296 FIELD AND FERN. 



second to Neville for the Malleny St. Leger, lie had 

 fourteen among the 100 in the stake, and eleven of 

 them were left in on the first day. " Leven Water/' 

 says Mr. Nightingale, '''was not nnlike British Lion 

 in his work, a plucky good laster, of great strength 

 and symmetry ; he always ran well, but he never 

 came to England." Many of the Ewing kennel were 

 of Dr. Brown's blood, a well-known Ayrshire cha- 

 racter. His dogs were kept by farmers, who got 

 half their winnings, and some of them were very 

 fast. The Doctor was a big man, with a perpetual 

 scarf round his w hite hat, and an umbrella under his 

 arm, and so nervous that he never looked at a course 

 while his own dog was running. There were few faster 

 than his Chance in Scotland ; and Spot was one of 

 six left in out of 178, when Read's Sultan won the 

 great stake at Southport. He had also Whistler, 

 and a good bitch Cantrip, and place them out 

 where he might, they came in well and fit to run on 

 their trial days near Stewarton. 



Ardrossan lies some seven miles coastwards from 

 Kilwinning. Its beautiful slopes which skirt the 

 coast, where Arran holds its silent watch among the 

 breakers, are dear to all Scottish coursers. The old 

 Club livery was silver-grey with silver buttons, black- 

 velvet waistcoat, dark-blue silk handkerchief, white 

 cords, and Napoleon boots ; and Mr. Borron and a 

 few more are still faithful to these dress traditions of 

 more than forty j'^ears' standing. The meetings are 

 far more for sport than pelf. Every farm on the 



