118 FIELD AND FSRN. 



food destroyed. They fix on a part of a wheat-field 

 where the grain inclines to one side ; they trample it 

 flat, and beat out the corn with their strong wings, 

 and leave nothing but broken and blackened straw." 



The rook he considers to be " quite an agricultural 

 sainV^ by the side of the wood-pigeon, and thus 

 points out the extenuating circumstances in favour of 

 " the gentleman in black," whom the Ettrick Shep- 

 herd defended in mole shape ; " The rooks, while 

 following the plough, may, indeed, by some rare 

 chance pick up a stray grub, but they are there for 

 the purpose of feeding tipon the earthworm, one of 

 the best, if humblest, auxiliary cultivators we have ; 

 while the presence of crows among the turnip-fields 

 in early summer indicates the existence of grub; 

 they are then never disturbed, as their operations are 

 wholly for good." 



The East-Lothian men, more especially those 

 who farmed near the sea, were once very fond of 

 using the Southdown tup, and selling early lamb. 

 Then the Irish lamb competition was so strong in 

 the Edinburgh market, that hogging seemed likely 

 to pay best. Gradually the inferior quality of the 

 Irish lamb has told against it, and some breeders are 

 again resorting to the Southdown and half-bred cross. 

 Mr. Peter M'Clagan^s recent success with Southdown- 

 Dorset iambs, which were dropped in December and 

 sold well in January, one of them as high as 54s. for 

 501b. live weight, is making the Dorset ewe fashion- 

 able, and Mr. Skirving, among others,has boughtsomCc 



