254 WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



whins; and the redbreasts, and sweet twitter of 

 pleasant inhabitants. Before the yellow crow- 

 foot bloomed, or the blue sea-side butterflies were 

 abroad, it was delightful, beyond expression, to look 

 over the mass of colour, and listen to the merry 

 sounds of the nesting season. 



O 



A craze, and even a very legitimate thing, when 

 carried to excess, becomes a craze, spares nothing. 

 The, whins are burned, the linties are banished. 

 We do not object to sport; we rather like the 

 sunny side of life. A day on the bents helps to 

 keep the spirit young. He who never relaxes is 

 not only a dull man, but an uninteresting com- 

 panion. But we like a little fair play between 

 man and the inferior creatures ; and, moreover, 

 we think that the sunshine of life includes the 

 glow of the bush, and the song of the bird, as 

 well as the flight of the ball. 



To the early players, golf was little apart from 

 its surroundings. It meant getting away from the 

 hard streets, and the smoky atmosphere of the 

 town, to the springy turf, the fresh breezes, and 

 the blue sea and sky. Among other things, it 

 meant losing one's ball among the whins, and 

 pausing for a moment in the search to listen to 

 the lark, or lintie. It was a joyous game then. 



