STONEHAVEN TO CORTACHY. 215 



passed with due reverence the statue of brave, old 

 Joey Hume in the "canny" heart of his native town, 

 and made our way over the chain bridge towards the 

 valley of Southesk, and down on the heavy clays of 

 Old Montrose by the little ivied church of Maryton. 

 We had not seen such land since we bade farewell to 

 the early districts near Alves. The Howe of Kinnaird, 

 as it is sometimes called, begins at Montrose, and 

 extends six miles by three to Brechin, and joins the 

 Howe of Mearns just about the point where the latter 

 melts away into Strathmore. The whole valley be- 

 longs to the Earl of Southesk, and his castle of Kin- 

 naird holds a wooded eminence in the very heart of 

 it. Those pinnacles mark the only poll herd in the 

 valley, and, in fact, there are nothing but Shorthorn 

 crosses nearly all the way to Arbroath. 



The Earl of Southesk's factor, Mr. Charles Lyall of 

 Old Montrose, Mr. Goodlet of Bolshan, and Mr. 

 Swan of Inverpeffer, are almost the only sheep- 

 breeders in this district. Mr. Lyall once divided 

 his allegiance between Leicesters and Southdowns, 

 but he has now given up " the copperheads," and 

 retains a flock of Leicester ewes, principally of 

 Cockburn of Sisterpath blood with an infusion of 

 Sand ay. Mr. Goodlet has a flock of half-bred ewes, 

 to which he has latterly been using the Kelso tups. 

 Three-fourths bred, half-bred, and grey-faced "mule" 

 lambs are all at high pressure on cut turnips, cake, 

 and grain during the winter. Some black-faced 

 wedders are also busy among the turnips in the 



