of sheep fed on it assume a yellower tinge, and also that their fat
is of the same colour. Notwithstanding this, no attempt at scientific
investigation has ever been made. The operations on the line of the Great
North of Scotland Railway, now in progress in the immediate neighbourhood,
may possibly bring something to light. This line passes for many miles
through a country particularly rich in recollections of the "olden
time"--cairns, camps, old chapels, druidical circles, sculptured stones,
&c. and where ancient coins, battle-axes of all the three periods, urns and
elf-arrow heads, Roman armour, &c., have been disinterred by the ordinary
labours of the field. Within a short distance of its route lies the Hill of
Barra, where the famous battle was fought, anno 1308, between the "Bruce"
and the "Comyn;" the Bass at Inverary, the Hill of Benachie, with the
remains of a fortification on its summit, said to have been erected by the
Picts; the field of Harlaw, famed in song, where the battle was fought in
1411, in which Donald of the Isles was defeated. There are many traditional
ballads and stories relating to Benachie and Noth. There is a ballad called
"John O'Benachie" and another, "John O'Rhynie, or Jock O'Noth" and they do
not appear in any collection of ancient ballads I have seen. It is said
that long "before King Robert rang," two giants inhabited these mountains,
and are supposed to be the respective heroes of the two ballads. These two
sons of Anak appear to have lived on pretty friendly terms, and to have
enjoyed a social crack together, each at his own residence, although
distant some ten or twelve miles. These worthies had another amusement,
that of throwing stones at each other; not small pebbles you may believe,
but large boulders. On one occasion, however, there appears to have been a
coolness between them; for one morning, as he of Noth was returning from a
foraging excursion in the district of Buchan, his friend of Benachie, not
relishing what he considered an intrusion on his legitimate beat, took up a
large stone and threw at him as he was passing. Noth, on hearing it
rebounding, coolly turned round, and putting himself in a posture of
defence, received the ponderous mass on the sole of his foot: and I believe
that the stone, with a deeply indented foot-mark on it, is, like the bricks
in Jack Cade's chimney, "alive at this day to testify." Legendary lore and
fabulous ballads aside, it would indeed be strang