The feral goats of Loch Lomondshire, with particular reference to the Inversnaid group

2005·9.5 MB·

by  Raymond Werner

TheGlasgowNaturalistVolume24Part3Pages36-47(2005).
THEFERALGOATSOFLOCHLOMONDSIDE,WITHPARTICULARREFERENCETOTHE
INVERSNAIDGROUP
RaymondWerner,ShirleyGoodyer,LesGoodyerandTracyLivingstone*
BritishFeralGoatReasearchGroup
'Addressforcorrespondence:20HealCadrawd,Llangynwyd,MaestegCF349TE
e-mail:[email protected]
PURPOSEOFTHESTUDY excess of two centuries, thus breaking any possible
The R.S.P.B. study (1994) reached the following historicallinksbetween,andcontinuitywith,theseearlier
conclusionswithregardtotheantiquity,originandtypeof records.
theLochLomondsideferalgoatpopulation: Theconclusionreached,therefore,isthatthepresentferal
• aPblcioentsikusniaignlbgllayyRrotaebhpfeeperertoreltntdahceieesntBstrrouetcctohoeerttdhofeoofufeIrrfnatelvereegarnlotsahgntoasaciatedtsnttaihurnaretyaB,trisimttteoah.riiyns tecg1eyox9napc1ttee8us,rpsiyona,ponuftadlhnoaednttiehaoe1lhn9tsu8fh0unoo’rdurstrigh,egehdirhnhayaraestevaelirdernsae,gassreutaolhtueokenfnrddoedlwtoiehnnmaeescsietnotuotnirrftcnoiamgonnirfutleosktsuhisseonifoghtniwMgseootonaodfttriesyetrthiinehnn
• Feralgoatswouldnothavebeentoleratedinthe originalstockwithgoatsofimprovedtypeearlyoninthe
LochLomondsideareabetweenaround1700and populations’morerecenthistory.
i1n9t2e0n,sivtehleypmearnioadgedwhefonr tthiembewro,odclhaarncdosalwearned Abeltqhuoiuteghsttrhaeigghetnfeorrawlarhdiswtiotrhyroefgatrhdetgooadtoscuismecnotnesdidseoruerdcetso
tanbark. andpersonalknowledge,-thisbeingsummarisedasalong
• Itisprobablethatthepresentdayferalgoatherds butdiscontinuous history, markedby contaminationby
originatedaroundtheturnofthetwentiethcentury. stockofimprovedtype-whatmayormaynotbelearned
• aMiLninotldmrkooindandutgcseidgldoeetaaostthstehrewtdehsIrrneevaeterltsidhnboeaeimrdeaetnspedtodipocutfloattajhinoeoiinnmGardtleuhsaretinLwgWoeatcrrhhe,e ttogffhhorfeeaoetmprgsroloaeairtsttssetltnehhuceeadevlyveioendofgeafttnhacmpsehooseefrwlnetisohtetrihiyenrcprseeeenxogtiamisrseotdreaiantmgcnobieini.em,giatulwhohseuirwlsts.ohtueMlpooderlsisatgugigencgepeorasfttatttihenterlhsnyae,st
1980’s.
• pTfeohrpeaurllegaotiaistonnpooipsrualeanatsyioomnno.troeboerlileevsesptuhartetthheanInavneyrsontahiedr iiaRnmcepkfaonesvorseweirlnbyecldiesgnhtegoodrtrtethschapoetagncdierosemeosefesaattnriiyccmhedg,oomasoetofssttwihDicaaltrlgliotriaetnwvgoelruitln(kdts1o9bia3en7wt)vihilerdtiLuttaoylcpliheys
• When introgression occurs, it is impossible to Lomondsidepopulationifreleasesorescapeeshavebeen
recognisedomesticlinksinaveryshortspaceof intrudedasrecentlyastenyearsago.Thus,thephenotype
time,itbeingregrettablethatpelagepatternsoffer of the Loch Lomondside population will have an
little evidence as to the origins offeral goat appearance of antiquity, with a standard feral goat
populations,orindeedastothelengthoftheir phenotype,irrespectiveoftheproportionofintrogression
existence. andhowrecentlyithappened.Thereisthereforenoreason
• AresverstugtgoeastweidldbtyypDeairnlianvger(y19s3ho7r)tfsepraaclegoofattismew.ill mwtooarybeeolfoiredvilesecstslhaapitumritenhgetahaLnnyocaphonsysLioobtimhloeintrydfsoeirfadplerpoopvpoiupnlugalttaihtoainto,nthaenisoLtoahcnehyr
• Neck tassels are present on some Inversnaid LomondsidegoatsareonadinebetweenpureOldBritish
animals, and many considerthis feature to be Primitive goat and mainly domestic stock ofModern
indicativeofmorerecentferalgoatpopulations. improvedtype.
Although the foregoing was presented as isolated Thefollowingconsequencecouldbeaddedasaridertothe
statementsinvaryingcontextsundervaryingheadings,itis above:
ppoooornpsilusgyliiabnktlnieoaonnwt.odnTdhstrityasupwdeiystpdohaeferamlatiphnhiegnrtawosLieootdchnaheanldslLtiaoanstmtpeoeemrnceptdrnssettioetdfdheataths:efceoarnvatelirqsugiottahyt,e eTisthauirwrslve,yirveoiafntngrcduofeueprrorsafeil,mtgihwoteoaiLtvueolpcdobhprauLpelpeoaldmtyioonwtndoosrsatianshdyyepfosesotrsfaoilcbkplg,reoeaassnteudrrpvvodaipetvuvialaolalnstu;ieoofononauienrf
Quitepossibly,theoldestrecordsofferalgoatsinBritain whichwouldbeonaparwiththeSoaysheepwithregardto
pertain to the Inversnaid area, although the intensive antiquityandbothhistoricalandagriculturalimportance.
1 mhtoaalvneeargaaetlemmdeonistnttohfceewrLotooacdilhnlaynLdomsmeobanendttswietdeheantr1ef7eg0ria0olnagnfoodart1sa92pw0eerrwieoodunloidtn tTathheethLpeuohrciphsotsoLeriocomaflotnehdevsipidredenesceenftearsnatdludtgyooiarstetsoepaobrpocuthlhattthaiekoenp,haecunlsooitsnyegpleotohoekf
36
information gained to revaluate the eight conclusions, ORIGINANDHISTORYOFTHELOCH
quotedabove,oftheRSPBreportof1994. LOMONDSIDEFERALGOAT
Introduction
NINETEENTHCENTURYDESCRIPTIONSOFTHE Gibson(1954,1972)regardedtheLochLomond,LochArd
OLDSCOTTISHGOAT andBenVenuegoatsasthreepartsofwhathetermedan
tsaTecEgwaoenuhureandperlnttpio,tuAeOlirpssleyetetit,dhmaaheeniwSncnbchoetteonenrbetgtlnortdauydiernusbiehbcterdttrsheosg.ieeeoosetdanerdsotifcfofikisrflonmeouaamlnttiiidnhbvmneeealbsisiyynttlnoaalwtcthSyaekvewayAirtnfBisooriresfiintctteytahitht,esoeeyhfetplnlhteIataehstrhelegMeaesOienraldidnfddsgdrelhaoBteoprmereoieiEartngarttitilshsshnyte.h yewbiaILiernnnxeeoeaftttrmaro1eewe,,or9rnem9cnasderah4ptdeneta,apsdipntaBooitgernchredede,eotnnetbrlethGeeodlLainttywoaybwaer.gtmseteroroeoaeaaCWnn.nvtohestdrtdilhhretlToreaidifeehnenutethigdgecwsernceobaBeedeudnnecctstnnoterewa(hlnedenao1Vsttn,e9etrin7notoee2whfusdtb)eh.ehperi,eeomcospewtwhenuhnwaelitonasilisttsBoiiohtnaenobenbeGnvtsoidih.uibeoIntsuntFLohsvtoranhlhetc,yoearhlmsgsLsfnoooAatwaahcmmraitiheedydss
BbGadttucarcsrAshoiehenaorcpuyecazapeslnzecbwsctetrcoujoaaaeno,siruaertarmEort.nirlcdrdbnhtdpt,tliB,eslgmitThyrn.leieonehigIwidooEftgiareinsOfantixSnytevhistotaccsoehnahooothrhfcwhtlsawetiaPpheetreahltmaeernirraihln,cgeorsisgtee,ggtlhpeehhehoue‘osceStealgrascormhcratbeAsugoeoo,or,(enenueintgfss1ietsnrtetthd8rrsnthiSalto7yaiagnerscrhry5’lnphyuMtoat.)lgopittmar,ly.ncgestabralleoaietAtwreteayoaPsrhheglsraretfheaeemtssdsgrniheitlaaanachfaoateduanesdarfruntminmtteee’1tgdhihamwdrvso8hoiliaxeaho7srlmlnheIoats3Phecpsrabtd,deoeroeoivisdfs.grswrmeealbbhnatitertieelhspet,ehHvdiriaenphtedgaesnctbetotwtigkuffloaiathorritroooratiroewiahfntnsosemlntrtnnfagsmdeyeeevdpbpcrmsvowIeototliwearaihehwionoodrenhraabrhnsiklttekgeietetteanenegtehlthnoiid,noyedeyeydannf ppottIaCqspgabSinhontwooonourneoripvepdpauooetmre1uen,uutttuwmle9lrtllshenehiia9syaadidenut4n-stthtn(gni.anfioisutiBoiidoohinn1sndevTnnbrrpod9e,ehnseoeoHar7nviwettpde2weeoshahulL,itnafhdasllhtotonuivattaehyfwnmnewhahptacdaeeoeuns1iatl1rlsbts9dneonuy9elene6nndded,a6o0dtecttbet)’8arnoohdetstihu1annrii,nhn9aka(reasevni9Gdnoneaireg1d4arhlud-dnoo9e)neyunihendu8.wbidnndturn3fgaenditneid,stertfthfdd(Thstanhieehriteohyseerd1encwbtdee,9dIfiotoycaes7-notalhu-noa0tavartoeluhh)oilWecmneflttu,umaraddh“paihentnastS-ligo.ddidlwnpitfuptoriarosioriLnueeIrinpteebf.oldnhlduhdtyat-ciceflyotatnhlaaraannighrottodndo”eoetgsihLmi-anhoeoe.pofmepatmnwoRiatamotso.pfoslasFonBJuttrssnoon.eoG,lyerruordfattpSteeftgmtswoauhfstiiohbiettethgoaetterdeera’ntshhoraaenrnys,seee,lft
tiocIorhnltfiaehstsgaehroirwamateticnh-llrdaoaetsarSesncclmooayietlt,natlsioebIsrdunuihrltsEeyhaan,.slgdsSlitAcodhisoestttshhthheaieebtsauhnItp,trihuimewtwsaehhElliintsas:cgnhthld‘hiIaesaSnhmshcdsaoermvtEleeutnvsicegsesslhhme’ieb.srrnlheee-ssmdeehammtenbhbylemlseeaegddeoteaatwcthoihset pAsaeiolulnlsgfptteoguhhrweolomhsuauaetgtgtrehihiedoo.ntnttshhheTacerhtorweinemescowreweverwarneasiem,svneegnrircetneyocsmnoitsrhgrtideeordssaeatterrnoiaeidorfdcnltyfnearredano1wrdm9e(9,iHta0meh’nhmlesioisl,mwgeaarewlanavesteelsiilrcoag,,anphr,pbcaeo1iinau9ttdrry9wii4ann)oisg,gnf
wHcthPHhaueiaeeigrgsrlvhcGeeelooadranatnstaaotdig,uwnafdadctiedarnertdw,toseslifcdebtr.tuhihthtabheileeiradrnreegatoaterrhhvseeelhriotStkohcretionhrbtstdetehiot(sfshs1hhoae8tar8greoo6gphfa)lrettyaeehdwade“siptIlbrbiibaioekeccneixkkneogtodfihr”nas,htWmiaaisalflnglBoddr,uoanGocltdoeokhafnetugrio.l-enf qtmanrg(ueheAnoelaenrdvwalektierlIifosaemnvitultveeeotlednctyWrkhtotaseshftnfeeiaeedIsnIirnenendc)nvovetsereatprctrraosoofsytnpm.nreautbamoihlieiedmaOndntntnpeitsoeofhodrpanrbttufoyhwlamticadwphttitoeaohritirreshoneceantttahiiwnwdasnotateaongise.uscrorteiuhsEpthttfahvaretotireineshucdncdatgetsah.testoimvond,LioroeidtvefeHkhedepeeenaumlwscccleireeaabsnasweevgtetei,iohlnnaoailgettanf
someinwardmigrationofanimalsfromneighbouringherds
wcBSociaaorsttd,tila(son1hnd9g1gewo0raa)tst.hoaafHnfsiemsratehl‘adlptuaarfneod-fuabenirxrdeltdyrienSdmceetotlhtayetiilasWechedtligvsdoeheas,tac’nriaihmnpaadtldi.otanhTehsoehhfaocgrotgnhayset oddicivcdeurrsoricetcynucoref.st,heTbhguietsnemwpooarosel.tthhaonugahdteqtuoatebetoinmfarienqtuaeinntthaes
largerandcurvinggracefullybackwards.Theforeheadwas GlenFalloch
pflhSiltoircerckoiaoae‘tnvbltgaiaiiedtebtsdhmrylhoiyoatsrgrnyebaodpebtaeiultfcfnyoltugwueisidnmmudt,adaauhtlteaelctnuyihhdtpneehosatdaenHth’eiemtngethehtaheaihlessrneaeusnrtStdwhHceweeoibottgrrogtheoeciltalessahtadhaen’si.dsodsse,fiBshtmiceoitoarelhtfdhpatearlacevntc,roeihoemmsansbatpdneealaitmestriobnienfhlogdmanadso‘tntthrchohateeeetof AtnigLGonaniuocvdbmmfleseboruoreenadnsqrdiuog,n(enotg1nho9ftiedo5nnrt4tddh,hibeaeecest1aicht9rnlies7eilgdal2lpssto)attiprhooseoaofntstunaGnotetedlfhodeehtfanuhtgenhdoaFdBoahtaretzelesgierldondnowacnetyah(sesr,taeeCihrnttshaof.etadaxoitbirAhthtslenhaywtedieennwedlroirv,rbdiestene)ohe-an1nrao8nanf9k(dni91gnmL,9iaoo5nlttwc2gshhnh,).ee
fpaaegcrrese.iasttIemnnedtleayesdub,rreehdietisnscphEaenrcgaulclataentrdie,sdtiitctwhcaootuatli.dfptrheobabbrleyedhahvaedlobseteinn hnaeenriddg”hdbeoosnucrrtiienbnegdoBctrchaaseeismonoasfsoBbvaeelirqnugahisadlildxe-rom.fontHthheessstaaaymweitnhditushlel“lagirtretealy,e
colour.Theonegrownmalewasahandsomeanimalwitha
finepairofhorns.Theydidnotminglewiththesheep.
37
althoughthesheepandthegoatswereinnowayshyof Achray
eachother.Gibsonconfirmedthat,aroundseventyyears
later,itwascertainlystillthecasethattheGlenFalloch Watt(1937)treatedtheBenVenueandAchraygoatsas
goatsdidnotseemtostaylonginanyoneparticularplace. separate populations. His reference for Ben Venue is
GibsonalsobelievedthatacommentmadebyAndersonin BuchananSmith,whodoesnotmentionAchray. Watt’s
relationtothegoatsandsheepwasofparticularinterest,as referenceforAchrayisWallace(1923)whostatedinhis
itsuggestedtheexactoppositeoftheusualrelationship appendixVthefollowing: Threeheadsofbucks,shotfrom
claimedbetweenthesetwospecies.Thecommentwasthat this flock on Achray, Callander, are shown in plate
thelocalshepherds“didnotlikethewildgoatscoming CCXXIII. b. These billies were shot by Captain R.T.
about, for the sheep were liable to follow the goats’ Hinckes,ofFoxley,Hereford,gametenant, 1922. “This
exampleinseekingtemptingtuftsofgreenondangerous flock”referstohavingjustdiscussedtheBenVenuegoats,
ledges,andsometimessheephadtoberescuedfromplaces soitisevidentthatWallacehimselfregardedtheAchray
fromwhichtheycouldnotextraditethemselves”. Gibson and Ben venue goats as one flock. The published
sawonlyonegoatinthelocalityin1971,althoughhedid photographsofthesebilliesinWallaceclearlyshowgoats
not search further east and believed that others were oftheOldBritish,andthereforenotModem,type.
“temporarilyabsent”.Whitehead(1972),madenoreference
totheGlenFallochgoatsbythisname,butcommentedthat BenVenue
fromtimetotimesincethelatenineteenthcentury,goats
havebeenseenonmountainsbetweenGlenFallochandthe AccordingtoBuchananSmith(1932),thegoatsonBen
Braes ofBalquhidder, including Beinn Chabhair, but VenuewerementionedbythepoetSouthey,whorefersto
seldomseemtostaylong. themashavingbecomewild. In 1819,therewereabout
Inchlonaig rfoerfteyreonfctehetsoebgooatths.BGeinbsVoenn(u1e97a2n)deltahbeorgaotaetdsoninSotuhethepyo’est
BuchananSmith(1932)commentedthat“astowhether laureate’sjournal. Accordingto Southey “lastyearthe
therestillexistwildgoatsontheislandsofLochLomondis DukeofMontrosesoldthewoodsonBenVenue,which
abituncertain”.BoydWatt(1937)wroteofatraditionthat wasthencompletelyclothedwithfinetrees,forthepaltry
wildgoatsinhabitedtheyew-treeisland.InchLonaig,on priceof£200.Itseemsincrediblethatforsuchasumhe
LochLomond,whilstGibson(1972)notedthatthiswas should have incurred the obloquy and the disgrace of
morethan atradition. Colquhoun (1841) gave arather disfiguring,asfarasitwasinhispowertodisfigure,the
graphicdescriptionofgoatstalkingonthisisland,which mostbeautifulspotinthewholeislandofGreatBritain.
centredonaparticularprecipicethathadbeencalledfrom TherearegoatsuponBenvenue,whichhavebecomewild,
timeimmemorialCrap-na-gower,ortheHilloftheGoats. but are still considered private property. The boatman
Colquhounmadetheinterestingcommentthatatthetime supposed them to be about forty. I wish they may be
hewasstalkingtheherd,theherditselfwasdeteriorating, allowedtomultiply.Theextirpationofwildbeastsfrom
“thefineoldwildoneshavingbeenkilledoff,andsomeof this island is one ofthe best proofs ofour advanced
thetamekindsubstitutedtocrossthebreed”. Itwasalso civilization,butinlosingthosewildanimalsfromwhichno
Colquhoun’sviewthatthe original goats were abreed danger could arise, the country loses one ofits great
betweentheWelshandtheHighland,andwereverylarge. charms.”
Inhabitants did not recollect when they had been
introduced,althoughPaterson(1893)commentedthatabout Gibson(1972)confirmedthattheBenVenuegoatshad
themiddleoftheseventeenthcentury,Inchlonaigwaslaid mostcertainlybeenknownforgenerations,butaddedthat
wasteforuseasdeerforest,itsconditionuntilthetimehe theirfortuneshadfluctuatedagreatdeal.Atleastfiftyhad
wrote,andthatinthefollowingcentury(theeighteenth) beencountedin 1898.In 1913therewereatleastthirty.
fifteenHighlandgoatswereintroducedontotheisland.It From this point onwards, a considerable increase took
wasthedescendantsofthesegoatsthatremainedonthe place,andtherewereprobablyaroundonehundredinthe
islandinawildstateforalongperiodthereafter. Bythe herdbythelate 1930’s.Itisevidentthatbilliesfromthe
timethatPatersonwrotein1893,thegoatswereextinct, BenVenueherdweretrophyshotinthelastcentury,as
onlyfallowdeerbeingfoundthereatthattime.According apartfromtheAchrayreferenceabove,aheadfroman
totheBritishAssociationExcursionHandbook,number6, AchraygoatisrecordedasatrophyinRecordsofBigGame
publishedin 1928,theyewtreesweresaidtohavebeen (Ward,1928),andinthe1920’sand1930’s,thecolumnsof
plantedontheinstructionsofKingRoberttheBruceto Thefieldmagazinecontainseveralrecordsofgoatheads
supplybowsforarchers.Thisismentionedasithasbeen shotonBenVenue.ItissaidthatafewoftheBenVenue
suggestedthatthegoatswereexterminatedbecauseoftheir goatsusedtobewhite,andthebillyshotontheBenon3H*
destructionoftheyewtrees.Hansard(1841)hasrefuted August,1922,withhornstwenty-eight-and-one-half-inches
anyideathatyewtreeswereplantedontheislandtofurnish long,thirty-threeincheswide,tiptotip,andseven-and-one-
bows,however,statingthatayewtreewouldhardlysupply half-inchesincircumferenceatthebase,wasofthiscolour.
ahalfdozenstavesoveraperiodofacentury’sgrowth. Therewasconsiderableshootingofthesegoatsduringthe
Gibson confirmed that there were no feral goats on SecondWorldWar,theirnumberhavingbeenreducedto
Inchlonaigin1972,addingthatheknewofnootherislands thirtyby1945.Gibson(1972)couldfindonlyahalf-dozen
inLochLomondwheretheyoccurred. scatteredgoatsoverthewholeareain1950,andWhitehead
(1972)puttheirnumberateightin1951.Gibsonbelieved
thattheherdwasbythenvirtuallyextinct,andWhitehead
statedthat,by1959,onlyonenannyandherkidremained.
Betweentheearly1950’sandtheearly1970’s,Gibsonhad
38
onlyaveryfewrecordsofgoatsintheBenVenuearea. thatthegoatscouldnotberemovedfromoneconservancy
However,in 1970and 1971,hesawthreegoatsonBen to another, this contravening a Forestry Commission
Venue,andwastoldlocallythattherewere“quiteafew regulation.Thesegoatswerere-releasedonBenLomond,
backnow”.Quitewhatthismeantwasapuzzletohim. andasitwasfeltthatthereweretoomanyhere,acullby
shootingwasorganizedforthenearfuture.
Buchanan Smith commented, in 1932, thatas manyas
fourteenhadbeenseenrecently,amongstwhichweretwo ForGreig(1970),thefactthatheencounteredasignificant
blackones,oneofthesebeingakid. number ofBen Lomond goats with tassels tended to
confirmthattherehadbeensomeModerngeneticstock
Wallace (1923) stated in appendix five ofhis Farm added.Establishingtheoriginofthisintrogressionproved
LivestockofGreatBritainthat“ontheauthorityofMrs. tobedifficult,however,astheolderinhabitantsofthearea
Duncan Ferguson, seventy-nine years ofage, a Gaelic- hadeithermovedoutordiedbythetimeheearriedouthis
speakingnativeoftheBrigefTurkdistrict,wildgoats, study.Byrelyingonsecond-handinformation,helearned
mostlylightgreybutsomedarkbrown,haveexistedon fromamemberoftheNatureConservancystaff,whohad
BenVenuesincesheremembers,andforgenerationsbefore inturnhearditfromanoldfarmer,thatitwasthepractice
hertime”. untilatleastthe1920’stoaddnewbilliestotheferalstock
to“improve”the“blood”. Thesebillieswereapparently
Grieg(1970)commentedthattheForestryCommissionwas purchasedatthelocalmart,andGreigspeculatedthatthis
responsible for both exterminating the Ben Venue mighthavebeenhowthetasselscametobefoundinthe
populationanddrasticallyreducingthenumbersoftheBen BenLomondpopulationduringthe1960’s.Greigappears
Lomond population. Whitehead (1972) confirmed the nottohaveheardthestoryoftheLochArdarmycamp
culling of the Ben Venue goats by the Forestry duringtheGreatWar,andbilliesintrodueedpriortothe
Commission. 1920’s are as likely to have been ofthe Old British
primitive breed as ofModern type. Even had goats of
BenLomond Moderntypebeenintroducedonoccasionspriorto1918,it
is atthe leastprobable thatthe Loch Ard introduction
DuetotheRoberttheBrucetradition,Whitehead(1972) wouldtohavetoallintenseandpurposesswampedthe
ascribedasixhundredyearhistorytotheBenLomond existingstockwithModemcharacteristicsbycomparison.
goats(seeunderInversnaid). Hewentontostate,however,
thatthepresentstockappearstohaveamorerecentorigin. A colouredphotograph, publishedsourceunknown,but
datingtothe1960’s,showstwokidsonBenLomond“one
Accordingto“localHistory”,asGibsonphrasedit,theBen thousandfeetabovesealevel”.Bothappeartobebasically
Lomondgoatswerevirtuallyexterminatedroundaboutthe black, although there is considerable grizzling, which
turnofthetwentiethcentury.Theywerere-establishedby affectsthetail,quarters,neckandchest,faceandforehead.
local domestic goats going wild or being liberated. Thisisdifficulttointerpretasacolourpattern,although
Whitehead(1972)tellsasimilarstory,statingthatatthe feralkidsbornblackwithgrizzlinginotherpopulations
beginningofthetwentiethcentury,therewereonlyafew havebeenobservedtomatureasblackgoats.Whetherthis
goatsinthearea,thepresentstockbeingdescendedfrom grizzlingisactuallyaroan,andthereforewhitehairs,ora
domesticgoatsoriginallykeptatInversnaidandFrenich. dilutetanishardtosay,althoughthelatteristhemore
Gibson(1972)statedthatthefortunesoftheBenLomond likely.Thereisacolourpatternthatisaroaningoftanand
goats have fluctuated enormously. Before the Second blackhairs,calledmahogany(Amh-alsocalledsootyin
WorldWar,thepopulationoftheherdwasconsideredto sheep),thisbeinganevendistributionoftheeumelaninand
have been at least two hundred and fifty animals, phaeomelaninhairsthroughout.
(Whiteheadputitatoverthree-hundred)butbothduring
andafterthewar,theForestryCommissionconsiderably Gibson(1972)counted106goatsin1971,twelveofwhich
reducedtheirnumbers. Fiftywereseen in 1947(Airey, werepurewhite,whilstWhiteheadgavea“recent”estimate
1948), although Gibson counted barely forty in 1951. oftheirnumbersin1972asbeing140-200.
Whitehead,however,putthetotalin1952ataboutseventy
toonehundred. Fromthispointonwardstheirnumbers Whiteheadconsideredtheir“headquarters”tobeonthe
slowlyincreasedagain, andduringthe 1960’stheherd steepeasternscarpfromRowardennantoaboutthecounty
seemedtohavenumberedaboutonehundredgoats.Itwas boundary(Stirling-Perthshire)beyondInversnaid.Themain
remarked, however, that they were so often widely concentrationwaslocatedneartoPtarmigan; theywere
scatteredthatitwassometimesfarfromeasytobesureof alsoseenonCraigRostain. AlsoseeGibsonandMitchell
anaccuratecount. (1986).
MilkinggoatsreleasedfromthedisbandedFirstWorldWar Itwasestimatedthattherewerearoundtwohundredgoats
armycampneartoLochArdaresaidtohavejoinedthe in the Rowardennan/Ben Lomond population in 1994
BenLomondgoats. (Hellawell,1994).
AtthetimethatGreigmadehisstudyoftheBenLomond Inversnaid
goats,inthelate1960’s,aForestiyCommissiondrivewas
organizedtoroundupanumberofgoatsandtorelocate GoatsatInversnaidaresaidtopossessthelongestpedigree
them in Glen Nevis. Seventeen in all were captured, ofanyferalherdinScotland,andBuchananSmith(1932)
althoughtheremovaldidnottakeplaceasitwasdecided assertedthattheycouldevenbetermed“royal”. Hequoted
39
thestoryofhow,inthefourteenthcentury.KingRobertthe andthree-quarterinches,acircumferenceatthebaseof
Brucewasfleeingfromhisenemiesandhidinacavein seveninches,andaspan,tiptotip,ofthirty-threeinches.
Inversnaid.Whilsthewasthere,somewildgoatscameand Barryalsoshotanine-year-oldbillyatRowardennanin
laydownattheentrance.Hispursuers,seeingthegoats, July, 1958, whosehornshada length ofthirty-sixand
believedthatBrucecouldnotbeinthecaveandpassedon. three-eighthsinches,acircumferenceatthebaseofseven
TheKingthenissuedadecreethatthewildgoatsshould andone-eighthinches,andatiptotipspanofthirty-nine
neverbemolested. inches. Priortothat, in 1947, Barry had shotanother
eighth-year-oldbillyatRowardennanwithhornsthirty-one
Itisknownthatatleastthreedomesticgoatshavebeen incheslong,acircumferenceatthebaseofeight-andone-
introducedintotheInversnaidpopulation,allseeminglyin quarter inches, and a span, tip to tip, oftwenty-eight-
the1980’s. and-one-quarterinches. Priortotheexterminationofthe
BenVenuegoats,W.Joynsonshot,in1937,aseven-year-
In1994,thepopulationconsistedofseventeenmales,forty- oldmalewithhornsthatwere28-and-one-quarterinches
six females andtwenty-six kids, atotal ofeighty-nine long,andwithatiptotipspanoftwenty-nineinchesand
animals(Hellawell,1994). circumferencearoundthebaseofseven-and-nine-sixteenth
inches.Sixyearslater,in1947,Joynsonhadshotaneighth-
LochArd year-old billy at Inversnaid with horns thirty-one-
and-a-halfinches long, acircumferenceatthebaseof
OnthesouthernslopesofthehillatLedard,whichliesto eight-and-five-eighths-inches, and a span, tip totip, of
thenorthsideofLochArd,theincomingtenantintheyear thirty-oneinches.Lastly,Barryshotaneight-year-oldbilly
1875wasrequiredtopayvaluationpricesformorethan onBenLomondin 1956thathadhornsthirty-three-and
twentygoats.Theywerenotactuallyproducedatthetime -one-halfincheslong,withacircumferenceatthebaseof
ofthetenancyagreement,butwerecertifiedtobeonthe seven-and-five-eighthsincheslongandaspanofthirty-
hill. Evenso,thesegoatsnevercameinwiththesheepat five-and-one-half-inches.
thetimeofthegatherings,butduringthehardwinterof
1878-9,theywerebroughtintobefedbutrefusedtoeat Theaveragehornlengthofthesesixbillies,ranginginage
and had to again be given their liberty. These goats, betweensevenandnineyears, is32.75 inches,andthe
accordingtoBuchananSmith,(1932)weresupposedto mean32.75inches.Theaveragecircumferenceatthebase
nibblethegreensproutsindangerouscliffareas,soasnot is8.8inches,andtheaveragespan,tiptotip,32.7inches.
totemptthesheepintoplaceswheretheywouldhavetobe
rescuedwithropes. Thesemeasurementswerecomparedwiththoseoftwenty-
fourferalgoatmalesthatweretrophyshotfromawide
DuringtheGreatWar,therewasanarmycampnearto rangeofotherScottishferalgoatpopulations(allquotedin
LochArd,andheremilkinggoatswerekept. Whenthe Whitehead, 1972). The Loch Lomondsidegoattrophies
campwasdisbanded,thesegoatswereliberated,andwere were not significantly different, the Scottish feral goat
saidtohavejoinedtheherdsonbothBenVenueandLoch trophiesingeneralhavinganaveragelengthof32.8inches,
Lomondside(BenLomond). compared to 32.75 in the Loch Lomondside goats; the
circumferencebeingonaverage7.8inchescomparedto
ItwasGibson’s’viewin1972thatalthoughsmallgroupsof 8.79;andthespananaverageof33inchescomparedto
goatswerethentobeseenintheLochArdarea,theydid 32.7.
notseemtoremainlongintheoneplace,andwerethus
presumedtobetravellingbetweenBenLomondandBen Tassels
venue.ThisledGibsontobelievethatsuchsightingscould
hardlybedescribedasaseparatecolonyneartoLochArd. Greig(1970)noticedthatsixoutofatotalofthirtygoatshe
GibsonencounterednogoatsintheLochArdareain1971, watchedonBenLomondin1969hadtassels,andwhen,on
andtherecentreductionofgoatsonBenVenueconvinced the12"’August,1969,twenty-fivewerecaptured,hefound
himthatitwouldbecomerarefortravellingparitiesof tasselsonsix.
goatstobeseenintheLochArdarea.
Colourandcolourpattern
DESCRIPTION
Two,outofatotaloffourteengoatsseenonBenvenuein
Horntypeandcolour 1932,wereblack.
Duringthelate1960’satleast,thegeneralhorntypewas Greig(1970)statedthattenpercentoftheBenLomond
“dorcas”onBenLomond(Grieg,1970).Twocolourtypes goatswerepurewhiteandthatpiebaldgoatswereveryrare.
inhornswerefoundonBenLomond,darkbrownorblack He describedmostoftheBen Lomond goats as being
in coloured goats, and translucent pink or amber in Toggenburg patterned except forthe belly, which was
dominantwhitegoats. usually white. What Greig termed Toggenburg pattern
(technically“Swissmarkings’’or“Swisspatterning”) is
Hornlengthandsize dark-bellied,andGreigcalledthepatterningheencountered
onBenLomond“modifiedToggenburg”asthegoatswere
AccordingtoWhitehead(1972),aneight-year-oldabilly white-bellied. GreigdescribedonefamilygrouponBen
shotatRowardennanbyD.BarryinSeptember,1951,had Lomondasconsistingofanoldwhitenanny,andayearling
hornswiththefollowingdimensions:alengthofthirty-two whitenannywithherpurewhitekid.Healsomentioned
40
thatinearly1968,theonlywhitebillyintheherdatthat anestimatedthree-hundred-and-eightpounds. Richmond
timedied;whilstinFebruaryof1969,heremovedabrown (1955)suggestedthattheBenLomondgoatsweighedupto
nannykidwithToggenburgmarkingsplusawhitebelly three-hundred-andfifty-pounds.Whiteheadhimself,whilst
fromherpurewhitemother. Greigwentontospeculate acknowledgingthatthere were undoubtedly largerthan
thatifthewhiteisdominantandthebrownhypostatic,then averagegoatsintheBenLomonddistrict,wasscepticalthat
thisnannymusthavebeenheterozygousinrespectofwhite any reached two-hundred-and eighty pounds. He
andmodifiedToggenburg.“Herkidmustthenhavebeen commented that the best goat reported by the keeper,
homozygous in respect ofthe genes for the modified GeorgeJones,atRowardennan,onthesouthwestfaceof
Toggenburgpattern.” Greig’sconclusionismentionedin Ben Lomond, weighed one-hundred-and-seventy-three-
particularbecausehewentontostatethat“inthisrespect, pounds.Jonesalsocommentedthat,inhisopinion,there
the Ben Lomond goats are valuable stock for the would be few goats over one-hundred-and-sixty-eight-
determinationofcoatcolourgenetics, asabout90%of pounds.Whiteheadhimselfwentontopointoutthatiftwo-
them fall into one ofthe two basic colour patterns”, hundred-and-eighty-pound goats did then exist on the
presumably meaning dominant white and dark-bellied Lomondhills,itwouldsurelyhavebeenanindicationof
Swiss patterning, again presumably meaning brown very rich feeding and the deer would likewise have
colouring.Thatnotallthegoatsweredominantwhiteat benefited.This,hepointedout,wasnotthecase,asthedeer
thistimewasdemonstratedbyGreig’sfurthercomments weighedabouttheaverage.
that on Ben Lomond, the white billies could be over-
shadowedbyasootytint.Hementionedamale,whichhe Hellawell(1994)hadnobiometricdatafortheInversnaid
named“Jid”,thatwhenhepickedupforexaminationin population, although he concluded, from subjective
May, 1968, was pure white from birth. This goat observation,thatitcomprisedanimalsthatweresmallerin
subsequently developed a sooty colour on the face, sizethanthosefoundinotherpopulations.Theprimary
shouldersand spineas the summerprogressed. Greig’s reasonforthiswasthoughttobetherelativelypoorfood
inteipretationofthiswasthatbilliestendtobedarkerthan supplyinthearea,togetherwiththerelativelyyoungage
nanniesinthesameherd,andthusthedarker“shadow”on structure of the population. Elsewhere in his study,
thewhiteBenLomondmalesmaybean“exampleofthis Hellawell discussed the way in which size and body
tendency”,presumablybeingaformofsexualdimorphism. weightsinBritishferalgoatpopulationsdiffered,andthat
WhatGreigdescribed,however,wasaperfectexampleof whilst this might be in part due to differing origins,
thecolourpattern“blackmask”,anallele(Abm)inthe evidencefromotherresearchsuggestedthattheprincipal
agoutiseriesthatproducesanear-whitephenotypewitha causewasvaryingenvironmentalconditions.Thisledonto
dark (black) dorsal stripe, black face maskwith white theconclusionthattherelativelysmallbodysizeofthe
stripes, and a dark spot on the brisket. Black mask is Inversnaidgoatswasdueinparttotheshortergrowing
recessivetopurewhite,butdominanttotheToggenburg seasonencounteredinthisarea,resultinginarelatively
brownasthewhiteofblackmaskisreallyadilutetan.That poorsupplyoffood,especiallyinthewinter. Tothisend,
thetenpercentofgoatsdescribedbyGreigasbeing“pure” hethoughtthatpopulationdensitymayalsoeffectbody
whitewerelikelytohavebeensohasbeenconfirmedby size,theInversnaidgoatsthenhavingahigh-densityrate.
hiscommentsonhorncolour.Hefoundadeadbillyon Hellawell then quoted Welsh studies that appeared to
PtarmiganHill,BenLomond,inMay, 1968.Thisanimal contradictthisresearchfinding,adding“thisobservation
hadtranslucenthornsandtheremainsofawhitecoat.The castssomedoubtontheabovetheory.
hornsofgoatswithpurewhitecoatsaretranslucentpinkor
ambercolouredratherthendarkbrowntoblackbecausethe Coat
dominantwhiteisalackofpigmentratherthanadilutetan.
Thisappliesalsotopiedgoats(whitemismarking),andin CoatlengthintheInversnaidpopulationissaidtovary
whichahorncouldevenbestripedtranslucentlyifwhite (Hellawell, 1994), although itwas, generally speaking,
touchesontothatpartofthehorn. longerinmalesthaninfemales.
Two kids photographed in the 1960’s were blackwith ANALYSISANDDISCUSSION
grizzled roaning (see Loch Lomond under origin and
history). Purewhitegoatswereseenin1972. PossiblytheoldestrecordofferalgoatsinBritainactually
appertainstotheInversnaidarea,thisbeingareferenceto
Duringthenineteenthcentury,theBenVenuegoatswere thefourteenthcenturystorylinkingRoberttheBruceto
describedas beingmostlya lightgreywith somedark feralgoatsatthattime.
brown.
Although reference to feral goats at Inversnaid in the
TheInversnaidpopulationwasstatedin 1992(Hellawell, fourteenth century is not the oldest- feral goats being
1994) to vary considerably, ranging from totallywhite recorded inthetenthcentury in southern England,this
animalstoentirelyblackones,withallmannerofgreyand recordpertainingtothenewForest,thesourcebeingthe
brownoccurringinbetween. DoomsdayBook-thereferencereferredtomustsurelybe
amongsttheearliestrecordedfortheBritishIsles.
Sizeandweight
Feral goatswould nothavebeentolerated inthe Loch
W.Joynson,whoshotbilliesbeforeandduringtheSecond Lomondside area between around 1700 and 1920, the
WorldWar,toldWhitehead(1972)thatheshotabillyin periodwhenthewoodlandswereintensivelymanagedfor
1937inCorrieNaUrisgean,onBenVenue,thatweighed timber,charcoal,andtanbark. Thisviewisinaccurateon
historicalgrounds,itbeingrecordedthattheBenVenue tenetisthatthecharacteristicsofModemgoatstock,which
goatswereinexistenceintheearlypartofthenineteenth arerecognizablydifferentfromthoseoftheOldBritish
century,andhadarecordedandcontinuoushistoryupto goat, are absorbed into the feral type (impossible to
andwellbeyond1920. Goatswereactuallyintroducedinto recognizedomesticlinks)inaveryshortspaceoftime.The
theInchlonaigareaintheeighteenthcentury,andthere consequenceofthisisthatpelagepatternswouldofferlittle
wereherdsinboththeLochArdandGlenFallochareas evidenceofeithertheoriginorantiquityoftheInversnaid
towardsthelatterpartofthenineteenthcentury.Lastly, feralgoatpopulation.
localknowledgeplacedferalgoatsonBenLomonditselfin
thenineteenthcentury,theveryfactthatthegoatscame Eleven basic colour patterns have generally been
closetobeingexterminatedaroundtheturnofthetwentieth recognizedinthegoat,withafurtheroneidentifiedbythe
centurybeinganindicationinitselfoftheirexistenceinthe presentwritermorerecently(Werner,2003).Ofthese,two
nineteenth. arefoundingoatsofSwissorigin-nopatternwhite/tanand
Swisspatterning.Ithasyettobeestablishedthatnopattern
It is probable that the present day feral goat herds white/tanisfoundintheoldBritishgoat,whereasSwiss
originatedaroundtheturnofthetwentiethcentury. This patterningisdefinitelynotfoundinit.Itwouldthereforebe
assumption is probably based at least in part on the possibletodetectthepresenceofSwissbreedinginthe
previousone,whichhasbeenshowntobeerroneous,and Inversnaid population by colourpatterning, no pattern
possiblyalsotothelocalreferencespertainingtothefact white/tanbeingthetopdominantforcolour,and Swiss
that there were “only a few” feral goats in the Loch patterningthetopdominantforpatterning.
Lomondareaattheendofthenineteenthcentury,this
populationbeingre-establishedbytheintroductionoflocal WithregardtotheLochLomondgoatsgenerally,theremay
domesticstock(InversnaidandFrenich)byeitherescapeor havebeen some confusionwithregardtothetypeand
liberation.Itisclearthatthispopulationdidnotdie-out extentofModern Swiss influencebothhistoricallyand
completely,andthatinotherareasofLochLomondside more recently. Greig (1970) described white in the
therewerepopulationsthatwerealsoold-establishedatthe Rowardennangroup,butmentionedalsoawhitekidthat
turnofthelastcentury. developed the markings typical of the black mask
patterning. Healsodescribedacolourpatternasbeing
MilkinggoatswereliberatedtojointheLochLomondside Toggenburgwithawhitebelly. “Toggenburg” is Swiss
herds at the end ofthe Great War, and at least three patterningwiththeusualblackpelagecolourreplacedby
domestic animals were introduced to the Inversnaid lightbrownatthebrownlocus.Ithasadarkbelly.Greig’s
population during the 1980’s. Thereisgoodhistorical light-bellied“Toggenburg”maythereforehavebeenaco-
evidenceforthisfrommorethanonesource. dominantcross between a Swiss patternwith the light
brownalleleandalightbellypattern,whichgivesatypical
ThereisnoreasontobelievethattheInversnaidpopulation SwisspatternwithawhitebellyasdescribedbyGreig.
is any more or less pure than any other feral goat Alternatively,thiscolourtypecouldhavebeenatypical
populations. Thereasoningbehindthishypothesiswasnot lightbelly,whichisblackwithstripedlegs,whitebelly,
discussed,althoughitisassumedthatitwasbasedonone rumpandfacialmarkingsthathavethelightbrownallele.
or both oftwo assumptions mentioned in the same ThisbringsustotheInversnaidgoats,whichhavebeen
paragraphofthetext.Thefirstwasthatpelagepatterns describedasbeingcommonlyliketheBritishAlpinein
offeredlittleevidencewithregardtotheoriginsofferal colourandpatterning.Nogoatsfittingthisdescriptionhave
goatpopulations;thesecondthatdomesticescapeesrevert beenseenatInversnaid,althoughthemostcommoncolour
toawildtypeinaveryshortspaceoftimeandtothepoint patterntherewaslightbelly. Itisthereforepossiblethat
atwhichitisvirtuallyimpossibletorecognisedomestic thereisconfusionbetweenthesetwocolourtypes.Other
linksinamatteroftenyears.Theargumentwouldtherefore colourpatternsseenatInversnaidwereBezoarandgrey
appearto bethat feral goatpopulations are subjectto lightbelly,thelatteroftenbeingassociatedwithdarkbelly.
introgressionatunknownandvaryingrates,andthatthere “Pelagepatterns”thereforetellusquitealotaboutthe
isalevellingprocessthatrendersitimpossibletodiscern originandantiquityoftheInversnaidgoats:whichisthat
thesedomesticlinksinthephenotypeinaveryshortspace theyarefirmlybasedincolourtypestypicaloftheOld
oftime.Itisthereforeimpossibletoassessthedegreeof BritishgoatbutnotfoundintheSwiss-basedgoatsofthe
introgressionthatmyormaynothavetakenplace,andthus BritishIsles.
equallyimpossibletomakeanyjudgementswithregardto
thepurityofanyparticlepopulationincomparisonwith Pelage (colourand colourpatterns) has to be taken in
another. Therefutationofthisviewwillbeconsidered conjunctionwithothercharacteristicssuchaseartype,head
underthenexttwoheadings. shape,overallconformation,sizeandcoattype,tomakean
assessmentoforigin,antiquityandbreedtype.Inthecase
Whenintrogressionoccurs,itisimpossibletorecognise oftheInversnaidgoats,thesecharacteristicstakentogether
domestic links in avery short space oftime, itbeing would suggest that the group originated from the Old
regrettablethatpelagepatternsofferlittleevidenceastothe Britishbreed,suggestingahistorypriortothe1920’s,and
originsofferalgoatpopulations,orindeedastothelength thattherehasbeensomeintrogressioninthepast.Amature
oftheirexistence. malewithtypicalSwisspatterningwasseenatlochArd,
however, which fits in with the known history ofthat
ThisassertionrelatestotheintroductionofModemgoat population.
stockintoanalreadyestablishedferalgoatpopulationof
theOldBritishtype(whenintrogressionoccurs).Itsbasic
42
AssuggestedbyDarling(1937)feralgoatswillreverttoa indeed,evenalthoughthefoundationstockofthisherdhad
“wildtype”inaveryshortspaceoftime. Therearefour beenownedbyacrofterontheshoresofLittleLochBroom
mainissuesrelatingtoDarling’stheoryofareversiontoa asrecentlyastenyearspreviously(hencehiscommentthat
wildtypewhendomesticgoatsgoferal.Theseare: “thereversiontowildtypeisrapidandtenyearscanmake
abigdifferencetothegeneralappearanceoftheherd”).
• WhatdidDarlingmeanbyhisterm“reversionto WattmentionedthatthecrofteronthenorthshoreofLittle
wildtype”? LochBroomkeptgoats“ofthewildtype”,andDarling
• Whatdidheconsidertobethemechanismfor himselfstatedthatthecrofter’’whokeepsgoatsofthewild
suchareversion? type”onthenorthshoreofLittleLochBroomhadbegun
• Whatevidencedidheoffertosupporthistheory? recentlytocatchupthebucksatthebeginningofAugust
• How has Darling’s theory been interpreted and to keep them penned until November in order to
subsequently by researchers?, leading on to a overcometheearlykiddingproblems.Relevanttothisis
considerationofthewayinwhichtheoriginand Watt’sfurthercommentthatatKildonan(Badrallach)there
statusoftheBritishferalgoathasbeenviewedin wasaflockofaboutfortygoatsownedbyashepherd,and
thelightofthis. thatthesewere“indistinguishablefromwildgoats.”Allthis
wouldsuggestthatbothDarlingandWattwereperfectly
Darling’stheoryonreversiontowildtypeindomesticgoats wellawarethatdomesticstockinWesterRossaslateasthe
newlygoneferalwaspublishedinhissupplementarypaper 1930’swasofthesametype,includinggeneralhair-length
toHughBoydWatt’sarticleentitled“OntheWildGoatsin andhorn-length,astheferalgoator“wildtype.”Also,
Scotland”, published in 1937. Entitled“HabitsofWild when DarlingcommentedonthewayinwhichtheAn
GoatsinScotland,”therelevantsectionisworthquotingin Teallachgoatshadruntohairandhornuntilthestandardof
full: thewildgoatwasreached,hewasperfectlyawareagain
The goatis anable fellow andcan go feralwith no thatthefoundationstockforthisexemplarygroupofthe
difficultyandinaveryshorttime.Thereversiontowild wildtypehadoriginatedfromaflockthatitselfwasofthe
typeisrapidandtenyearscanmakeabigdifferencein so-calledwildtype.
the general appearance ofa herd. What, it might be
asked, istheinfluenceonnitrogenmetabolismwhich What,wemaythenask,wasreversiontowildtypeall
makesferalgoatsrunincreasinglytohairandhornsuntil aboutintheAnTeallachgroup?WattdescribedtheAn
the standard of the wild goat is reached? Natural TeallachgoatsasthemostmagnificentoftheirkindthatDr.
selectionmustbeapotentfactorinlevellingthetypeof Darlinghadeverseen.Theyhadstronghornsofawide
goatsnewlygoneferal.Thebreedingseasonisearlyand spread,verylongthickcoatsandexceededinsizeanyother
kids appear frequently in late January and February, wildgoatsinthewest.Therewere,evenso,onlytentoa
whichisnotimeforyoungthingstoappearintheWest dozenofthem,andthisaftertheyhadbeenferalfora
Highlands. This early breeding season serves as an decade.Theherdcomposition,accordingtoDarling,was
extremelyfinemeshseiveinpreservingonlythosewhich onematurebuck,yearlingbucksandhalfadozennannies
suittheconditions.Ihavenofiguresonactualkid-rearing andtheirkidsoftheyear.Howaherdcompositionofthis
percentagein“wild”goats,butitmustbesmall.This typecameaboutintenyearsisopentoquestion,although
tends towards a stable population and it is worth giventhepossibilitythatthefoundationstockcomprised,
remarking that the goats are distinctly local in their say,onemaleandtwofemales,alltwoyearsold;thatthe
distribution,andthereislittleifanyevidenceofspread fertilityratewasaconsistent0.5andtheratioofmaleto
orextensivemigration. femalekidswasconsistently1:1;thatfemalesbredfirstlyin
their second year and until their eighth year; that the
So,whatdidDarlingactuallymeanbytheterm“reversion foundationstockwasalldeadby1937,andthatnomajor
to wild type”? It is clear that he believed that all accidentsordisastersbefellthegroup,thelikelypopulation
establishedferalherdswerecharacterisedbylonghairand structureoftheAnTeallachgoatsaftertheirfirsttenyears
long horns, and that hair-length and horn-length was ofexistence wouldhavebeenfive maturemalesagedtwo,
consistentlylongerthanthatfoundinthedomesticgoat four, five, six and seven, plus one yearling male; six
under domestic conditions, hence his use ofthe term females,agedtwo,four,five,sixandeight,plusayearling
“standardofthewildgoaf’. Reversiontothewildtype female,andthreekids. Theactualpopulationdynamicsof
thereforemeanttheconsistentwayinwhichdomesticgoats thegroup,asquotedbyDarling,fitsthismodelquitewell
goingferalunderwentanincreaseinhairandhornlength, withregardtofemalesandkids,althoughonewonders
andthattherewasastandard,intermsoflength,thatwas whathadbeenhappeningtothebucksovertheyears.Given
consistently reached. Does this imply, therefore, that thismodel,inconjunctionwiththeactualmake-upofthe
Darlingconsideredlonghairedandlong-homedferalgoats group,itispossibletoassumethattheonematurebuckwas
to have originated from shorthairedandsmaller-horned likelytohavebeenthesonoftheoriginalmale,andthat
domesticstock?Theanswertothisquestionisclearlyno, therewereuptofivegenerationsofmaturefemales,mother
and for reasons found elsewhere in the article and its todaughter.Giventheforegoing,thesampleoftwomales
supplement. anduptofivefemalesisverysmallintermsofassessingan
overallincreaseinhairandhorn-lengthoverarestricted
Darling’sviewsonareversiontowildtypewerebased periodoftimeofadecade,andalthoughthegoatshad
largelyonwhathecalledthe“fineherdofpurewhitegoats takenthemselvesabovethepeatlineandtothehighest
whichlivesonAnTeallach,theprecipitousmountainnear reachesofthemountainatover1700feet,implyingmore
myhome”. Hecalledthisgroupamodernexampleof severeweatherconditionsthanthebalmiershoresofthe
goats goingwild, and stated thattheywere very wild loch,itcouldequallybearguedthatthefoundationstock
43
andrestrictedbloodlinesmayhavehadequalbearingson hair-lengthwouldhavebeenofanoticeablydifferenttype
thewayinwhichtheherdwasdevelopingovertheperiod. andtexturetothecoatofageneticallylong-hairedanimal.
WhatDarlingwasimplyingbyhisterm“reversiontowild Lastly,itshouldbenotedthatthecrofter’sdomesticgoat
type”inrelationtoanincreaseinhairandhomlengthtoa stockatnearbyLochBroom,hadasimilarearlybreeding
wildstandard musttherefore beviewed inthe lightof seasontotheAnTeallachgroup,thiscausingearlykidding
Darling’s knowledge that domestic goats in the West problemsthatneededtobeovercome.Thisbeingthecase,
Highlandswereindistinguishablefromtheferaltype,and there should have been nothingunique aboutthe early
thegroupinparticularthatheusedforhislimitedstudy kiddingintheferalgoats,andanynaturalselectionbeing
originatedfromdomesticstockthatwaswell-knowntohim exertedontheferalswouldhaveequallybeenexertedon
andalreadyofthe“wildtype”beforetheywentferal. thenearbydomesticants,anotherwayofmakingthepoint
thathadDarling’smechanismforareversiontoawildtype
WhenconsideringDarling’smechanismforreversionto existedinthewayinwhichhedefinedit,itwouldhave
wildtype,itshouldbenotedthathemadetwoseparate beenoperativebeforethegoatswentferal,thusdenying
commentsonthis.Henoted,firstly,thatgoatswillgoferal anylinktotheprocessof“goingwild”.
veryquicklyandwithnodifficulty,andthatitwasan
“influence” on the nitrate metabolism that triggered Theactualreferenceto“reversion”isaninterestingone,as
increasedhairandhomgrowth,oncetheyhad. Darling theobviousquestionisreversiontowhat?Thegenuinewild
thereforeascribedthechangesinhairandhomgrowthtoa goatisshorthaired,andithasbeenpointedoutalreadythat
chemicalprocesswithintheorganism,andonethatwould DarlingmeanttheScottishferalgoatwhenhealludedtoa
haveaffectedthesynthesisoftheproteins,carbohydrates “wildstandard”. ThebestexplanationofwhatDarling
and fats that form tissue and store energy. But what meantwhenheusedthetermisthereforetheideathatgoats
conclusiondidhereachwithregardto“the influence” goingferalbegintolookmoreandmorelikegoatsthatare
itself? His immediate answer was “natural selection”. alreadyferaluntiltheylookexactlylikethem,andthatitis
Naturalselectionwasthepotentfactorthatlevelledthetype theconditionsunderwhichtheyareferalthatmakesthem
ingoatsnewlygoneferal,meaningthatsurvivalofthe ultimately all look alike. Although this is the only
fittestmeantthatonlythe fittestsurvived,theultimate reasonableinterpretationofthemeaningbehindDarling’s
criteriaforwhichwasthefittesthavinglongerhairand conceptofa“wildtype”,heactuallydenieditsvalidity
homlength. whenhemadeitclearthatheunderstoodthatthestandard
ofthewildtypeexistedindomesticstockevenbeforeithad
Didhethenmeanthatlevellingouttargetedthepre-existing theopportunitytogoferal.
stockoveraperiodoftime(adultmortality)orsubsequent
generations(passingonthebestsuitedcharacteristics)?The DespitethefactthatDarlinghadobservedthedevelopment
latter,itwouldseem (althoughheviewedtheprocessas ofaferalherdovertenyears,hemaintainedthathehadno
rapid) forhe immediatelywentontodiscusstheearly actualfiguresforkid-rearingpercentagesinwildgoats,and
breedingseasonoftheferalgoat.Theearlybreedingseason alsomadecommentsonthebehaviourofferalgoats,based
wasa“finemeshsieve”thatpreservedonlythosekidsthat ontheAnTeallachgroup,thatwereinaccurate(herdsare
weremostsuitedtothe(weather)conditions. Whatwe patriarchallyled;malesremainwiththefemalesthroughout
have,therefore,istheassumptionthatwhengoatstockgoes theyear;yearlingbucks remainontheoutskirtsofthe
feral,theadverseweatherconditionsduringearlykidding group; herd composition is one buckand halfadozen
result in only those kids best suited to live in such nannies).
conditionssurviving;andthatsuchkidsarepresupposedto
haveametabolismthatmnstolongerhairandlongerhorns SummarizingDarling’stheoryonreversiontowildtype,it
thanistheusualstandardforboththosekidsthattendto isclearthatitwasbasedonlimitedobservation,andthatat
survivetoweaningandthosethatdon’t.Darlingdidnot,of bestitsinterpretationisthatalreadylong-hairedandlong-
course,discusstheissuesaroundtheheritabilityofallthis, homeddomesticgoats,ofwhathecalledthewildtypebut
whichistosaywhycharacteristicsthatdeveloponlyin indomestication,mightdevelopcoatsandhornsthatare
laterlifehavesuchanimpactonsurvivalatthekidstageof longerstilliftheyareallowedtogoferal.
development. Hiscasewouldappeartorestonwhetheror
nottheAnTeallachgrouphadbeeninexistenceforlong MovingontothewayinwhichDarling’stheoryhasbeen
enough fornatural selectionto haveweeded outthose interpreted,ithasmostlybeentakentomeanthatifgoatsof
adultsthatwerelesssuitedtolifeonthebleakandexposed anybreedortype,oramixtureofanybreedsortypes,are
mountain top, i.e. those with thinner coats and less allowed to go feral, then theywill rapidly revert to a
cashmere,allowingthosemostsuitedtotheconditionsto uniformandrecognisabletypewhichislong-coatedand
passontheirmoresuitedcoatstosubsequentgenerations. longer-homed.Oftenthisisstatedinderogatoryterms,for
example “little,course-hornedandhairy”,andpedigree
Unfortunately,Darlinghimselfnevermadethiscase,and goatbreedershavetendedtointerpretthetermreversion,in
made no attemptto explain how orwhythe inherited thiscontext, astheirfinepedigree stockrevertingto a
potentialtodeveloplongerhairandhornswouldhavesuch uselessandnon-pedigreescrubtypeofgoatalmostassoon
amarkedeffectonwhetherornotagoatsurvivedthefirst astherefinementsandblessingsofHerdBookstatusand
fewdaysofitslife. Mostcertainlyitisthecasethata regular supplements are denied them. Indeed, it was
shorthaired goat may well develop a six-inch coat in reportedrecentlythatferalgoats“arejustmongrels...that
adverseweatherconditions,butthefoundationstockofthe arekiddingatayearoldand,nodoubt,carryingaworm
AnTeallachgroupwerealreadylong-hairedatthetimeof burden and often fluke as well” (Whiteside, 1998).
theirliberation,andevenhadtheynotbeen,theincreasein Obviously,ifDarling’stheoryhadbeendemonstrablefrom
44
theevidenceheoffered,andamechanismforitsworking twentiethcentury,filteringoutintoferalgoatpopulations
convincinglypresented,thenacasewouldhavebeenmade fromthe1920’sonwards.Apopulationofrankantiquity,
for believing that “reversion to wild type” adequately sayonewithapedigreeinexcessof150years,mighthave
explainedwhyferal goatstendedtohaveapredictable hadsomeintrogressionwithdomesticstock80yearsago,
phenotype,andtherewouldbenoneedtolookbeyonda thepresenceoftasselsinthiscasebeingnoindicationofa
potpouriofdomesticescapesofmoderntypetoexplain ‘recentorigin’.
theirorigins.Asitstands.Darlingwasunabletodothis,
andhistheorywasrefutedaslongagoasthelate1960’s Lastly,tasselsareasimpledominant,sothatitspresencein
(Werner,1967;Greig,1970),althoughthishasnotstopped a feral population may be outofall proportionto the
innumerablewritersandresearchersalludingtoitasan amount of introgression that has occurred, i.e. the
assumedfactintheinterveningthirty-oddyears. introduction ofonly one billy ofModern type into an
establishedpopulationmighthaveleftagreaterlegacyof
Lastly,littlethoughtseemstohavebeengiventothefact tasselleddescendantsthatanyothercharacteristic.
thatferalgoatsarenotuniversallylonghaired,thestandard InthecaseoftheInversnaidgoats,tasselsmaybepresent,
varyingbetweenroughandthick-coatedtolonghairinthe buttheoverallcharacteristicsoftheanimalswouldindicate
femalesandlonghairinthemales.Whatmarksaferalgoat thattheyoriginatedfromOldBritishstockwithalater,but
oftheOldBritishtypeoutfromthemodembreeds,bethey minor,influenceofgoatstockofanimprovedtype. Inthis
the ferals oftoday orthe now extinct domesticants of case,therefore,thepresenceoftasselsonlyservetoconfirm
yesteryear,isthetypeandtextureofthecoat.Notonlydoes whatisotherwiseknown,andoffernoevidenceastoa
itappeardifferentvisually,butalsoisnotablydifferent recentoriginforthepopulation.
whenhandled.Therefore,hadDarling’shypothesisbeen
viable, feral goat populations would have universally GENERALCONCLUSIONS
comprisedlonghairedanimals.
ItisquitelikelythatferalgoatshaveoccurredintheLoch
NecktasselsarepresentonsomeInversnaidanimals,and Lomondsideareasincethefourteenthcentury,andthereis
manyconsiderthisfeaturetobeindicativeofmorerecent no reasontobelievethattheywerenottoleratedthere
feralgoatpopulations. between the seventeenth century and the 1920’s. A
continuoushistoryisthereforelikely.
Tasselsare generallyassociatedwith the Swiss breeds,
includingtheirBritishderivatives-BritishSaanen,British Giventhehistoricalevidence,thepresentstockwouldhave
AlpineandBritishToggenburg.Itisthereforequiteusualto originatedduringaperiodwhenonlytheOldBritishbreed
considerthepresenceoftasselledgoatsinaferalpopulation wasknownintheStirlingarea,andearlierdescriptionsand
tobeagoodindicator,usuallyrecent,ofintrogressionwith trophy hunted heads confirm this. Also, goats seen at
domesticstockofimprovedModemtype.Thesituationisa InversnaidconformedtothebasicbreedtypeoftheOld
littlemorecomplexthanthis,however. Britishgoat.
ThereissomeindicationthatourOldBritishstockwas ItisknownthatgoatsoftheModemtypewereintroduced
tasselled,albeitrarely. Greig(1970)dealtwiththematter intotheferalpopulationsofLochLomondsideatvarious
oftasselsinsomedetail,concludingthatthereferencesto timesduringthelastcentury,and,onceagain,thereare
tasselsinEnglishpublicationswerebasedontranslationsof indicationsofsomeintrogressionintheInversnaidstock.
Continental works, where tasselled goats are notat all
uncommon.Whilstthisiscertainlytrue,thepresentwriter MuchreliancehasbeenplacedonDarling’stheorythat
hascomeacrossapaintingintheMuseumofCanterburyby goatswillreverttoawildtypeinaveryshortspaceoftime,
ThomasCooper,thefamousKentartistwhospecializedin whichhasbeenfoundtobeerroneous, andthatpelage
sketchingandpaintinglivestock,thatshowsaWelshferal patterning is ofno use in determining the origin and
herdontherun.Thedatingisthe 1840’s,andwhilstthe antiquityofferalherds.Thishasconfusedtheissue,andled
goatsthemselvesarefaithfulrepresentationsoftheOld totheconclusionthatitisimpossibletodeterminefrom
Welshgoat,afemaleistasselled.TheideathattheOld whattypeofgoatthepresentLochLomondsidepopulation
British goat could be tasselled cannot therefore be originates,andhowlongithasbeenthere.Astudyofthe
dismissed. breedtypeandcolourpatternsoftheInversnaidgoatsin
particular, however, hasbeenhelpful inconfirmingthe
Whatshouldbetakennoteof,evenso,isthatageneral accuracyofthehistoricalaccountandlinkingthiswiththe
studyofnearly1000feralgoatstodatehasindicatedthat presentgoatpopulation.Consequently,theInversnaidgoats
tasselsareuniversallyabsentinpopulationsinwhichthere inparticulararelivinghistory,andavaluablegenebankin
isnoindicationofintrogression,whilsttasselsarepresent termsofpreservingaremnantoftheOldBritishBreedof
in some populations that show other indicators of goat.
introgressionwithModemgoatstock.Thiswouldsuggest
that tassels are likely to be a general indicator of
introgressioninthesurvivingferalpopulationsofScotland.
Thatthepresenceoftasselsisalsoagoodindicatorofthe
recentoriginofapopulationisalsoopentoquestion.Itis
unlikelythatgoatsofModerntypehadtheopportunityto
entertheScottishgoatstockgenepoolpriortotheearly
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