I90 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



mother pines and dies. No Trow nnarries twice — 

 in that respect they are far in advance of the race 

 from whom they take their brides, so that their period 

 of matrimonial felicity is very brief. It seems a 

 wise arrangement that there should never be more 

 than one son to inherit the questionable character 

 of a Trow. Were it otherwise, men might fear that 

 the race would become too numerous and powerful 

 On the other hand, to provide against its extinction, 

 no Trow can die until his son is grown up. Some 

 philosophers of this species have tried to live a bachelor 

 life under the pleasing impression that thus they might 

 become immortal ; but the wise law of this wise people 

 has a statute to meet even such an emergency as that. 

 The Trow who postpones matrimony beyond reasonable 

 limits is outlawed until he brings to Trowland an 

 earthly bride. The horrors of such a position must 

 be worse than death, for seldom has a Trow been 

 known to brave all consequences and become an 

 outcast from his nation. I was told of one who, 

 rebellious and impenitent, took up his abode in a 

 ruined Broch, and for centuries was the terror of every 

 one in the island. The only food he used was earth, 

 which he formed into perfect models of fish, birds, 

 cattle, children, and then gobbled them up with 

 seeming relish. For a long time it was believed that 

 these models were real creatures done hrown, but some 

 one was lucky enough to discover the truth, and after 

 that the fear of the Trow began to abate. He seems 

 to have tired of his solitary life to a certain degree, 



