the wood , and

who carried it away. They told me that nobody was

at the pains to carry it away , but that , it being al l

overturned from the roots by the winds , the trees did

lie s o thick and swarving over one another that th e

green moss there (in the B r itis/t language called fog)

had overgrown the whole timber, which they said was occasioned by the moisture that came down from the

high hill which was above it, and did stagnate upon

that plain ; and they said none could pass over it,

because the scurf of the fog would not support them .

I would needs try it, and accordingly I fell in to

the armpits , but was immediately pulled up by them .

“ Before the year 1 6 99 that piece o f ground was

turned into a common moss , where the country people

’ and so were digging turf peat , and continue to do . e The p ats, as yet, are not of the best , and are soft and s un p gy, but grow better and better, and , as I am

it now . informed , does afford good peats 2 6 2 TH E D E E F A N D R OR E S TS OF S CO TL .

This matter of fact did discover the generation

of mosses , and whence it is that many mosses are

” u f rnished with such timber .

t F rom the Philosophical T ransaction s o f the R oyal Soc ie y.

N um er o A r M a and une b 3 3 . ( p il , y J ,

The Forest of Braemore having offered the use of su c h a Splendid name to conjure with as that

u of the late disting ished geologist , Sir Roderick

Murchison , the author feels it would be throwing away a chance if he failed to avail himself of the

Opportunity of saying something about the geology of Braemore w hich will apply equally to all the

t as o f fores s of the west coat, as well to many

T those on the east . he whole of this ground belongs then to the Upper Gneiss o r Lower

Silurian series of rocks, which are stratified, and at the synclinal and anti - synclinal ridges are fle xure d

and contorted in a very remarkable manner . The

u t composition of the rocks is q ar z , felspar , and mica,

w hich in some parts is highly garnetiferous . Where it takes the form of mica Slate it splits into laminze

2 6 TH E D E 4 E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D.

o f British field flowers may be met with in the

'

Braemore meadows , but many less familiar species

may be found , amongst which the following are

worthy of notice . I n the beds of the burns the earliest of the spring flowers may be found in the

' o ostz ol za Purple Mountain pp f ) , whose rosy bell Often appears before the e nd of

February, while the hills are yet white with snow .

The Rose Bay or French Willow H erb (E qui

' ’ l oér zzmz an ustz ol zum g fi ) is still occasionally found ,

1 8 2 was although Macculloch , writing in 4 , says it then

r very plentiful on Loch Broom . The Cloud Ber y

R uéus ekaemaemom s ( ) , together with the Dwarf Comel

Comets sneezed s o ( ), common in Norway, are both

found at an altitude of feet , and not far from the same spot also grows the Grass of Parnassus

’ ' ' (P a r nasszee pa/ustr zs) and the Water Lobelia (L oOe/za

The Floating B arwe e d (Spa rg annum n atmzs ) , a plant peculiar to the north , grows in the

H om e Loch near Braemore House . A patch of

the rare and diminutive trailing Azalea (A z alea S S -S HI R 26 RO E . 5

p r oez s ens) may be seen on one of the highest

- hills, while nearer the sea level grows the Greater

- - Skull Cap , Pale Butterwort and sweet scented

O c u r his , together with the tubero s Bitter Vetch ,

the roots of which , Pennant says , were eaten by

the H ighlanders . The deep ravines of Braemore

o f are the homes of many kinds ferns , such as the

Black Maiden H air Spleenwort, Green Spleenwort ,

’ Brittle Bladder Fern , Wilson s Film Fern , Beech

O O o ne Fern , and ak Fern . nly on occasion has

' the very rare Forked Spleenwort Fern (A sp/emum

' se ten tr zonale p ) been found , when some ten years ago the head forester brought home a plant of

000 it which he found on some steep rocks, 3 feet

se a over the level , and indeed at these high altitudes grow many tiny plants that have not as yet been

accurately identified .

RE S T CL N E N V E R AR R FO OF U I BY I G Y .

'

S . THI property belongs to Mr . J E . B . Baillie o f

D ochfour , and was occupied for upwards of twenty

2 M 6 2 6 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

years in conjunction with Gl e nquoich by Lord

Burton . I t is at present let to M r . Frank Bibby ,

R ata an c together with the grouse ground of g , whi h

o n c consists of about acres , whi h , although

' o fl wired from the forest proper, there are always

o f 1 00 deer. The cleared portion consists nearly 4 , 5

u acres of chiefly high , steep gro nd , several of the hills being over feet ; on the east it marches

Cae nno cro c Gle n uo ich with , on the south with q , and

T on the north with Kintail . he tenant is bound

1 2 th O not to kill deer after the of ctober, and limited

to fifty stags , which have the reputation of weighing

well .

R E T COR R I E H AL L Z I E E L “ FO S OF BY B AU Y .

THI S is a nice little forest of some acres (in addition to which there is a fair extent of grouse

G illa nd H i hfi ld . e rs e ground) , belonging to Mr of g ,

and let to Mr. G . H . Cheetham . I t is good for

S catw e ll ten or a dozen stags , and marches with on

- the north , with sheep ground on the north east ,

2 6 8 T H E DEE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

held this estate some thirty years ago ; after keeping

it for ten years , he parted with it to Lord Wim

in c borne, who his turn sold it some five years ba k

O to the present owner, Mr. J . gilvie Dalgleish , of

Errol Park , Perthshire . This gentleman , in addition

to greatly improving the home grounds, roads , and

has 8 00 c stalking paths , also planted about a res to

o u impr ve the wintering . The extent is abo t

fo r acres, the high ground being rocky and steep , Ben

Liath Mhor rises to feet , while all portions which

to are under feet give fine feeding . I n addition

ulin has Co proper Mr . Dalgleish a further acres o f the K inlochewe estate , rented from Sir Kenneth

Mackenzie . The sanctuary is large and contains

a feet hill , quite green to the top , with the

u c base surro nded by birch and old S otch fir, offering

warmth and shelter in all w inds .

n A ch nashellach Co lin marches with on the south ,

D am h T o rrido n Ben p on the west, on the north ,

and Kinlochewe on the east, and yields from thirty

to forty stags , according to the season , while as R S S -S H R 26 O I E. ;

u the grazing is extra good , some un sually heavy ones are got each year ; they are weighed clean after

1 8 being left on the hill all night , and in 93 there was

2 2 2 o 8 . one of 3 stone , another of st ne lbs , while the average weight of the thirty- four stags put into the

larder in that year was 1 5 stone 8 lbs . Owing to

1 8 o f the nearly incessant rains of 94 , the condition

the deer of that season was inferior, the heaviest

1 8 1 0 . stag scaling stone lbs , with the average a

1 good bit below that of 8 93 . The ground will carry

two . rifles every day, all deer being killed by stalking

“ O n the off days salmon and se a trout are a

n strong point at Co lin , as they come up out of

L o chmare e into Lochs Clair and Co nlin in great

numbers .

R A N I H A R D AY FO E S T OF D E C BY G .

’ S THI is one of Sir Charles Ross s forests, which ,

I nchbae S trathv aich marching with , I nverlael , and , is let together with A lladale on a lease to Sir H enry

Bruce Meux . There are about acres of fine D 2 7 0 TH E DE ER FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A N .

stalking ground, which yield , on an average, forty

1 stags each season, having a mean weight of 5 stone

7 lbs . , weighed clean .

R E S T F D B I E D AL E A R D AY FO O I BY G .

S a THI ground, with an are of acres, cleared

1 8 in 49, is the property of Sir J . Kenneth Matheson , and is at present let to Sir Greville Smythe . I t con sists of two main glens running parallel east and west ;

a the one covered for the greater p rt with grass, and

D ibie d ale known as Glen , the other with heather and

Co rrie v ali an patches of birch wood, and called g , the

o f west end of which is a rocky nature, interspersed

with mosses .

O Kild e rmorie n the south it marches with , on the

I nc hb ae - A lladale west with , on the north west with , and on the east comes the grouse moor that goes

i dale - with D ib e . There is a well placed sanctuary of

acres . The highest hills are Cairn Coinne ag

“ ” coin ne a the conical hill , a g being

a conical - shaped wooden cup used in o ld days for

2 2 E R D 7 THE D E FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N .

u but with corries full of good grazing , while the n mbers

c O of the lochs are almost un ountable . n the north it

Gle ncanis 011 w marches with p, the west ith the sheep

o f I nv e r oll Co i ach o n grounds p y and g , the east with

R hid r o rach . , and on the south with other sheep walks O n the north side of the hill of Coulmore

“ ” big shoulder, is the Green Corrie, which is kept

r u as a sanctua y, and as the nat re of the ground

o renders stalking in it nearly an imp ssibility, this corrie is sometimes “ moved ” towards the end of the

two season . I t carries rifles , with a limited kill of

- fi v e o n 1 . forty stags , which average close 5 stone clean

I t was a most remarkable thing that Mr. Platt,

o f 1 8 8 2 although the renter various good forests Since , only got his first shot at a royal in this forest in

1 8 93 , under the following curious circumstances

the M r. Platt found his quarry early in day in

company with several other good stags, and his stalker at once declared the royal to be a newly

arrived stranger, for he was restless , uneasy, declining

to settle with the others , and keeping always on - 2 R US S S HIR E. 7 3

the move . The party followed him all day, until at

Gle ncanis length he lay down close to the p march ,

from o ut of which forest he had no doubt come . I t

' s ix was then past o clock , with naturally a rapidly

so fading light, there was nothing for it but to

“ whistle him up , when M r . Platt brought off a k shot which rarely succeeds, illing him dead at two

hundred yards .

R E T OF N D N E L L L L FO S D U ON BY U APOOL .

’ R E T A FO S of M r. H . Mackenzie s, rented last season

W th e s by M r. y of Copped H all , Essex . I t covers

some acres of very rough , precipitous stony

ground, with the highest altitude reached at nearly

00 3 , 5 feet , and over the whole of it the walking is very

1 8 1 fift - o ne severe . I n season 9 , y stags were killed,

1 with an average weight of 3 stone 7 lbs . clean but whether this number accurately represents the yearly

sa average for the last few seasons I am not able to y . 2 7 4 TH E DE E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

H AR T FOR E S T OF F ANN I CH BY L OCH L U I C .

’

S o ne . THI is also of Mr . H Mackenzie s forests , extending over an area of between seventeen and

eighteen thousand acres , on which the highest ground

Ormathwaite rises to feet . Lord , and then the

late Sir Robert H arvey, both held this forest for several

years , and had good Sport in it ; recent clearances ,

however, having offered the deer of these parts finer,

F annic h has sufl e re d fresher grazing, somewhat

by the formation o f the new forests . From the

o f top this high hill , which is the backbone of

F annich R io c h and divides Corrie Bheag from Corrie ,

s e a o n the can often be seen either side , and here ,

at an elevation of about feet, is a stone

shelter, put up by the late Sir Robert Bateson

H arvey . The ground carries two rifles , and is most

as - difficult to stalk on , , owing to the punch bowl Shape

of many of the corries , the wind always blows in

f eddies . I n this season o 1 8 95 it was rented by

Mr . Taylor, in conjunction with the adjacent forest

2 6 TH E 7 DEER FORES TS OF S CO TL A N D.

R E S T R L C FO OF F L OWE R D AL E BY GAI O H .

S s THI property, of some acre , belongs to Sir

1 8 has Kenneth Mackenzie of Gairloch , and Since 74 it

been rented by Mr . S . W . Clowes . The hill of Ben

1 8 Dearg, of about acres , was afforested in 47 ,

the remainder o f the ground being cleared in 1 8 7 7

by the lessee, who made paths, tracks , put up

’ s foresters cottages, built stable and boathouses ,

T at a considerable outlay. his gentleman , now

r unfo tunately a victim to bad health , was a good

“ specimen of the all round sportsman , for, in

n o f additio to being master the Q uorn , a good game s hot , and fisherman , he was one of the few gentlemen

who could, and did , stalk and gralloch entirely for

o f himself while, moreover, he was one the very first to use the double- barrelled breech- loading rifle against

’ Clo w e s s deer. Mr. place at Flowerdale is now taken

son by his , Captain A . H . Clowes , who carries on

wa the forest in the same y that his father did .

Flowerdale consists chiefly of very rocky ground , S S -S H R RO I E. 2 7 7

- with plenty of steep sided corries , the lower parts of which are covered with patches of very long o ld

heather and pasture . O n the west it marches with

Shieldaig, and near this boundary its larch wood of

Chosa f T o rrid o n g af ords good wintering , comes in on

the south , K inlochewe on the east, and then the

estate , crossing Loch Maree, runs up to Letterewe and

A rdlair h - a on t e north and north e st .

“ -an - The highest hills are Bein Eoin , bird or

” - bh e in ptarmigan hill Bus ft . ) and

o f Ben Dearg, and along the watershed these two

- last named hills the forest march runs for some miles .

The ground carries o ne rifle until the last fortnight o f

a the se son , while up to that date it is more of a hind

than a stag fores t . The total kill for the last twelve

2 0 o r years has been exactly 3 stags, , in round numbers ,

o f h as eighteen per annum , the heaviest which

1 8 scaled stone , while the average weight works out

1 2 . w at but stone clean This low eight , however ,

: must be put down to two causes first, everything with horns that has been Shot has been weighed TH E E E R F R T F S OTL A N D D O ES S O C .

while secondly, owing to the fact of a number

of novices at stalking , not all very young, having

of been visitors to Flowerdale, a lot small beasts have

been knocked over in the unrestrained ardour o f the

c new hand , ba ked up by a kindly desire on the part

' of the more e xp erie nc e d to blood the novitiate and

a f A t o ne make him a st lker for the rest o his days .

' ’ o f — —h Oidhche end of the ground, on the shore Loch na ,

“ he o lake of t night, which h lds heavy brown

trout, there is a fairly good bothy for the use of those

stalking that end o f the forest it has . been christened

” “ - a - biue Poch , the yellow bag, and is interesting

’

as having been originally built by an Englishman ,

Captain I nge , some time in the thirties, who was one

of the very first of the . Sassenachs to come north

in searc h of sport with the red deer. Before this bothy was put up the deerstalkers used to sleep

under the shelter of a big rock close by, and the long

heather they used as bedding yet remains under it . The true wild cat—not the tame cat turned wild

- still exists in this part of Ross Shire . Eagles of both

R S S - S H 2 O IRE. 79

o f sorts are yet common , and in relation to one these

birds there is a curious , but by no means incredible ,

story told by the inhabitants of this district , to the effect that an eagle having swooped down on the

o f back a roe buck feeding outside a wood , the terrified animal dashed back to the thick cover in the

o f. w as hope shaking off his assailant . The eagle nearly swept from the back o f his quarry by coming into violent contact with the first tree past which

ro e the dashed , and then , as attacked and attacker

approached another tree , the eagle gripped the stem

o f with one of his claws , while keeping his hold

the roe with the other. So great, however, was the

o f speed and impetus the maddened , stampeding roe,

so while firm was the hold of the eagle, that the bird

s lit . u o ne o f was p p and torn clean asunder, half it

remaining firmly fixed to the tree, while the other

moiety continued to hold On to the roe . 2 80 TH E E N DE R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A D.

AY FOR E S T OF GL E N CAL V I E B Y A R D G .

Kind eace S M r. , THI forest, formed by _ Robertson of

1 8 . in 4 5 , and sold by him to the present owner, M r

\Villiam o f Allis Smith , covers close on acres

- good ground, which , wedge shaped in formation , runs from east to west for some eight miles along the

D ibie d ale Allad ale adjacent forests of and , whilst on the north and south it meets the deer- grounds of

D e an ich u and Amat . The highest gro nd is about

“ ’ ” - —tu e t feet ; K nock na pp , the woman s tippet ,

is feet , with its base well wooded with some

four hundred acres of thick cover, in which , during

hard winters, from seven to nine hundred stags gather

together . I t carries one rifle comfortably ; the deer

are killed only by stalking, and will average , clean ,

1 . 2 0 3 stone 7 lbs ; a moderate shot will get beasts ,

0 and a better one 3 , which latter number the owner

got this season of 1 8 95 . On this estate there is also

good salmon fishing in the Carron and Calvie , for in

1 8 . 93 Mr Allis Smith got eighty to his own rod , and

fift - in 1 8 95 y two .

2 8 2 TH E E E R F R S TS F S T N D O E O CO L A D .

odd name . The story runs that some children , once

playing on the loch shore, seeing an animal like a horse, c limbed o n to its back for a ride ; o ne by o ne they

mounted , but as each seated himself on the beast their

fingers stuck fast to the hide , and they were held

o ff prisoners, while the animal dashed towards the

ff . O O loch ne little fellow threw himself , only to

o f reach the ground with the loss his fingers, and

o ff then running home, gave the alarm , but no trace of

horse or the other children could be found . O n the

following morning , however, the lungs of the other

boys were found floating on the loch , and hence it

took its name . Like many other parts of the north ,

this forest, there can be no doubt , was formerly

u densely wooded , traces of old trees being fo nd in

o r all parts, but how when these woods were destroyed

will ever remain an open question , although in the ac count of Braemore Forest there will be found a

plausible theory for their disappearance . R S S -S H R 2 8 O I E. 3

R E S T GL E N H I E L D R R N FO OF S AIG BY L OCH CA O .

S o f of THI forest, upwards acres , belongs

to M r. J . S . Murray, and lies between the deer

o n u - grounds of Applecross the so th west , and those

D am h o n - of Ben p the north east . I have not been

able to gather any particulars of the number o f

stags killed, but whatever that may be, their weights

o f will , in all probability, be the same as those the

stags of the two adjacent forests .

R E S TS OF I N CH B AE S TR ATI I R ANN OCH AN D TOL M UI CK FO , ,

R VE BY GA .

THIS is a long narrow ground o f about

o f acres , belonging to Mr . W . D . Mackenzie , Farr,

o f D hucaillie and contains the great wood , of some

c ro e acres in extent, in whi h red , fallow, and

deer dwell together . I t is at present let to

who o n S trathv aich M r . J . C . Williams, joins it to

1 88 . Forest , which he has held since 7 This gentle

man treats both places in a thoroughly sportsmanlike

manner, as he does not try to kill an excessive TH E R F R E S TS OF T A DEE O S CO L ND.

number o f stags ; he stops stalking qu ite early in

O ctober, rarely killing more than five or six beasts

u in that month , although rightly eno gh he pursues the deer with energy in August and September, seldom getting less than twenty fat beasts in the

fi rst- named month , which are carefully picked for

good bodies with clean horns , and for many seasons

he has killed fat stags prior to the 1 2 th of August .

’ I n season 94 Mr. Williams watched a stag finishing the operation of getting rid of his velvet on the

I st o n 3 of J uly, and leaving him that day to finish

his toilet in peace , he killed him , quite free of velvet,

th f on the 4 o August . From the two forests of

I nc hbae and S trathv aich from ninety to one hundred

stags are taken each season , of which about forty

I n hba come from c e . The tenant does not have

his deer weighed , except he himself sees it done , and thus only the big ones are taken to the

balance ; these are weighed with heart and - liver,

1 1 8 and 7 to stone are counted good stags , while

1 about every third year one of 9 stone is got, and

2 86 TH E E E D R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D.

R E S T N V E R L AE L A N D GL E N B E G L OCI I B R OOM . FO OF I , BY

S THI estate of acres of forest, cleared in

1 8 8 2 , together with some acres of grouse

ground , belongs to Sir Arthur Mackenzie, and is

now let to M r . A . G . Wood . I t is bounded on the

and west by Loch River Broom , while on the other

o f sides it is surrounded by the forests Braemore ,

S trathv aich D e anich . , , and Leckmelm

The kill of stags for the years 1 8 90 and 1 8 9 1

2 was respectively 3 4 and 9, and an approximate guide to their weights may be gathered by referring

to those obtained in the surrounding deer grounds .

FO R E S T OF KI L D E R M OR I E BY AL N E SS .

R E T A FO S of acres , cleared some fifty

S hoolb re d years ago , belonging to M r. Walter , and

1 purchased by him in 8 90 from Mr. M unro

u Ferg son , the greater part being let to his brother,

S ho olbre d . Mr . Frederick I t contains some high

Chumine a hills , Carn g being feet, and Ben R S S -S H R E 2 8 O I . 7

M he al Ean and Mhor are each over feet . The

low ground is limited , while neither wintering o r grazing is any too good , as there are vast

o f O stretches moss ground . n the south and

- W v is I nchb ae south west it marches with y and , o n - D ibie dale the north west with , the other boundaries

being sheep ground . The stalking season is a Short o ne as Kilde rmo rie , the stags do not come into

in large numbers until they are seeking the hinds,

so that the kill has to be made in a short time

for by the terms o f the lease stalking terminates

’ 1 0th o f O on the ctober, the usual season s total

- fiv e being forty to fifty stags, weighing an average

o f 1 4 stone , with heart and liver .

H E WE AC NAS E E N . KI N I .OC BY H H

E L N S B O G to Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, and is let

to M r. W . M . Cazalet . There are acres of

cleared ground in addition to a large extent o fgrouse

O shooting. n the north it marches with Letterewe ,

- the east and north east boundaries are sheep ground , 2 88 TH E DEE R F OR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

o n T o rrid on Flowerdale joins it the west, and and

Co ulin on the south and south - west ; it is very

1 8 - fiv e rocky, steep ground, off which in 95 thirty

stags were killed .

E - D N L L FOR S T OF KI N L OCH L UI CH AR T BY I GWA .

S of THI forest, the property Lady Ashburton , my map of the deer forests puts at j ust o ver

acres, but from other good sources it is estimated

at from to 4 acres , including some

F annich acres of grouse ground . I t marches with on

S trathv aich the west, with Braemore and on north and

- north east , with sheep ground on the east, and Achanalt

o n . u the south The ho se, barely a mile from the

L uichart station , is finely placed , looking over Loch

o n o f and to some of the highest hills the forest,

which rise to feet . I t is a long narrow estate ,

with a flat boggy strath running through it, a give and

o ff take ground, which the deer are easily shifted and

o n s equally as easily put to from the adj acent forest , a matter which renders the stalking more exciting

2 0 TH E E F S TS OF S C TL A N D 9 DE R ORE O .

R E S T L E E L L O I I B R FO OF CKM M BY G OOM .

S THI property, of about acres , belongs to

. . 1 8 Mr A . G Pirie , who purchased it, in 79, from

o f Colonel Davidson Tulloch , and commencing to

1 8 8 2 w clear it in , he has al ays retained it in his

own hands . I t lies on the north side of Loch Broom , and running in a direction from south - west to north

- east , forms an oblong shaped ground of about nine

O miles long by four at the widest parts . n the north

R hid orrach - it marches with , on the south east with

Gle nbe I nverlael and g, while on each side of

Leckmelm there is an unbroken stretch o f thirty f miles of af orested lands . The highest altitude is

M e alldhu reached on the summit of , feet, the

B e ine iltach next highest hill being , feet , the

s ba e of which is well wooded, while as it offers splendid

s as . shelter in all sea ons, it is kept a sanctuary

When the ground was first afforested, a number

of hind calves were reared as a breeding stock , which are still carefully preserved and fed during R S -S 2 O S HIR E . 91

winter. The ground works best o n a westerly wind ;

“ u the ann al kill at present is fifteen stags , which vary

1 8 8 in mean weight, according to the season ; in 7

8 2 1 1 6 . 1 the average was 5 stone lbs , and in 9 , 4 stone

9 lbs . in each case heart and liver being included .

1 0 m About the year 5 9 , Leckmel was the scene of a desperate fight between the proscribed Caithness

’ clan of Gun and the Earl o f Sutherland s men . The former were seeking refuge in the Western I sles when they were overtaken by the Earl ’ s men

“ at a spot called Leckmelm , and were eventually defeated with such great loss that but few o f the

Clan Gun remained to tell the tale .

R E S TS OF L E TTE R E E F I S H E R F I E L D AN D A R D L AI R FO W , ,

E E N B Y ACHNAS H .

S THI property, originally belonging to the Mac

o f . kenzies Gairloch , was bought from them by Mr

Meyrick Bankes , a Liverpool gentleman , who used to

stalk it from his yacht, in harbour at Poolewe , while in conjunction with the deer he kept a large head of 2 2 TH 9 E DEER FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

w o f . sheep , well kno n for their excellence quality

Mr. Bankes , however, got many good heads and

1 8 8 0 heavy beasts during his time , but dying in , he

left Letterewe H ouse with the policies to his widow , while the remainder of the forest with F isherfield

o f was willed to one his daughters, who married

a French gentleman of the name of Liot, and Mr .

- and Mrs . Liot Bankes are the present owners of the property, which they let to Mr. J . F . Laycock , while they themselves reside in a beautifully - placed

n f house o the shores o Loch Maree . This ground

o f 1 8 8 . was first let clear Sheep in 3 , to Mr Charles

Perkins , who spent large sums in buildings, improve

ments and forest paths , to which Mr . Laycock has

o f also added considerably . I ncluding the lands

A rdlair F ishe rfield and , the forest has an area of

about acres , many parts of which are very

ff steep , rough walking, while other portions a ord

both excellent grazing and shelter . The stags mostly

o n o f o n winter the Slopes the Loch Maree hills , or

sea the low grounds near the , while the hinds chiefly

2 TH E D 94 DEER FORES TS OF S CO TL A N .

Kinlochewe , the rest of the boundaries being sheep

ground .

’ L a c M r. y o ck s best day in the forest since he first

1 8 8 s took it, in 9 , has been seven stags , and the heavie t

stag in that time was killed by Mr. Perkins on

- M ai hde an 2 0 2 lb . O the g , a ten pointer of stone n

1 8 0 c c Christmas Eve, 9 , Mr . Lay o k shot a very old, — perfectly milk white hind that had been o n the ground

long before he came . She was only shot from a

she u conviction that would not last thro gh the winter ,

i for she had been barren for the three prev ous seasons , although in the years in which She had calves they

were always of the ordinary colour . This remarkable

beast has been s e t up whole by Rowland Ward .

- M r. Laycock also got a light coloured royal stag,

“ ” which was incorrectly spoken of as the white Stag.

This beast he had previously missed, and altogether he had been shot at nine times ere he received the

fatal bullet . O n the very steep Slope of the

’

M ai hde an . g Mrs M itchell I nnes, the lessee s sister , made a remarkable bit of good shooting as she was R -S HI R 2 OS S E . 95 slithering after the Stalker down the south side of this

. w hill Some stags belo them got their wind , and

breaking in all directions , M rs . M itchell I nnes picked

out two of the best, killing them right and left, when

going at full gallop in opposite directions , and though

r the beasts were rightly st uck, unfortunately they

rolled down the very steep hill , both being much

was smashed up . I t in this forest that the celebrated

deerstalker, Black Finlay Macrae , lived with his

master , M ackenzie of Gairloch . I t was his duty to

keep the larder well supplied with venison , which for

many years was an easy matter ; after a time ,

however, Finlay began to find a great difficulty in

getting stags , and eventually he discovered that some poacher was ever in front o f him in most of his

so stalking trips , much so that venison became quite

’ scarce in his master s house , while reproaches were

F o r heaped on him for his want of skill . a long time Finlay had thought that the poacher was a certain

Big Donald Kennedy, and at last one morning he surprised him in the act o f gralloching a newly- killed TH E D E E A R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL ND .

s o ' deer, , creeping close up to him , Finlay called out

Well , Donald , the sport has been yours , but the deer

!” must be mine Donald sprang to his feet, grasped

“ : the knife already in his hand, while answering I t

” will just be the best man who will get it ! Finlay

also having drawn his knife, the two closed and were

instantly locked in a struggle for life , which resulted

in Big Donald being left dead on the hill . F inlay at r once returned home , and fea ing the revenge of

’ Kennedy s relations, who were powerful and numerous ,

he , his wife , child , and father started Off that night

S trathfarrar for Glen , which they reached in safety by dint of carefully hiding all day and travelling only

n in the dark , and then choosi g a convenient place , they built themselves a b ut at the foot o f S gur- na

L a ich the pp , in which they hoped to pass the time till excitement caused among Big Donald ’ s relations had

was out subsided . Some months later, when Finlay

stalking, five of the Kennedys suddenly appeared at his hut and killed Finlay ’ s father and child while they

were at work in a field near by . When Finlay

2 8 9 TH E D E E R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

“ ! cattle . Then Show u s where he is cried they ,

c whereupon Finlay led the way into his house , on rea h

o ut ing which he called to his wife , who had seen the approaching party and quickly guessed their advent

? u boded no good , I s the man of the ho se at home

sh e so With ready wit said , H e is on his bed , you can

o u come in if y want him , for maybe he will not rise

” for ye . O n hearing this the whole party entered the

house , when Finlay, springing to where his gun and

“ : dirk laid , turned and cried The man of the house is

— ? ” here who seeks him The strangers , taken by

surprise , hastened to break out of the small room so as

o f to get a better chance attacking Finlay , but a ball

- from his gun killed the first, the butt end slew the

next two in two successive blows , and closing with the

- - other three in a hand to hand fight, favoured by the

o f his cramped Space , he mortally wounded two more

assailants , while the third fled unhurt to the hills .

Two such daring deeds, coupled with the slaying of

eleven strong men by his single hand, earned Finlay such a reputation and respect that he was ever after R S S -S R O HI E. 2 99

so allowed to rest in peace , that eventually he returned

c to the service of his master in Gairlo h , while to com memorate his prowess the highest hill in the district

F io n nlaidh o r was called Ben , Ben Finlay, a name

which it keeps to the present day. O n this estate of Letterewe some very remarkable

1 8 0 proceedings were taken in 4 by M r. Bankes , for the destruction o f a boat~ shape d monster called

“ ” The Beast , which the natives declared dwelt in

“ ” - - be is . te a loch on the property called Loch na ,

after the monster . I n the year above mentioned

’ u o f w a dep tation M r . Bankes tenants aited on him for the express purpose of begging him to undertake

“ ” the destruction of the beast , and although , as may

easily be imagined , he at first turned a very deaf

ear to the suggestion , he eventually yielded later

o f M c L e o d on to the sworn testimony one Sandy , an e lde r o f the kirk , who together with two other most respectable people who were with him jointly

“ and severally vowed they had seen the beast , which evidence being quickly corroborated by that of 3 00 TH E DEER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

other people equally credible , Mr . Bankes allowed

himself to be persuaded to take steps for the d e struc

o f tion the monster. An attempt was forthwith

c - - be iste made to draw off the water from Lo h na ,

s ix which resulted in reducing the depth to feet , except in o ne part where there was a hole of some

fifteen feet deep, and this was therefore the only place in the loc h which held sufficient water to hide

” the beast . I nto this fourteen barrels of raw lime

u were po red at once, a proceeding which caused

o f the death most of the trout in the loch , while

“ ” the great beast remained undiscovered , and from that time forward no further attempts have been

made to molest him .

R E S T F N R E FO O MO A BY B AU L Y .

S THI ground belongs to Mr . Stirling of Fairburn ,

o wn n who keeps it in his hands . I t has a area o f some acres , entirely surrounded by other fo rests ; A chnashe llach lies o n the north ; o n the

Gle ncann ich west and south are Attadale and , and

02 TH E D R F RE S TS OF S C T 3 EE O O L A ND .

1 fifty stags , which in good years average 5 stone

clean .

T H E R E T R H ID OR R ACH L FO S OF , BY U L APOO L . — THI S fine deer ground the pioneer o f the Ross — shire fores ts is the property of the Countess o f

i Cromart e, and extends over some acres of

c ro ky hills , deep glens , bold corries , and occasional

. O flats , interspersed with many a loch f these

lands , acres are under deer, the remaining

acres being grouse shooting over sheep ground skirting the cleared portion on the west and north ; as however the forest proper is not fenced o ff in any

way , deer are to be met with over the whole place .

“ ” R hido rrach The big glen of , the dark forest, on the south side of which is a sanctuary upwards of

three miles in length , runs from east to west for

s ome ten miles through the centre of the ground,

the lowest level of which var ies from a mile to a

mile and a half in breadth , and consists of one

uninterrupted stretch of magnificent green pasture . S S -S H R 0 RO I E. 3 3

O n either side of the glen the hills are covered at their bases with woods of birch and fir ; as the

" wood ceases, they rise in more or less steep or

o undulating sl pes, until in some parts they reach

an altitude of feet . Amongst these tall hills

o Kno ckd am h may be menti ned those of p , the hill

” “ ” B e nv rick of the stag ; , the speckled mountain ,

“ ” B e ne iltach . O and , the hill of the hinds n the south these lands are skirted by the deer ground o f Co rrie mul z ie Leckmelm, while joins it on the

out east . Three rifles can go daily, to whom

William Sutherland , the head forester, strongly recommends cloth o f green and yellow mixtures as

u best s ited to this ground , where the bag is

' b s talkin . 1 8 made entirely y g I n 95 the tenant,

- . fift e Mr Molyneux Clarke, killed y three stags , whil

a o f 1 8 the verage weight beasts for the years 93 ,

1 8 1 8 l s ; 1 1 2 b . 94 and 95 worked out at 4 stone ,

o f quite clean , which is a matter to be proud . A

s fore s Ca in ta . . previous tenant of thi t, , p T S Starkey ,

—“ late of the 9th Lancers T om Starkey o f his 304 TH E DEE R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A ND .

intimates, and with whom I had several friendly

’ tusse ls behind the traps in the days when he shot — pigeons so successfully witnessed a curious incident

R hido rrach u in , when on one occasion he had wo nded

o ff a stag, which , going slowly , while bleeding freely, was seen to be attacked by a fox !

I n the days of M r. H ay Mackenzie , of Cromartie

—the great - grandfather of the present proprietrix and R hid orrach long before was regularly afforested , there were a number o f very heavy stags on the

c ground , for M r. Ma kenzie had his deer fed by

hand all through the winter, with the result that stags could be seen there as early as M ay with royal heads from w hi c h the velvet was nearly

T wo ready to drop . of these big fellows became

” c comparatively tame, and were hristened Bill and

“ ” Bean , one of them having a most remarkable head ,

and easily known anywhere . This beast, imprudently

o f straying beyond the bounds safety , became the

c o f d is vi tim a noted deer poacher, who , having

o - m p sed of his ill gotten eat, became fearful of

06 TH E D 3 E E R FORES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

to some acres, of which about acres

nan are wood . I t marches with the forests of S trath co

Co rrie hallie Cam and , the highest ground being on

William , feet . With a favourable wind two

rifles can go out, while considering the fact that this

ground is on the extreme outside limit for deer, and that it is the lowest possible for them in the

-fiv e 1 district, the kill of twenty to twenty Stags of 4

o stone each season is a remarkably g od one , a

d ue triumph chiefly to the fine feeding , coupled with

u good shelter, afforded to the deer d ring the winter. As large numbers of hinds from other forests come

S catw e ll o in to to dr p and rear their calves , Sir William proves himself a good neighbour by not

permitting any hinds ever to be shot .

C N S E E N FOR E S T OF SHI E L D AIG BY A H A H .

’ THI S is one of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie s forests

and has been let to Mr. Charles Rudd for several

u years past, who gave it p at the end of season - 6 R OS S S HI R E. 3 7

1 8 . T o rrido n 95 I t marches with and Flowerdale ,

its acres being devoid of wood , or any hill

higher than feet . I t will carry one rifle , but no information has been procurable as to the total kill

or weights , though probably the latter are similar

l a to those of F o w e rd le and T o rrid o n .

R E T R D FO S OF S T RAT H CON AN BY MUI R OF O .

T H E whole o f this estate of some acres

1 8 o f was purchased in 3 9 by Mr . Balfour Whit tin h ame 1 8 1 g , who in 4 commenced to clear the

1 8 Sheep off portions of the ground , until , in 7 7 , the

forest covered acres , when M r. R . H . Combe

u p rchased it, and like M r . Balfour, he maintains the same kindly friendship with his tenants and

neighbours . The forest is most wild and rugged ,

there being many hills over feet , while as

the strath is unusually steep and narrow , it is

c subje t to violent storms and floods . This ground has yielded m o re than one hundred stags in the

season , but the number was found to be greater 08 3 TH E DEER FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D .

than it would fairly stand , and the kill has been

u - j udicio sly reduced to seventy fiv e or eighty.

These lands were the scene o f the defeat o f o ne o f

the Lords of the I sles by the Mackenzies , who were

w as routed with great slaughter. Later on the forest

again a witness of one of those Culloden atrocities ,

' then so prevalent amongst the victorious soldiery

of the King of England , for a party of fugitives from

- fie ld u c o n the battle , having taken ref ge in a ave

S trath co nan u , were s rrounded and smoked or burnt to death by means of large piles of lighted heather

- placed at the entrance of their hiding place .

R E S T TOR R I D ON TOR R I D ON . FO OF , BY

A N ancient charter o f 1 58 4 shows that these lands then belonged to the M acd onne lls of Glen

o f garry, while up to the present day nineteen families

Alli e n o n T o rrido n that name still dwell in g Loch .

M acd o nnells o n I t was one of these who , when a

marauding expedition to one of the Western Isles .

being hard pressed for food , came on a party of

3 1 0 TH E D E E R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL AND.

u T o rrid o n graves are still pointed o t. The present

Forest covers acres , which consist almost

' entirely of high rocky peaks with deep valleys , although near the house there is a growing plantation which will shortly afford the deer better

c winter Shelter than they get at present, whi h they have hitherto found in the very deep valleys lying

between the many high and rocky hills . Amongst

L iath ach u these may be mentioned g , or the Bl e

A lli e n H ill , feet ; and Ben g , or the J ewel

H ill , feet ; while there are several others just

u c c over or j st under feet . I n a cordan e with

c the prevailing ro kiness of this ground , the best colours in which the stalker can array himself are a

. cloth The annual kill is thirty stags, which for

the past twenty years have averaged, weighed with

1 2 1 lb 0 s . heart and liver, stone 3 , no allo wance ever being made if any stag happened to be left

a night on the hill . Ab o ut 1 8 8 0 a rose - coloured s or tarling pastor was shot here, which is now R - 1 OS S S HI R E . 3 1

’ D arro ch s T o rrido n w in Mr . possession at ; hile later o n in 1 8 8 7 Her Majesty made that part o f Scotland supremely proud by a stay of a week — at Gairlo c h a matter which is duly and happily recorded in “ More Leaves from the Journal of a

” Life in the H ighlands . TH E D E E F R E S TS F S T A R O O CO L N D .

TE R X CHAP .

S U T H E R LA N D S H I R E .

R E S TS B E N I I E E AN D C R R N L C L A R FO OF O Y KI O H BY I G ,

L E N D GL E N COU L AN D B E N S T R E L E G HU , , OM BY KY

S T R E E R N S C L R L C R E OM , GOB UI GA H BY AI G , O H MO

L R S TAC L R BY AI G , K BY AI G .

T H E whole of these lands belong to the Duke of

u a u S therland , ltho gh for nearly the last thirty years

they have been rented by the Duke of Westminster,

e L o chmore who k eps the properties of , Ben Strome ,

l n ul G e co . O Glendhu , and in his own hands n the n orth these lands march with the forests of Stack and

c o n o n Gobernuisga h , the east with Ben H ee , the

e - se a — u w st with the and Scourie sheep gro nd , and

‘ o n mo re o f A ss nt. L o ch the south with y Lodge ,

S T R 1 U HE R L A NDS HI E . 3 3

d n d which a rawi g is annexe , is beautifully placed

o f at the west end of the loch that name , with a grand look - out on to the stony sl o pes of the summit of Ben

c Arkle, whi h rises to feet . The house was

1 8 6 6 enlarged and nearly rebuilt in , when the present

of Duke Westminster , then Lord Grosvenor, took over the whole o f the Reay Forest from the late Lord

c o f Dudley, whi h ancient hunting ground the Lords o f Reay then consisted of the properties at present

c L o chmo re forming Ben Hee , Gobernuisga h , , and

Stack , which have long ceased to exist as a whole , and no single one of them can now lay claim to the title o f

“ ” the Reay forest . From the time it came into the

’ Duke o f Westminster s hands he has spared no

has pains to improve the deer , and in this he been

1 8 6 6 highly successful , for when he took it , in , the

1 0 1 whole ground yielded 3 stags , averaging 5 stone

7 lbs . quite clean , a very fine mean weight , on which it might have been thought impossible to

1 8 improve , but nevertheless , in 94 , that good year,

1 8 8 a n the same ground yielded st gs , maki g the 1 TH E E E 3 4 D R FOR E S TS OF S CO TL A N D.

1 6 very remarkable , unsurpassed average of stone

6 and lbs . ; here also it may be as well to mention that both at L o chmore and Kyle Strome the weigh

ing is most carefully done , while it is but seldom that two consecutive days pass without the Duke himself visiting the larder to witness the performance . The following statistics will Show how quickly

deer increase with proper treatment and care . O n

2 rd O 1 8 8 the 3 of ctober, 4 , the Duke ordered a

count to be made over the whole ground , by each

forester on his respective beat, with the following result Oth ers o f r Stags. all so ts. B e n Stack and Ben Arkle 1 1 2 1 7 7

Ben H ee 1 45 6 07

A ltnar nie o n y , a beat the north shore of L o chmore 2 6 9 405

Gobernuisgach 2 09 4 1 0

Lone 78 1 5 6

Sheep -ground 5 4 1 2 6

8 6 7

1 E E R R E S S F S C TL A N D 3 6 TH DE FO T O O .

Altnar n ie same time . The home beat and y are worked

from L o chmo re ; Ben Strome beat can be worked either from there or from the Duke ’ s other lodge at

K yle Strome , the two being some eight miles apart,

and a tramp over the ground separating the two lodges ,

as rifle in hand , with William Elliot stalker, on a nice

fine clear day, is all that the most ardent lover of sport

or admirer o f scenery could desire . I had the good fortune to make this happy j o urney o n the 2 6 th o f

August o flast year ( 1 8 9 and a finer c ombination o f

s a ad land and e scape it would be hard to find . I n

o n e dition to that I had three shots , making abominable

miss and killing two good stags , which weighed that

1 2 1 same evening 7 stone lb . and 5 stone quite clean

both of them , at this early date , were also absolutely

free of velvet , not even having rags hanging about the

coronets , but while the horns of the smaller stag

u o f were q ite black and burnished , those the heavier

whi ish deer were still te . That day I saw many other

o f 1 8 stags clear velvet, and in season 93 perfectly

Cle an 2 th horns could be seen as early as J uly o . S U THE RL A N S HI R E 1 D . 3 7

The beats o f G le ncoul and Glendhu are re S pe c tiv e l o f sea y at the heads lochs of the same names,

c and , extending to some 3 a res , they are most

“ pleasantly and l uxuriously worked by the More

” “ c Vane , Big Wit h , a screw steam yacht of about

6 5 tons ; not the least pleasant part o f the day Spent in these distant forest beats was the steam to

Gle n co ul the head of , there to meet J ohn Elliot ,

- a brother of the before mentioned William of that ilk .

Both at L ochmore and Kyle Strome the delights o f

“ punctuality were assured , and the boat of the More

” w as u Vane ever ready at the quay, with steam p

o f to the very minute ordered , and , reader , in spite

o f the fifty to sixty inch rainfall of these parts , which

u d ring my stay I got more than a fair allowance , there

can yet be most Splendid , brightly sunny days in

o f these high latitudes , when in the fresh beauty W such a morning, ith glorious views all around , with se a- the birds diving and flying about in all directions , ten mile steam to o ur respective destinations (for one

n rifle was disembarked at Glendhu , the other . goi g 1 8 TH E E R 3 D E FORES TS OF S CO TL A N D .

o n to Gle ncoul) was the very pleasantest way o f reaching a forest beat that it has ever been my

lot to experience . At the end of the day the

- return home in the dusk , with the after glow of the sunset showing the black outline of the hills against

the pale sky, while the throb of the screw , the hiss o f the water surging white from the stern , the dim ghostly fo rms of a couple of dead stags lying on

o f se a- the deck , and the weird call the various divers

startled by the yacht, all tended to send one home

o f in a peculiarly happy, contented frame mind . On the eastern boundaries of these two beats is the

hill of Ben Leod , which is ft . in height , but over the whole ground there are other hills reaching to

f f t . o nearly , and more than twenty them are

1 8 o ver ft . I n the bitterly severe winters of 94

1 8 c and 95 Loch More , whi h had never before been

o f known to freeze , was coated with four inches ice , w hile on Loch Stack in some places it reached fifteen

inches in thickness .

The Stack forest the Duke sub - let for season 1 8 95

TH E D E E R FOR ES TS OF S CO TL A ND .

— chair that horrid and mysterious gout ! to whi c h so many of my friends are martyrs in spite of the most

u - caref l self denial in diet , whilst I and many others,

w S O ho eat and drink without a thought, never much as

suffer even a passing pang. Ben Hee is good for forty

1 8 stags, which are usually obtained ; in 94 the total — fiv e v 1 1 2 . u . was thirty , a eraging 4 stone lbs q ite clean

u Ben Hee is beautif l stalking ground , with the lodge pleasantly placed at the west end of Loch Merk

o n . . land , the high road from Lairg to Scourie Mr

o f o f Sanderson is one the best tenants , and like the

u th O D ke , he stops stalking about the 4 of ctober,

c but if he were not to do this, he ould easily put

fo r another score of very big deer into the larder, the north beat of his ground on the green face sloping

up from the road is the great hind resort o f these

a L o chmo re p rts , and as one drives from Lairg to ,

vice ver so or , they can be seen in such numbers by the naked eye that counting them without stopping

“ the machine for the purpose is quite o ut o f the

question . S U T E R L A D S H IR E 2 1 H N . 3

“ o f The forest Gobernuisgach , called Gober for

the sake of shortness, is situate to the north of Loch

- more , and is sub let to Sir Walter Corbet . The house

1 8 was built in 4 7 , somewhat in a hurry, by the then

Duke of Sutherland , with a view of entertaining the

late Prince Consort , in the event of H er Majesty pay

o ing a visit to Dunrobin in the foll wing year. The

r stags are ve y heavy, the bag is limited to forty, and in 1 8 93 the first thirty - three beasts Sir Walter killed

1 . is averaged 7 stone 3 1 lbs . quite clean , which the finest average weight ever recorded for such a number

of stags , and a splendid illustration of what can be done on fine feeding ground worked with care

and good management . Apart from the fact of

these forests being admirably suited to deer, a great deal must be attributed to the Duke ’ s action in killing

rd o r th o f O no stags after the 3 4 ctober, and the introduction of fresh blood from various English

parks . 2 2 3 TH E DE ER F ORE S TS OF S CO TL A ND.

E FO R E S T OF KIN L OCH BY TON GU .

’ THI S is another o f the Duke o f Sutherland s

1 8 0 properties , first afforested in 9 , and let then to

. . . who . Mr W E Lawson , still holds it I t consists

o f of nearly acres , the valleys which con

T t e tain birch and alder. he tops of h high lands

are rocky and sterile , and of these Ben Hope is

the highest feet) ; there are , however, many

fine grassy corries . I t marches with Gobernuisgach

t on the south , while the boundaries in other quar ers

. I are sheep grounds t carries two rifles, and since it was cleared in the five seasons ending 1 8 94 it

- has averaged twenty nine stags , which, taking one

o u t 1 lbs . with the other, work at 4 stone 5 The tenant was last season witness of a cunning trick on the part of a big stag which he was stalking on

a mossy flat, dotted with many pools of black peat

T water. he stag Mr . Lawson was after had several

hinds with him , which he was zealously guarding . O n his way up to his quarry he was compelled to put

2 TH E F S 3 4 DEER ORE TS OF S CO TL A ND.

to forty stags each season , and in favourable ones they

will make the heavy average o f nearly 1 6 stone clean .

’ U at pp Forest, which is attached to the Duke s beauti u - f lly situated house by the sea at Dunrobin , although

covering some acres, may almost be regarded

as a vast deer park lying at the back of the castle .

The Duke very kindly promised me particulars of

each of these deer grounds , but owing to the illness

- of his friend and factor, the well known and much

M c I v e r liked M r. of Scourie , I have been unable to get details in time for publication .

TH E E N D .

LO N DON P R I N TE D B Y W W 2 M. CLO E S AN D SON S , L T D ., ST A M F ORD ST RE E T A N D C H A R ING CROS S .