6 PREFACE. 



ride through a town, is as nothing; but there were 

 sundry disadvantages connected with this ancient 

 mode of locomotion. It is a weary thing sitting three- 

 quarters of an hour on a corn -box at night, to be 

 sure that the ostler does you justice. Every ferry- 

 boat in the Highlands was fraught with a fresh diffi- 

 culty, and even the master-minds of Meikle Ferry 

 quite thought that they must have sent me many 

 miles round by Bonar Bridge. Every railway- 

 train produced a fresh run-off; and I was lucky if 

 I could put my mare's head in the right direction, so 

 as to get a tliree-hundred-yard gallop to the good. 

 It was equally objectionable having to blindfold her 

 and stuff her ears, and twist her five or six times 

 round, to make her forget which way you wanted 

 to go, when you found a Lanarkshire or Ayrshire 

 blast furnace roaring like a lion in the path, late at 

 night, between yourself and your inn. 



Still, all these were very minor troubles in com- 

 parison with the collection and sifting of book mate- 

 rials. Most Highland places seemed to be spelt in two 

 if not three different ways ; and the Gaelic names of 

 bulls and cows almost drove me to despair, even with 

 the Gaelic dictionary at my elbow. After all my 

 labours, the most that I can lay claim to is to have 

 given a general sketch of Scottish farming from that 

 prize-stock point of view which is being gradually 

 worked out so ably in all its details, not only by those 



