A LARGE HEAD. 85 



straw scattered about, when lo ! as its foundation appeared the 

 long missing bonnet de nuit, the incomparable Kilmarnock, with- 

 out a rent or tear, and its colours as bright almost, and its tassel 

 bobbing as coquettishly as when first displayed on the points of 

 the shopman's distended fingers over the counter in the Cowcaddens. 

 There was great rejoicing over the reappearance of the nightcap, 

 which is now again prized as highly and watched over as carefully 

 as if it were the nightcap of Fortunatus ; and the owner, a wag 

 and humorist in a quiet way, as are most of our old Highlanders, 

 has composed a song on the subject (Oran do m' Churrachd-oidhche), 

 which, after some coaxing, we got him to repeat to us some days 

 ago. It pleased us immensely, and made us laugh until our sides 

 were sore. For the benefit of our readers we may dash off a 

 translation of it some evening or other when we are " i' the vein." 



Going to call at Ardgour House one day last week, and taking a 

 short cut through the woods, we came across the keeper just as he 

 had shot a roebuck, the largest we think we ever saw, and with 

 the finest head. The horns were something extraordinary, both as 

 to size and shape, so much so, indeed, that although we have in our 

 day met with many fine ones, we never saw anything for a moment 

 to be compared with these. We have, for instance, a roebuck's 

 head of our own, kindly given us some years ago by Lochiel, the 

 horns on which are allowed to be uncommonly good ones ; but we 

 find that they are nearly two inches shorter in the beam, and less 

 by nearly a whole inch in circumference of root of antler at its 

 junction with the skull than those of the specimen shot in Ardgour 

 on Tuesday. 



