Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe

UNIVERSITY OF CA RIVERS'DE LlBRAR-V 3 1210 01972 8698 THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE ¥ — — — —— — — ' NETHER LOCHABER: BY Rev. ALEXANDER STEWART, LL.D., "With Beautiful "Woodcut Frontispiece by Whymper. Crown 8uo, Cloth, 10s. 6d. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. ' ' ' Nether Lochaber ' lias been styled a phenomenon in the literary world. No other writer is at all equal to him on his native heath. He has imitators, just as Dickens and Carlyle have imitators, but as one star differeth from another star in glory, so do ' Nether Lochaber's ' imitators. He is the centre sun, and all other Highland naturalists revolve round him. The truth is, that we fail to appreciate the influence and wonderful scope of his knowledge in matters terrestrial and celestial, because we have him amongst us. ' Nether Lochaber ' was the first public writer to popularise science." Oban Times. "We lay 'Nether Lochaber' aside with much reluctance, for a more enjoyable book we have not read for many a day. The delicious breeze of the sea and the heather stirs its every page, and the whole bears the mark of a rare literary grace and elegance." Whitehall lie fit w. " This is a delightful book, worthy to be ranked with White's History of Selbourne, full of accurate yet amusing descriptions of the habits of beasts, birds, and fishes, intermingled with Highland folk-lore, and overflowing with quiet humour." N. B. Mail. "Such a book as 'Nether Lochaber,' by the Rev. Alexander Stewart, belongs to the best class of the lighter literature of natural history—a class in which we have already so many good books. The author has a pleasant knack of mingling observations on the scenery and the productions of the Western Highlands with scraps of folk-lore, popular legends, and sporting reminiscences. There is something for every one, for the naturalist, the historian, the angler, the artist, and the collector of old Highland traditions. A more delightful book for those of kindred tastes than ' Nether Lochaber it is difficult to conceive." The Argus. "From beginning to end it has not a single dreary page." Newcastle W. Chronicle. "To lovers of quaint customs, curious legends, and odd bits of natural history, this book will be welcome, being purely the result of personal observa- tion and close intercourse with the people of the West Highlands, amongst whom the writer has long lived and laboured, written, too, with that entrain with which a busy man throws himself into the favourite occupation of his leisure hours." Spectator. "Ad aperturam libri we see that it is a veritable book, constructed on sound principles, and this means that it is both substantial and beautiful — the kind of book one likes to see in a drawing-room or to give to a friend. The contents ' deserved such excellent setting at the printer's hands, for ' Nether Lochaber is a delightful book." Elgin C'ourant. WILLIAM PATEESOK EDINBUEGH. TWIXT BEN NEVIS AND GLENCOE. ' ' There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep Sea, and music in its roar : I love not Man the less, but Nature more, From these our interviews, in which I steal From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal." Childe Harold's PU<jrlmo,ge. From a Negative by Ramsay, Bridge of Allan. TWIXT BEN NEVIS AND GLENCOE: NATURAL HISTORY, LEGENDS, AND FOLK-LORE OF THE WEST HIGHLANDS. The Rev. ALEXANDER STEWART, LL.D., F.S.A. Scot. AUTHOR OF "NETHER LOCHABER." "•-. EDINBURGH: WILLIAM PATERSON. MDCCCLXXXV. da no EDINBURGH I BURNESS AND COMPANY, PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY. IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF MANY KINDNESSES, THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED The Eev. EOBEBT HEEBEET STOEY, D.D., F.S.A. Scot. ; MINISTER OF ROSENEATH, HIS OBLIGED AND AFFECTIONATE FRIEND THE AUTHOR. — "Author. Grant that I should write with sense and spirit a few scenes, unlaboured and loosely put together, but which had sufficient interest in them to amuse in one corner the pain of body ; in another to relieve anxiety of mind ; in a third place, to unwrmkle a brow bent with the furrows of daily toil; in another, to fill the place of bad thoughts, or to suggest better ; in yet another, to induce an idler to study the history of his country ; in all, save where the perusal interrupted the discharge of serious duties, to furnish harmless amusement,—might not the author of such a work, however inartificially executed, plead for his errors and negligences the excuse of the slave, who, about to be punished for having spread the false report of a victory, saved himself by exclaiming—'Am I to blame, Athenians, who have given you one happy day?'" Cuthbert Clutterbuck (Introductory Epistle to " The Fortunes of Nigel") — — — 9 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. TACK Rats !—Rat Incantations—The Rat in Hamlet—Burns Punch—Pro- batum est Recipe for cure of Abdominal Pain, .... 1 CHAPTER II. Monument to the Great Brae-Lochaber Bard " Ian Lorn "—The Murder • of Keppoch—Montrose—Battle of Inverlochy, . H CHAPTER III. Haymaking—Madame de Sevigne"—Haymaking in 1388— Big Stags- Antlers—Gigantic Cephalopod Krdken of Scandinavian Story, 1 CHAPTER IV. Mild February—Birds in the Love Season—The Starry Heavens- Meteors—Rabies—Its origin—How communicated—Extinction, 26 CHAPTER V. Unfavourable Harvest—Patience and Resignation of Highlanders under adverse circumstances—Tiinny captured at Corran Ferry— Its characteristics —Tunny Steaks, ....... 34 CHAPTER VI. Popular Superstitions—The Water-Bull—His Bridle, ... 39 CHAPTER VII. Winter Solstice—Homer—"A fire when it cheerily blazes"—Bird- Catchers — Their ch aracter — Greenfinch — Crossbill — Chaffinch • • • 46 Blackbirds sent to America, . — 1 — — CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. PAGE The Macdonells of Glengarry— Sale of the Estate— Creagan-an-Fhithich —The last Family Bard— "Blind Allan," . 53 CHAPTER IX. Weather Prophets and Prophecies—Beauty of the West Highlands in early Summer—" Pedometric " Spring Temperature—Story of a Song-Thrush—A mid-May Idyl, 58 CHAPTER X. A Hebridean Correspondent—A Box and its Contents—A Skeleton A rare Cetacean—Delphi mis Delphis—The Sacred Fish of the " 66 Ancients Bee d'Oie or Goose-bill " of the French—Its Food, . CHAPTER XL Ramble among the Hills—Encounter with an aged Parishioner—Song of the Smuggling Times—A version in Herd's Collection—Which is the Original ......... 74 CHAPTER XII. Pets—"Merdo," a pet Billy-Goat—His Habits—Antipathy between Goats and Rats—Goat's Hoof, Horns, &c. .... 82 CHAPTER XIII. Hedgehogs—Frank Buckland—Hedgehog Pets—Hedgehogs combative —Excellent to eat —New Year Festivities—Story of Pyrrhus the Epiret—An Evening with Christopher North— Professor Blackie " " Songs of Religion and Life Sanctc Socrates, ora pro nobis, . 89 CHAPTER XIV. A Wintry March—God made the Country, Man made the Town Spanish Mackerel—An Owl making a mistake—Dog and Hedgehog —Intelligent Collies—Interchange of News, .... 99 CHAPTER XV. Cold Spring—An Arab Proverb—An old " Piobaireachd " — Its Origin and Date—Words attached to —Translation—A strange Charm or Talisman—Paralysis and Palsy proper, . 105 — — CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVI. PAGE Glen Tarbert Lyche-Gate of Church at Strontian — Hedgehog—Contri- bution to the Natural History of, . 113 CHAPTER XVII. Letter from the Hebrides—Curious old Song—Translated into English, 119 CHAPTER XVIII. Sea-Fowl seeking shelter —Coming Storms—A Fieldfare in sad plight Surgical Operation— " Sobieski " wrongously suspected—The Nightingale in Scotland, ........ 124 CHAPTER XIX. Wild-Birds and Meteorological Forecasts— Stewart of Appin and the V Marquis of Tweeddale—A Christening—Miss Knight and Dr. Johnson, ........... 132 CHAPTER XX. Great Grey Shrike—Its Habits— Stormy Petrel—Terrible force of Mountain Squalls, ......... 139 CHAPTER XXI. The Throstle-Cock—Substantial Breakfast— St. Valentine's Day—The Paston Letters—How to lead a Stubborn Pig the way you would have her to go, .......... 147 CHAPTER XXII. Primroses—The Primrose in Gaelic Poetry—Translation— The little Auk or Rotch—Skuas—Then- habits, ...... 157 CHAPTER XXIII. A Crooked Sixpence—A Luckpenny, or Coin of Grace—Popular Super- stition —Weasel-skin Purse— Sealskin Purse—Fresh Herrings amongst the Heather, . 166 — — CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIV. PAGE The Crozier of St. Fillan— Its Gaelic name Cuigrcarh—Etymology and meaning of term—East Indian Hoopoe Upupa Longirostris— Arrival of Cuckoo, ......... 174 CHAPTER XXV. Folk-lore from the Hebrides —An Incantation of Increase—A Confabu- lation in Glencoe—Periphrases as to Death and Dying—A Daughter of Allan Dall, the Bard of Glengarry, . 181 CHAPTER XXVI. A " Slide " on a Frozen Stretch of River in an Upland Glen—Amaze- ment of Black-faced Sheep at the Performance —"Lassie" also astonished — All Quadrupeds have a horror of Ice — Intelligence of " " Lassie —Finds the Cows unaided in a Midnight Storm—Age at which Dogs cease to be useful—Famous Dogs, - . 187 CHAPTER XXVII. Cold January—Pet Days—Rainfall—Highlander's standard in gauging a Fall of Snow—Anecdote of Alasdair Macdonald, the Ardna- murchan Bard— Shoemaking— Shoes sent home unblackened, . 196 CHAPTER XXVIII. Safe from East and Xorth-East Storms under the Lee of Ben Nevis Story of 'a Ballad of the Maritime Highlands—A Fragment Translation, 204 CHAPTER XXIX. Demons of the Dust-Cloud and Spindrift—Gaelic Rhyme—Demons sometimes visible in form of Lambent Flame—Wit-Word Combats . 212 —Meaning of a Gaelic Phrase, . CHAPTER XXX. Splendid Wild-Bird Season—Sea-fowl at Work—Following in the wake of Steamers —Sharpness of Eye, . 217 — —— CONTENTS. xiii CHAPTER XXXI. PAGE Puss-Moth Caterpillar—The Astronomy of Buddhist Priests — Galileo — Chinese Encylopsedia in 5020 Volumes ! ..... 222 CHAPTER XXXII. The Pearl Mussel in Highland Rivers and Streams —Story of a Pearl belonging to Stewart of Appin Byssus of Mya Margaritifera a Specific in Affections of the Eye—Pearls in the Common Mussel Mussel sometimes poisonous, ......

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