INVERNESS-SHIRE. 15: 



women, dressed in green, milking the hinds, one of 

 whom had a hank of green worsted thrown over her 

 shoulder, at which, while she was milking, the hind 

 made a grab and swallowed it. The fairy in a rage 

 struck the hind with the leather band which she had 

 been using to tie its hind legs during the milking, 

 calling out at the same time : "May a dart from 

 Murdoch's quiver pierce your side before night." 

 Now Murdoch was no other than the silent witness of 

 this scene, and, fearing to be detected, he turned the 

 other way and departed to seek venison elsewhere. 

 Later on in the same day he killed a hind, in which, 

 when he gralloched her, he found the identical hank 

 he had seen the deer swallow in the morning. On 

 another occasion this same Murdoch, who appears to 

 have been somewhat favoured by the fairies, had got 

 within shot of a hind on the Doune Hill, and as he took 

 aim he saw it was a young woman, and not a hind, 

 that stood before him. He at once lowered his 

 weapon, when immediately the thing was once more 

 a deer, and this happened several times. When, how- 



