2.. Short Sketches of the wild sports and natural history of the highlands

This hunting book on the wild sports and natural history of the highlands was written by a seasoned hunter, Charles St. John, in 1849.

It covers the hunting techniques, amongst other things, that were used in the Highlands of Scotland, but it also describes in some detail the life and habitat of the animals he hunted, plus other animals he didn't hunt.

This Scottish hunting and wildlife book is an interesting hunting book on a side of Scotland many of us know little of.

Although it may seem strange that a hunter would be writing a book on the wildlife of the Scottish highlands, his ability to hunt was very much based on his exacting knowledge of the species he hunted.

He also was aware that some species were beneficial to the Scottish highland farmers and city dwellers, such as the owl hunting rats and mice.

I became interested in this Scottish hunting book, because of Conachar's fight with the man killer boar that I read about in the book on Urquhart and Glenmoriston, where the spear just bounced off the thick hide of the boar and Conachar nearly lost his life.

I wanted to have some insight into hunting and the dangers thereof in the Scottish highlands. It's not a history orientated book of Scotland like "Urquhart and Glenmoriston", it's Charles telling his personal account of his hunting life in Scotland, which he had made notes of over many years.

How dangerous was hunting in bonny old Scotland?

History tells us hunting was very dangerous. To give but one hunting incident Mr. St. John gives in his Scottish hunting book - a wild, feral cat ( a Wild Scottish Cat - not a domestic cat gone wild) was cornered in a hunt by his hunting dogs. With nothing but a stick, Mr. St. John approached. The cat jumped over the hunting dogs straight for his face, if it had not been for his stick and quick reflexes, he would have been badly scarred or killed by the cat.

The other interesting part to this is that Mr. St. John had stepped on the cat by accident as it rested in it's lair - he had just been walking along a Scottish trail.

So, even the Scottish Wild Cat was deadly when wild in the highlands of Scotland. Scotland was very dangerous to live in and afforded many hiding places for animals that liked to hunt.

The Urquhart and Glenmoriston area of Scotland was no exception. Several hunters died trying to kill that boar that nearly killed Conachar.

3... Scotland's Story

Scotland's story was a set of - truish - historical stories about Scotland and her people.  Written after the English had tamed Scotland, the writing contains an almost apolegetic note at times, pointing out some modern Scottish people and their contribution to the benefit of England.

Still, if you want an easy to read version of what Jacobites are, or an understanding of something Scottish, then Scotland's Story is the book that may help.

4... Duncan Matheson:  The Scottish Evangelist

Yes, even two hundred years ago, preachers were complaining about church life lacking spirit and life, being dead.  Duncan Matheson could see this in the churches of Scotland, faced reproach from the church for trying to be different.

What did he succeed in doing?  Setting fire to the Christian church in the spiritual sense.

His means may seem macabre by even todays standards.  He travelled with a friend seeking God's power.  Laying on graves of the Saints and crying out for God with tears and great emotion.  Do that today and you'll possibly find yourself carted off to the funny farm.

BUT God heard and was touched and He empowered Duncan Matheson to set the churches and people of Scotland spiritually on fire for God.

If you are a Christian today, you can possibly learn much about the earnest desire to please our Heavenly Father and how He then accepts the challenge.

Don't believe in God?   Well, see what a believer can do to influence an entire country - Scotland.

Preamble from me about this Scottish web site:

Scotland's History and Legends is out of Beta stage. Our Indexes have been vastly improved, we are working through some the errors we have found in the duplication technology. Scotland's History, Legends, Wildlife and Hunting Practices has turned out to be a very much bigger project than we first realised.

When the all up cost went past $1000 for just one book - Urquhart and Glenmoriston - I was stunned. The labour content of the Urquhart and Glenmoriston project has now exceeded 200 man hours and is still going - it's the price one pays for accuracy.  Sad part is, most search engines wont direct many people to it, as the book is not keyword rich. I was also very dissappointed to see the original book "Urquhart and Glenmoriston" badly damaged through the duplication process.

Why do it?

I'm Scottish by ancestry and love the history and legends of Scotland, in fact just about anything to do with Scotland for that matter. Much has been lost and or forgotten about the old ways of Scotland, but this is one way of preserving the History and Legends of Scotland in a way that allows every one free access to this beautiful country.

Our entertaining and accurate web site may also be of interest to those interested in Clan Urquhart or in starting their own clan up - it also covers more current events, such as the super volcano which is threatening to errupt under the Great Glen to the Highland Warrior Ghosts that still fight out the last Jacobite uprising.

More than just a history site, it's about the mystery and love of Scotland as well.

Donald Urquhart, Australia, January 5th, 2008.

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