ABERDEEN TO THE SHETLANDS. 15 



dealer, Mr. Parris, of Kirton Mains, near Edinburgh, 

 brought over as many as two hundred and twenty in 

 two weeks, and four hundred in the course of the sea- 

 son. In 1861, no less than six hundred and sixty- 

 six came South by the steamer, and perhaps fifty 

 more by sailing vessels. Such heavy sales, which 

 were continued in a modified degree for some 

 years, nearly drained the Shetlands of aged ponies ; 

 but as the dealers' purchases have fallen off con- 

 siderably these last two summers, the breed- 

 ers have had a little breathing time. Now, a 

 good horse pony and tc a very extra mare" will ave- 

 rage 7, and mares generally range about 2 below 

 horses. The pit owners do not buy in December, as 

 they are engaged balancing their books, but January 

 and February bring a brisk demand, which dies out 

 with the fires, and revives with them again. 



The Welsh ponies outnumber the Shetland in the 

 Durham collieries, and the Scotch have the lead in 

 the Northumberland, where the present working 

 seams are much thicker, and require larger ponies 

 for ' c putting" purposes, or drawing coals from the 

 "face," to the horse roads. For "putting," the 

 pony height varies with the seam from nine to thir- 

 teen hands; but there are other "ponies" on the 

 main ways fully fifteen hands by the standard. The 

 Scotch ones (which are chiefly bred in Argyleshire, 

 Mull, and Skye, and the western part of Ross- 

 shire) average twelve two, the Iceland twelve, 

 the Welsh eleven, and the Shetland ten. Ponies 



