MEMOIR. 23 



residence for a naturalist and sportsman like St John. It was 

 there he filled the bag of various game for me which he describes 

 in "Wild Sports" (p. 27*7), and which he announced to me 

 almost in the same terms in a letter I have still preserved. It 

 was from Invererne at a later time he wrote to me " I can 

 soon make out a chapter for every month of the year, in the 

 shape of letter or journal, so as to form a volume," an intention 

 which he partially carried out under the title of " Field Notes of 

 a Naturalist," and the materials for which, on a more complete 

 scale, are comprised in " Sport in Moray." 



It was at Invererne that he first took into his service old 

 Eennie as a keeper, who figures in his books arid notes as 

 " Donald." Some of the qualities he ascribes to Donald are 

 imaginary, or belonged to some predecessor of Rennie, perhaps a 

 Sutherland Highlander. But the old man has some of " Donald's" 

 characteristics strongly developed. To shoot flying was not much 

 in his way ; his master could do that pretty well for himself. 

 He was no dog-breaker either. I fear he preferred a dog who 

 could help to kill as well as find game. But he had some 

 countervailing merits in his master's eyes. He was well ac- 

 quainted with the habits of wildfowl, and could take you up to 

 swans or wild-geese when the ground seemed impossible. The 

 otters were his own children ; he could tell you their outgoings 

 and incomings as if by intuition. Then he was patient of cold 

 and wet, and fatigue, and long watching, and was a most useful 

 slave, if not a director of sport. He has fallen into evil days 

 since his master's death. He has only occasional employment, 

 and is apt sometimes to forget a march in pursuit of some 

 favourite chase. 1 am sure the gentlemen of Moray will not be 

 too severe on the peccadilloes of St John's old " Donald." 



I think it was at Whitsunday 1847 that St John moved 

 his household to a little villa beside Nairn, where he had the 

 advantage again of friendly neighbours on both sides. It was from 

 that abode that he became so well acquainted with the mosses 

 and lochs about Lochlee,^ where Harry shot his first wild goose. 



* [Loch Loy on the maps. ED.] 



