324 NETHER LOCHABER. 



of its treasure of eggs or callow young ; but as a rule a bird sings 

 from pure joyousness of heart and exhilaration of spirits. When a 

 mouse " sings " it is owing to a laryngeal disease, a sort of fungoid 

 growth in the throat, which obstructs the breathing, causing the 

 animal to emit the notes which have been foolishly called " singing," 

 and which, the clearer and more bird-like they become, only in 

 truth indicate the more advanced stages of a malady which in- 

 variably ends in death. Our attention was first directed to this 

 matter by a distinguished comparative anatomist, the late Professor 

 John Eeid of St. Andrews, whose curiosity as a naturalist was 

 unbounded, only equalled by the untiring patience and care and 

 caution with which, step by step, he wrought out his conclusions. 

 It is difficult to describe the " singing " of a mouse thus affected to 

 those who have not heard it for themselves. It may be said to be 

 in the main a half-whistle half-wheeze, now and again interrupted 

 by some rapid clicking notes of a somewhat metallic ring, as if a 

 small bit of stick was being smartly and rapidly, but very lightly, 

 struck on the very extremity of the treble string of a guitar or 

 violin. Our " singing mouse," in whom, poor thing, we were all 

 much interested, has not been heard for a night or two ; it has 

 probably gone the way all mice, as well as men, must go when 

 respiration becomes impossible. 



An amusing paragraph is at present going the round of the 

 papers about a farmer who, having ordered a hogshead of nitrate of 

 soda for agricultural purposes, got hold somehow of a hogshead of 

 sugar instead, which latter, in ignorance of its quality, he sowed 

 broadcast over his land. Now, at length aware of the mistake, he 

 is said to be waiting and watching with much curiosity as to how 

 the saccharine crystals turn out as fertilisers. The story, which 

 may be true enough, reminds us of an amusing mistake of. a some- 

 what similar nature into which one of the crofters in our neighbour- 

 hood very innocently fell some years ago. He had attended the 



