HEATHER BURNING. 



time between the nth and 25th day of April in any 

 year, without incurring any of the penalties before 

 mentioned." 



The Scottish Act of James I., Parliament I., Cap. 

 20, sets forth that "no man may make muirburn after 

 the first of March till all the corns be shorn, under the 

 pain of fourty shillings to the lord of the land of the 

 manor, or fourty days' imprisonment." 



In England muirburn is a felony and is punished 

 by imprisonment for three years or less. 



Heather burning is often a bone of contention 

 between shepherds and gamekeepers; the former are 

 sometimes reckless in setting fire to a hillside, not 

 caring how far the flames may extend. The Heather 

 continues burning at times for weeks, being only ex- 

 tinguished by a friendly deluge of rain. In this man- 

 ner much damage is done, particularly to tracts of 

 grouse moor, the destruction often extending to adja- 

 cent woods and cornfields. 



William Black, in his "White Heather," touches 

 on the relation existing between the shepherds and 

 gamekeepers in this connection. He says : "She 

 (Meenie Douglas) knew quite well for often had 

 she heard it spoken of that no one could get on so 

 well as Ronald with the shepherds at the time of the 

 Heather burning; when on the other moors the shep- 

 herds and keepers were growling and quarreling like 

 rival leashes of collies, on Lord Ainline's ground 

 everything was peace and quietness and good humor." 



He who at a distance has witnessed the weird yet 

 beautiful spectacle resulting from muirburn can never 

 forget it, particularly when viewed as the gloaming 

 113 9 



