194 WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



The Alpine hare lopes over the summit of hills, 

 few of which rise above the heather zone. It was 

 on Dr. John Brown's Minch Moor, a dark, weird, and 

 shadowy hill behind the village of Traquair, that 

 I first noticed 'its characteristic, leisurely fashion 

 of moving on ahead of the intruder. Equally 

 familiar are the mountain fox, and the stoat. 



The otter is on the Tweed ; but, it has always 

 seemed to me that the artistic connection between 

 this creature, and its surroundings, which make 

 them part of one picture, is wanting. The stream 

 lacks boulder-fretted stretches, sudden deep pools, 

 rocky banks ; and is altogether too placid. There 

 is something in a background, for such an interest- 

 ing and distinctive creature. The natural home of 

 the otter is the south of Scotland ; and the paradise 

 of the otter - hunter, is the Dumfriesshire Nith. 

 Hunting, over the greater part of the Tweed, would 

 be out of keeping. The noise would jar on the 

 peace of that mainly unechoing valley. 



The case is different with the heron, whose 

 motionless figure is seldom absent from the burns 

 of the lonely side glens ; and presents one of those 

 startling pictures, with which Nature surprises the 

 wanderer. 



If there is any tendency to preserving, it is on 



