Ossian Collection > Journal of a tour in Scotland in

52 JOURNAL OF A TOUR IN SCOTLAND
sixty round a farm-house. Each is built
round a sort of small wooden spire, which
serves as a chimney to give it vent and
prevent it from heating and igniting. They
are made of this size that a whole one may
be carried in and threshed at once. The
rooks were busy in the fields, one or two
upon every shock, paying themselves for
their good service in clearing the land of
grubs. The general face of the Carse re-
sembles Picardy. The horses rested three
quarters of an hour at Inchture, and we
walked forward the while. This gave us
an opportunity of examining one of the
weighing machines at the turnpikes ; they are
above ground in Scotland and their cost is
from ten to fifteen guineas. Lord Kinnaird's
seat on the left.^ Castle Lion,^ a fine old place
of Lord Strathmore's, on the right. We
came now in sight of the river once more,
which had wound far to the South under
the Ochil mountains. I guessed the breadth
of the firth (for such it had become) at from
two to three miles. The evening had been
darkening, and a few drops of rain fell : the
appearance of the sky indicated thunder ;
the outsiders got in, we were packed in and
1 Rossie Priory. ^ Castle Lyon, now Castle Huntly.