284 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



manufactured a rough kind of stuff called " clooty carpet," 

 which consists of narrow pieces of cloth, or " clouts " woven 

 together. It is a material common in Scotch cottages, and 

 a thrifty means of using up, when washed, the remainders 

 of cloth and old garments useless for anything else. , 



He was a good judge of cloth, took a pride in doing 

 good work himself, and liked to see it produced by others. 

 Poor workmanship in weaving, as in all other things, he 

 could not tolerate, and he expressed his criticisms of such 

 in a dry, forcible and sometimes humorous way. Once, 

 when shown a web of homespun in which he detected 

 several faults, he remarked, " The makker o' that claith had 

 a sair wame," * meaning that he had not been able to move 

 the treddles to good purpose. 



It was his regular practice to carry home the cloth when 

 woven, however far its destination. The necessary walk was 

 wisely used by him as an alterative to his too sedentary 

 life, and a means of prosecuting his favourite study. With 

 this aim, he generally varied the track he took to and 

 from a place, in order to see more of the country. He 

 might often be observed, in his uncommon attire, moving 

 at his usual rapid pace, in the early hours of the morning 

 before most folks were astir even in these early-rising 

 districts. His well-known form, with the web under his 

 arm, stick in hand and tall hat or broad bonnet stuck on 

 behind, was easily observed from afar and raised the usual 

 remark, " There goes the Droughsburn weyver, early afit as 

 uswal ! " In addition to the small payment for the weaving 

 for, as Mr. McCombie said, it was " the worst remune- 

 rated of country handicrafts " he expected to be kindly 



* The belly, another form of the word womb. 



