As Bob Dragon was in himself superlatively ugly, so was he also in a marvellous degree an admirer of beauty in the persons of Eve’s fair daughters, as they walked the streets of Glasgow in his day. His chief, if not his sole amusement, was to perambulate the then two chief thoroughfares of the city, Trongate and Argyle Street, and to follow every good-looking personage of the gentler and fairer sex who took his fancy in the course of his strolls; but if, in the course of his pursuit or shadowing, another whom he deemed fairer crossed his path, he would turn right about face and follow after the new object of attraction.

This extraordinary feature of his character was as well known to the general community of Glasgow as the strange features of his ugly visage; and to observe his wild goose chase movements was a source of no small amusement to any chance spectators. As a rule he kept at a respectable and respectful distance from his ruling stars, who might be gentle or simple, high or low, rich or poor, ladies, servant maids, or factory girls; many or most of whom were well aware that Bob Dragon followed in their wake, but like sensible girls, took it quite good-humouredly, as a good joke or perhaps even regarded it as a marked compliment made to their superior attractive power, at least in the case of those whom he continued to follow until they got housed.