[26] Fumart, from ful merde, old French.
[27] An encounter between an eagle and a polecat in the forest of Glen Avon, Banffshire, is thus described in the New Statistical Account of Scotland. “The eagle builds its eyrie in some inaccessible rock, and continues from year to year to hatch its young in the same spot. One of these noble birds was killed some years ago, which measured upwards of six feet from tip to tip of the wings. One of the keepers of the forest being one day reclining on the side of a hill, observed an eagle hovering about for his prey, and, darting suddenly down, it caught hold of a polecat, with which it rose up, and flew away in the direction of an immense cliff on the opposite hill. It had not proceeded far, when he observed it abating its course, and descending in a spiral direction, until it reached the ground. He was led by curiosity to proceed towards the spot, which was about a mile distant from him, and there he found the eagle quite dead, with its talons transfixed in the polecat. The polecat was also dead, with its teeth fixed in the eagle’s gullet.”
[28] The Celtic name for Big Head.
[29] Lum, or chimney.
[30] The modern church is at New Aberdour, nearer the centre of the population; but the churchyard at Old Aberdour is still used as the parish burying-ground. Nothing can be more disgraceful than the state of some of the country burying-places in Scotland. The graves at Aberdour are covered with hemlocks and nettles! And yet some money seems to have been spent in “ornamenting” the place. The ruins of the ancient church have actually been “harled”—that is, bespattered with a mixture of lime and gravel! Think of “harling” Melrose Abbey! The money spent in whitewashing the ruins would certainly have been better expended in removing the bits of old coffins, cutting down the hemlocks and nettles, and putting the burying-ground into better order. The Queen has shown a good example in ordering the churchyard of Crathie to be improved. But that of Braemar is still in a wretched state, being covered with hemlocks and nettles.
[31] Their race is Celtic, whereas the inhabitants of the sea-shore are for the most part Scandinavian. Their language is Gaelic, whereas that of the rest of the county is Scoto-English. Their religion is Roman Catholic, whereas that of the lower part of the county is Protestant. There are many districts in Scotland where, in consequence of the inaccessibility of the roads, the Reformation never reached.
[32] Links—sandy flat ground, sometimes covered with grass, lying along the sea-shore.
[33] It was afterwards found that the visitor was Dr. Cadenhead, one of the principal physicians and oculists of the city.
[34] Master shoemakers, in those days, employed Men’s men (that is men who made Men’s shoes), Women’s men, Boot men, and Pump men, according to the branch they worked at. Those who excelled in proficiency were called Dons. Edward was a Don Pump man. Few excelled him at that part of the business. It was for this reason that his master objected to his leaving the shop so often on his Natural History excursions; as he could find no one else to do this part of the work so well.
[35] Sutor—Shoemaker.