The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-16
The Last Wolf in sootland.

IL IdS DeeH SdlQ that Tn SCOLianQ the
 middle ages lasted till 1745. Many of
 the circumstances which surrounded
 Scottish life down till the second Jaco-
 bite rising certainly go far to justify
 this statement Long after England
 had reached an advanced state of civil
 ization, Scotland remained in a condi-
 tion of chaotic barbarism. The mere
 physical characteristics of many parts
 of Scotland remained thoroughly medi-
 aeval till within comparatively recent
 times. The wolf which in the southern
 kingdom disappeared in the time of the early Plantagenets continued to four ish in the Highlands of Scotland till l743. For centuries it was one of the
 banes of Scotland. Traces of the wolf
 are to be found all over the northern Kingdom, recalling a time when it was
 common denizen of the mountains
 and forests. There is no town in the world more suggestive of prosaic and commonplace nineteenth century com forts than Glasgow. Yet within it's ra-
 dius lies Polmadie (Poolmaddy) .'the Pool of the Wolf" a name which car ries the mind back to the time when the inhabitants of the little group of wat
 tied huts clustering round the Church
 of St. Mungo knew that savage wolves lurked at the spot which still bears their name
 The more energetic monarchs of Scot land did not regard the wolf with indif- ference. At the end of the thirteenth century a hunter of wolves was main- tained in Stirling at the expense of the king. James l. of Scotland enacted that in the 'gangand' time of the year each baron should summon his tenants to seek out the wolves and wolf-cubs | throughout his barony, and should hunt in person four times in the year, and as often more as any wolf was seen within his bounds In the reign of | Mary the wolves became so numerous in the forests of the Highlands that it was impossible to travel with safety. | Houses, or "spitta1s," as they were caled, were erected to provide lodgings l for travellers who might be overtaken | by night where there was no place of l shelter. The Spittal of Glen-shee was | one of the most important of these | shelters In 161S Taylor, the water | poet, visiting the forest of Braemar,
 wrote During the space of twelve 1 days I saw neither house nor corn-field
 or habitation for any creature but deer, 1 wild horses, wolves and such like crea- 1 tures.''
 | It is popular belief that the last
 wolf in Scotland was killed in Lochaber 1 by Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel in | 1880. Pennant makes this assertion in
 his Tour in Scotland" vol l., p. 205,
 and it has been copied in many histo-
 ries. Wolves were to be found long af-
 ter 1880. John Sobieski, writing in 1S4S
 thates that the last wolf in Strathglas | was killed at Guisachan, according to | tradition, "at no very distant period" :" | According to ancient tradition in Glen
 urchard, the last wolf in Scotland was destroyed in Glenurchard at a place called ever since "Slochd a -mhadaidh,' D the wolf's den" It is probably that the last Scottish wolf was really that
 which was killed, according to tradi- 1 ton, by MacQueen of Pollochock in 1 1743. Pollochock, who was vassal of | the Laird of Macintosh, died in 1797 | He was a man of gigantic stature, six | feet seven inches in height, and of | great strength and courage. In 1743 he
 received a message from the Laird of | Macintosh that large "black beast" |" | supposed to be wolf, had killed two | children who, with their mother, were crossing the hills from Cawdor. The message was accompanied by sum
 mons to attend along with his dogs. !! On the morning fixed for the hunt, the | expedition had long assembled before Pollochock made an appearance. l When at last he did arrive, the Laird of Macintosh greeted him with reproaches for his neglect "Ciod a chabhag? | What was the hurry?" said Pollochock. | Macintosh impatiently replied. There
 upon Pollochock lifted his plaid and
 drew out the black bloody head of the
 wolf from under his arm. Sin ed
 huibh. There it is for you" he said,
 and tossed it on to the ground in the
 midst of the astonished circle. The
 tradition of Pollochocl's valor in de-
 stroying the last wolf fingered among
 the peasantry of Morayshire till the be-
 ginning of the present century-The 1 AuGnuary-