Page:The Hare.djvu/57

Rh the guns, however numerous and however well placed.'

St. John mentions how he slept one night at a shepherd's house in the hills. 'During almost all the night the dogs of the place were barking and yelping at my deerhound, entirely preventing me from sleeping. I was the first person up, and on going out I started a hare that had made her form up against the turf wall of the cottage, undeterred by the constant noise of dogs that had gone on during all the night.'

The hare is associated with some interesting traditions of folklore, both in the Highlands and elsewhere. Mr. P. M. C. Kermode writes that the Manx equivalent of the proverb 'Birds of a feather flock together' is Furree yn mwaagh rish e heshey—i.e. 'The hare will be found with his mate.' It is the object of superstition and a favourite form to be assumed by a witch. The son of a witch, who himself dabbled in the black art, was known as Gaaue mwaagh, 'The hare-smith.' He adds that the natives of the Isle of Man never think of eating hares. It would be interesting to hear if there is any other district in which a similar prejudice may happen to survive.

To return to our discussion about the habits