| |
Nether Lochaber
The Natural History, Legends and
Folk-Lore of the West Highlands by Rev. Alexander Stewart FSA Scot,
(1883) |
A Weasal killing a Hare
PREFATORY NOTE
The contents
of this volume made their first appearance in the shape of a series of
papers from "Nether Lochaber" in the Inverness
Courier, a
well-known Northern Journal, long and ably conducted by the late Dr. Robert
Carruthers.
They are now presented to the public in book form, in the hope that they
may meet with a friendly welcome from a still larger constituency than
gave them kindly greeting in their original shape, as from fortnight to
fortnight they appeared.
At one time it was the Author's intention to rewrite and
rearrange all, or almost all, these papers, adding, altering, or
expunging as might be considered best. On second thoughts,
however—second thoughts, besides, approved of by many literary and
scientific friends, in whose judgment and good taste the Author has the
utmost confidence—it was resolved to let them retain very much the form
in which they first attracted attention, in the belief that any good
that could result from a rewriting and reconstructing of them would be
dearly purchased if it interfered, as it was almost certain to
interfere, with their prima
cava directness
of phrase and freshness of local colouring.
In a volume dealing so largely with the Folk-Lore of the
"West Highlands and Hebrides, there are necessarily many Gaelic rhymes
and phrases which at the first blink may tend to startle and repel the
southern reader. These Gaelic quotations, however, the Author has taken
care to translate into fairly equivalent English, so that even in this
regard it is to be hoped the volume may prove equally acceptable to the
Saxon, who is ignorant of the language of the mountains, as to the Celt,
who knows and
loves it as his mother tongue.
Nether
Lochabeb,
June 1883.
Contents
-
Chapter 1
Primroses and Daisies in early March—"The Posie
"—Burns—"The Ancient Mariner"— William Tennant, Author of Anster
Fair—Hebridean Efithaluuium—A
Bard's Blessing—A Translation—Macleod of Berneray.
-
Chapter 2
Autumnal Tints—Solomon and the Queen of Sheba—Series
Sacra—Sortes Virgiliancr— Charles
the First and Lord Falkland—Virgilius the Magician—Thomas of Ercildoune.
-
Chapter 3
An old Gaelic MS.—"The Bewitched Bachelor Unbewitched"—Fairy
Lore—Lacteal Libations on Fairy Knowes.
-
Chapter 4
Transit of Mercury—Improperly called an "Eclipse"
of—November Meteors- Mr. Huggins— Spectrum Analyses of Cometary
Light—Translation of a St. Kilda Song.
-
Chapter 5
Bird Music—The Skylark's Song—Imitation of, by a French
Poet—Alasdair Macdonald—Scott.
-
Chapter 6
Severe Drought—The Drive by Coach from Fort-William to
Kingussie— Breakfast at Moy— Where did Scott find Dominie Sampson's
"Pro-di-gi-ous!"?—Professor Blackie's Poem on Glencoe.
-
Chapter 7
O the Barren, Barren Shore—Brilliant Auroral
Display—Intense Cold—Birds—Glanders — Scribblings on the Back of One
Pound Notes.
-
Chapter 8
A Wet February—Good Time Coming—Sir Walter Scott—Mr. Gladstone—Death
of Sir David Brewster.
-
Chapter 9
Long-Line Fishing—Scarcity of Fish—Their Fecundity—Large
Specimen of the Raia
Chagrinea—The
Wolf-Fish—The Devil-Fish.
-
Chapter 10
Birds—Contest between a Heron and an Eel.
-
Chapter 11
Sea Fishing—Loch and Stream Fishing—"Brindled
Worms"—Rush-Lights—Buckie-Shell Lamps—The Weasel killing a Hare— Killing
a Fallow Deer Fawn.
-
Chapter 12
Extraordinary aspect of the Sun—Sunset from Rokeby—Mr. Glaisher—"Demoiselle"
or Numidian Crane at Deerness—The Snowy Owl in Sutherlandshire—Does
the Fieldfare breed in Scotland?—The Woodcock.
-
Chapter 13
Extraordinary Heat and Drought—Plentifulness of Fungi—Cows
fond of Mushrooms— Shoals of Whales—A rippling Breeze, and a Sail on
Loch Leven.
-
Chapter 14
Herrings—Chimara
Munstrosa— Cure
for Ringworm—Cold Tea Leaves for inflamed and blood-shot Eyes—An old
Incantation for the cure of Sore Eyes—A curious Dirk Sheath— A
Tannery of Human Skins.
-
Chapter 15
The Ring-Dove—A Pet Ring-Dove—Its Death—Shenstone—The Belone
Vulgaris or
Gar-Fish—A Rat and a Kilmarnock Night-Cap—Extraordinary Roebuck's
Head at Ardgour.
-
Chapter 16
The "Annus Mirabilis" of Dryden—1870 a more wonderful
Year in its way than i6£6 — Winter—Number of Killed and Wounded in the
Franco-Prussian War—Battles of Langside, Tippermuir, Cappel—Carrier
Pigeons—The Velocity with which Birds fly.
-
Chapter 17
Signs of a severe Winter—The Little Auk or Auklet—The
Gadwall—Falcons being trained by the Prussians to intercept the
Paris Carrier Pigeons—Balooning—The King of Prussia's Piety—John
Forster—Solar Eclipse of 22d December 1870—The Government and the
Eclipse—Large Solar Spots— Visible to the naked eye—Rev. Dr.
Cumming— November Meteors.
-
Chapter 18
November Rains: 1500 tons per Imperial Acre!—Rainfall
in Skye—An old Gaelic Apologue —The Drover and his Minister—Grand
Stag's Head—Scott as a Poet—Mr. Gladstone and Scott—An old Lullaby
from the Gaelic.
-
Chapter 19
Winter—Auroral Displays in the West Highlands always
indicative of a coming Storm— Corvus
Corax—Wonderful
Ravens—Edgar Allan Poe.
-
Chapter 20
Along the Shore after Birds—An Otter in pursuit of a
Fish—Tame Otter at Bridge of Tilt: Employed in Fishing—His hatred of
all sorts of Birds—"The Otter and Fox," a translation from the
Gaelic.
-
Chapter 21
Storms—An "inch" of Rain—Atfwrina
Presbyter—Lophius Piscaiarius—Mr.
Mortimer Collins' misquotation from the Times.
-
Chapter 22
Aurora Borealis—Unfavourable weather for Birds about
St. Valentine's Day—The Water-Vole in the Rhi—In the Eden in
Fifeshire—In the Black Water, Kinloch Leven—Does it feed on Salmon
Fry and Ova?—The Kingfisher—Character of the Water-Vole—Note about
the Hedgehog.
-
Chapter 23
March—The Story of a Spanish Dollar—The Spanish
Armada—The "Florida"—Faire-Chlaidh,
or Watching of the Graveyard—Molehill Earth for Flowers.
-
Chapter 24
The Beauty of the West Highland Seaboard—Dr. Aiton of
Dolphinton—Dr. Norman Macleod—Specimen of Turtle-Dove (Columba
Tartar)
shot in Ardgour—The belief on the Continent of its value as a
Household Pet—Bechstein—Male Birds dropping Eggs in confinement.
-
Chapter 25
Thunderstorm—Potato Field in Bloom—The Hazel
Tree—Hazel Nuts—Potato Shaws for Cattle—Ferns for Bedding Cattle—Marmion—Scott.
-
Chapter 26
Harvest—Scythe and Sickle v. Reaping
Machines — Potatoes — Garibaldi and Potatoes at Caprera—Fishing—Platessa
Gemmatus, or
Diamond Plaice—Mushrooms—The Poetry of Fairy Rings—Harvest-Home.
-
Chapter 27
The disappearance of the glories of Autumn, and the
advent of Winter—Innovations and Innovators—New Version of the
Scriptures—The Milkmaid
and her Fairy Lover, translated
from the Gaelic.
-
Chapter 28
November Rains: 1500 tons per Imperial Acre!—Rainfall
in Skye—An old Gaelic Apologue —The Drover and his Minister—Grand
Stag's Head—Scott as a Poet—Mr. Gladstone and Scott—An old Lullaby
from the Gaelic.
-
Chapter 29
The Vernal Equinox—Beauty of Loch Leven—Astronomical
Notes—How an old Woman supposed to possess the Evil Eye escaped a
cruel death.
-
Chapter 30
Midges and other Bloodsuckers—The Tsetse of
South Africa—The Abyssinia — Livingstone—Adders and Grass Snakes—Lucan's Pharsalia—Celsus—Legend
of St. John ante
Portam Latmam.
-
Chapter 31
The Leafing of the Oak and Ash—Splendid Stags'
Heads—Edmund Waller—Old Silver-Plate buried for preservation in the
'45—Mimicry in Birds—An accomplished Goldfinch.
-
Chapter 32
Potato Culture—Sensibility of the Potato Shaw to
Weather changes—The Carline Thistle— Burns—The true Carduus
Scotticus—The
old Dog-Rhyme.
-
Chapter 33
A non "Laughing" Summer—Rheumatic Pains—Old Gaelic
Incantation for Cattle Ailments.
-
Chapter 34
Early sowing recommended—Vitality of Superstitions—Capnomancy—Hazel
Nuts : Frequent References to in Gaelic Poetry—How best to get at
the full flavour of a ripe Hazel Nut.
-
Chapter 35
Strength of Insects—Necrophoi-us
Vespillo,
or Burying-Beetle—Foetid smell of—How Willie Grimmond earned an
Honest Penny in Glencoe.
-
Chapter 36
Seaweed as a Fertiliser—Homer, Horace,
Virgil—November Meteors—Gaelic Folk-Lore— A Curfew Prayer—A Bed
Blessing—A Cattle Blessing—Rhyme to be said in driving Cattle to
Pasture—"Luath," Cuchullin's Dog—Notes from the Outer Hebrides.
-
Chapter 37
The Delights of Beltane Tide—Bishop Gawin Douglas—His
Translation of the Æneid— The
Fat of Deer—"Light and Shade" from the Gaelic—Mackworth Praed—Discovery
of an old Flint Manufactory in the Moss of Ballachulish.
-
Chapter 38
Warm showery Summer, disagreeable for the Tourist,
but pastorally and agriculturally favourable —Xiphias
Gladius,
or Sword-Fish, cast ashore during a Midsummer Gale— Garibaldi dining
on Potatoes and Sword-Fish steaks at Caprera—The General's Drink—
Medicinal virtues of an Onion—Nettle Broth—Translation of a New
Zealand Maori Song.
-
Chapter 39
Mountains—The Lochaber Axe, Ancient and Modern.
-
Chapter 40
Sea-Fowl—Weather Prognostics— Goosander (Mergus
Merganser,
Linn.)—Gales of Wind— January Primroses— Lachlan
Gorach,
the Mull "Natural"—A Dancing Rhyme.
-
Chapter 41
Plague of Thistles in Australia and New Zealand—How
to deal with them—Cnicus
Acaulis, Great
Milk Thistle, or Stemless Thistle—Fierce Fight between two Seals,
"Nelson" and "Villeneuve."
-
Chapter 42
Wounds from Stags' Antlers exceedingly dangerous—The
old Fingalian Ballads—Number of Dogs kept for the Chase—Dr. Smith's
"Ancient Lays" of modern manufacture—The Spotted Crake (Crex
Prozana)at
Inverness—Its Habits.
-
Chapter 43
Whelks and Periwinkles—An Ossianic Reading—The
Sea-shore after a Storm The
Rejectamenta
of the Deep—An amusing Story of a
Shore-Searcher—Severity of Winter—Wild-Birds'
Levee—Woodcock—Snipe—Blue Jay.
-
Chapter 44
A "Blessed Thaw" after a Severe Frost—Longevity in
Lochaber— A ready "Saline draught" —A prohatiim
est Recipe
for Catarrh and Colds—Egg-shell Superstition—Curious old Gaelic
Poem.
-
Chapter 45
"Albert," a famous Labrador Dog—As a Water-Dog—His
intelligence—Takes to Sheep-stealing—Death!
-
Chapter 46
An old Fingalian Hero—His keenness of Sight and
sharpness of Ear- Foresters and Keepers —Foxhunters—Donald
MacDonald—His Dogs—Sandy MacArthur the Mole-catcher.
-
Chapter 47
Autumnal Night—Meteors—The Spanish Mackerel—Professor
Blackie's Translations from the Gaelic—The "Translations" of the
Gaelic Society of Inverness.
-
Chapter 48
Crops—Potato Slug—Fern Slug—Brackens: How thoroughly
to extirpate them—The Merlin—Falcon and Tringa.
-
Chapter 49
The Hedgehog an Egg and Bird
Eater?—Bird-catching—"Old Cowie"—Mackenzie— Lanius
Excubitor—The
Butcher-Bird or Shrike—Tea drinking and Sobriety.
-
Chapter 50
Superstition amongst the People—Difficulty of dealing
with it—Examples of Superstitions still prevalent in the
Highlands—Cock-crowing at untimely hours—Itching of the Nose-Ringing
in the Ears—The "Dead-Bell"—Sir Walter Scott—Hogg—Mickle.
-
Chapter 51
Welcome Rain in May—Plague of Mice in Upper
Teviotdale—Arvicola
Agrestis—Field-Mice
in Ardgour—How exterminated—A Singing Mouse—Fanners'
Mistakes—Mackenzie the Bird-Catcher.
-
Chapter 52
Tourist Grumblers; how to deal with them—Sea
Fishing—Superstition about a Gull— Josephus—Story of Mosollam and
the Augur.
-
Chapter 53
Heat in Mid-August—Early Planting and Sowing -
Over-ripening of Crops—Medusse— Stinging Jelly-Fish—The amount of
solid matter in Jelly-Fish.
-
Chapter 54
Approach of Winter—Contentedness of the People—Poets
and Wild-Bird Song—Differences in the Colouring and Markings of
Birds' Eggs—Late Nest-Building—Anecdote of Provost Robertson of
Dingwall, Mr. Gladstone's Grandfather.
-
Chapter 55
Spring—Hood's Parody of Thomson's Invocation—The
excellence of Nettle-Top Soup— Cock-crowing — Birds'-nesting —
Professor Geikie — Curious Story of an old Pipe-Tune.
-
Chapter 56
Rain in Lochaber—An Apple Tree in bloom by
Candle-light—Mackenzie the Bird-Catcher— A Badenoch "Wise Woman"
spitting in a Child's Face to preserve it from the Fairies!
-
Chapter 57
Caught in a Squall on Loch Le\en—Potatoes and
Herrings: How to cook them—A day in Glen Nevis—A visit to Uaimh
Shomhairle,
or Samuel's Cave—The Cave-Men.
-
Chapter 58
Showers in Harvest Time—Magnificent Sunset—Night
sometimes seeming not to descend but to ascend—Death
of M. Leverrier—The Discovery of Neptune—Pigeon cooing at
Midnight—The Owl at Noon—Cage-Birds singing at Night.
-
Chapter 59
October Storms—Cablegram Predictions—Indications of
coming Storms—Geordie Braid, the St. Andrews and Newport
Coach-driver—The Naturalist in Winter—Drowned Hedgehogs: Spines
become soft and gelatinous—Lophius
Piscatorius—Disproportion
between head and body in the Devil-Fish a puzzle—An Itinerant
Fiddler.
-
Chapter 60
A Trip to Glasgow—Kelvin Grove Museum—Highland
Association—A run to Rothesay— Rothesay Aquarium.
-
Chapter 61
Overland from Balluchulish to Oban on a
'Pet
Day' in February—Story of Clack
Ruric— Castle
Stalker: an Old Stronghold of the Stewarts of Appin—James
IV.—Charles II.— Magpies—Dun-Mac-Uisneachan.
-
Chapter 62
Nest-building—Cunningham's Objection to Burns' Song,
"O were my Love yon Lilac fair"— Birds and the Lilac-Tree—Rivalries
of Birds—Birds and the Poets—The Nightingale.
-
Chapter 63
March Dust—Moons of Mars— Planetoids—Occultation of Alpha
Leonis—Zodical Light-Snow
Bunting—Old Gaelic Ballad of "Deirdri:" Its Topography.
Chapter XXXIX
|
|