The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

74 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. the goalseemed likely to beat it, shouts of encouragement would rise from all quarters, and if he beat time aswell as the other competitors at the finish he would breast the tapeamidst such a thunder ofapplause as never isand never will be heard when a " weed " who runs only part of the distance is hailed as the winner. Every race could be decided on the same lines, the starting-place, finish, and the wholecourse beingdefined by per­ manent marks, so that each year each race shouldbe run over exactly the same course. Each race could be started and accurately timed by electrical apparatus. Indeed, it would not require great ingenuity to devise means whereby eachof the prize-winners' times could be as accurately timed as that of the first, and in sprint races the prizes could be increased and diminished by every fifth of a second under or over a fixed standard. Much of the interest of the throwing and leaping contests lies in comparing the distances and heights made in different years, andthe timeof every race couldbe as accurately known as heights and distances. Prizes inthrowing and leaping ought to be awarded on the same principle as has been put for­ ward for running—a principle already recognised at Inverness in the pole-vaultingcompetition. NOTED RUNNERS .—Owingto handicapping, want of carefully measured and defined courses, and from no provision being made foraccurate timing of races, it is impossible at present to speak ofbest performances in running at the principal gathering Instead of best performances, the best runners, as proved by the number of level races they have won, and their position in handicaps must be given, which is much the same thing. Leaving out of consideration in the meantime men of local reputation, and taking only a few of the verybest, we may begin with R, M'Instray, Maybole, one of the best, if not the best, mile runnerof his time. About the time heretired R. Hindle, Paisley, was coming to the front. Hindle was the finest all- round runner from a hundred yards toa mile ever seen, anda splendid hurdle racer. His bestperformances were at distances