364 FIELD AND FERN. 



ours in Aberdeenshire bred and tried sixteen of 

 the sort, and only three of them would face a 

 polecat. 



Still., they are superior to the long-haired curs 

 which are reared by the poor people round Portree and 

 Broadford, to supply the wants of tourists and others, 

 who expect they are buying pure Skyes, and only get 

 pretty toy-dogs. The true Skye is a long-backed, 

 short-legged dog, with wiry hair, ears generally droop- 

 ing at the point, and weighing about IGlbs. The or- 

 thodox colour is dark grey, and the breed is rarefy 

 to be got except from some of the gentlemen of the 

 county. They are dogs of extraordinary pluck, and 

 will "go straight at" an otter, wild-cat, or fox, after 

 tracking them into their deepest dens among the 

 rocks and cairns. They will bear an immense 

 amount of punishment, and not unfrequently never 

 live to come back when they have tackled something 

 quite above their weight. 



Crows, ravens, and wood -pigeons live in the rock 

 clefts, and have, on the whole, rather a harassed time 

 of it ; and so have the golden-yellow fishing eagles. 

 The deer keep to the Coolin hills and forests ; a few 

 pheasants flourish at Armadale and Dunvegan; 

 grouse disease is unknown, and hares never turn 

 white. The most extraordinary, and in fact the only, 

 hunt we saw was on a Sunday. The sheep dogs were 

 all lying at their masters' feet, while the clergyman 

 delivered a sermon in Erse, of which we only under- 

 stood the " Armen." Bacon is rarely eaten in these 



