Men of Muscle, and the Highland Games of Scotland, etc.

THE TAIT FAMILY. 13 father of Alexander Tait, Barrhead, who won the amateur boxing championship three years in succession. Gavin was born in 1834, and lastly William, 1836, who died last year. Gavin is still hale and healthy, and is employed as private watchman for Messrs. William Baird & Co., at Auchen– starry. Space will not permit enumeration of the many feats accomplished by these three famous brothers, John, Gavin, and William, but, briefly, we shall deal with a few of the most notable performances, beginning with John, who, early in his career, in a match against Flannagin, of Edinburgh, made 48 feet with his first putt, and did not require to touch the ball again, as the Edinburgh man could not reach this distance with any of his throws. The ball was said to be a genuine 16lb. shot. At Inverness Tait won the heavy events two years in suc– cession, and, as was the custom then, was debarred from com– peting there again. Half.a-century ago John Tait had no equal at heavy-weight athletics. He won all the first prize medals at the games throughout the country, including, of course, the Glasgow Highland Gathering, which was annually held on the College Green, off High Street. John was a gamekeeper with the Duke of Hamilton, and when "illiam, who was seven years his junior, began to show form, John trained him for the games, retiring, as it were, in his favour. Before leaving John mention must be made of a match which he had after he retired against Thomas Rice, the American champion. Thi~ match was decided on the old Stonefield Running Grounds, Glasgow, where Mr. Bob Rankin, the great patron of foot-racing, tried all his cham– pions, M'Kinstray, Hugh Donnochy, and many other well– known pedestrians. The match was at hammer-throwing, turning style, and, partly, it is said, through a slight injury to Tait's arm in the train coming from Hamilton, on the morning of the contest, and partly through his using a thicker and heavier handle than his opponent, John lost the