GAME NOTES AND FOLK-LORE. 205 



was passable — could anyone drive through 

 it? His reply was dubious ; he said, 'The 

 ruts be up to the nuts of a leary putt, an' 

 it would take a good plough to draaw'n 

 through.' Translated it runs : 'The ruts are 

 up to the nuts, or axle, of an empty cart, 

 and it would take a good team to draw it 

 through.' A lane in which the ruts were so 

 deep that an empty and, therefore, a light 

 cart sank to the axle, was not altogether 

 passable. 



Since the schoolmaster has been abroad 

 in Somerset it is observed that the ' h ' 

 has been dropped altogether. Previous to 

 the spread of education the people were 

 remarkable for aspirating the ' h ' properly ; 

 since they have been to school they have 

 lost that letter. Ancient modes of expres- 

 sion, provincial words, and pronunciation 

 are said to linger most among certain 

 of the older farmers, too independent of 

 purse and mind to change their speech 

 to please the present generation. Curious 



