Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Colquhoun, John (1805-1885)
COLQUHOUN, JOHN (1805–1885), writer on sport, second son of Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, third baronet, and of Janet, lady Colquhoun [q. v.], was born in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, 6 March 1805. Together with his elder brother he was educated first at a school in Edinburgh, subsequently at a private school in Lincolnshire (Rev. Mr. Grainger's of Winteringham), and finally at the university of Edinburgh. In 1828 he joined the 33rd regiment in the wilds of Connaught, where he had plenty of hard work and a full share of adventures in the way of protecting the excise, or 'still-hunting,' as it was called. His autobiographical preface to 'The Moor and the Loch' contains a very vivid description of his life at this time. In 1829 he was gazetted into the 4th dragoon guards. He sold out of the army on the occasion of his marriage with Frances Sarah, fourth daughter of Ebenezer Fuller Maitland of Park Place, Henley-on-Thames, which took place on 29 Jan. 1834. She herself is not without a claim to notice, since, when quite young, she completed Henry Kirke White's fragment, beginning 'Much in sorrow, oft in woe,' and this completion has been universally accepted for church use (see Book of Praise). A small volume of her poems was published in 1876 under the title 'Rhymes and Chimes.' Four sons and five daughters were the issue of this marriage, and all, with the exception of the eldest and youngest sons, survive Colquhoun. He was always a keen sportsman and an accurate observer of nature, and during his long life he acquired an experience in matters of sport and natural history that was quite exceptional, for the summer quarters were changed almost every year, and the list of places rented by him embraces nearly every district of Scotland, so that his opportunities for observation were especially favourable. In 1840 he embodied his experiences in 'The Moor and the Loch,' which speedily took a high rank among books on Scotch sport. In 1851 the third edition was published, and the fourth, which was not issued until 1878, contained many additions, notably the most valuable portions of some other books written in the meantime, 'Rocks and Rivers,' 1849; 'Salmon Casts and Stray Shots,' 1858; and 'Sporting Days,' 1866. Besides these works he wrote two lectures, 'On the Feræ Naturæ of the British Islands,' and 'On Instinct and Reason,' which were published in 1873 and 1874 respectively. It was not until the fifth edition of 'The Moor and the Loch' appeared that the autobiographical introduction, which now forms not the least interesting portion of the book, was prefixed to the text, and a sixth edition was issued in 1884, the year before the author's death. This took place on 27 May 1885 at Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, after a short illness.
[Autobiographical preface to The Moor and the Loch; The Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country, by William Fraser, 2 vols. privately printed, Edinburgh, 1869; information from private sources.]