Fyvns riggs and towers, Hapless shall your mesdames be, When ye shall hae within your methes, Frae harryit kirk’s land, stanes three— Ane in Preston’s tower; Ane in my lady’s bower; And ane below the water-yett, And it ye shall never get. Two of these stones have been found in their respective places, but the third one remains true to the seer’s prediction. One of the weird stones is carefully kept, and is known as the ‘dripping stone,’ as at times it exudes a large quantity of moisture, often sufficient to fill a large basin with water. Singular to say, nothing is known of a ‘water-yett,’ or of there having been one; while the alleged raid on Church property is equally a mystery; and though the hapless fate of the ladies of Fyvie is not specified, it is a curious circumstance that no heir has been born in Fyvie Castle for several generations. But whatever the prophecy may portend, it completes the charm of a castle which possesses much to delight both the lover of the picturesque and the worshipper of the past. BIRD NOTES. Six poplar trees, in golden green, Stand up the sweet May snow between— The snow of plum and pear tree bloom— And I, looking down from my little room, Call to the bird on the bough: ‘What cheer?’ And he pipes for answer: ‘The spring is here.’ A month goes by with its sun and rain, And a rosebud taps at my window pane; I see in the garden down below The tall white lilies a stately row; The birds are pecking the cherries red: ‘Summer is sweet,’ the starlings said. Again I look from my casement down; The leaves are changing to red and brown; And overhead, through a sky of gray, The swallows are flying far away. ‘Whither away, sweet birds?’ I cry. ‘Autumn is come,’ they make reply. Keenly, coldly, the north winds blow; Silently falls the pure white snow; Of birds and blossoms am I bereft— Brave bright robin alone is left, And he taps and chirps at my window pane: ‘Take heart; the spring will return again.’ FLORENCE TYLEE. * * * * * Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. * * * * * _All Rights Reserved._