ECHOES OF THE CHASE 49 



to which again was fastened a rope of the same 

 material, bearing at its other end a clog of oak timber 

 perhaps 22 inches long, and 4 inches broad, with the 

 bark still adhering to it. Such was the fashion of 

 this instrument, and it was set as follows : a round 

 hole was dug in the ground, about ij ft. deep, 

 equal in diameter at the top to the crown of the 

 " Podostrabe,"and gradually narrowing below ; another 

 hole was made for the clog, and a channel for the 

 rope. The circular part of the snare was then placed 

 in the round hole, and the clog and rope in their 

 respective places, and all was covered over with 

 leaves and earth.' When a stag, trotting through his 

 favourite pass, put one of his feet into the snare, his 

 struggles to get away soon liberated the trap from the 

 earth. The unfortunate animal was therefore obliged 

 to drag the log of wood after him. His efforts to 

 escape from the staghounds were thus cruelly handi- 

 capped. Whether the Celt employed any such 

 primitive strategy in the chase of our Highland deer 

 is unknown to me. Messrs. Buckley and Harvie 

 Brown tell us that deer were driven into enclosures 

 in Sutherlandshire, and the custom may have been 

 recognised in other districts : * On the top of the 

 Little Ben Griam is still to be seen the remains of 

 an old stone dyke, and one wonders what could be 



