280 The Naturalist of Citmbrae. 



They die when they're exposed to air 

 They canna thole the atmosphere 

 But her ! expose her ony where 

 She lives for her annuity. 



"The Bible says the age o' man 



Threescore and ten perchance may be ; 



She's ninety-four let them who can 

 Explain the incongruity. 



She should hae lived afore the flood 



She's come o' patriarchal blood 



She's some old Pagan mummified 

 Alive for her annuity. 



" The water drap wears out the rock 



As this eternal jaud wears me ; 

 I could withstand the single shock, 



But not the continuity. 

 It's pay me here an' pay me there, 

 An' pay me, pay me, evermair 

 I'll gang demented wi' despair 



I'm charged for her annuity." 



That Robertson's activity was not for long inter- 

 rupted by his accident will be seen from the following 

 letter to Brady, which is worth quoting also as an 

 indication of his scientific caution. 



" November 4, 1872. 



" DEAR BRADY, 



" We have got home all right. As I wrote 

 you last of our intention of going to Tenally brick- 

 work, we went, and had a dry day, but very windy 

 and cold. We reached the works in good time, but 

 found little appearance in the clay of fossils of any 

 kind, nothing more than a few very small fragments 

 of shell. However, there may be more of the smaller 

 forms, and to make that chance as favourable as 



