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

16 l\IEN OF :\IUSCLE. number of the Border clans, we believe. This was, no doubt, brought about by the survival of the fittest in the conflicts which had gone on for centuries between the ancestors of those clans and the English. In the days of Percy Hotspur and the great Douglas, men like the Taits would be much in requisition, and doubtless there were many in the trains of those gallant leaders of the same make and stamp. William followed in the exact footsteps of his brother, and also became such a proficient footracer that even Gavin himself admits he would not have readily given Bill much of start in any length of race. Like his brothers, William also won all the heavy events at Inverness two years in succession and, of course,was not allowed to compete there again. In the early part of his career, he commandeered all the first prizes, and was the champion from about 1854 or 1855, when John retired, until r 860, when in a hurdle race at Perth, he had the misfortune to break his thigh bone. When clearing the hurdle, the spikes of one of his shoes caught the top bar, and poor Bill came a cropper. The bone must have been badly set, as the leg when well was found to be an inch and a half shorter than the other, and although William continued to compete at games for some years afterwards, he was much handicapped, especially in the putting. In the records of the Johnston Highland games, which was kindly handed to us by the genial Bailie Aitken, who was himself a good pedestrian in his youth, the name of the Taits appear on many pages as winners. The Bailie assures us that the balls and hammers used there were the standard weight, made by the famous '' Bender ; " while the ground, he maintains, was perfectly level. William has several good putts here. His hammer- throwing dist:mces at none of the gam~s is in any way an indication of his prowess in that branch) wh n compared to