NIM ROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 24; 



crates, by whom he was found in the act of dissecting a dead 

 carcass, is thus recorded to his honour : " Hasc animalia quse 

 vides propterea seco, non Dei opera perosus, sed fellis bilisque 

 naturam requirans." 



I also had half an hour's conversation with Mr. Gray, an 

 eminent veterinary surgeon in Edinburgh, whose judgment, as 

 well as well as that of Mr. Dick, is highly looked up to by sports- 

 men. I am happy to have it in my power to state, that both 

 those gentlemen are strong opponents of the old system of sum- 

 mering hunters abroad ; and Mr. Gray assured me, that not 

 only cases of roaring and broken wind, but confirmed navicular 

 disease, was the common result of a summer's run at grass, ac- 

 counting most satisfactorily for each. I took the liberty of putting 

 the question to him, whether he had known a case of navicular 

 disease in the hinder foot ? which he answered in the negative ; 

 but the why or the wherefore, neither he, nor do I believe any one 

 else, can say. 



I was likewise introduced to Mr. Lowe, agricultural professor 

 in the College of Edinburgh, and attended one of his lectures, 

 having been previously conducted by him through the rooms in 

 which the various models of implements, species of grain and 

 vegetables, are displayed ; and being of Lord Bacon's opinion, 

 that the true end of science is to enrich human life with useful 

 arts and inventions, I considered it a most interesting sight. 

 But I believe I should have described my visit as one to " The 

 Agricultural Museum," which these premises are called, and de- 

 servedly so, for they contain a vast collection of objects, highly 

 interesting to the naturalist, as well as to the practical agricultu- 

 rist. Among the implements were a hay-cutter and an angle har- 

 row the latter especially attracted my notice ; and there was a 

 curious selection of wheats, amongst them the Triticum Hiber- 

 mim, Hunter's, and the Blood-red. Of potatoes, for cattle-feed- 

 ing, there were such as I never before saw, for example, the 

 pink-eyed dairymaid, weighing very nearly five pounds each, 

 with the Irish lumper, and Wellington red, very nearly as big. 



The lecture delivered this day by Professor Lowe, happening 

 to be on the common topics of Scotch agriculture, with which, 

 from the circumstance of my having had a Lothian bailiff four 

 years in my service, when residing in Hampshire, I am very well 

 acquainted, was generally void of interest ; but there was one 

 point discussed by him, which I listened to with much attention, 

 and also with much pleasure. It was on the general bad culture 

 of field-peas the Professor closing his remarks by saying that 

 " unless they were differently cultivated to what they, for the 

 most part, are, even in Scotland, it would be far better not to 



