12 The Naturalist of Cumbrae. 



farm was small, with no fences on any side, they 

 required constant watching. While our David was a 

 herd boy, he was sure to have an attack every Sunday 

 night of the rush of noises in his head while sleeping, 

 to which, as before mentioned, he was subject. The 

 reason for his having it on that night more con- 

 stantly than on others was perhaps that he had had 

 more food that day and less exercise than usual, but 

 his own boyish reflections led him to regard it as a 

 punishment for some Sunday misconduct. 



One season his master bought a young colt along 

 with the lambs. It was one of the ugliest creatures 

 that could be imagined, but as it improved in con- 

 dition it improved in appearance, though it never 

 became a beauty. David often gave it stalks of corn, 

 and occasionally shared his oat cake with it. He and 

 the colt soon became great friends. In the second 

 season of their companionship, he tried one day to 

 get on its back, but it met this attempt by sitting 

 down on its haunches, and letting him slide off over 

 its tail. However, by coaxing, and by sometimes 

 laying his plaid upon it, and sometimes a little turf 

 in addition to the plaid, he gradually overcame its 

 reluctance to being mounted. 



As the creature, though thin in the body, was long 

 in the legs, it required some advantage of the ground 

 to enable David to gain his seat. Moreover, as there 

 was neither saddle nor bridle, it needed some skill 

 to sit the animal, considering in general the speed at 

 which it ran up hill and down brae, and in particu- 

 lar the quick turns it made when it came to a ditch 

 that it did not venture to leap. When suspicious of 



