Xli PREFACE TO THE 



deer, and sundry matters, which I wished to authenticate 

 from the best authority. 



A word or two I should add about the language I have 

 put into the mouths of the hillmen. It is neither the 

 Highland nor Lowland dialect, but such, I believe, as is 

 spoken in Perthshire. The English, which the natives of 

 this country have, is daily improving by their intercourse 

 with sportsmen and their followers from the South, and 

 they now intermix their sentences with many words spoken 

 as correctly as they are in any part of England. 



The superstitions and traditions which form some portion 

 of the following pages, being current in the country, have 

 probably found their way into other publications ; of this 

 I know nothing it may or may not be so I can only 

 say that I had them from the best authorities, and from 

 the fountain-head. It has come, however, to my knowledge, 

 since I have sent these pages to the press, that the trial of 

 Duncan Terig has been mentioned in Sir W. Scott's De- 

 monology. Had I known this before, I should not perhaps 

 have dwelt so long upon the story, interesting as it is. 



As to the graphic illustrations of the sport, I am happy 

 to say that I have had the benefit of the talents of three 

 most eminent gentlemen of the same family ; the frontispiece 

 and vignette are from the celebrated hand of Mr. Edwin 

 Landseer; and have been engraved by his brother Mr. 

 Thomas Landseer, with that mastery which has made his 

 name so eminent. The figures and animals in the litho- 

 graphs are, with one exception only, drawn by Mr. Charles 

 Landseer, author of " The Parting Benediction," and other 

 well-known splendid works. The exception is the plate 

 which represents the " Looking for a Wounded Deer," and 



