LOCH CRERAN. 



to the warning call of the alarmed mammas, and skip 

 with ungainly haste out of danger. Nothing of the sort, 

 of course ; for what mother will not seek to follow the 

 reckless and frivolous children that delude them so play- 

 fully, and so the frantic parents follow the little brats on 

 to the line, to the deep regret of all concerned. The 

 ewes won't go of their own accord, for they know the 

 danger and are aware of the difficulty, but nothing will 

 keep them out from their youngsters. The question is 

 whether the season of comparative freedom from accidents 

 of this class is the result of education, so that the flocks 

 have acquired a real knowledge ; or is merely a sort of 

 settling down and general sobriety, so frequently the 

 result of a routine existence, and aided as it would be by 

 the early discovery that the game was not worth the 

 candle. At present the ground that is best worth feed- 

 ing on is exceedingly dirty with the regular winter's stock, 

 and it is not to be wondered at that the returning hoggs 

 are willing to risk a good deal in order to " better their 

 position in life." 



Whether is a hare or a rabbit the most intelligent ? is 

 one of those questions readily asked, and as a general 

 rule most difficult to answer. Yet we think we have 

 obtained some data that will help towards a solution of 

 this query, and at any rate they are still more interesting 

 simply as facts. Unlike the sheep, that seem to gain a 

 kind of acquaintance with the trains, the hares are always 

 more or less getting in the way, and don't seem to have 

 their wits about them sufficiently to enable them to get 

 out of it. In the early morning, along the line, dead 

 hares are by no means uncommon, and in certain quarters 

 are numerous occasionally. This is quite what one 

 would expect from a hare. It looks by no means bright 



