32 MEMORIAL TRIBUTE 



or by flocks of sea birds of all varieties wandering over 

 a flat sandy shore, with the sea far out on a bright 

 sunny morning, in search of their early meal, or by a 

 grey and yellow wagtail, as seen by him on the banks 

 of the Braid Burn one summer day while walking along 

 its course. " How pretty and pleasantly thou runnest," 

 he writes, " along the sandy margin of the brook. The 

 pattering of thy tiny feet can be heard only by fairy 

 ears ; so light is thy tender frame, which vibrates as if 

 thy joints were too delicate and thy muscles too sensi- 

 tive for thee to fix them for a moment in rest. The 

 gentle breeze, that scarce bends the young grass, curves 

 the long feathers of thy tail, and the sudden blast sweeps 

 thee away quivering and emitting thy shrill notes," etc. 

 It concludes : " It is pleasant to me to gaze upon thee, 

 thou marvellous epitome of mind and matter, so har- 

 moniously organised." The passage is given at length 

 in the latter part of this volume, and it will be seen 

 how lovingly sympathetic it is throughout with the 

 tiny creature, which for the time had completely 

 drawn his affections towards it. 



But every feathered creature, from the most powerful 

 and relentless bird of prey to the smallest and most 

 harmless of the race, attracted his sympathy as he 

 found it in its native habitat and congenial sur- 

 roundings. 



Of the ravens at Loch Tulloch he says : " It is very 

 pleasant to hear the ravens on the crags talking to each 

 other in great variety of accents — one answering the 

 call of another. Poor fellows ! if the glen were mine 



