k3 %, * ~ Meek Wsoeloneesoezon' %, .%, + 4, i? > foe! . be 4 aha CasMeaPec%oc%na%ecMe.&n sh ia%, NPA Pa aloe coe coa lea loale4 oes \ oafoetens % * 7 o *, oO 7 ooo, *, re +, _*, %,. .%, 7 Moe toa lenses onions etal , . +, + eect efoto ioe! oefortont tofontenten, % - +, . reat io, “% reales! o aM - Price 2s 6d. Poatestestestostestestestectoctectcstectostestectostectactectectestectastestests HF 4, 0%. Serterieriontorsontossontesiestossestonsessonlossentestenteateatentestontentorsesseaseasealeeseateetealeetertoelestoeteatoatecteatecteateeteatesttch No. 9. - THE TRANSACTIONS AND JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS BN 3% i ez eis a5 } OF THE DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY Natural History & Antiquarian Society. + SESSION 1892-93. PRINTED AT THE COURIER AND HERALD OFFICES, DUMFRIES. 1894. oo oe, % Sa Xa oS a? ‘7 0,94, 7 o +, 7, S o¢, o, a 7 Xe Ke> +, 7, oS aXe? A roe o, oe. 7 o, aKa .2 O°. >, ‘“ +, o, ae) ++. o, oe. o a oe, 2 o. Poa% Cara +, o, (> \/ 4, ‘7 oe, a Oe ea als oe. \7 o > ‘7 S ‘ +. mA 2%, *, ee .*, Oe. %, % ae > > %, . %, * °, . +. 7 oO *, Cae? 2 - oe. *, o 4, \7 > ++. *, ‘y! oe, oe, ° *, Oo oe. O ? >, Pooh re! 7 o oo, O oe. ? °, o , oe, o*, % of, o o 5 oe, <2 5 oe, 7, S 2%, 7, mee, ++, %, o*, ‘ 2, oS oe, ? > oe? Cate a %, ° oe, %, ? oe. o, ‘ oe, %, * +¢, 7 io. - ? o o. o oe ? Poot oe oon Mohs Me Me oF 1h, tt, Oo +t, OO, 0060645 0-0°0-0°00°64' 45 ogee eetee" OOO ©. ot. & 7 ate stecMe Me ctectectectectestec%atestss®, Ca a a a a a a a aKa Ka aKa Ke KEKE KEK EK MPU PU ONO OH OU OH odor ee cos <0) No. 9. THE TRANSACTIONS JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY Natural History & Antiquarian Society. SESSION 1892-93. PRINTED AT THE COURIER AND HERALD OFFICES, DUMFRIES, 1894, — oe - ees < > ah an 7 7 i(] a ci) Vd 40th te ; ~ YAWOALIAD ate: mua be RBIO, asda 8 et Ait, ae . a ee ,) gs ‘.- iy a ie AMEE or eMC: panty ee ah Va es Co tC. Aa. Presidest, Sir JAMES CRICHTON-BROWNE, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S. Dice-Presidseyts. Rev. WILLIAM ANDSON. THOMAS M'‘KIE, F.S.A., Advocate. WILLIAM JARDINE MAXWELL, M.A., M.P., Advocate. JAMES G. HAMILTON STARKE, M.A., Advocate. ecrvetary. EDWARD J. CHINNOCK, LL.D., M.A., LL.B., Fernbank, Maxwelltown. @reasurer. JOHN A. MOODIE, Solicitor, Bank of Scotland. Librarian. JAMES LENNOX, F.S.A., Edenbank, Maxwelltown. GQurator of Muserwim. JAMES DAVIDSON, F.I.C., Summerville, Maxwelltown. GQurator of Herbarium. GEORGE F. SCOTT-ELLIOT, M.A., B.Sc., F.L.S., Newton, assisted by the Misses HANNAY, Calder Bank, Maxwelltown. Other Mlembers, JAMES BARBOUR, Architect. JOHN NEILSON, M.A. THOMAS LAING, F.E.LS. GEORGE H. ROBB, M.A. J.C. R. MACDONALD,M.A.,W.S. J. MAXWELL ROSS, M.A., M.B. ROBERT D. M‘GLASHAN. JAMES 8S. THOMSON. ROBERT MURRAY. JAMES WATT. s~ So NS nN See Secretary’s Annual Report Treasurer’s Annual Report Mr Carruthers’ Specimen of a New British Alga Genus Orobanche in Scotland. A. Bennett Cup and Ring Marks (Illustrated). F. R. Coles Kirns in Scotland. J. G. H. Starke Influence of Insects on Flowers. G. F. Scott-Elliot ... Trade Tokens. P. Sulley... Botanical Notes for 1892. J. M‘Andrew Meteorological Observations for 1892. W. Andson Influence of Parsee Religion on Christianity. S. P. Moore... List of Glenluce Plants. G. Wilson Surnames of Kirkeudbrightshire. J. Shaw Scotland in the 18th Century. P. Gray Origin of the Grierson Museum, J. R. Wilson Plant Superstitions. S. Arnott ... Roman Road in Annandale. J. T. Johnstone... February Weather. P. Dudgeon Nithsdale Willows. J. Fingland Old Dumfries Documents. J, Cairns Scotch Antiquities in Grierson Museum. G. F. Black Latin Notes. E. J, Chinnock Note on the Genus Apion. W.D. R. Douglas _ Dumfries Bells. J. Barbour Ornithological Notes. H. Mackay Carophylls. G. F. Scott-Elliot ... = AG Burial Place of Alexander the Great. E. J. Chinnock Report on exbaritin, G. F. Scott-Elliot Field Meetings List of Members Page. wo NO ao ao On PROCEEDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY NATURAL HISTORY & ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY. SESSION 1892-98. 7th October, 1892. Rev. Wa. Anpson, Vice-President, in the Chair. New Members.—Miss Wallace and Miss Amy Wallace, Loch- maben. Sir Herbert E. Maxwell, Bart., M.P., was elected an Honorary Member. Donations.—The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1891; Contributions to North American Ethnology, Vol. II. (two parts), and Vol. VI., presented by the United States Government ; the Testimony of Tradition and the Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, Vol. II., presented by Mr David Mackitchie, of Edinburgh; Bibliography of the Algonquin Languages (Smithsonian Institute) ; the Essex Naturalist, 1884- 87; also, December, 1891-August, 1892; Report on the Pile- Structures in Naaman’s Creek (Peabody Museum); the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club, 1891-92; the Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Glasgow, 1890; the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago, 1893; Dr Sharp’s Scheme of Old Age Pensions ; list of Birds of Connecticut, prepared for the Bridge- port Scientific Society; the Transactions of the Canadian Institute, 1892; the Archeological Report of the Canadian Institute, 1891; an appeal to the Canadian Institute on the Rectification of Parliament ; the Proceedings of the Rochester (New York) Academy of Science, 1891 ; Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science, 1891; Index Armorial by A. D. Weld—French, Transactions. bho SECRETARY'S REPORT. The Secretary (Dr E. J. Chinnock) read the Annual Report :— There are now 184 members of the Society, of whom 24 are honorary and 7 !ife members. Eleven new members were elected during the year, and two new honorary members, Messrs E. G. Baker, of the Botanical Department, British Museum, and Serjeant Alexander M‘Millan, of Newton-Stewart. Among the members who have been removed by death may be mentioned Dr John Aitken, Inverness ; Mr James Dairon, F.G.S., of Glasgow ; Major Herbert George Bowden, one of the Vice Presidents of the Society ; and Mr Francis Maxwell of Gribton. Eight evening meetings and two field meetings have been held. At the former 26 papers were read, some of which were of permanent value, and all of which were interesting. Without disparaging the merit of other contributors, I think the communications of Messrs Andson, J. T. Johnstone, M‘Andrew, J. R. Wilson, and Dr Grant Bey, of Cairo were specially worthy of notice. We are particularly rich in botanical contributions, and so long as we have such members as Messrs Bennett, Fingland, Johnstone, M‘Andrew, and Scott-Elliot we need have little fear of botany being neglected. Meteorology is also well represented by the Rev. Wm. Andson. Other sciences lack representatives, and papers will be welcomed from any member who feels inclined to join our active circle. An interesting public lecture was delivered in November on Fish Culture by Mr Joseph J. Armistead, under the presidency of Sir Herbert Maxwell. The thanks of the Society are due to the librarian, Mr James Lennox, for his care of the books, to Mr James Davidson for arranging the specimens in the Museum, and to Mr G. F. Scott-Elliot for his exertions in relation to the Herbarium. During the session the first part of his “ Flora of Dumfriesshire ” made its appearance, and the second part will appear in company with the new volume of the “ Transactions ” in December. The funds of the Society do not admit of the pur- chase of portraits of Dumfries worthies just at present. Mr James Barbour could secure a considerable number of such portraits at once if the necessary funds were forthcoming. The field meeting in June to Newton-Stewart and that in September to Sanquhar and Crawick Water were very interesting and entertaining, but it is a pity that so few comparatively of our Transactions. 4 members avail themselves of the privilege of attending these meetings. The bad weather unfortunately prevented the excursions in July and August from taking place. As the sub- scription is so small it is necessary, in order to insure the well- being of the Society, that the number of members should be large. It is a duty incumbent upon every member to try and induce others to join our ranks, if possible as active members, but if this is not practicable at any rate to shew their interest in the objects for which this Society exists by subscribing the small annual fee which is exacted from our ordinary members. I had the pleasure on behalf of the Society of receiving a large party of the members of the Carlisle Natural History Society, who paid a. visit to Dumfries on Whit-Monday. Mr James Lennox kindly conducted the visitors over the town, and pointed out the various places and objects of interest, and Mr James Barbour conducted them over the ruins of Caerlaverock Castle. The members of the Carlisle Society hope to join this Society in some excursions in the not distant future. TREASURERS REPORT. The Treasurer (Mr John A. Moodie) read the Annual Report from the lst October, 1891, to the 30th September, 1892 :— CHARGE. Balance in Treasurer’s hands at close of last Account ane aes FOC 2s are 2c £0) Goi as Balance in Savings Bank at close of last Account 011 0 Subscriptions from 120 Members at 5s each ... So ‘ Ba £00 0 0 Subscriptions from 13 Membersat 2s6d 1 12 6 —— 3112 6 Entrance tees from 10 new Members ieeAiiy ML Arrears recovered from Members ... 015 0 Copies of Transactions sold... 0 3 0 Interest on Bank Account ... 010 0 Donation from J.G.H.S. SON 0 Miscellaneous... ae 4 aa a 0 0 6 Two Subscriptions in advance for next year 010 0 £38 15 44 DISCHARGE. Paid Salary of Keeper of Rooms £110 O ,, for Stationery, Printing, &c. .. 019 3 5s 9», Periodicals and Books 2) 25 Carry forward... Sarl 's 4 Transactions. Brought forward... 1. Sede del Paid for Coals and Gas 7 aa », Premium of Insurance... Secretary’s outlays and posts... Treasurer’s Do. . orose cs S o-a tw & . Expenses of calling Meetings as follows :-— ~ Post Cards ws oA ie =: ama a 4 Paid for addressing same at Is per 100 es 1 4 0 Paid Robert J chndkonsy Pr inter, printing same ae 00 ——— ye ba ( ,, John Grierson & Son, Joiners, for Botanical Cabinet ats ; it fae ,, Account for eee Tiadsichons ade eat year... 21 0) 20 ,, Rent for Free St. George's Ball ree Mr Armistead’s Lecture.. 0.30 ,, Miscellaneous in Gobidits de yee ne AD 80, £37 16 8 Balance in Treasurer’s hands . 018 8 £38 15 43 Dumfries, October 28th, 1892.—I have examined the foregoing Account and the Cash Book of the Society, compared them with the Vouchers, and find the balance stated to be correct. JOHN NEILSON. ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEARERS. The following were elected Ottice-bearers and Members of the Committee for the ensuing Session :—President—Sir James Crichton-Browne, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S. ; Vice-Presidents—Rev. William Andson, Messrs Thomas M‘Kie, George F. Scott-Elliot, and James G. H. Starke; Secretary—Edward J. Chinnock, LL.D. ; Zreaswrer—Mr John A. Moodie ; Librarian—Mr James Lennox ; Curator of Musewn—Mr James Davidson ; Curator of the Herbariwm—Mr George F. Scott-Elliot ; Members of the Council—Messrs James Barbour, John Brown, Thomas Laing, Robert M‘Glashan, Robert Murray, John Neilson, George H. Robb, Philip Sulley, James 8. Thomson, and James Watt. On the motion of Dr Chinnock, a very hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Richard Rimmer, Dalawoodie, the retiring President, for his services during the last four years. Or Transactions. 4th November, 1892. Mr James G. H. Starke, M.A., V.P., in the chair. New Members.—Dr Samuel Brown, Victoria Road; the Rev. Robert M‘Intosh, B.D., St. Alban’s Villa ; and Mr Robert M. Douglas, Alpin House. Donations.—A copy of the History of Sanquhar, presented by the author, Mr James Brown; a copy of his work on Insecta, presented by the author, Dr David Sharp ; the Essex Naturalist, September, 1892; Annals of the New York Academy of Science, December, 1891—May, 1892; Transactions of the New York Academy of Science, 1890-92 ; Notes on the Records of Scotch Plants for 1891, and the Nomenclature of Potamogetons, pre- sented by the author, Mr Arthur Bennett ; a specimen of a new ~ British Alga, presented by Mr William Carruthers. This speci- men was accompanied by the following letter from Mr Scott Elliot :—“Mr W. Carruthers, F.R.S., keeper of the Botanical Department, British Natural History Museum, has brought to my knowledge an Algal record which well deserves investigation at the hands of our Botanical Members. In ‘ Fleming’s History of British Animals,’ p, 515, Halimeda Opuntia is placed on record as British, with the following remark :—‘I possess a specimen formerly belonging to the late Dr Walker, to which the following note was annexed in his own handwriting :—‘ Sub- marine plant from the rocks at Satterness in Kirkbane. An Bombycina. It covers the rocks with a close turf.’’ It would be extremely interesting to know if it is really the case that this Alga exists in Kirkcudbright. It is not considered to be British— not growing, in fact, anywhere near the British Isles, though specimens, presumably borne by the Gulf stream, have been found, e.g., between Torbay and Dublin, by Mr W. Todhunter (see Thompson’s ‘ Additions to Fauna of Ireland,’ p. 254). In Johnston’s ‘British Sponges,’ p. 228, there is a figure of Dr Walker’s specimen, which is unmistakably Halimeda Opuntia. The plant has been variously classed as a sponge, as a polype, and as an Alga, but it is now known to be one of the Coralline Algz. I enclose a specimen kindly given to the Society by Mr Carruthers in order to aid in its identification. The plant is, however, bright green when alive.” 6 Transactions. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. Notes on the genus Orobanche in Scotland. By Mr Arrsyur Bennett, F.L.S. The recent determination of a new species of Orobanche to Scotland (and to Great Britain) must be pleaded as the reason for these notes. The whole ‘genus is parasitical on other plants of widely different natural orders, and has its headquarters in the southern parts of Europe, thinning out rapidly as it approaches Scandinavia, in which one species, O. Cirsii (Fries.), occurs in West Gotland, the most northern station I know for any of the genus. O. major, ZL, occurs in Scania (the southermost pennine of Sweden), and in the province of Halland. It may be noted that O, rubra, Sm., a Scotch species, is extremely rare in Scandinavia. Of the species that reach Scotland O. rapwm, Thuil, occurs in Dumfriesshire, whence I have seen specimens gathered by Miss Witham. It also occurs in Kirkcudbright, but I have not seen a specimen. It has been reported from Fife and the Inner Hebrides, but O. rubra was perhaps the plant seen. It is also reported from Perth, but O. rubra is not recorded from that county, so that what the plant there intended may have been it is difficult to say; anyhow, its recorded place should be carefully searched. O. minor, Sutton, is only recorded for Fifeshire by Dr Boswell. I should expect it in the three counties of Dumfries, Wigtown, and Kirkeudbright. O. rubra, Smith.—The counties on record for this in Scotland are Wigtown (J. M‘Andrew), Fife, Syme cat. That outlying portion of Argyle included in Westerness (W. Inverness) by Watson ; whence I have specimens gathered by Mr Macviear on the coast cliffs :—Main Argyle (Gourlie, Watson), Mid Ebudes, the middle isles of the Inner Ebudes (Watson), North Ebudes, the northern isles (Rev. E. Linton), West Ross, Outer Hebrides, whence it was reported by Macgillivary in 1830, but remained unnoticed until 1891, when it was gathered by Mr W. 8. Duncan in the original station. 0. epithymwm, D.C., has been considered by some authors as the same plant, but it seems to me that it is a larger form of our usual plant, and O. rubra is placed as a variety of epithymuwm by Count Solns Laubach, the greatest living Transactions. 7 authority on the genus. Taking the specimens I have seen, the Hebridean and Westerness specimens seem referable to 0. epithy- mum, the other Scotch specimens to O. rubra. O. rubra has also been reported for Kirkcudbright by Mr J. M‘Andrew. The English botany figure of O. rubra, t. 1011, is not good, and does not convey a good idea of the species. Orobanche elatior (Sutton) reported from Argyle, but, I have little doubt, this intended the new plant I mention below. 0. elatior is not clearly known north of north-east Yorkshire, and perhaps Lincoln, but the latter is very uncertain, and requires confirmation. In Europe 0. elatior occurs in Denmark and North Germany, so there is no great improbability that it may be found in Southern Scotland; it grows on Centawrea, Scabiosa, Knautia arvensis, and perhaps Cardnus lanceolatus. For some time I have had in my herbarium a specimen of Orobanche labelled as OQ. elatior, and localised from near Oban, Argyle. While seeing it was not elatior, I failed to make it out until this year, when dissecting its flowers. I found after care- ful comparison with specimens in the Kew Herbarium and the descriptions and plates in Reichenbach’s Icones that it was 0. eruenta Bertoloni, O. gracilis, Smith. This is a very interesting addition to our Flora. On what it grows in Argyle I am unable to say, but on the Continent it occurs on Lathyrus pratensis, Lotus corniculatus, Genista tinctoria, Rubus, and on many non. British species. Of our species it is perhaps most like 0. rubra, but differs in the form of the stem scales (leaves), the corolla form, and especially in the calyx, which is bifid, while in O. rubra it is entire and much longer (very rarely a small tooth on one side does occur in rubra); from O. elatior it differs in the sparsely flowered spike, the calyx, the anthers have no hairs, the filaments are not hairy in the middle, and the corolla is not constricted at the base, and the whole plant is less glandular hairy than in O. elatior. It occurs under many names in European floras, most of them being probably only varieties, or forms induced by situation, the plants on which they grow, or by other local conditions. I give a few of their names and its distribution :—Orobanche erwenta, Bertolini in Rar. it. pl. Dee. III. 56. 0. gracilis (Smith), 8 Transactions. Trans. Linn. Soc., Vol. IV., p. 672; O. vulgaris (Gaudin), FI. - Hely., Vol. IV., p. 176; O. caryoplyllacee (Schultz), Beitr. 8 ; O. variegata (Wallroth), Descrip. Orobanche, Figured in ‘“Reichen- bach’s Plantae Critic,” and in his “Icones Flora Germanice et Helvetie,” Vol. XX., t. 700, p. 92 (1862). Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Bavaria, Montenegro, Bosnia, Bannat, Macedonia. I hope Mr Macvicar will be enabled to find it next year, and to send me fresh specimens to figure in the Supplement to English Botany now in course of publication. Dried specimens of Orobanche are very difficult to determine, and should any of the Members of the Club meet with any of the genus, I should be much obliged if they would transmit the specimens to me in the living state. If desired, I will gladly return them after examination, or I will send specimens of our Southern Species, as O. caryopyllacea, pieridis, amethystea, elatior, cerulea, &c., in exchange. 2. Certain points in connection with Cup and Ring Marks. By Mr Freperick R. Cotes. In the first rush of enthusiastic research into any subject of Antiquarian interest—more especially if we can mystify our- selves and others by a free use of the word Pre-Historic—we are all apt to be led into the natural condition of accepting certain elements as positive proofs of the problem we are trying to solve without giving the needful time, thought, and care which the magnitude of the problem demands. Such hastiness is developed perhaps more rapidly and ripens into rash theories more readily when Cup and Ring Marks form the problem than in any other matter. I freely admit having myself been bitten by the Cup and Ring Mark mania to a very sad and severe extent. Time, however, which cures all, has worked a little of the fever out of my Antiquarian ducts; and observations, made at cooler hours, have helped to show that many so-called Pre- Historic sculpturings once reputed to be the work of Archaic Man are really nothing but the curious result of many ages of Nature’s handiwork. As the subject is really of more importance than might appear at the first glance, I shall, without further preface, Transactions. 9 arraign the principal offenders, and endeavour to prove my position, that, in the three cases to be quoted, no trace whatever of man’s tooling is visible. (1) We must go back some thirty years, and seek, in the pages of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, session 1864, for the first curiously erroneous statement made by the late Sir J. Y. Simpson, who, in his exhaustive monograph on the Cup and Ring sculptures, when about to describe certain cup-hollows on one of the stones in Holywood circle, starts with the extraordinary fiction that “the circle is about 80 feet in diameter!” I need scarcely explain to an audience of Dumfriesians that the circle is, first of all, not a true circle, but an ellipse; and that its longest diameter is 97 yards, and its shortest 78 yards. With its extent, however, I am not at present concerned. Simpson proceeds to say that on the largest stone, about 10 feet long, which has fallen prostrate, there are about thirty cup marks on one end and the sides. Now, there are two stones “about ten feet long;” but the one Simpson indicates must be that on the S.-W. radius (D on diagram). It measures quite 10 feet 6 inches E. and W. and 7 feet 6 inches N. and §., and its height on the inner end is 5 feet—altogether the largest of the seven whinstones in the circle. There is little doubt that this stone was once erect, if so, it would have been exactly radially opposite stone J, which is at present the highest one. But, if it were ever erect, it must have been with its broad end on the ground and its slightly tapering end atop. Now, the odd fact is this, that nearly all the cup-hollows (claimed by Simp- son as artificial) are to be found on this broad base! Even were this not the case, these hollows, to my mind, are not in the slightest way indicative of artificial cuttings ; two, perhaps more, are very nearly circular, it is true; the majority are decidedly oval and sharpedged, and, instead of occurring in any symmetric group, however rude—and such grouping is one of the character- istic features of true cup marks, whether associated with rings or not—these hollows are at all sorts of irregular distances, and many of them very suspiciously confluent with the natural lines of cleavage in the rock.* Supposing, for a moment, these hollows on the end of this great stone were cut with an intention, we see that by its position they would be invisible * The girth of this stone is fully 25 feet at its broad end, and ‘only 17 or so at the other. 2 10 Transactions. when the stone was erect. One can hardly credit man, whether of the 19th Century, the Middle Ages, or of Pre- Historic times, with such an abnegation of all sense and economy as to deliberately carve hollows on the under side of an earth-fast monolith ! Further, as I hinted, there is another stone on the opposite arc of the circle, which measures 10 feet. 3 inches. It also lies prostrate, but is a much flatter stone than the one just discussed. Its present upper surface bears many hollows, some of them quite as nearly circular, though not so deep as the first noticed. Why were these not claimed by Sir James as also artificial? I do not pretend to answer that query. Again, in the same monograph, the author refers to a group of three or four stones lying within the circumference, which, he thinks, may be the fallen remains of a “‘cromlech.” In the attempt to elucidate the facts regarding the position of the stones, I have been at some pains, in conjunction with my friend Mr Rutherford, to draw an accurate plan, which, when finished, I compared with the plan made by the Ordnance Survey to the 25” scale many years ago. The only significant difference is that the O. map shows twelve stones, while, as every one knows, there have been but a eleven for a very long period. In the time of Captain Grose, a plan was made in 1789. It shows twelve stones. I have marked the position of this stone by a X at a point between stones D and E in my plan. This space, however, is blank in the O. map, and its “twelfth stone” is shown ata point some 40 feet N.-W. of stone F. It is almost incredible but perfectly true that this mark on the map, indicating the site »of the stone, is an entire blunder, owing to a fault in the zincography ! This rather startling information was the result of enquiries I made through a friend, an officer of the Survey Department. Now, Simpson’s supposed “ fallen cromlech ” is represented in Grose’s plan by three separate stones, and in my plan by two— those at K. There is a third, and apparently a very large stone, slightly to the east of these stones, nearly covered by earth. Whether the middle stone of the group ever rested as a capstone upon the other two, and so formed what some are pleased to call a “cromlech,’ we cannot now affirm. A little digging below these stones might be productive of good results. One point, however, is quite certain—the so-called ‘ Cup Marks” on the two protruding stones of this group (at K) no Transactions. 11 more come under the category of artificial handiwork than do the cup hollows on stone D. They are either pure weatherings, or possibly, relics of some footmarks of Pre-Adamite beast. Stone F is the only stone in all the 7’welve Apostles that bears undoubtedly human toolmarks on it. These occur on its per- pendicular long side facing N.-E., and consist of three deep narrow wedge-shaped holes in one row about 16 inches apart, and another similar hole higher up, near the right hand of the stone. These holes were, I believe, bored by some vandal who had set his heart upon splitting up the block to build a dyke; but the thunders of Thorr broke on his head, and the stone was left. Concerning the other two localities, as I think quite wrongly and unjustifiably raised to the distinction of possessing human handiwork, it is worthy of note that to each of them there is appended a tradition. Which is the more ridiculous it would be hard to say. (2) The “ Cow Cloot ” in the parish of Parton is the more heinous offender. Here again, but indirectly, Sir James Simpson’s monograph has to bear the brunt of a critical examina- tion. He refers to observations made by the Rev. Mr Greenwell. ‘« Appearances of artifical stone-cutting which he believes to be referable to the class described in this memoir. They consist of three or four Cup Hollows of the usual form and size, and a slanting ovoid circle, not unlike that which a cow’s foot produces in softish soil.” These marks which, I submit, are nothing but weatherings, and, even as such, not of any markedly peculiar form, or depth, or mimicry of artificial work—have been unduly honoured by a page of illustration by my friend Mr Harper in his excellent ‘Rambles in Galloway” ; but, I am glad to state that in conversation he admits that the whole matter was not worth the time and trouble given to it. The legend ascribed to this most inconspicuous and disappointing rock-site is as follows :—“ The proprietor [of Upper Arvie], in order to get up arrears of rent ‘drove the pun,” or, in other words, carried off the hypothecated stock, while a fierce resistance was made by the people, and that over this stone, on which a man had just been praying for relief against his enemies, the cattle passed, followed by an ofticer on horseback, and that it remains as a memorial to posterity of the cruel deed.” The writer of the above could, in his day, recognise not only the four nails on each side of the horse-shoe impression, but the knot of the garter made by the kneeling man! (3) In 12 Transactions. Kelton, at a certain point in the march-dike fencing the moor from the arable ground on Hartburn, there is a stone which forms the first step of what is known as the “Chapman’s (or Pack- man’s) Stile.” The story runs that a certain packman, after committing a murder near this spot, fled, and, in scrambling over the dyke, left the impression of his blood-stained foot here on this stone. The origin of so particularly funny a myth seems to lie in the fact that the shape and size of this weathered hole are exactly those of a good-sized foot or boot—one would be inclined to say of a very much-down-at-heel boot, since the upper portion of the sole is square-edged, while the heelmark is a nearly circular and very deep hollow — the whole purely natural. T had been led to believe, and that by no less good observers than Mr Hornel and the late Mr Hamilton of Ardendee that this was a genuine Cup Mark connected with genuine carved grooves running off at either side and crossed at the end—the toes of the boot—by another groove. I am very certain, however, that had this stone not come under notice during our early petroglyphic mania, no such interpretation would have been placed upon it. Probably the knowledge of the legend led our friends to fit the boot to the story, or the facts to the boot. The general con- clusions to be drawn from the above remarks may thus be summarised. (a) Have no regard for cup hollows when found alone unaccompanied by rings, unless they occur in a symmetric grouping. (b) Always doubt cup hollows in proportion to their depth ; genuine cups are apt to be very shallow when found on exposed rocks, and if on rocks from which turf has been removed, their hollows usually show clear tool marks. (c) Doubt more especially any site to which a legend or tradition attaches. To none of the sites of genuine Cup and Ring Marks anywhere, so far as I know, the wide world over, is there one scrap of tradition appended. (d) Do not take for granted statements regarding the occurrence of Cup and Ring Marks until, first, you are reasonably convinced of the accuracy of the writer ; second, of the nature of the rock where the marks are said to be found ; and third, of the genuineness of the cuttings by your own repeated personal observation and careful scrutiny. N.B.—Since a somewhat heated discussion, started on a mistaken view of my stand-point, took place when the above paper was read, I should like it to be clearly understood that the paper is not to be taken as a monograph on Holywood Circle, but as the expression of my opinion on the ‘‘Cup Marks ” there.—F.R.C. Transactions. 13 3. Kirns in Scotland. By Mr James G. Hamitron-Srarkz, M.A.,, E.S.A. The ingathering of harvest has been an occasion for rejoicing among all nations since the most primitive times. As the customs of the Jews are the oldest of which we have an authentic record, we find in the Old Testament that among their festivals there were two connected with the harvest season—the grain harvest (first of barley and a little later of corn), ending some- time between Apryil and June ; and the vine harvest in October, The pagan nations of Greece and Rome held similar festivals ; but these were revels, without any expression of gratitude to the Divine ruler of the universe. The early Christians, who held these festivals with a religious observance, when taunted by the heathen as to the newness of their scriptural customs retorted that they were to be found in the ‘writings of Moses.” In the Pentateuch we find the Divine command for harvest feasts, which were to be proclaimed as holy meetings ; and the contrast between these and pagan ones is thus well put by Dean Milman in his history of the Jews. ‘The third of these feasts took place in autumn at the end of the vintage in all southern climes, the great time of rejoicing and merriment. If more exquisite music and more graceful dances accompanied the gathering in of the grapes on the banks of the Cephisus, the tabret, the viol, and the harp which sounded among the vineyards of Hebron were not wanting in sweetness and gaiety; and instead of the frantic riot of Satyrs and Bacchanals the rejoicing was chastened by the solemn religious recollections with which it was associated in a manner remarkably pleasing and picturesque.” This religious element is strikingly brought out in the Book of Ruth, where the operations in the field at barley harvest are fully and beautifully described. Wesee the wealthy and religious Boaz as he enters the harvest field say to his reapers, ‘‘ The Lord be with you,” and their reply ‘The Lord bless thee.” After the interchange of this devout salutation he inquired of his headman who superintended the reapers—young men and maidens—Who is this damsel? And on learning Ruth’s name and errand he gave orders that some of the grain should be pulled out of the sheaves, so that she might “ without any rebuke” get more than the other gleaners, and she was allowed to glean until both the 14 Transactions. barley and the wheat harvest were ended. Then after the grain had been carried in and winnowed on the threshing floor we are told that Boaz “ate, drank, and was merry.” It would not, however, be doing full justice to the Greeks were I to omit mention of the beautiful description given by Homer of the wheat and vine harvests, as these two scenes were engraven upon the shield of Achilles, two scenes which rival Hebrew usages. I here give Cowper's translation of the wheat harvest scene :— There, too, he formed the likeness of a field Crowded with corn, in which the reapers toiled, Each with a sharp-toothed sickle in his hand ; Along the furrow here the harvest fell, In frequent handfuls there they bind the sheaves. Three binders of the sheaves their sultry task All plied industrious, and behind them boys rs Attended, filling with the corn their arms, And off ring still their bundles to be bound. Amid them, staff in hand, the master stood, Enjoying mute the order of the field ; While shaded by an oak apart his train Prepared the banquet—a well-thriven ox New slain, and the attendant maidens mixed Large supper for the hinds of whitest flour. There is here no mention of that charitable Hebrew custom of gleaning which was enjoined by the Mosaic law, and has been observed since then to the present as an equitable claim by the poor. In medieval times the religious element of offering the first fruits of harvest to God lost its original simplicity, and became so laden with superstitious ceremonies that it resembled a pagan rather than a Christian festival. Hence the religious element fell into disuse at the Reformation ; and it is only within the last few years, especially in Scotland, that religious services have been held as an accessory to harvest festivities. The “kirn ” in Scotland corresponds to the harvest home in England. It is the Scotch way of pronouncing the word churn, just as church is pronounced kirk ; much, meikle ; such like, sic-lyke or sicken. In the north of England it is called the mell-supper, which some English antiquaries suppose to be a corruption for meal, and that the Scotch is a corruption of the word corn. I have never heard the word corn pronounced kirn ; and in regard to the word mell, the explanation given by Brand and adopted by Strutt in his Transactions. 15 “Sports and Pastimes” is the probable one—that it means the promiscuous mingling of master and servants at the same table. Strutt adds—“ Probably the mell and the churn supper originated from the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.” The association of a kirn with churning arose from the circumstance that there was always a churning in a farm house before any large supper, in order to provide ‘‘Cream crowdie,” i.e., cream with oatmeal. There was generally a family tea in the house before the supper in the barn, so that its inmates might give their whole attention to the guests at the kirn. The farmer, also, always paid his harvesters their wages before the kirn began, so that they might have their minds more free for enjoyment. The kirn was generally held some days before Hallowe’en, but, as the poet Burns has recorded, it sometimes took place that night in con- sequence of a late harvest. Ae hairst afore the Sherra-Moor, I mind as weel’s yestreen ; I was a gilpey then—I’m sure I wasna past fifteen. The simmer had been cauld an’ wat, An’ stuff was unco green, But aye a rantin kirn we gat, An’ just on Hallowe’en Tt fell that nicht. Sir Walter Scott mentions that he regularly attended the kirns of his neighbour, “Laird Nippy,” and that he always himself gave a kirn, which Lockhart thus describes. ‘ Every November before quitting the country for Edinburgh Sir Walter gave a harvest-home on the most approved model of former days to all the peasantry on his estate, their friends and kindred, and as many poor neighbours as his barn could hold. Here old and young danced from sunset to sunrise—John of Skye’s bagpipe being relieved at intervals by the violin of some ‘ Wandering Willie —and the laird and all his family were present during the early part of the evening, he and his wife to distribute the con- tents of the first tub of whisky punch, and his young people to take their due share in the endless reels and hornpipes of the earthen floor.” It was the custom in Scotland towards the end of the reaping to leave a small sheave standing—called the maiden 16 Transactions. —at which the harvesters from a distance aimed their hooks, and whoever was skilful enough to cut it, he or she wore a bit of it on their person and led off in the dance at the kirn. The rest was hung up in the farm house until next harvest. The “huik,” or hand sickle, has been long ago superseded by reaping machines. It was a short sharp curved instrument similar to what is represented as having been used in the east from the earliest times. The supper and dance were held in the barn, round the sides of which were placed deal boards supported on barrels or other trestles. Supper was laid out on a centre table laden with substantial viands, also whisky, home-brewed beer, and cream crowdie. Dancing was carried on until daybreak, and the barn door always stood wide open. The barn was lighted up with thick dip candles made for the occasion by dipping wick into the melted tallow that had been accumulated in the farmhouse. An itinerant fiddler, and sometimes the bagpipes, furnished music, and the dances were chiefly reels and country dances. Songs were given at intervals, and when daybreak appeared all parted wishing to the master that he might live to see “ mony mae sic merry kirns.” To ‘‘ Auld Lang Syne ” they tune their voice, Sae noo the kirn is ended ; The courtship tiffs that hae been broke, By wedlock will be mended. Ower Criffel hill the mune has sunk, Sae aff tae bed they’ve started, Where lads will dream of kirns to come, And lassies—kirns departed. W. Tayior. , Kirns were held all over Scotland 40 years ago, but have been gradually dwindling away, until now in many rural districts they are known only by hearsay, and the barns have been gradually demolished. N.B.—The English word churn is of Scandinavian origin, for which the Dutch and Germans have sernen, the Icelandic s/irna, the Swedish kdrna, the Danish kierne. The Scotch kirn is the original way of spelling the English chwrn.—Epitor. Transactions. 17 2nd December, 1892. Mr Gerorce F, Scort-Ettiot, M.A., Vice-President, in the Chair. Donations.—The Essex Naturalist for October, 1892; a list of Californian Plants, made by Dr A. Davidson, presented through Mr Fingland, Thornhill. Dr Chinnock, Secretary of the M‘Dowall Memorial Committee, presented to the Society the Minute Book of that Committee. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. The Influence of Insects on Flowers. By Mr G. F. Scorr-Etuiot, B.Sc, F.LS. One must remember, in order to realise the influence of insects on flowers, that our present Flora is the result of long-continued selection and development. In primeval times the number of species was extremely small, as compared with the present, and those which did exist were of a simple generalised type, and frequented by hordes of miscellaneous insects, none of which displayed the specialised tastes and complex organs of our nine- teenth century ones. Mow the number of species, both of flowers and insects, is extraordinary, and many show the widest and most varied specialisations. Specialisation is, however, not by any means invariably found at the present day. Thus there are many flowers, like the gowan and daisy, which are common and widely spread, and depend on crowds of insects of all kinds ; and alongside these we also find highly specialised plants, like the fig, which depends for its very existence on one particular kind of moth, and these latter highly specialised forms are comparatively rare. Now, in what way did insects exercise their influence, if any? On this point there is so much confusion that one must go to the very beginnings of the theory. Evolution is brought about by variations. Flowers at the tip of the spike are yellow, those just open are a bright rose red, while the older fading flowers are mauve or purple. One sees, therefore, that the flowers of this plant pass through the whole or nearly the whole series of colours which one finds in the vegetable world. There is no certainty as to the cause which produces this change of colour in flowers, but there are some grounds for supposing that 3 ” 18 Transactions. direct sunlight may have led to variation in this direction ; there is also’a considerable probability that a blue or red colour is expensive, requiring the expenditure of a certain amount of energy. However colour change started, there is no doubt that insects have exercised enormous influence on its further develop- ment. Both birds and every group of insects have distinct preferences for certain colours. This is least clearly obvious in the case of beetles, flies, and perhaps the smaller bees, which do not seem to be more attracted by bright colours than they are by yellow or white. Bees distinctly prefer red, and particularly delight in the full purple colour of the bugle and Vieta Cracea. Butterflies appear to like anything bright and vivid, but the common cabbage white butterflies seem to me to prefer their own colour (white) to anything else. Humming-birds have a distinct and special love for a peculiar shade of red, which is not found in any of our British plants. This shade, and a shape corresponding to the long curved beak and head of these birds, is however fairly common wherever they exist in large numbers. Thus I have found members of such utterly different orders as Leguminose, Rubiacew, Scrophulariacee, Labiate, Tridacee, and the Indian Shot taking on this shape and colour, and in most cases proved that they were visited by birds. The effect of the artistic preferences of bees is, however, clearly traceable in our own wild flowers. Thus Geranium pratense is a deep purple, and its large flowers are visited chiefly by the larger bumble-bees ; Geranium silvaticum has smaller purple flowers, and is also visited by the large bumble-bees, though it is also frequented by numbers of small bees and the higher classes of flies ; G. sanguineum is not so distinctly purple, and has an even more mixed clientéle; our other forms—G. molle, G. Robertianum, and G. dissectum have pink flowers of a much smaller size, and appear to be almost entirely dependent on very small bees and flies of the upper and lower classes. Along with this difference of colour there is in the various species a different arrangement of stamens and peculiar methods of ripening, by which each form is thoroughly suited to its main class of visitors. Now, let us consider the Labiate family. We have Salvia pratensis and the common bugle, which are purple, while the Woundwort, Stachys silvaticus, is a strong red, and Wild Thyme is pink, not to speak of Lamium album, which is white. Why should there be this Transactions. 19 variety! If one watches the common bugle on a warm, quiet day one can, I think, answer the question. Usually one has not to wait long before one sees a furry, chestnut-coloured bumble (Bombus muscorum) tlying back and forwards in wide sweeps, much as a pointer ranges a field of turnips for partridges. Suddenly she will catch sight of a bugle, and immediately fly straight to it, busily probing every flower on the spike with an excited and affectionate hum. One sees at once that the bugle, which is a small plant with a way of growing scattered in single specimens, often in broken ground, requires a conspicuous, easily distinguished colour. The blue Salvia pratensis is also a bumble- bee flower ; on the other hand, several South American Salvias have a rich red colour, and a shape suited to the humming birds, which are known to visit them. Stachys has a habit of growing in masses, and is a strong red suited to the taste of another Bombus which visits it frequently. Thyme, on the other hand, is partly visited by the hive-bee, and partly by various flies, and its strong scent enables it to do without such a deep and expen- sive red as one finds in Stachys. I have never studied Lamiwm album in the field, but as I found it in full bloom as late as October 30th, I am inclined to think it is visited by flies as well as by bumbles; in any case, it is a very conspicuous plant, and easily seen by bees. Our violets also show the advantage to a plant which grows in scattered specimens of a colour conspicuous enough to attract a bumble-bee flying, as they often do, at a rate of ten to twenty miles an hour. It is true that the mountain violet (V. lutea) is yellow, but then this plant is commonly found on bare hillsides, where it has few competitors, and is quite sufficiently conspicuous. The blue variety (wmoena) is also common, proving that V. lutea is a variety or incipient species. Again, in the pink order, most of our English forms are white, but Sagina procumbens (Pearlwort) has no petals, as a rule, while Lychwis diurna and the Ragged Robin are pink. I have found this summer that the Pearlwort is visited chietly by ants, and it is also no doubt largely self-fertilised, hence we may see how it can do without petals. Again, the Day Campion and Ragged Robin are visited almost entirely by bumble-bees. ‘ The difference between Lychnis diurna and Lychnis vespertina is perhaps the best possible instance of the way in which insects may have brought about a multiplication of species. ZL. vespertina has 20 Transactions. white flowers, which are scented, and mostly open during the evening. Now, the common ancestor of the two species may have had red flowers, but with a tendency (by reversion to stil] earlier conditions) to produce white flowers occasionally, just as we see happens with Lychnis floscuculli in our own district. This tendency would probably be most frequent in those flowers which open towards evening through the absence of strong sunlight, and such white, late opening flowers would be best visible to evening moths, and be frequently crossed between themselves. The red day flowers of diwrna would be visited, as now, by bumble-bees, which retire to rest before the evening moths come out, and hence the flowers of each incipient variety would be constantly crossed with each other, and but seldom with those of the other variety. White colour, late hours, and scent being al] directly of service to moth flowers, would be fixed by natural selection, and the two incipient species would diverge more and more widely, and have room to produce the other very minor distinctions which now separate them. Again, why should Lepigonum ov Spergularia rubra be pink? It is most unusual in the section of Caryophyllew to which it belongs, and I could not have answered this question before this summer. I now find it is visited not infrequently by hive-bees, and the pink is obviously to assist it against the strong competition of Armeria vulgaris, which often accompanies it. One must, however, be careful not to apply the principle too universally. Most flowers cannot rely entirely on one class of visitors, and though Sir John Lubbock has sufficiently proved by direct experiment that bees do prefer red to yellow and blue to red, still they do not by any means confine their attention to red and blue flowers. Thus the hive-bee visits the common yellow buttercup, and bumble-bees often gather pollen from St. John’s Wort and the Willows in early spring. None of these three plants are of course specially given up to bees. Even in cases like that of Zamawm albwm, one must remember that one has mainly to explain why some flowers have turned red or purple ; it is not necessary to suppose that all bee-flowers must do so, as they may use their surplus material in other ways. Everyone knows that one of the great subdivisions of botany is that of Corolliflore—towers, that is to say, in which the petals are united to form a corolla. I think, however, few can have Lransactions. 25 realised that we are probably indebted to insects for the existence of this particularly beautiful group. It seems to me difticult to find any other reason for Corolliflors than their being able to reserve their honey for longlipped insects, which also happen to be the most intelligent and industrious pollen carriers. In other ways a tubular flower is a disadvantage, as material is needlessly wasted in the tube itself in the strong supporting calyx and so on. One might even, I think, trace the variation which led to the formation of tubular flowers a little further back ; the petals in a minute forming flower consist of four or five small pimples of jelly-like substance which are arranged ina circle. If these little bulging pimples were arranged closely side by side, they would be likely to run together and rise as a single rim or cylinder instead of as separate projections. If this is true, it explains why lychnis and silene which are tubular flowers, from un insect’s point of view, are not Corolliflore, for we find in these forms that the position of the stamens and nectaries would prevent this fusion. At any rate, when a tule of this kind was once pro- duced even in a rudimentary condition (such as we find in the holly and bryony), the advantage in retaining the honey and preserving it for the best insects would be so great that it would be immediately seized upon and improved. A possibility of indefinite variation was thus afforded, and the variations that actually have occurred are so numerous that it is somewhat difficult to classify them. I think one may, however, trace three distinct types, under which probably 90 per cent. of the Corolliflore may be placed :— 1. Flowers with a widely open corolla very much like a large Thalamiflor whose petals have united—Campanula, Convolvulus, and the Foxglove. 2. Flowers with a very narrow tube which ends in a spreading horizontal limnb—Primrose, Periwinkle. 3. Flowers with distinct upper and lower lip and a short or moderately long tube—Lobelia, Salvia, and almost all the Labiates. Now every one of these very widely spread types can, I think, be shown to be directly adapted to the shape of the insects which visit them. Thus a Foxglove is almost exactly the shape of a bumble bee’s body, and I think we are quite justified in saying that the bee has fashioned the shape of the Foxglove flower exactly as the thumb of an old glove affords the exact pattern of bo bo Transactions. its wearer’s digits. In this first type, in fact, the insects are intended to enter the flower bodily, and the shape of the flower depends upon the size and the usual motions of the insects which enter. Generally speaking, however, this adaptation is not so striking at first sight, because the insects may enter the flower in any direction, and hence its shape will not be that of a bee, but that of a bee’s body of revolution so to speak. This can be easily seen if one takes a Bluebell and cuts it into two equal halves, when the space in each half between the corolla and the upright median style will be seen to be very nearly that of a bee’s head and tongue. A very striking instance, which at first sight seems contradictory, is that of the Pigwort. This is visited by wasps which in entering bend their bodies into a circle, resting the thorax on the lower lip of the corolla (just as an athlete rests on his waist when about to turn a circle on the horizontal bar), and the shape of the globular corolla is just such as will enable the head of the wasp to accomplish this ovement. The second or Primrose shape is one not often found in British plants, though it occurs e.g. in Forget-me-not. It is typical of flowers which depend mainly on moths and butterflies for carrying their pollen—these insects have an extremely long, thin proboscis, and are unable, from the size of their wings, to enter flowers like a bee, hence they stand on the spreading limbs of a Primrose and plunge their delicate elastic trunks down the narrow tube. In out Flora the Honeysuckle is perhaps the best example of a moth flower, and it has the characteristic long and narrow tube, but it is only in tropical countries, where butterflies ave numerous and important enough to be consulted, that flowers of this type reach their full development. In such places there are Rubiace and plants of the Periwinkle order which have tubes four or five inches long, and not nearly a quarter of an inch in diameter. In the third or Labiate and Lyebright type, the insect, usually a bee, is supposed to stand on the lower lip and thrust his mouth and lips down a tube; the length of this tube varies greatly, and often shows the most exact agreement with the measured length of the particular bee’s trunk. The size and character of the corolla lips varies also enormously. Sometimes, as in Lamium, the bee stands comfortably on a broad platform and pushes his head and lips down a long corridor, which ends in a cup of honey, and is often guarded from intruders by a curtain of stiff hairs at Transactions. 23 the door. In the Thyme he is supposed to stand on the other flowers, and only his head enters the corolla. In Veronica the lower lip has been suppressed, and the insect is supposed to alight on the style and two spreading stamens. In all three types, however, if one examines the flower, as compared with the insect, one sees that the shape of the corolla is an almost exact generalised outline of its average visitor’s head and mouth parts, affording, of course, play to the ordinary motions on entering or leaving of the latter. Natural selection seems to have ruthlessly pared away any exuberance of shape, until the correspondence is sometimes astonishingly correct. Another striking effect of insect visitors is shown in the development of nectaries to secrete the honey. In this case the origin of nectaries may very likely be found in insect visits. Primeval insects probably bit and gnawed the flower parts, and possibly the places most affected by them would be the juicy succulent tissues at the base of the stamens and petals. That is the most usual position of nectaries, and a part often attacked by the gnawing beetles now living. A stimulus of this kind would produce a flow of sugar to the part attacked (one can see a similar flow giving rise to abnormal development in the galls produced by insect injury at present). At first this abnormal supply must have been purely irregular, but gradually the flower took to developing regular spots, where a constant exudation took place, and which the insect could readily find. Once this took place one can see both how insects began to develop a sucking mouth, instead of strong biting mandibles, and how the nectaries became gradually more and more definite and constant. Tn fact, every stage of transition can be almost traced from our present forms. Thus Miiller has shown in his “ Fertilisation of Plants” a regular series of transitions, from the biting mouths of the sand-wasp and Prosapis to the complicated purely sucking mouths of Bombus and the hive-bee. On the flower side, I was interested this summer by seeing a very small Erupis fly, which was obviously sucking on the petals of Hypericum perforatum, whose flowers show no trace of nectaries, and which are not known to secrete honey, I was compelled to believe that exuda- tion of honey did take place, though in an irregular and unlocai- ised way, probably as may have been the case with the earliest flowers. Before leaving nectaries, I must point out that: their 24. Transactions. formation involves a loss to the flower which is usually made up by suppression of other parts. In Crucifere there are, for instance, only six stamens, but a close study of the flowers renders it probable that the six nectaries are remains of six other stamens which are required to make up the symmetry of the flower. Generally a direct connection between nectaries and missing parts cannot be traced, but well-developed nectaries, as in the higher Corolliflore, usually go along with great reduction in stamens and carpels. One has only to compare the numerous stamens and carpels of buttercups, roses, and mallows with the four or two stamens and two carpels of most Corolliflore to see this clearly. Very often a regular nectary leads to a kind of bag being formed to hold the honey secreted. A rudimentary cup of this kind occurs in the pouched sepals of some Cruciferz ; here it has probably been formed by the impression of the nectaries which in the buds occupy the part of the sepals afterwards pouched, and the cavity thus formed being useful as a honey receptacle, has been maintained and improved by selection. In other cases one is disposed to think that insects have directly started a variation of this kind. Thus some buttercups are very near the St. John’s Wort in being without any particular spot at which honey is secreted. In the common butter cup, however, exudation of honey is confined to a particular shallow pit just at the base of the petal. If one compares this shallow cavity with a Columbine petal, one can scarcely resist the conclusion that the constant pushing and probing of insects has deepened and elongated this shallow pit till it has come to form the long curved spur of the Columbine. The lengthening of this pit may have gone on for centuries, but as every little increase was of advantage both to flower and insect it seems very possible that it has been pro- duced in this way. Quite similar pits or spurs are found in the Toadflax Butterwort and in violets, and similar structures are extremely common in the orchid family. One orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, has a spur of this kind eighteen inches long, which is adapted to a kind of hawk moth which has a proboscis about the same length. There would be no difficulty in multiplying instances to show the influence of insect visitors. I shall, however, forbear to try the patience of members any longer, only pointing out what is Transactions. 25 perhaps the most important point of all. The differences between two allied species may be of a minute and scarcely visible character, and yet if those differences lead to the flowers being visited by utterly different insects, these two species are as much isolated from one another as if the broad Atlantic rolled between them. Mutual crossing is impossible, and each species is perfectly free to follow any line of variation which it chooses, Isolation of this kind is, as we can see from the study of island farms, a most fruitful cause of new species. Hence the import- ance of a study of insect visitors is enormous, and it is astonish- ing to find that whilst there are probably several hundred botanists who can name any British plant presented to them, practically nothing has been done in this direction. Unfortunately, every little detail requires the most tedious and exasperating work in the field, and the habits and customs of our bees and flies have been even less studied than those of our plants. Any of our members who begin this branch will, how- ever, find a field almost untrodden, and, however, superficial the instances given may be, I hope some may be induced to under- take this most fascinating yet bewildering and difficult branch of botany. In this hope, I recommend them to begin with a care- ful study of Herbert Spencer, that they may be delivered from the haunting fear of Weismannism, which has long been dead and buried on the Continent, but occasionally returns in this country to life. I must also recommend them to study Miiller’s “ Fertilisa- tion of Plants,” and to read carefully and critically Professor Henslow’s “ Floral Structures.” They will find that I am very deeply indebted to all these authors, and to Mr Grant Allen for the theoretical part of this paper. 2. Trade Tokens. By Mr Pup Suutey, F.R.Hist.8. Mr Sulley in the first place made some general remarks regarding trade tokens, pointing out that while the whole coinage on record from Anglo-Saxon times to the present did not exceed a thousand different specimens, the trade tokens issued at various times exceeded sixty thousand. The cause of the issue of such e 4 26 Transactions. tokens was the lack of small change. He directed attention to a penny of the time of Edward I. in England and John Balliol in Scotland, which was purely the working-man’s coin of the day, and represented his day’s wage during many a score of years. It was the only coin they had, and to get what was pro- portionately a half-penny and farthing they broke the penny piece into halves and quarters. For three centuries this state of affairs existed, until Henry VII. made a great reform in the coinage, and he was the first king to put a likeness on coins, Then came Edward the Sixth and Mary the Evil, who issued most base and degraded coins, the result of which was that trades- men refused to put up with them any longer. oon the chandler, the grocer, the baker, the vintner, and other trades people, along with many of the principal households, began to issue tokens of their own to be used among their own friends, within their own circle, and in their own town. These they made of all kinds of metal—a few of copper, many of tin and pewter, some of brass, and some even were of leather—stamped. Matters went on in this way till James the Sixth of Scotland journeyed across the Border to become the First of England, the tokens having con- tinually increased. His Blessed Majesty, James, when he went south found he could not take his Scottish “ bawbee” with him. As towns like Bristol, Worcester, and Oxford were issuing these copper coins at fair value, and were making an immense profit out of it, he, with Scottish ingenuity, thought he might turn a good trade at it too, and he gave a patent to Lord Harrington in 1613 to issue ‘‘ good copper farthings.” As a matter of fact, they were worth about a fifth of that sum, and consequently his lordship made something like £30,000 a year out of the business. James, however, soon did away with the patent, and gave Lord Harring- ton some thousands a year to carry on the trade while he himself secured the profits. From 1618 to 1689 the issue of tokens was widespread, and their mottoes were numerous. In 1671 King Charles IT. reformed the coinage by the issue of honest copper pennies and farthings, and in the following year he issued an edict putting a stop to the circulation of trade tokens, and succeeded in suppressing them. William III. and Mary, Anne, George I., George II., George III., all managed to supply the requirements of the public substantially for about 100 years. But then there came a dearth of money, and in Transactions. 27 ~ the year 1787 things got so bad that there was no money to pay wages, &. In that year the Anglesey Copper Com- pany issued copper pennies and farthings to their work-people, and these were so much in demand that in the course of three years they struck 300 tons of the metal. The result was that other people took up the same trade, and these tokens grew to an enormous extent. Ten years afterwards, in the year 1797, George III. put a stop to the business by issuing a very beautiful, though rather cumbersome, twopenny piece of solid copper, That put a substantial check on copper tokens, so much so that they died out about the year 1800 ; and in 1802 there were only two issued. In 1806 a new penny of good value came from the mint. Mr Sulley proceeded to give particulars of some of the tokens issued at the end of last century. Some were put into circula- tion by towns, others by private speculators, who adorned theirs with figures of noted persons such as the Prince of Wales, Earl Howe, Nelson, and the Duke of Wellington, while classical subjects also came within their artistic scope. Tokens were likewise issued as advertisements. A celebrated London dwarf, who was on exhibition, had his halfpenny ; a menagerie was not behind the times with a coin on which were the kangaroo, armadillo, and rhinoceros ; an acrobatic performance had its suitable advertisement; the proprietors of a great lottery followed in line; and another token was issued as an advertisement to a stage coach establishment, with words in praise of Palmer, the founder of stage coaches. Mr Sulley exhibited specimens of these, and among others a Masonic half-penny. A magnificent set of tokens was issued at one time with representations of the principal London buildings. A more remarkable set altogether were the satirical tokens, One Spence, who had seen the inside of a prison five times, and was three times tried for high treason, issued a notable series of the kind in question, and Mr Sulley brought before the meeting specimens, along with others circulated by T. Hardy, tried for high treason in 1794 ; J. H. Young Erskine, the great advocate; Gibb; and the London Corresponding Society, which was the means of stirring up some notable riots in the English Metropolis. Such tokens, which were circulated in great numbers, were, of course, issued for political objects. The French 28 Transactions. Revolution brought a host into circulation, and numbers were struck in honour of the victories of the British arms. In the ten years succeeding 1787 no fewer than 40,000 were put into circulation. In 1811 copper had grown so valuable owing to the great wars that twopenny pieces were worth fivepence, and a large number of silver tokens were issued for the first time in that year. On 17th July, 1817, however, an Act was passed compelling their withdrawal, and that was the end of the system of tokens. In the first period, up to the time of Charles IL., there were upwards of 20,000 issued, of which 12,000 were known at the present time, and 40,000 were known ‘to have seen the light from 1787 to 1817. A good many more had doubtless been lost. And the cause of all this was simply the scarcity of change ! Coming to Scotland, he found it a very extraordinary thing that, as far as he could ascertain, there was no collection of Scotch trade tokens, or record of them. In the great antiquarian museum in Edinburgh there was not a single one. There were a few in the Paisley Museum. He had some eighty specimens. There were 240 different varieties of Scotch tokens known, but many of them were simply varieties with such minute differences—princi- pally in the dies—that they were only interesting to collectors. He imagined there were 130 different tokens known to be issued in Scotland. The Edinburgh half-pennies were the oldest known to exist, the earliest date being 1787. There was also a Paisley Abbeypenny, for which he would be glad to give £20. He could sell it for £50. (Laughter.) He exhibited an Edinburgh half- penny of date 1791, payable at Dumfries, the reason of their being made payable at different towns being that Scotch traders went to all the London and other great markets carrying their pennies with them, and the tokens could be exchanged and current coin obtained for them at certain houses in the various towns. He also exhibited tokens with representaions of Edin- burgh University and the Register House; and one dated 1796, issued by Campbell, who kept a snuff shop in St. Andrew Street, Edinburgh. The man Spence already referred to issued, he thought, most of the Scotch tokens—about 70 or 80— which, with his others, cost him about ten years in jail. However, he was a most indefatigable man. (Laughter.) In connection with the trade done at southern cattle markets by Scotch traders last century, Mr Sulley referred to an iron plate Transactions. 29 at the Midsteeple indicating the distance to Huntingdon, which had a famous market. The best Scotch tokens of all were those of Dundee, which were remarkable for the way in which they were struck, and which could not be surpassed by any English ones that he knew of. Gatehouse-of-Fleet was the only place within the two counties (Kirkcudbright and Dumfries) which issued a halfpenny of its own, and he exhibited a specimen, on the one side of which was a view of the mill, and on the other the arms of Murray Stewart of Cally. In his collection of tokens some 70 belonged to the period between 1790 to 1797 ; four belonged to a later period. He had many hundreds of the English ones. He expressed the hope that he had given the Society an interest in Scotch trade tokens. The extraordinary thing in connection with them was that, while there were many records of the English issues, there was no record in Scotland. Mr James Watt described the proceedings of the Geological Section of the British Association at Edinburgh, 1892. 13th January, 1893. Rev. Wa. Anpson, V.-P., in the Chair. Donations.—A collection of Grasses and Rushes presented by Mr Tom Brown, late of Auchenhessnane ; a collection of Mosses presented by the Rev. George Wilson, of Glenluce ; a number of " Botanical Specimens presented by Miss Thompson, of Settle ; the Essex Naturalist for November, 1892. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. Botanical Notes for 1892. By Mr James M‘Anprew, New-Galloway, WIGTOWNSHIRE. The result of a week’s botanizing at Cairuryan, Wigtownshire, in July 1892, was rather disappointing. The village is a very desirable spot for spending a quiet holiday, and is not far from 30 Transactions. the famous Glenapp. The shore of Loch Ryan is rather barren in good species of seaside plants, but the glen at Lochryan House, which, by the kind permission of Mr Wallace, I was allowed to visit, is comparatively rich in ferns, flowering plants, and mosses, &e. Here I saw more of Lastrea oreopteris, Polypodium phegopteris and dryopteris (the beech and oak ferns) than I had yet seen in Wigtownshire. The mosses, Pylaisia polyantha, Trichostomum crispulum, hhynchostegium tenellum, and Pottia Heimii, were gathered round Cairnryan, while many trees in the glen had their stems almost covered with the lichen Verrucaria nitida. As far as I am aware the following -are six new records for Wigtownshire :— Polygala eu-vulgaris, Malva rotundifolia, -Agrimonia EHupatoria var. odorata, Anthriscus vulgaris, Pers., E. of Stranraer ; Carex pendula, immediately 8. of the Ayrshire boundary ; and Carex levigata. I confirmed Carex remota, Carex Sylvatica, and Melica uniflora for Wigtownshire. Other good plants seen were Senebiera coronopus, Helianthemum chamecistus, Sagina maritima, Sagina nodosa, Hypericum androsemum, in abundance; Zrifoliwm striatum, three miles 8. of Cairnryan; Ornithopus perpusillus, Hupatorium cannabinum, Sonchus asper, Veronica polita and hederwfolia, Melampyrum pratense var. hians, Empetrum nigrum, Orchis latifolia, Habenaria conopsea and viridis, Eleocharis pauciflorus, Carex dioica, Keleria cristata, in abundance ; Bromus asper, and Hquisetum maximum. I saw Thlaspi arvense in plenty near Dunragit. KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE. New records for New-Galloway, Kirkcudbrightshire are—In Kenmure Holms I found this year in abundance Polygala oxyptera, also, the Hepatic Metzgeria linearis, var. hamata, Lindb., in Ballin- gear Glen, and a new species of lichen on alder trees in Knock- narling Burn, named by Dr W. Nylander, Paris, Lecidea umbralis, and Bryum intermedium at Kenmure, and the lichen Physeza ciliaris on Rerrick shore. Placodiwm elegans, Link ; Opegraphas atra, Pers. ; Verrucaria oxyspora, Nyl.; and Verrucaria biformis, Borr, from New-Galloway. Transactions. 31 DUMFRIESSHIRE. As the result of another holiday at Moffat in July and August, 1892, I have been able to add a few more plants to the Moffat List. Mosses—Sphagnum rigidum, var. squarrosulum, Hind Gill; Sphagnum intermedium; Dicranum scopariwm, vay. orthophyllum ; Barbula papillosa (on old trees); Tetraplodon mnioides ; Neckera pumila, var. Philippeana, Beld Craig Glen ; Orthotrichum leiocarpum ; Ulota erispula ; Physcomitrium erice- torum ;, Webera elongata, side of Well Burn and Wamphray Glen ; Rhabdoweissia fugax ; Anomodon viticulosum, Wamphray Glen ; Plagiothecitum Borrerianum—13. I was fortunate also in find- Hypnum crista-castrensis on Gallow Hill. It was formerly recorded for the Grey Mare’s Tail. Hupaticx.—Lophozia Bantriensis, Well Burn, &c.; Lophozia Schreberi; Lophozia exsecta, Gallow Hill; Lophozia alpestris, and Anewra latifrons, are five new records for Moffat. Licuens.—New records for the Moffat district are Pannaria pexizoides, Garpel Glen ;, Cetraria aculeata var. mwricata, near the Waterfoot; Physcia cewsia, Verrucaria nitida, Wamphray Glen; Thelotrema lepadinum, Beld Craig Glen; Squamaria gelida, Beomyces roseus and placophyllus, Hind Gill; Spheroph oron frayile, Peltigera spuria, two miles N. of Moffat; Hvernia furfuracea var. scobocina, Gallow Hill; Ricasolia lete-virens, Lochwood and Beld Craig Glen; Parmelia reddenda, Frenchland Tower ; Purmelia ambigua Gallow Hill and near Wamphray Schoolhouse on fir trees ; Parmelia Borrera, Parmelia cetrarioides, Lecidea pulverea, Gallow Hill ; and Lecidea lwcida—18. Among flowering plants NVitella opaca, Bromus commutatus, Trifolium arvense, and Ornithopus perpusillus, found by Mr J. T. Johnstone, are new records for Moffat. Also from the Moffat district recorded in “Journal of Botany ” for July, 1892, are Hieracium rubicundum, n. sp., and Hieractum murorum var. sarcophyllum, on Black’s Hope by the Messrs Linton. 81 fps OE = tee ae, Seo" ee Ee Ee AGE A ae od ha “MN “M ‘M'S . as ‘a aN "N ‘ava ayy SuLaNp putAA eYyy JO SUOTPOIATCT en ne eel :) Transactions. 32 2. Metevrological Observations for 1892. By the Rev. Witi1AM ANDSON. 8 OF | G-GF | 8-FF L0G | 19-SE | 00-2 OF €1 | LL | 8-89 6 28 | 106 6@ | 998-T FOL-RG | OF9-08 “ABI 16 T-Z8 | GSE | CFE €L 161 | 82-0 E | LF | 886] 9.68 6 2.09 | $16.62 | §20-T Z61-66 | G96.08 ‘09d 66 8-66 | 9-0F | F-1F 02 1g.€ | 8c.0 | 2cF | 8-08 | GLE | GSP | 2-96 | GS-99 | #F6-66 | ESOT GFE-6G | 968-08 “AON 18 8& | ZOF | 6-1F 81 OLE | €8-0 | 9-8F 1¢ | 1-98 | 9-0G | 8-6T | 8-99 | 902-66 | GOF-T 996-86 | 898.08 190 18 €.1h | €& 66 | 1-19 1G 18-6 | 6-0 | G29 | 21-18 Gt | $69 | L868 | F-99 } 18-66 | 0L0.T 183 6@ | 298-08 ‘adag €8 ¥-09 | 9-€¢ | ¥.95 6L 08-9 | 00-4 8g &b | #-0G | 1-¢9 LE OS f 98-62 | SOL-T LGZ-6G | O&E-08 “suv tL G.8F | 4-69 | #.99 tae CLG | 8-0 | L219 9¢ | F-6h | 1-99 IF LL | 910-08 | #S91-T CIE-62 | GOP-08 Arne €L ¥-9F | 9.09 | F.69 61 63-8 | $¢-0 | &-SS | 2.9F | 1-9F | 9-69 | €-9E 28 | 996-62 | O80.T 098-64 | OFF-NE eune 81 c.8F L¥ | §.09 81 CLF | 69-0 | S-19 2b | Och | 9-09 os GL | &F6-6% | 120-1 GSP 6G | ELF-08 AVN GL 6.9§ OF | F-EP OT 69-0 | 16-0 | &-SF 6F | FFE | T-9¢ | S-2@ | G-TL | 820.08 | ¢80-T E2F.62 | S0G-08 judy €8 €-1€ FE | 8-cS 8 GL.O | 12.0 | F218 | &-FF 0€ cp | 1-61 $9 | 190.08 | SFE-T 686-62 | 089-08 “ACW $6 GPE | TSE | P98 91 SL.1 | OF-O | G-SE | & Fh | 9-8 | GFP] &6 9-65 | 891 6@ | 208-T FOL-8G | 1L9 OF “Qe 06 1-86 | 9-68 | 9.SE 9% coz ' 90 | 1-98 | 1-9€ | 818] *-OF | 9-6T | 499 § 921.62 | G6I-T 672-62 | 12-08 “avr Seq | 'saq | s0q uy ‘up | seq | ‘Seq | Seq | ‘Saq | seq | seq | ‘saqouy | ‘seyouy | ‘seyouy | ‘seyouy 1] a ae & = s BE os = =a | > ha 5g n= E 5 2 Sir 25 a ay ee Hee $3 Bs s ere) lS ieee Be B23 |)25| 22) o8 ow ge: ® os ous i =.8| 20 = = = [oR Sean eo | 8s Se les = a Ee a2 se elee | 3)| 2 2 [eh| Sey es Paleo ee (Pe | Pet ws | F8 | °FS Pe le ode (Mave lets: is Slo Sar) Ncw leer : 5 = = 5 > mc le 5 oo Pen ereini ‘MALAWOWDAH “ejuLey PF ctcoanbo 1a aonete aia ‘MaLANOUVA a ‘404 9 ‘[PAST VAS BAOGY BYSIO FT "MOE € “SUOT “NF GG 9°T hest reading of the barometer recorded dur- o to) i Barometer.—The h ing the past year was on the 22nd March, when it rose to 30°630 t fell to 28-764 in. i and the lowest on 2nd February, when > in. Transactions. 33 giving an annual range of 1°866 in. The mean barometrical pressure (reduced to 32 degs. and sea level) was 29-901 in., which is a little above average. In March, April, and July the mean monthly pressure was slightly in excess of 30 inches. The lowest monthly mean was in October, which showed 29-706 in. ; and on the 9th of the same month there was a fall to 28-956 in. But neither on that day, nor in the beginning of February, when the barometer fell to a still lower point, the lowest of the year, was the fall accompanied by such severe storms of wind or excessive rainfall as are often experienced in connection. with such depressions, although the weather was squally at times, and especially during the night. But on the whole there was a marked absence, at least in this district, of storms of any intensity. Temperature (in shade, 4 feet above the grass).—The highest reading of the self-registering protected thermometer was 82 degs. on the 9th June, and only once again (in August) was the maximum of 80 degs. reached. The lowest temperature registered was 9 degs. on the 26th December, giving an annual range of 73 degs. On one other night, in February (the 19th of the month), the thermometer registered a minimum nearly as low, viz., 9°3 degs. These were the lowest readings of the year ; but there has been an unusual number of instances in which the temperature fell to and below the freezing point—in January, for example, 16, with an aggregate of 73 degs. of frost ; in February, 11, with an aggregate of 66:7 degs; in March, 23, with an aggregate of 112 degs. ; in April, 12, with an aggregate of 52 degs; in October, 8, with an aggregate 34°7 degs.; in November, 5, with an aggregate of 14°8 degs. ; and in December, 21, with an aggregate of 173-8 degs. There were thus in all during the year 96 days on which the thermometer fell to and below the freezing point, with an aggregate of 557°5 degs. of frost. On the other hand, the number of really warm days on which the thermometer rose to 70 degs. and above was comparatively few, viz., 21, the most of which occurred in July and August. The warmest month was August, with a mean temperature of 58 degs. July came next with 57:7 degs. June had only 55:7. The coldest month was December, with a mean of only 34 degs., which is 44 degs. below the average. March was also a very cold month, the mean of 37°4 degs. being less than that of February, and nearly 5 degs. 5 34 Transactions. under average. With these facts in view, it is not to be wondered at that the mean temperature of the year, taken as a whole—viz., 46 degs.—is considerably below the normal. It is the lowest annual mean recorded at this station since observa- tions were commenced in 1886. In that year it was 46-2 degs, During the other years the annual mean ranged from 46:5 to 48-1 degs. The deficiency in the past year appears both in the mean maxima and in the mean minima—that is, both in the day and night temperatures —which for 1892 were mean max. 53°3 degs. and mean min. 37°] degs., as compared with an average for the previous five years of 54:6 degs. and 40:1 degs. This shows a deficiency of warm days, but in a much greater degree a pre- ponderance of cold nights. Although the number of nights on which the thermometer fell below the freezing point is not very much above the normal, the number of aggregate degrees of frost —viz., 557 degs.—is greatly in excess of that of any previous year, so far as my observations go, these having ranged from 193 degs. in 1889 to about 500 degs. in 1886. This serves to show the intensity of the frost which marked the winter months of 1892, December alone showing an aggregate of 173 degs. And further evidences of this are supplied by the freezing over of the river Nith about Christmas, with ice strong enough to bear skaters, from the Caul to Albany Place, and the continuance of this up to the 5th or 6th January ; and also by the number of water-pipes that were burst. There were only two months in which the mean temperature exceeded the average—May and November—in each case only to the extent of 1 deg. ; while June was about average, and all the other months below it to an amount ranging from | to 44 or 5 degs. The year on the whole, therefore, has been exceptionally cold, as the annual mean clearly indicates ; and, so far as reports that have appeared enable us to judge, this deficiency of heat seems to have been general over the whole country. I observe that Mr Dudgeon reports the mean temperature of the past year at Cargen as 45-3 degs., being more than 2 degs. below the average and the lowest for 33 years. A meteorological correspondent in the Scotsman gives the following report. of the annual means for 1892 in different parts of the country: Wick, in the extreme north, 44:1 degs.; Aberdeen, 44-6 degs. ; Edinburgh, 45-6 degs. ; Leith, 46°3 degs. ; Ardrossan, 46-4 degs. ; Loughborough, in central England, 46-9 degs ; Liver- Transactions. 35 pool, 47-5 degs. ; London, 48°6 degs. ; Scilly Islands, 51-1 degs. ; and he adds the statement that, taking Britain as a whole, the means of the year were about a degree and a half below the average ; in some places rather more, and in others rather less, but in most lower than in any year since 1879. Rainfall.—The number of days on which rain or snow fell was 201 (rain 179, and snow 22). The heaviest fall in 24 hours occurred on 29th August, and amounted to two inches, which is the heaviest recorded at this station since observations were begun in 1886. There had been a thunderstorm during the previous night, and on the next day there was an additional fall of 0°60 inches. The result was that the river was heavily flooded, the gauge at the New Bridge showing a depth of 9 feet. There was only one other day on which the fall exceeded one inch, and it occurred in the same month, viz., on 7th August, and amounted to 1:20 inches. There was another occasion in October, however, the 27th of the month, when by a heavy rainfall of 1:4 inches on that and the previous day, combined with the melting of snow on the higher grounds, the river rose to a height of 10 feet at the New Bridge, and flooded the Sands, so as to surround the Hoddam Castle Inn, and farther down extended some way up into Nith Street. The wettest month was August, with a record of 6:80 inches, and the next May, with over 4 inches. The driest months were March and April, March showing only 0-75 inches and April 0°69 inches. These months were exceptionally cold as well as dry, especially March, the temperature of which was four degs, below average. The other months, in respect of rainfall, were about average, or under it, that of January and December in particular amounting to barely one-half of the normal. It is a rare thing for the month of December to register less than 2 inches of rain or SNOW, as was the case in the past year, and to show a period of 13 days, from the 18th to the 31st, in which no precipitation took place. And I may add, although this does not properly belong to the report of the past year, that this drought, as it may be called, continued through the first five days of January, 1893, making a period of 18 days in which the precipitation amounted to only one hundredth of an inch of melted hoar frost and snow. The total rainfall for the year (including melted snow) was 35-61 inches. Mr Dudgeon reports a total of 39-45 inches at Cargen, and states 36 Transactions. it as being 3:44 inches below the average. The average at Cargen, according to his observations over a period of more than 30 years, is about 43 inches. But only twice in seven years’ observations at Dumfries has this totai been approached, viz., in 1886, when it was 41°13 inches, and in 1891 (a peculiarly wet year), when it was 42°92. The average of the seven years is a fraction less than 37 inches, and this or a little more, say 38 or 39 inches, to allow for the more limited period of observation, is probably nearer the annual average for Dumfries than 43 inches. The year, on the whole, was very unfavourable for agricultural work, for while the coldness of the spring and summer months made the harvest late, the heavy rains of August, and the extremely showery weather of September, extending over 21 days, and of the early part of October, prevented the crops from being gathered in, in many cases at least, till well on in the latter month, and often only after serious damage had been done to their condition. Hygrometer.—The mean reading of the dry bulb thermometer for the year was 44°8 degs., and of the wet 42°5 degs., a difference of 2-3 degs., as compared with 46°3 degs., and 43-9 degs., in 1891. Temperature of the dew point, 40 degs. ; and relative humidity (sat.=100), 83. Thunderstorms occurred seven times in all— once in May, on the 20th ; four times in June, on the 10th, 17th, 19th, and 22nd; once in August, on the 29th; and once in September, on the 3rd; but none of them were severe, with the exception perhaps of that of the 29th August, when the heaviest rainfall of the year was recorded. A solar halo was observed on the 19th February, and lunar halos on several occasions, but not so frequently as in former years. The wind observations show as. usual a preponderance of westerly winds, the number of days on which it blew from W., 8.W., and N.W., being 190} ; and from E., 8.E., and N.E., 1053; while from due N. the number was 253; and from due S. 254; and on 18 days it was calm or variable. Transactions. 37 3. Parsee Religion and its Influence on Christianity. By Mr Septimus P. Moorz, LL.B., B.Sc., F.LS. The following. is a short abstract of this. very interesting paper :—The Parsee, Zoroastrian, or Magdasian religion was that of the ancient Persians. . Taking its rise in Bactria about 1500 B.c., nearly co-eval with the period of Moses, it was the religion of the conquering Persians who delivered the Jews from Baby- lonian slavery, and who were to some extent their teachers. It remained so until the second Caliph of Islam, Omar, conquered Persia in 642 a.p. Although the Persians were forced to accept Islam, a faithful few held themselves and their religion in pre- carious safety in the mountainous district of Khorassan, and a few of the more adventurous emigrated to India, where they settled in 716 a.p., their decendants being the Parsees. Haug considers that Avesta is a term. which means revelation, and Zend an explanation of that revelation. Zoroaster taught that Athwra Magda, the all-wise creator, was the creator of the earth and spiritual life, the possessor of all good things, the good mind, immortality, health, the best trutk, devotion, piety, with abund- ance of every earthly good. These good things he gave to the man who was upright in thought, word, and deed; but he punished the wicked. The paper then showed the alee opinions as to the influence of evil, and the punishments which accrued to the wicked. The process of initiation of the young Parsee was described, and also the customs which were observed at the death-bed, and the method pursued in disposing of. the bodies of the dead. The entrance of the soul into a future state was also noticed, and the ideas that are held SOREN its transition. _ The Jews were carried into captivity by the Pete lor Fear, Nebuchadnezzar, but on the conquest of Babylon by -Cyrus, the Persian, they were restored to their native land. The author of. the paper maintained with copious arguments that the Jews derived from the Persians the definite belief in a future state, and their ideas jof Satan, the spirit of evil, and his subordinate demons. 38 Transactions. 5th of February, 1893. Rev. Wm. Anpson, Vice-President, in the Chair. New Members. — Mr Samuel Arnott, Carsethorn, and Mr Hermann Frederick Williams Deane, Dundanion, Moffat. On the motion of the Secretary, the Society recorded its regret at hearing of the death of Mr William Hastings, one of its honorary members, who was distinguished by his devotion to the study of Zoology. Donations.—The Transactions of the Canadian Institute, Toronto, 1892; the Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, North Carolina. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. List of Plants found in the Glenluce District of Wigtownshire. By the Rev. Gzrorce Witson, Glenluce. 1. Ranunculacee.—(3) Thalictrum minus — (8) Anemone nemorosa—Ranunculus, 21 hederaceus, 28 acris, 29 repens, 30 bulbosus, 36 Caltha palustris, 38 Trollius europzeus (Bridge of Park). 2. Berberace.—46 Berberis vulgaris. 3. Nympheacce.—47 Nympheea alba. Nuphar, 48 lutea (both of these together in Barlockhart Loch). 4. Papaveracew.—5 Papaver Rheas. Glaucium, 56 luteum. Chelidonium, 57 majus. 4*, Fumariacee.—64 Fumaria officinalis. 5. Crucifere.—Cakile, 67 maritima. Crambe, 68 maritima. Raphanus, 69 raphanistrum. Sinapis, 71 arvensis. Brassica, 75 oleracea. Sisymbrium, 83 officinale. Cheiranthus, 91 cheiri Transactions. 69 27th February.—I heard the peaweep. Does it migrate ? 1st March.—I found a lady-bird that I never saw before in my garden. Red, with white strips, and abdomen brown. Robin redbreast sings this month. 15th March.—One of my butterflies came out to-day. It isa white one. This shows heat has an effect. 17th March.—One of the Castle gamekeepers shot me a thrush for stuffing. In skinning it I found above the joint of the leg (the ulna) between the sinew and bone a quantity of white worms. They moved when taken out, and were wound up in clusters with a little raised lump as of fat. 18th March.—While among the hills getting heather for border- ing I found a quantity of cranberries among the fog. They were red, very plump, and had a very slight acid taste. I was not aware before that they withstood the winter. They must make excellent food for the wild birds in the winter when the hills are bare. 26th March,—I found in the wood a patch of toad spawn. The pin-heads were almost ready to swim. They were quite formed, though still enveloped in the jelly. 29th March.—I got a white mole skin from the molecatcher (Hastings) for 3d. It was pure white save a rusty-red strip on the belly. He said that he got it near Sanquhar in a field where he had got five or six, one of which was spotted black and white. He also had got one in Boatford ground, but they were very rare. He said moles couple in March, and breed in May, their nest con- sisting of grass in the inside of a large hillock like a barrowful. There were generally five to seven moles in a nest. 8th April.—I got a snake brought to me by a boy from Sanquhar. It was very dark; also a young snake, which was lively. 23rd April.—Yellow hammer nest, outside withered grass, inside fine roots, lined with white dog hair. Eggs whitish, marked as with a pin, with a kind of colour approaching purple. Found upon the roadside to Eccles under some grass and a withered cone. Following down the Eccles Burn that runs past Stepends, I found the alternate-leaved saxifrage among the common variety. 70 Transactions. 24th April.Shown a yellow wagtail’s nest under a brow up Shinnel water. Nest, fine roots and some straw; inside some feathers, lined with horse hair. Five eggs, dirty white, with very light brown spots. 5th May.—I got from J. Douglas a starling’s nest contain- ing two eggs, which he found near the Castle upon an elm tree near a burn, and not very far from the ground. The nest is formed something similar to a blackbird’s. It is built of green moss and clay, witha very little white moss. The inner structure is plastered, and the inside is lined with a thick coating of pretty fine grass. The eggs are white, slightly tinged with green, and pretty thickly spotted with a brown approaching to red, He makes some general remarks at intervals, of which the following for May is a fair specimen :—This month may be said to renew the labours of the naturalist. Bird nests are found in abundance, many insects may be collected, snakes and adders have appeared, the meadows and woods are clothed with flowers and foliage, the seeds have sprung, and winter is borne down by the vigorous spring. 3rd May.—I saw the white hare at Drumlanrig Castle, and also in the hothouse where pines were growing a particular ant, which Hannan said was foreign. It was much smaller than our one. 21st May.—I went to see at the Gate, Closeburn, a pig said to have three ears. The pig on examination had its natural ears, and upon the left side of the head the form of an ear much smaller than the natural one. It had no entrance into the head that I could observe, but in time it may. July.—I found my snake dead after having kept it more than eleven months. I observed last season before winter set in that the black clocks that fell into his den were all broken and lying in balls or lumps. Now, does a snake vomit the indigestible parts of its food as birds of prey do? I could account for it no other way. ‘True, there was a toad in beside it, but the size of the lumps, and, altogether, it never struck me to be it. The toad still enjoys seemingly good health. Theserpent and he were very good friends and never seemed to mind each other, the serpent crawling over its body without disturbing it. The serpent never would eat in my presence. 11th July.—Lett the school before 12, and went up the hill craig before Tynron Doon. Kept upon the ridges till intercepted a Transactions. 71 with corn fields ; came on tothe Tynron road for a mile, followed up a burn, kept upon the ridges till about a mile below Tynron Kirk. Crossed the hills, found the tormentilla in great abund- ance, and came on to near Auchenhessnane. In marshy ground above found the trembling grass in abundance, entered a fir plantation about half-a-mile or less left of Auchenhessnane. Rested about half-an-hour, it being very warm. Found a hawk nest. Went out at the end of the plantation, and their found violets that were quite new tome. I then inquired at a man, who was ploughing, the road to Glenwhargen Craig. It was then five o'clock, and I now made steadily for Glenwhargen, which was five miles distant ; came to the Four Towns, and then to the Craig. At a distance it is rather insignificant in respect to what I expected, but the nearer it is the more interesting. At the bottom it is covered with hazel bushes, but the more you ascend they become more scrunted and straggling. For a considerable way up the stones fallen from the craig give way with your feet, so that litile progress is made. You then come to the first breast of rocks, which I mounted and came on to the green ground. Then ascended another breast of rocks more steep than the former, but with some difficulty. Here out of a clift I saw a blue hawk rise, but was unable to get at the nest without danger of falling headlong from an immense height. Reached the top, and here was the finest scene. The sun was fast setting, and the shades of the hills grew long. On the left was a plain containing four pretty large farm-houses, with the water of Scar winding through the middle, the whole surrounded by high hills, some of them very steep. I now began to set my face for home, and made for it by the straightest way, keeping the public road, if road it can be called. The day began when I was about Auchenhessnane to make way for night, and at last I got home after being away 10 hours and travelling upwards of 24 miles. 14th July.—Got a pair of rabbits—white, with a light brown strip down the back. I put them into the house I made for Keely (the hawk), and after a little put the hawk in beside them. They were not afraid of each other. The rabbits approached cautiously to the hawk as if to examine their new companion. They all ate when I gave them food. 22nd July.——I got a Merlin hawk from a boy for 23d. When I offered to touch it, it turned upon its back and struck with its 72 Transactions. feet in a very threatening manner. I put it into the cage with my other hawk and rabbit. My old hawk stared at it, but did not offer to come near it. The rabbit smelled it all over, and to this reception he seemed quite indifferent. He was not long till he mounted the stick where my hawk was sitting, but seemed to avoid it. When I gave it meat it struck and bit furiously, but now and then when he bit my fingers I gave him a mouthful of meat. After he had swallowed a few pieces he began to be more quiet and docile. The diaries between this date and July, 1838, are awanting. Commencing again at the latter date, there are some interesting entries. 20th July.—Went to fish up Cample with J. Hunter. Did not get any fish, the day being fiery with heavy thunder showers. He read some of his poetry. It appeared to be rather meagre in ideas, and had rather little sense. The verse seemed correct. At Cample saw the Ramex Alpinus, but near a house. 25th July.—Fished for pike, but did not see any ; fished for par, and caught nine and one burn trout. 27th July.—Started in the morning at six with J. Hewetson to fish in Scar. Went by Eccles. Found, for the first time in Dumfriesshire, above the Eccles woods, the Habenaria viridis. Went up Scar as far as Dalzean; that is at the Four Towns. Fished down to near the Upper Schoolhouse, and caught ten burn trout, one with the minnow. Found the Campanula latifolia. 29th July.—Took a cast in lead from the mould of the monkey’s hand. It is one I took from a specimen that died in Wombwell’s Menagerie while in Edinburgh in 1837. Ist September.—W orked in the Garden. Some potatoes which had been planted whole, with all the eyes destroyed by means of a hot iron, except one, were partly raised today. The produce from a single shaw averaged about 12 or 14. Some had as many as 18, while others had nine. The potatoes were very large and fine. They came decidedly faster forward when thus treated than in the ordinary way. 17th September.—Worked. Put up a specimen of two round worms found in the duodenum of the cat. Went to Thornhill, and agreed with J. Hunter to go to Leadhills on Wednesday. Saw his Minerals, and got a specimen of coarse granite. It had come from some part of the Highlands as ballast in a ship. a ae Transactions. 73 19th September.—Left home about half-past six in the morning for Thornhill, and met J. Hunter, when we set out for Wanlock- head. In a sandstone quarry, before coming to Enterkin, we found the marks of several fossils, among which we found one specimen of stigmaria, and a particular impression upon some of the hard stone which I supposed to resemble the drawings of the footmarks of the tortoise found by the Rev. Mr Duncan, The rock which composes the Enterkin hills seems to be greywacke slate, or a rock approaching to it, with a considerable number of veins and incrustations of silica. After a minute description of the Lead Mines at, Wanlockhead and of the means adopted for crushing and separating the lead from the quartz, he makes the following remarks :—Owing to the poisonous nature of the water, which has been employed in the washing of the lead, no dogs can be kept. There is no poultry of any kind, and no pigs are kept. Cows are kept, but they. frequently die. Five died last season. Horses are little required. There are only three kept at Leadhills for a mill connected with the Lead Mines. The climate is of the severest description. Corn rarely ripens, and is only cultivated for cutting green for cattle. The potatoes are small and watery. Fruit such as apples, currants, &c., rarely ripen. The greens and other vege- tables I saw were by no means good, and were very late, At Leadhills there is a plantation of trees, chiefly beech, around the director’s house, which have attained a considerable height— what we of the low country would suppose to require twenty years, but upon inquiry no one remembers of their planting. The oldest men since their childhood remember of them being always the same, and it is thus supposed they must be consider- ably above one hundred years old. Gold is frequently found after heavy rains in the sandbeds of the streams,. One boy found lately a piece which he sold for £3, but the quantity found is too small to repay the time and trouble required in procuring it, Mr Hastings, Wanlockhead, told me of a curious custom there of naming the different clusters of houses after the oldest inhabi_ tant of them. 21st September.—Breakfasted with Mr Shaw, of Drumlanrig, and saw the fish pond and the specimens of his fish, He lent me his paper upon the natural habits of the salmon, but I will refer to what I saw and to his paper in a day or two, When at the 10 74 Transactions. Creel I saw a young otter. Mr Shaw says they are common. He says the Botrychiwm Lunaria is growing in the field near the Creel. I got a specimen of petrified rush from Sanquhar from him, as also three specimens of phosphate of lead. He told me it was customary for the people of the low countries, who lived near fuel, to bring down lead ore from the lead mines and smelt it. One of these smelting stations he directed me to as lying near Eccles. 25th September.—Went with J. Hunter and Joseph Kilpatrick, Thornhill, to see a vitrified fort in Tynron. It is situated on the farm of Pinzarie, about two miles from Tynron Kirk, up the water of Shinnel, a little from the side of the road. The situa- tion is upon a gently rising hill at the bottom of a moderately high range composed of greywacke, passing into greywacke slate, and distant from the Shinnel water about 500 yards. It presents a slight elevation above the adjacent land in the form of a circle, and as nearly as may be guessed the circumference of the circle is about 80 yards. Running through the centre from east to west is a rather prominent elevated ridge, the prominence being chiefly in the middle, composed of loose stones, in no way cemented, but chiefly vitrified. These stones, the largest of which may weigh 14 lbs., bear evident marks of having been in a state of fusion. Some are coated with a coarse-like glass of a brown colour. The internal structure of these stones is porous, somewhat resembling pumice stone, but much denser and of a lead colour, but sometimes of a lead colour approaching to purple. Others again have a somewhat fibrous texture, and these are not so porous, while others are devoid of the porous texture, and a good deal resemble some varieties of green stone, particularly when the grains of quartz are large. I shall return to the notice of these stones ‘after I have submitted them to analysis. Could not find the fort mentioned in the statistical account of the parish, but only of the existence of a Roman road and of a Roman encampment. The latter is composed of a quantity of rather small stones, but the larger may have been removed for the building of dykes. It is about 14 miles from the vitrified fort, and upon the top of a range of hills separating Shinnel water from Scar water. Found an account of vitrified forts in the English Cyclopedia Art Fort. Found no plants on the way. Brought home some specimens of vitritied stone. a Transactions. 75 _ 29th September.—Bound two books. J. Hunter called. Went to Thornhill and made an exchange of a box for a small set of drawers with Hunter. Got a specimen of Aberdeenshire quartz and of mica from him. 8th October.—Washed the minerals. Made 14 boxes for minerals. 9th October.—After dinner, fished with bait, and caught 14 par. Upon examining them I found two with very large melts, of which I took a drawing. These two par were by no means the largest. I could not detect any difference in them externally from the others. Stuffed one of the par—a female one according to Mr Shaw. f 10th October.—Put up a specimen of the melts of a par. Went to the Rev. Mr Menzies’ (Keir) ; dined and drank tea. He gave me a specimen of the Rhamnus frangula (alder buckthorn), which grows in the parish near to the farm of Penfillan, ina marsh at the foot of the hills. I also got from him eight speci- mens of orchideous plants which he collected in Switzerland. He has a very fair collection of orchideous plants. He had not heard of the vitrified fort in Tynron. I was told that the glow- worm was common in certain situations about Bellevue. 11th October.—Put upon paper the eight specimens of plants I got from Menzies. Read over again Shaw’s paper upon the par. He states that (1) the eggs take 90 days to hatch ; (2) remain after being hatched 50 days under the gravel; (3) and during the next season form the May or summer par; (4) that the second season it assumes the silvery scales, and constitutes the salmon fry when it migrates to the sea. 15th October.—Read Cyclopzdia—article, “ Paper Making.” Collected a quantity of sludge left by the drying-up of some stagnant water. It had become bleached, having entirely lost its green colour. Its fibres resemble those of cotton. It imbibes water freely, and becomes rather pulpy. It appears to me that this substance might be applied to the making of paper, or some similar use. Ihave picked some of it, and by floating it in water and collecting it upon a wire sieve, and removing it therefrom to folds of flannel and subjecting them to the pressure of. a strong serew press, I procured a tolerable paper, which was improved by the addition of isinglass. The sludge may be procured in great 76 Transactions. plenty. I shall again advert to this substance. Commenced the skeleton of a flounder. 20th October.—W orked at the skeleton of the flounder, finishing the removal of the soft parts. Put it to steep over night in a solution of chlorate of lime. 22nd October.—Put up the skeleton of the flounder. It is the best skeleton I have ever made. 23rd October.—-I brought in the wasp nest. It was completely empty of wasps, and what is curious is that the wasps have built new combs with their mouths downwards, removing most of the old one which was placed upwards. 30th October.—Went to Thornhill ; saw the sword that was found several years ago beneath the surface of the small rising ground where the Penpont road divides into branches leading to Tynron and Moniaive. The sad Goths, into whose hands it fell, removed the rust by grinding it, and decorated it with a wooden handle wound round with black and red thrumbs. They had broken off a small piece of iron which they said was a spring, in order to fit the handle. As it at present exists it has a double edge. . . . It is about 24} feet long, and it tapers towards the point which is awanting. As to the letters and crown mentioned before there is no trace of either, and its present possessor knows nothing of them. The spring mentioned was probably a handle, the remainder having corroded away. From the state it is in it is devoid of interest. I was told by P. Mounsie that some time since an urn filled with bones was found in Closeburn, but was broken in the removal. A man of the name of Sandy Wallace, a weaver, in Thornhill, has some frag- ments of it. 5th November.—Went to Drumlanrig, and called upon Shaw and Hannan, but neither was in. I saw, when on my way to Drumlanrig, a cock pheasant with a pure white tail and back spotted with white. 11th November.—In examining the prices of my books marked in my catalogue, I find their value to be £36 17s 4d, and their number 223. The following is a statement of the probable expense of my museum :—About 50 vials and bottles, 5s 6d ; 5 preparation jars, 3s; 4 insect boxes, 18s; shells, 10s 6d ; an enjected arm, 3s 6d; minerals, 2s 6d; corals, 6s 6d; stuffed birds and skins, £1; . ae Transactions. 17 monster adder, 2s 6d; bones, 5s; 4 horned rams heads, 4s 2d ; for &e., &c., 5s 4d ; paper for herbarium, £2 ; total, £6 6s 6d. This statement is what I suppose my museum to have actually cost me in money, viz.—£6 6s 6d—but the most of it has been collected free of expense. I have found great advantage from my museum. It is an additional stimulus to study, and makes the knowledge more perfect of the several objects it contains. The objections to a museum are chiefly the time occupied in collecting’ and preparing the specimens, but much of the time occupied thus would be lost if not so employed. My chemical apparatus has cost me, including the substances, about £3 17s. My other apparatus is not worth mentioning, consisting of—An injecting syringe, 5s; pocket compass, 2s ; dissecting case, 7s 6d ; total, 14s 6d.—Thus making in all for my library, £36 17s 4d; museum, £6 6s 6d; chemicals and apparatus, £4 11s 6d; total, £47 15s 4d. This, of course, includes any articles I have at any time bought. The summer and autumn are now past, and as circumstances depending in the Court of Session prevent money being easily had, besides the load of labour I must undertake in Edinburgh were I to make this winter my last, I have resolved, partly by the advice of friends, to go to Dumfries and attend the Dispensa- tory Infirmary, and receive instruction in the compounding of medicines there. I may be right, as I think myself, or I may be wrong, but it is scarcely a mere matter of choice—money is necessary. The course of study I have to pursue this winter will be of a practical nature, and may nature be my guide. I am convinced it is the sure guide, provided we know how to follow its guidance. These extracts I have copied with care from the two diaries. They give us a good idea of the doctor’s habits in his early years, and show conclusively that he was a diligent student in natural history and antiquities. His perseverance is well brought out in them, and although they are not so graphic as we might have expected, still we see in them ample proof of the bent of his mind. From small beginnings we see that his collection was gradually increasing, and his chief desire is shown to have been his own instruction. In after years his desire was to benefit his fellow-men, and many of us can remember the pride he took in instructing all, whether old or young, with whom he came in contact. To confer such benefits during his life was most praise- 78 Transactions. worthy, and it is a further proof of his deep interest in his fellow- men that he left his valuable collection for the benefit of future ages. 2. Plant Superstitions. By Mr Samvuert Arnott, Carsethorn. Before passing to the consideration of the wider field of British plant superstitions, I shall deal briefly with those of my own neighbourhood in hope that other members may be able to add to this part of my subject. Stiil lingering with us is the belief that the finding of an even ash, that is, one in which the terminal leaflet is absent and the leaf consequently even, is “lucky.” This superstition has, however, been shorn of the fuller idea which was attached to it, and which still lingers in some parts of the country, that the finder will meet his or her sweet- heart before night. Of a somewhat similar character is that relating to the “luck ” which will follow the finding of a ‘four leaved clover ”—a superstition which still exists to a certain extent in this locality, although it seems singular that what is, after all, not so very uncommon should have been looked upon as necessarily bringing * good luck.” The custom of burning nuts at Hallowe'en is another remnant of plant superstition too well known to require further mention or detail. The practice at the same season of going into the garden and pulling a “kail stock” seems almost, if not quite, obsolete here, although I have heard it frequently spoken of. As the full ceremony has been gradually reduced it may be of interest to detail it now. After being duly blindfolded the young people made their way to the “ kail yard,” and pulled the first “ stock ” they met with. On their return to the house their trophies were examined, and by the appearance of the plant the personal beauty of the future wife or husband was divined. If the stalk was tall and straight, the future partner would be well favoured and of good proportions. On the other hand, if the stalk was short and crooked the partner would be ill favoured, and unattractive in personal appearance. The sweetness or bitterness of the pith indicated the temper of the prospective spouse, and the quantity of earth which adhered to the root was emblematic of the amount Transactions. 79 of fortune. The final portion of the ceremony consisted in placing in order over the door the whole collection of stalks, and, as the party re-entered the house, their Christian names signified in the same order those of the husbands or wives. Where no “« Hallowe’en ” party was held a similar ceremony was performed by the maidens of the house. Another custom, also indulged in at ‘‘ Hallowe’en,” was that of a maiden paring a potato and preserving the skin in a piece, and afterwards placing it above the door. The first man entering the house was of the same Christian name as her future husband. Another custom was to pare an apple in a similar way, but to throw the skin over the left shoulder, when the form it assumed was that of the first letter of the future husband’s name. No doubt many have heard the vague statement that the mountain ash or rowan tree has the power of keeping witches at a proper distance. This has long been familiar to me, but it is only lately that I have been able to discover that it was held in high repute in Kirkcudbrightshire, and that even within com- paratively recent years it was much used in that county. It was a common custom to place a twig or small branch of this tree above the door of the byre—sometimes inside and sometimes outside. This is in accordance with the statement in Jamieson’s “Scottish Dictionary ” that the rowan tree thus used was “ the most approved charm against cantrips and spells.” There seems also in my neighbourhood a faint recollection of the general belief among the Scottish peasantry that a twig of this tree carried in the pocket was effectual against witchcraft and the “evil eye.” It was necessary, however, that one of the following couplets should be written upon a piece of paper which was to be wrapped round the twig and tied with red thread. The couplets are as follow :— “* Rowan, ash, and red thread Keep the devils frae their speed.” Another was :— ‘* Roan tree and red thread Haud the witches a’ in dread.” Another, to which my attention was lately called, is given in James Grant’s “ Scottish Cavalier,” and runs as follows :— **Red thread and rowan tree Mak’ warlock, witch, and fairy flee.” 80 Transactions. Another curious instance of the use of the rowan tree as a spell against the machinations of witches in cowhouses was recently told me. In a cowhouse in Kirkcudbrightshire three pins made from pieces of the mountain ash were fixed on the inside of the door, On the centre of one of these was hung a horse shoe, and on the others the dairywoman hung various articles of attire worn while milking, such as her apron, shawl, &c., while below the wooden pins was written—‘ Good Luck.” The virtue of the whole arrangement rested in the presence of the rowan tree, which was supposed to prevent the entrance of evil spirits, which caused the various misfortunes attached to the keeping of ‘cows and the maladies which in this matter-of-fact age are generally ascribed to the want of proper sanitary arrangements. Another instance of the belief in the good fortune brought by the presence of the mountain ash was related to me only last week. A farmer, now dead, in the parish of Newabbey, who was deeply impressed with the virtues of the tree, used to declare that he would never allow any of those growing on his farm to be cut down. One day, however, some mountain ashes were cut down without his knowledge. On being made aware of this he was much concerned, and, in order that the good fortune might not leave the farm, he had the remains of the rowan trees inserted in a fence. Not so many years ago, at one house in Carsethorn, rowan trees are said to have been planted to bring “luck” to the man of the house who was engaged in fishing. Where a fisherman had, what is a common occurrence, a run of ill fortune, it was suggested that he should put rowan tree pins in what is known as the “ halve- back ”—the principal part of the frame of the halve-net. It may have escaped the notice of many that the elder or “ bour tree” is very frequently found in the vicinity of old or ruined cottages. In some cases it is planted near the house, and in others used largely as hedges to the old gardens, even in situa- tions where stones are plentiful, and where dry stone walls are the rule and not the exception, This I take to be a remnant or trace of the rather numerous superstitions, practices, and beliefs in which this tree occupied a part. Like the mountain ash, the common ash, the aspen, and several others, the elder was at one time believed to have supplied the wood of which the Cross was formed, and consequently it was at first held in great abhorrence. — 7 ransactions. 81 It was banished from the neighbourhood of dwelling-houses, and its evil odour was said to taint any fruit with which it came in contact. By a change in the popular ideas, the current of which seems easily traced, the estimation in which those trees of the cross were held became a high one, and the elder thus acquired a better reputation. It was planted near houses to keep off witches and evil spirits. Its branches were placed among gooseberry bushes to keep off the attacks of the caterpillar, and a piece in the form of a cross taken from a tree which grew in consecrated ground was carried in the pocket as a cure for rheumatism. In a book, published in 1884, it is said that applications for pieces of elder trees grown in some churchyards in Gloucestershire were still being made as a cure for this malady. Another trace of plant superstitions remains in the occasional appearance of sempervivums or houseleeks, and sedmus or stone- erops on the roofs of houses. From a picturesque point of view, I much regret that these are now comparatively rarely seen, but there seems no doubt that they are an unconscious survival of the superstition, still widely current, both in England and in various parts of the Continent, that these plants will ward off lightning. This seems to have arisen from their evergreen character, and their withstanding great heat and drought betokening their resistance to fierceness of the electric fluid. This is only an instance of what is known as the “ doctrine of signatures” so universally accepted by the old herbalists, and which will be found at the root of many superstitions. Since beginning this paper I have discovered that, a number of years ago, houseleeks were grown on the roofs of a cottage and a cowhouse near Kirk- bean Village, the reason given for their presence being that they were “lucky ” plants. Another instance of plant superstitions was familiar to me in my boyhood, but seems to be gradually falling into oblivion. This was the belief that after the Rood Fair the evil one put his club foot on the blackberries, and made them uneatable. Probably a different date may be given in localities beyond the sphere of influence of the fair—the general belief in Britain giving October 28th (St. Simon and St. Jude’s day), a Sussex version, however, making it appear that on October 10th (Old Michaelmas day) the 11 82 Transactions. devil went round and spat on the fruit. In some parts of Scot- land it is his cloak which is thrown over the blackberries, while in Ireland the unwholesomeness of the fruit was attributed to phooka—a mischievous goblin. So far as I can recollect, these are the only remains or traces of local plant superstitions of which I have heard, with the exception of one which is said to exist regarding planting gooseberries on graves. Unfortunately my informant could only tell me that there was some superstition regarding this, and that there is, or at least was some years ago, in Buittle Churchyard a grave on which gooseberries were planted. T have not had the opportunity of making inquiry about this. I must now pass on to the plant superstitions of other localities, but so wide is the field that these notices must be confined to those beliefs which were British or Irish, and even with this limi- tation the subject must be treated in a very inadequate manner. Another sacred plant was the aspen tree, which, in passing, I may say was ungallantly said to have its leaves formed of women’s tongues, as “they never ceased wagging.” The aspen was also one of the trees of the Cross, whence, doubtless the origin of its supposed wonderful powers. One curious and amus- ing instance of a belief in its efficacy in the cure of ague may be given. inthe North of England, in the early part of this century, it was a common remedy, or supposed remedy, to take a lock of the sufferers’ hair, wrap it round a pin, and, sticking the pin into this tree, to repeat while doing so— “* Aspen tree, aspen tree, Shake and shiver instead o’ me.” The ash tree (another tree of the Cross) has many superstitions attached to it, of which two, as related by Gilbert White, are now given. In order to cure hernia in young children an ash sapling was split and held open by wedges, and the children stripped naked were passed through. The tree was afterwards carefully plastered up with loam and as carefully swathed. If the parts again grew together a cure was supposed to have been effected. The other custom, as recorded by the same writer, was that of imprisoning a shrew mouse in a hole in an ash tree. This transforms the tree into a shrew ash, whose branches, when applied to the limbs of cattle, will relieve them of the lameness caused by a shrew mouse running over them while asleep. A Transactions. 83 similar belief, as far at least as it extended to curing the lame- ness of men or horses it produced in this way, prevailed in Northumberland a number of years ago. I must, however, hasten on and leaving other trees pass to lowlier plants, and one of the most singular of old superstitions was that in former times applied to the moonwort, to which was attributed the power of unshoeing horses which trod upon it. It was also said to open the locks of dwelling-houses if put into the key holes. Culpepper, to convince the sceptical, who seem to have existed even in his day, tells of thirty horse shoes, pulled from off the Earl of Essex’s horses, which were found on White Down in Devonshire, and Du Bartas thus speaks of the superstition— “* Horses that, feeding on the grassie hills, Tread upon moonwort with their hollow heels, Though lately shod, at night goe barefoot home, Their maister musing where their shoes become. O moonwort ! tell us where thou hid’st the smith, Hammer and pincers, thou unshodds’t them with ; Alas ! what lock or iron engine is’t That can thy subtill secret strength resist, Sith the best farrier cannot set a shoe So sure, but thou (so shortly) cans’t undo?” It may be as well to mention that this and other moonwort beliefs are attached to the fern and not to the honesty of our gardens, which, by the way, is said to thrive only in gardens of which the owners possess the virtue of honesty. A plant to which many virtues were ascribed was the rosemary, and one of the qualities it possessed was that of being a remedy for cramp. As a cure for this a sprig was taken off the plant and placed between the mattress and the tick of the bed. What seems rather a singular class of superstitions is that which has reference to the number of flowers taken into a house for the first time for the season. I understand some of these beliefs are still current in the South of England. A curious one attached to the violet was that the number of flowers of this plant first brought home in spring betokened the number of chickens or ducklings which would he hatched that year. Less than a handful was unlucky. To bring a single snowdrop into a house was considered unlucky, as it denoted a death in the house within the year. This is said to have arisen from the fancied resemblance of the 84 Transactions. flower to a corpse in its shroud. The primrose, which was used to strew on graves and to place on corpses, was likewise con- sidered unlucky—the curious thing in both of these instances being that no evil effects were apprehended if more than one were brought in at once. The following, quoted from a Devonshire paper of the year 1877, by a writer on Flower Lore, may be given as another instance of the supposed mischief which would result from bringing only one flower into a house :—“ A friend was stay- ing at a farmhouse near Christon, and one day plucked a daffodil and placed it in his buttonhole. On his return he laid the flower on the table ; but the servant coming in soon after, demanded who had brought in that daffodil, adding, ‘ we shall have no ducks this year.” A number of violets and roses in flower in autumn is said to foretell an epidemic the following year. A piece of Yorkshire Plant Lore is as follows :—‘“ If an apple tree has flowers and fruit at the same time ’tis a sign of misfortune to the owner.” Another from the same county runs as follows :—‘“On finding a plant of shepherd’s purse open a seed vessel ; if the seed is yellow, you will be rich ; if green, you will be poor.” The following, also from Yorkshire, may be recommended as an easy way of settling a disputed point in some households :—“ If rosemary flourishes in a garden, the wife will be the master ; if it dies, the master will.” The hypericum or St. John’s wort is another wonderful plant possessing many mysterious powers. Few of these appear to have been chronicled as existing in Great Britain, but it is said to have been carried in some parts of Scotland as a charm against witchcraft and enchantment, and it was also believed to cure ropy milk which was supposed to have been caused by some evil influence. In olden times, too, the St. John’s wort was gathered on the eve of St. John’s day and hung up in windows to ward off evil spirits, spectres, storms, and thunder. A singular belief regarding the bean is still current in some parts of England. This is, that in leap year the beans grow the wrong way, 2.¢. are set in the pods in the contrary way. Some curious superstitions regarding the bracken are current in some parts. In Ireland it is said to be called the fern of God, from a belief that if the stem is cut into three pieces, on the first slice will be seen the letter G, on the second O, and the third D. Transactions. 85 Another of a similar nature current in some parts of England is that the letters are the sacred ones I.H.S. In Kent again these are said to represent J.C., while in other parts the marks are said to represent the oak in which King Charles obtained refuge during his flight. In Northumberland among the many curious ideas which at one time abounded was that of the curative powers of an Irish stick. It had the power of curing cattle which had been bitten by adders or similar reptiles, and it was also held in high esteem for its virtues when applied to human beings. One instance of its remedial powers is here quoted from a Newcastle newspaper in which I discovered it some four years ago :—‘‘ Seventy years ago Weardale possessed an Irish Stick, owned by a person named Morley. A scholar at the village school had a ring-worm on her arm, and the mistress of the school rubbed the part affected with her gold wedding ring, a supposed remedy ; but the wedding ring charm failed, and the girl was sent to Morley’s, and a cure effected.” Another superstitious cure, in which a bush or tree was the medium, was that for whooping cough, which was believed to be cured by the following means :—The crown of the child’s head was shaved, and the hair hung upon a bush or tree, when the birds would come and carry it away to their nests, and carry away the cough with it. My authority says nothing whatever as to the possibility of the young birds rexred in the nest becoming afflicted with the distressing malady. 3. The Roman hoad in Annandale. By Mr Jounn THorsurn Jounsrone, Moffat. The line of the Roman road is very clearly Jaid down on sheet 16 of the one-inch Ordnance Survey, and can be quite easily followed northwards, on the ground, from a point on the Moffat Branch Railway, a little north-east from the Lochhouse Tower, along the hillside all the way to Little Clyde, in Lanarkshire, a distance of fully ten miles. Southwards from Lochhouse, the line is not soeasily followed. Cultivation has in a great measure destroyed the traces of it in the fields. The direction of the road is such that the gradient is regular and gradual, following the 86 Transactions. hillside in a line which, without making any appreciable deviation from the straight, steers clear of all the small hillocky ridges and valleys on the hillside, and testifies to the marvellous engineering skill and energy possessed by the ancient Romans. Dr James M‘Donald, Glasgow, who was residing here (Moffat) as a visitor for a short time last August (1892), caused portions of the road to be excavated and exposed on the Coate’s Hill, Chapel Hill, and Meikleholmside Hill, and before they were filled up again I had an opportunity to examine and measure them. The results, with Dr M‘Donald’s permission, I am enabled to bring before the Society. The principal excavation was made on the Chapei Hill, about 400 yards north from the cross road to Evan Water. The turf was cleared from the surface of the road for a distance of eleven feet, over rather more than the width of the road. The road was found to be twenty- one feet wide, with a whinstone kerb along each side, the surface of the road consisting of a layer of small stones, similar in size to ordinary paving stones, mixed with till to fill up the vacancies. The road could not be said to have been paved. The flaying of the turf tended to disturb and destroy the appearance of the original surface, but even making allowance for that, the stones did not seem to have been laid so as to form a regular causeway. On the west side, and covering about a third of the roadway, there was an irregular layer of large stones, but, on careful inspection, these could be seen to have formed no part of the original road, but to have been laid on at some later period, probably to repair it. A transverse section was excavated at the north end of the cleared space, which shows that the road from foundation to crown is 23 inches deep, exclusive of the turf covering it, and is made up in three distinct layers—First, a foundation layer of clay, with stones bedded on its surface, six inches deep in centre of roadway and tapering to each side. The stones embedded in the clay were undressed, of various sizes, but inclined to be flat-sided, and would be pressed into the clay-bed from one to one-and-a-half inch, The clay is of a sandy nature, and is such as may be found below the shallow layers of peat moss on the Chapel Hill or neighbourhood to-day. Second, a layer of stones 11 inches deep, with the vacancies filled up with till. The stones in this layer would be, on the average, as large as a boy’s head. Third, a layer of smaller stones than the above, ~ Transactions. 87 four inches deep, forming the surface of roadway as above. On the east side there were three of the kerbstones in position ; the others on the west side have been displaced the width of them- selves from the line of kerb. On the west side I did not observe any of the kerbstones in position, or, if there, they are hidden by the irregular layer of large stones already alluded to, although a few yards south from the excavation some of the kerb stones are projecting through the turf. The contour of the road, as exposed in the section, did not show a regular curve, the layer of large stones making it appear lob-sided, and spoiling its otherwise symmetrical appearance. However, a careful examination of the section reveals the fact that the line of the original surface went under the large stones and not over them, and that the original surface had been formed with a regular and symmetrical curve, and but for a slight worn-out hollow under the large stones, was still nearly perfect. I have prepared a drawing of the above section to a one-inch scale, which gives a pretty accurate view of the appearance of the section, and, as all the measurements are given on it, is self-explanatory. The photographs of the road exhibited were taken by Mr Weir, at the instance of Dr M‘Donald, and give a general view of the excavation from three different points. Unfortunately the trench forming the cross section was not cut wide enough, and the shadows cast are too dark to display the section clearly. Section at Coates Hill.—The section exposed here was made a few yards north from the footpath over the Coate’s Hill to Evan Water, and would be about a mile south from the Chapel Hill section. In construction this section is different from that on Chapel Hill. The depth is much about the same, but instead of three distinct layers there are evidently only two; but at the bottom there is a thin black line, about one inch in thickness, which has the appearance of peat moss. There was no appear- ance of clay anywhere in this section, and al! the stones are smaller than at Chapel Hill; and the irregular layer of large stones lying on the west side of road there are here lying on the east. Dr M‘Donald left the position of this cutting entirely to the discretion of the man he had engaged to excavate it, without seeing the place for himself, which was rather unfortunate, as the place selected was far too near the footpath, and had been other- wise much disturbed, so that anything like an accurate section 88 Transactions. could not be obtained. The full width of the road only measured 15 feet as against 21 feet at Chapel Hill, and no kerbstones were visible at the sides of the excavation, but the evidence of their orginal presence was plainly visible in the row of stepping stones carrying the footpath over a marshy place in the immediate vicinity of the road, and which I have no doubt had been originally taken from it, and the reduced width of the road is also evidence that a lot of material had been taken from this part of the road at one time or another. Section at Meikleholmside Hill.—The position of the section exposed here was about two miles north from Chapel Hill section, and about 300 yards north from the Greenhillstairs road at end of Holehouse Linn Wood. Here again the general formation of the road was different from that at the other two sections, the road here being 21 feet wide, as at Chapel Hill, but there was no appearance of kerbstones, and no evident appearance of the road having been much disturbed, and it did not show such a pro- minent mound in its external appearance as the other two places. The ground has a good decline to the south, and is pretty flat on each side of roadway. The road had evidently been kept in place by the sides of the cutting formed by the removal of the original soil, &c. The bottom layer at this section was eleven inches deep, and instead of resting on a bed of clay, as at Chapel Hill, the clay and stones had the appearance of having been mixed together and laid in like concrete. The stones used were also smaller, being similar to those forming the surface layer at Chapel Hill. The next and surface layer was six inches thick, formed of stones with the vacancies filled up with till, and, like the Coate’s Hill, the road had been formed in two layers. At the Coate’s Hill and Meikleholmside Hill the sections were not made right across the roadway full width and depth, but the turf was flayed off across the full width, and sections excavated at centre and sides of road down to the hard undisturbed till. In following the line of the road, it occasionally runs through wet and marshy places which have been drained within recent years, and at these places fair sections of the road can be seen. And it is interesting to observe that when cutting these drains the workmen, when crossing the road, have only removed the turf from the surface, while on the lower side of the road the drain is the full depth, making a smal] waterfall fully twelve inches high wel Transactions. 89 at the side of the road at every drain. From the dissimilarity in the construction of the road, as shown by these sections, in a distance of about three miles, we may infer that in its construc- tion the Romans used the material to do so that was lying at hand all along its course, and that nothing had to be carried or brought from a distance, the stones and clay being found in abundance all along the hill. Indeed, there are small pits all along the line of road, some of them nearly touching it, which are probably the quarries from which the stones are taken. (Sce page 33 “ Per Lineam Valli ”—by Geo. Neilson, F.S.A., and the “ Antiquary,” vol. 24, page 139.) The construction of this road through Upper Annandale differs considerably from other Roman roads which have been opened and examined, notably in Wilt- shire in the west of England, and of those in the neighbourhood of Newcastle-on-Tyne in the North of England, and their con- tinuation in Roxburghshire in Scotland, where the surface is always paved, and a section shows five well defined layers, ‘and which are in accordance with the description of road-making given by Vitruvius.” But the explanation of the difference may lie in the fact that the principal and main road between the South of England and as far north as the Romans penetrated into Scotland was the east coast, and which, from its great importance, would therefore be designed and constructed to sustain a heavy and constant stream of traffic, while the road through Annandale and Clydesdale might be presumed to be one of only secondary importance as a thoroughfare, in which rapidity and ease of constructing were more essential and important than elaborateness and finish, as its principal object would be to pro- vide facilities for keeping the hostile inhabitants of the district in check and subjection. And Mr Neilson informs me that the “yoad running behind the Antonine Wall is in its construction very similar to the one here ; in fact, he says, they are as six to half-a-dozen.” In regard to the purpose of the large stones on the east and west side of the road at two of the sections, the examination showed that they were not part of the original roadway, and as we may justly infer that the road would be the only one in the district and would be used as such by the inhabitants for cen- turies after the withdrawal of the Roman hosts, and it is probable 12 90 Transactions. that their knowledge of road-making and repairing was practi- cally nil and that these stones represent their cumbrous attempts at road metalling and repairing. 17th April, 1893. The Rey. Witi1Am Anpson, Vice-President, in the chair. Donations and Exhibits.—A copy of M‘Dowall’s Memorials of St. Michael’s Churchyard, presented by Miss Andson; the Report of the British Association for 1892; a Guide to the Cairo Egyptological Exhibit at the World’s Fair, Chicago, presented by Dr Grant Bey. A whorl belonging to Mr J. F. Cormack, of Lockerbie, was exhibited. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. February Weather. By Mr Patrick Dunpceon, F.S.A., Cargen. A’ the months o’ the year, Curse a fair Februeer. They will have little reason to do so this year. There has been rain and snow in abundance, as well as thunder and lightning and hail. Of all the months in the year “‘ weather prophets” seem to have devoted more attention to February than to any other month, if we may judge by the number of old “‘ weather prognostics” and say- ings connected with it. The principal feature they have turned their attention to is a wet or a dry month, and the forecasts of a future good or bad season they deduce therefrom. These prognos- tics are current, and much of the same nature in every country in Europe. Of these sayings a few examples may be given in addition to the one at the head of these notes :— If in February there be no rain, *Tis neither good for hay nor grain. In February o’ a favoured year, Nae puddock suld croot nor croon ; But rampin’ showers o’ hail and sleet Come rakin’ o’er the moon. As good manure is February rain, As juice does from the dunghills drain, Transactions. 91 The French version of which is— Eau de Février Vaut jus de fumier. (Rain in February-is as good as juice from a dunghill. ) The Spaniards say— Quando llueve en Hebrero Todo el ano ha tempero. (If it rains in February it will be temperate throughout the year.) The Welshman had rather see his dam on ker bier Than see a fair Februeer. Both the French and Germans have versions of this, but not so unfilial. The French is— Vaut autant voir un loup dans un troupeau Que le mois de Février beau. (It is better to see a troup of wolves than a fine February.) The Germans have— Im Hornung sieht man lieber den Wolf, als einen Bauern in Hemdsirmeln. (One would rather see a wolf in February than a peasant in his shirt sleeves. ) Of thunder it is said— In February if thou hearest thunder, Thou wilt see a summer’s wonder. The French say— Sil tonne de Février Il faut jeter les fates sur le fumier. (If there is thunder in February it fills the barrels near the dunghill.) Fut de fumier is a barrel used in France and Belgium for collecting the liquid manure. Of snow it is said— If February gives much snow, A fine summer it doth foreshow. The French and Italians take a different view of snow in this month— Neige qui donne Février Met peu de blé au grenier. (Snow in February puts little wheat in the granary. ) The Italians say— Néou qué toumbo al més de Fébrio Met ’en bello humou Vusurio. (Snow which falls in the month of February puts the usurer in good humour. ) Candlemas day (2nd February, o.s. 13th) appears to have attracted the particular attention of the old weather prophets, 92 Transactions. and numerous predictions are given regarding the weather for the remainder of the year if the day happens to be fine or wet. This particular day seems often to be taken as representative of the weather throughout the month, as many of the sayings are exactly the same applied to this day or to the month as a whole. There are several of these prognostics in Latin :— Si Sol splendescat Maria purificante Major erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante. The English version of which is— When on the purification sun hath shined, The greater part of winter comes behind. In Scotland we have— Gin Candlemas day be dry and fair, The half o’ winter’s to come and mair ; If Candlemas day be wet and foul, The half 0’ winter’s gane at Yule. In Somersetshire they have— The hind has as lief see his wife on her bier, As that Candlemas day should be pleasant and clear. This is the same as the Welshman’s deduction from the general weather during the month. In Germany they say— Zu Lichtmess sieht der Bauer lieber den Wolf in schafstalle, denn die Sonne. (The peasant would rather see the wolf in the sheep-fold at Candlemas than the sun.) The principal saints’ days in this month—St. Valentine, St. Matthias, St. Agatha, St. Felix, &c.—have all some particular prognostics attached to them. The general currency of these prognostics, all pointing to much the same conclusion, made me curious to try and ascertain if there might not be some truth in them—v.e., that a dry February was followed by unfavourable weather, and vice versa. I have only access to detailed observations extending back to thirty-three years, and they may be taken “for what they are worth.” It would be interesting to ascertain if observations extending back to a much longer period in any way correspond to these late observations. The details given below, though not bearing out that these old folk-lore weather sayings are absolutely correct— this could not be expected—are, nevertheless, sufficiently near to incline one to think there may be some grain of truth in them. ~~ a PT Transactions. 93 The average rainfall at this station for February is 3°48 inches, and the average temperature 39°4 degs. The rainfall of less than two inches in a month has been taken as representing a dry month, and over four inches as a wet month. Curiously enough, wet, dry, and what may be termed irregular, seem to form a con- current series of years. The years 1860 to 1865 inclusive have been disregarded, as they appear to form part of an irregular series—if there is any truth in this assumption, and only a long series of observations could settle this point. Commencing with 1866 to 1872 (seven years) we have a wet series. There is an exception here-—viz., 1867—the rainfall in this year being below the average. Rainfall— Mean temp. Inches. Deg. 1866... Sot ae me we 4°43 39°5 1867... cr 523 ca oe _— 43°2 1868... a a Ald Be be SS 43°3 1869... ais ah aed peel 8°01 44°3 1870... aah as nt awn o20 37°5 1871... ie adic on ie PrOrOW 42°3 1872... as sae nie soos elaeyAe, 43°3 Mean ... sat foe ete 41°9 An irregular series of six years follows—1873 to 1879—in which the rainfall and temperature are very nearly the average. Then follow six wet Februaries—1880 to 1885— Rainfall— Mean temp. Inches. Deg. 1880... a8 ac eae /.d08o° 9 43°1 1881... +e ear igs soap 9 ASB? 36°6 1882... Se Rae hc ww oad 43°S 1883... ate aa at Sati 7S 42°3 18S4... 5 sie San she ime 40°1 1885... : 5°42 40°5 Mean ... se on 0°03 41°1 (The rainfall of 1882 is below the standard I have taken to represent a wet February, viz., over 4 inches. ) Then follows seven dry Februaries—1886 to 1892— Rainfall— Mean temp. Inches, Deg. 1886... Hig mae ies re 1°88 34°7 1887... ee See aa aa 1:98 39°4 1888... eee ths a5 ue ‘70 35°7 1889... mee a A est 1°63 37°4 1890... ve ae i cite P's 37°9 1891... os eae hag rn 28 39°4 1892... nae ie nae reg) UGS) 37°7 Mean ... Fi bys | b25 37°4 94 Transactions. In comparing the rainfall and temperature of the months following February, only May, June, July, and August have been considered, as they are really the important and critical months of the year as regards vegetation. The mean temperature of these four months is 56:1 deg. In the first series of consecutive years we find :— ‘ Mean temp. of May, Mean rainfall. Mean temp. June, July, August. Inches. Deg. Deg. 1866-72 (7 yrs), wet, Feby. 6°28 41°9 57'1 1873-79 (6 yrs), irregular, ,, 2°90 39-4 56°'8 1880-85 (6 yrs), wet, » 9°03 41°1 55°6 1886-92 (7 yrs), dry, BEDS 372 55'1 The exception here as regards the mean temperature of the summer months is in the series 1880-85, when the i a was below the average. The temperature of February seems to have been generally dis- regarded in these old “ weather prognostics,” although there are one or two referring to it :— When the gnats dance in February, the husbandman becomes a beggar. The Germans have a similar one :— Wen in Februar tanzen die Mucken auf dem Mist, So verschliess dein Futter in de Kist. (If in February the midges dance on the dunghill, then lock up your food in the chest.) Generally speaking, a wet February is a mild one, unless a large precipitation is in the form of snow, which seldom occurs, the temperature is then below the average. February of this year (1893) may be taken as an instance of this, when we had a precipitation of 2:03 inches above the average, and a mean temperature of 1:2 deg. below it. There is only one instance I have in the last 34 years, viz., February, 1862, when, with a rainfall oe 2 inches (1°49 ancheey, the mean temperature (41-6 deg.) was 2:2 deg. above it. February fills the ditch, Black or white (é.e., rain or snow), don’t care which ; If it be white, It’s better to like. Transactions. 95 2. Nithsdale Willows, by Mr James Fixetanp, Thornhill. By the publication in November, 1890, of a “ Revision of British Willows,” by Dr F. Buchanan White, in the Journal of the Linnean Society, a fresh impetus has been given to the study of this difficult family of plants. As Dr White’s “ Revision ” introduces a new system of classification and overturns, to a considerable extent, previous methods of classifying our willows, it is perhaps not out of place here to ascertain at least the out- lines of the arrangement he adopts, and what grounds he has for making the revision. Dr White, in his introductory part, shows how botanical opinion has undergone many changes in estimating the number of different willow species. The great variety of forms which occur in this family, and the extreme variability which charac- terise even the more stable forms, or those forms which are undoubtedly specific, have been a source of great difficulty to those botanists who have sought to define and classify them. When that eminent botanist, Sir J. E. Smith, in his “ English Flora,” published in 1828, tells his readers that he had laboured for 30 years at the task of specific definition, some idea may be formed of the extent of the undertaking. Sir J. E. Smith, in his work referred to, defined 64 species of willows. Since then the number of estimated species has fluctuated with the opinions of suc- ceeding botanical authors until we reach the last (8th) edition of the “London Catalogue of Plants,” which is understood to represent current botanical science. There are 96 forms of British willows given in this catalogue, 31 of which have specific rank, the remaining number being placed as varieties or sub- species. None of these arrangements have hitherto met the necessities of the case, nor have the definitions been comprehen- sive enough to embrace all the gradations of form which are found to exist. Dr White bases his classification on a recognition of the cir- cumstance of hybridization being an active element in causing the great variability in willows. The early salicologists, it seems, were unwilling to admit this. It has, however, been found that binary and ternary hybrids occur spontaneously. This, too, has been proved by experiment on the part of a continental botanist, Max Wichura, who has also found that by cross-fertilising these 96 Transactions. hybrids, plants could be obtained which represented a pedigree of six species. Theoretically, it is said, every willow species may hybridize with each other ; but practically the number of natural hybrids is limited owing to different periods of flowering and non-proximity of many species. In the “ Revision” the number of true species is reckoned as 17, and the number of hybrids as 41 (the latter number has been added to, however, since the author published his work), Dr White defines “a hybrid in its best condition as exactly intermediate in character between its two parents ; but more frequently it shows a greater relationship with one rather than with another ; and in these cases where it occurs in any abundance a series of specimens can usually be obtained exhibiting a more or less perfect gradation from one parent to the other.” The question of hybridity is one at present coming to the front, and there is a growing belief amongst botanists that more hybrids occur than have been hitherto supposed. A writer in a number of last year’s ‘ Journal of Botany ” says he is as certain that willows hybridize with each other as that two and two make four. It is certainly very con- vincing when the matter has thus been tested and proved ; whilst the theory most satisfactorily accounts for the multiple forms which are met with. It must have been a great labour of research on the part of the author to identity the plants described by former botanists, and to assimilate them as far as possible with his own classification when such confusion of names has existed and so many synonyms have arisen. After a perusal of the work, I prepared to examine and collect our willows with a fresh enthusiasm, feeling certain of obtaining some information of any willow I might collect. At the close of the year 1891 Dr White very kindly undertook to critically examine my collection, which was principally gathered on the Nith between Thornhill and New Cumnock. He was delighted to discover amongst my specimens two new hybrids, one, viz., a cross between Purpurea and _ phylicifolia, which he had expected should oceur, but had not yet met with. The plant has the leaves of phylicifolia and the stamens and scales of Purpurea. It has been named “Secerneta.” The other hybrid is of an unique character, being bisexual, the lower portions of the catkins being uniformly carpellary, and the upper portion staminate, Its sup- posed parentage is Purpurea, Phylicifolia, and Aurita, As in Transactions. 97 the first hybrid Purpurea is shown by the monandrous flowers ; Phylicifolia by the style of the carpels and nature of the leaves ; and Aurita by the shape of the leaves and pubescence, &e, It is, therefore, a ternary hybrid, and I believe possibly the first Dr White has made out for a certainty in Britain. He has named it “Sesquitertia.” I was much interested to find that within thirty yards of this willow, others grew having an identical character, which suggests the possibility of its being self sown. ‘This I should like to ascertain. I went a few days ago for the purpose of photographing this willow in flower, but was disappointed to find it had been cut down—a not unfrequent experience I have had with willows. Fortunately I had taken cuttings from it, which is always advisable to do in case of rarities. Another extremely interesting willow from the Nith was found to be a hybrid between Pentandra and alba, viz., Hexandra. I was struck with its appearance at the time of gathering as being probably a hybrid of Pentandra. It was a tree about thirty feet high, growing on the bank of the river about a mile below New Cumnock, and growing amongst abund- ance of Pentandra bushes. The leaves in the young state resembled the peculiar green hue of the Pentandra, a resemblance, however, which decreased as the leaves matured. Hexandra is a rare hybrid, being only known in one or at most two places in Scotland. A number of other hybrids were gathered, of which more particularly worthy of mention are Laurina, Decipiens, Undulata, and Coriacea. The most common willow to occur in Mid-Nithsdale in marshy places and river sides appears to be Lutescens. A series of forms of this willow, which is also a hybrid, were collected and examined. Already this spring I have found some very interesting and curious willows. I have had the privilege of some notes from Dr White, who has examined them in a fresh state. He is of opinion our district is extremely rich in Purpurea hybrids. I feel that I have only as yet touched the margin of our local willows, and a district is not considered done botanically until each bush is examined. Preliminary List of Willows in Nithsdale Classified according to Dr White's “ Revision.” Saxix. x Decipiens (8. triandra x fragilis)\—One bush on the Nith, near Waterside, Morton Parish (apparently wild). 13 98 Transactions. x Undulata (lanceolata), 8. triandra x viminalis—-Old bush, right side of Laught Road from Thornhill ; probably planted. Pentandra—On the Nith between Sanquhar and New Cumnock ; abundant below New Cumnock, Ayrshire. x Hexandra (Pentandra x alba), on the alba side—Solitary tree, 30 feet high, about a mile below New Cumnock, Ayrshire ; very rare. Fragilis—A few trees in the vicinity of Thornhill. One large specimen at N.-W. end of Village. Alba—Frequent about Thornhill and Sanquhar—often probably planted ; mostly male. x Viridis (Fragilis x alba)—A few large trees about Thornhill ; probably planted. Cinerea—Found in the district, but not good—z.e., not typical. Aurita—More frequent in the upper districts than lower. x Lutescens (Cinirea x aurita)—Common in marshes and river sides in Mid-Nithsdale. Caprea—Woods as at Nithbank, &e. x Capreola (Caprea x aurita)—Above Cample Wooden Bridge, form near Caprea. Repens—Cample Cleugh, Thornhill, and Railway Embankment above Kirkconnel x Ambigua (Repens x aurita)—Two or three forms at Curling Pond, Thornhill. ‘ Phylicifolia—Frequent on the Nith in Mid-Nithsdale ; abundant in Upper Nithsdale. Nigricans—Cample Cleugh. x Laurina (S. Phylicifolia x caprea)—At Redbrows on the Nith, between Kirkbog and Holmhill—bush. x Ludificans (S. Phylicifolia x aurita)—Near Glen Airlie Bridge, and on the Nith below New Cumnock, Ayrshire. X Coriacea (Nigricans X aurita)—On the Nith immediately below New Cumnock, Ayrshire. Viminalis—Common. xX Smithiana Viminalis xX Caprea—Bushes above and_ below Cample Wooden Bridge at Templand, Thornhill. Transactions. 99 Purpurea—Common. X Secerneta (hyb. nov.)—Dr White—(Purpurea xX phylicifolia)— On the Nith above Glenairlie Bridge. X Sesquitertia (hyb. nov.\—Dr White—(purpurea x phylicifolia X aurita)—Bushes, roadside, near Nith below Sanquhar, between mile-stones 23 and 22 (since cut down). x Rubra (Purpurea x Viminalis)—Above Cample Stone Bridge, Thornbill, on river side. 3. Some Old Documents Relating to Dumfries. By the Rev. Joun Catrns, M.A., Dumfries. Some time ago I had occasion to consult the Register of Kelso Abbey for information of which I was then in search. I found what I wanted in the preface by the learned editor, the late Professor Cosmo Innes, and I had no intention of reading any- thing in the body of the book, which consists of charters and other documents in contracted medieval Latin. On looking over the Index, however, I came on the familiar name of Dumfries with numerous references after it. Some of these, I found when I turned them up, indicated documents of such antiquity and interest as well repaid the trouble of deciphering them. As they are probably the oldest existing papers relating to our town, and as they are not quoted or even referred to in M‘Dowall’s History, or any other book on the district that I have seen, I thought that a short account of them might not be without interest to the members of this Society. A question which very naturally suggests itself at the outset is —How does Dumfries come to be mentioned in a book containing the transactions of the distant Abbey of Kelso? The answer to this question is to be found in a practice which was very widely spread in the Middle Ages, viz., the holding of the benefice of a parish by a monastery, or other ecclesiastical corporation, instead of by a single incumbent. Scotland was divided into parisheg _ about the beginning of the twelfth century, and each parish was endowed by the lord of the manor whose boundaries it followed with a ¢eind or tenth of the various products of the soil. But in many cases he or his successors bestowed these teinds on some 100 Transactions. great abbey which kept for its own use a large part of them, and gave the rest to a deputy or vicar, as he was called, a priest whom it appointed to take charge of the parish in its name. In England at the present day we have a reminder of this practice in the names vicar and rector, which are applied to clergymen of the Established Church. A vicar is the clergyman of a parish whose endowments before the Reformation were in the hands of a religious house ; a rector is the clergyman of a parish whose endowments have never been thus interfered with. Consequently, other things being equal, the income of a rector is greater than that of a vicar. In accordance with this practice the Church of Dumfries was, up till the Reformation, in the hands of the Abbey of Kelso, by which a vicar was appointed who attended to the spiritual wants of the parish. It would appear that—whatever may have been the practice in earlier times—this parish was latterly, so to speak, farmed by its priest. In a rental of Kelso Abbey, bearing date 1567, there is a list of “ Kirkis and Teindis set for Syluer,” and amongst these I find those of Dumfries, which brought in an annual rent of £60. Amongst the Kelso charters is the original deed of gift of the Church of St. Michael, Dumfries, to the Abbey by King William the Lion, and I think that this may lay claim to be the oldest existing document relating to our town. The grant of the Church of Dumfries, however, does not fill the whole of the charter. It occurs in the middle of a deed in which King William confirms to the Abbey all the privileges which his brother, King Malcolm the Maiden, had conferred upon it. After this confirmation, he proceeds to say that he ‘‘adds the Church of Dumfries with the Chapel of St. Thomas in the said burgh with all that belongs to them within the burgh and without.” * In a later charter the King is more explicit. After stating that he has made this grant for the soul of his grandfather, King David, and of his father, Earl Henry, and for the weal of his own soul, and of the souls of all his ancestors and successors, he goes on to say— ‘**T have given and conceded to the aforesaid monks for the use and occu- pation of the Church of Kelso, the Church of Dumfries with lands, teinds, and all kinds of offerings, and with the Chapel of St. Thomas in the said burgh, and with the toft pertaining to that Chapel, and with five acres of land which I have bestowed as a free gift on the said Church and Chapel, and have cased to be delivered by Philip de Valon, and with all other * Reg. Cart. de Kelso, 4. ; —_— i —E~ i, Transactions. 101 things that rightfully belong to the said Church. Therefore, let no one be allowed in any way to alienate this Church or Chapel, or their revenues, or their privileges, from the occupation of the Church of Kelso and from the proper uses of the monks.” * The date of these documents cannot be fixed accurately to a year. King William reigned from 1165 till 1214, but the year of his reign in which these deeds were executed is not specified. There is, however, one reference which enables us to limit their date to some extent. Mention is made of a Chapel of St. Thomas in Dumfries. This Chapel stood on the Plainstones on the site, as indicated on the Ordnance Survey Map, now occupied by the premises of Mr Adams, bookbinder, and it was dedicated not to St. Thomas the Apostle, but to St. Thomas of Canterbury, better known, perhaps, as Thomas A’ Becket. As is well-known, the murder of Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, by the order, or at least with the approval, of the English King, Henry II., caused a tremendous sensation in England. The murdered man was at once hailed as a martyr and a saint, and the foundation was laid for the unparalleled devotion that was paid to his relics and his memory throughout the Middle Ages. . One trace of this still remains in the popularity of the name Thomas with the English speaking people, who are, I believe, the only people in the world amongst whom it can be said to be in common use. Becket was a favourite saint with William the Lion. He appears to have been personally acquainted with him, and there would be a bond of union between them in their common hostility to Henry II., who had subjected William to the indignity of signing the Treaty of Falaise, in which, as King of Scots, he acknowledged the overlordship of the English King. To the other great enemy of Henry he dedicated the magnificent Abbey of Arbroath, in which he was afterwards buried, and it is probable that it was also he who dedicated to the same saint the humbler building in Dumfries. The murder of Becket took place in 1170; Arbroath Abbey was dedicated seven years later, and probably about the same time, or a little after, the Chapel of St. Thomas at Dumfries was handed over to the monks of Kelso. It must be noted that these deeds of gift of the Church of Dumfries which I have quoted are evidently to be distinguished from the original charter of its endowment. .It will be noticed that the king speaks of lands and teinds as already appropriated * Reg. Cart. de Kelso, 13, 102 Transactions. to the church when he hands the latter over to the Kelso monks, The earlier transaction to which this seems to point may have taken place in the reign of his grandfather, David I., under whom the erection of our older Scottish parishes was effected ; but if there was any record or deed of endowment, it has probably long since disappeared. We come, however, on what may be a trace of such an older record in a very interesting document also to be found among the Kelso charters, from which it appears that the Abbey’s right to the patronage and occupation of the Church of Dumfries was not undisputed. About the beginning of the 13th century Ralph, the Dean of Dumfries, presented his nephew Martin to the living, and in support of his claim to do so produced certain charters which he had in his possession. The case went for trial before a court or board of arbitrators, consisting of the Bishop of St. Andrews and two assessors ; and although the decision arrived at was in favour of the Abbey, it was to some extent of the nature of a compromise, indicating that the uncle and nephew were not without some show of a case. It is not im- possible that they may have been the representatives of an earlier claim to the church and its lands which had been ignored or in- sufficiently dealt with when King William bestowed them on Kelso Abbey. The following is the exceedingly interesting award of the arbitrators in the case :— “To all the sons of Holy Mother Church and faithful men who shall see this letter or hear it read, Roger, by the grace of God, Bishop of St. Andrews, William, Abbot of Holyrood, and Master Robert of St. Andrews, greeting in the Lord. When the cause that was pending between the Abbot and monks of Kelso and Ralph, Dean of Dumfries, and Martin the clerk, nephew of the said Ralph, concerning the church of Dumfries had been committed to us with full power, at length in our friendly presence the dispute was settled by agreement in these terms: If the aforesaid Ralph and Martin at any time appeared to have any right to the church of Dum- fries, this right they have in our hearing entirely renounced, and the charters concerning the said church which they had in their possession they have resigned into the hands of the Abbot. Moreover, if any instrument relating to the said church should at any time be discovered they will not make use of it and it shall be regarded as totally invalid. The aforesaid Abbot and monks, however, from considerations of pity, have conceded to the aforesaid Martin the clerk, and their faithful (servant) the church of Dumfries, with the chapels of the burgh and castle, and with all that belongs to them (to be held) during his lifetime of the said monks, provided that he shall pay to the said monks each year at Kelso 20 silver marks of fixed rent, viz., 10 marks at the Feast of St. Michael and 10 marks at Easter, and shall pay all bishop’s dues. But if the territory of Dumfries should be destroyed by war, the aforesaid Abbot and monks shall allow to the afore- said Martin some abatement of his rent, according to the award of good men. This amicable agreement between the said Abbot and convent and the said Martin the clerk, which, by the authority of the Lord, we have Transactions. 103 properly concluded, we desire to be considered (?) and to be inviolably observed. In order that this agreement may remain unimpaired we have confirmed the same by affixing our seals.’’* Besides the two statements by the king of his gifts to Kelso Abbey, we have in the Register an account by the monks them- selves of the same benefactions. This is specially interesting, because it contains a description of a piece of land bestowed by another benefactor, which even now, after the lapse of more than seven centuries, can without difficulty be recognised :— Donation of King William of the Church of Dumfries. “‘ King William gives to us the Church of Dumfries with the Chapel of St. Thomas in the said burgh, the toft belonging to the said Chapel, and five acres of land belonging to the said Church ; Therefore, let it not be allowed to us to alienate this Church or Chapel and their revenues in any way whatever from the occupation of our Church and the proper uses of the brethren. Bishop Jocelin confirms the gift of the said King under the same form. Further, Laurence the Clerk, in return for the teinds of Kars belonging to the said Church of Dumfries, is to pay two shillings each year of his life at Kelso, at the Roxburgh fair. Further, Ralph the son of Dunegal, gives to the said Church a certain piece of land in Dumfries which can be thus known :—Two roads separate from one another below the town, one of which is the way to the Church of St. Blane; the other proceeds in an easterly direction, and goes round a certain rock which is called Greneham, and then by a footpath rejoins the road from which it diverged. All the land that lies within these roads belongs to God and the aforesaid Church. Further, Adam, the son of Henry, of Dumfries, with the assent of M. his wife, gives to us those lands expressly, which he acquired by his lawful emancipation (?) in the burgh of Dumfries, viz., the lands which Robert the locksmith, Roger the shoemaker, Walter the butcher, Ralph the merchant, Alan the son of Emma, Adam Summerswain, and Alan of Bodha held of him. And he has resigned into our hands the entire right and lordship which he had in the lands.”’+ The most interesting passage in this document is that which describes the boundaries of the land given by Ralph the son of ‘Dunegal, to the Abbey. There is no Church of St. Blane now, but there is a Kilblane in the parish of Caerlaverock, which occupies the site of one that once existed. Hence, the road to the Church of St. Blane is probably the Bankend road, and the road that leaves it in an easterly direction the Craigs road. Even the footpath joining the two roads is represented to-day by the footpath which runs from the Craigs road past the end of the Maidenbower Craigs and by Ellengowan to the Bankend road. I should like much to know if the name Greneham is still to be met with in the neighbourhood of the Craigs. Possibly the name of some field may still retain traces of it, field-names being often * Reg. Cart. de Kelso, 324. + Reg. Cart. de Kelso, 11. 104 Transactions. exceedingly ancient, and containing far more history in them than one might expect. One more extract, also of a topographical nature, may here be added. The deed from which it is taken is a lease or feu-charter, and is entitled “ Agreement between us and Henry Wytwele regarding certain lands in the town of Dumfries,” and it runs as follows :— ‘On the first Tuesday after the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, this agreement was made between the religious men, the Lord Abbot of Kelso and the Convent at the same place, on the one side, and Henry Wytwele, burgess of Dumfries, on the other, viz., that the said Lord Abbot and the Convent at the same place conceded and demised to the said Henry and his assignees the whole of those lands which Malcolm, the son of Utred of Travereglis,* held from the decease of the formerly named inheritance of William, the son of Bele, with tofts and crofts in the territory and town of Dumfries . . . as they lie, viz., Between the land of St. John, which lies beside the cemetery of the mother church of Dumfries on the north side, and so by the road which leads from the town of Dumfries towards the Castle as far as the road which leads towards the Chapel of St. Laurence of Keldwoodt on the south side, and so towards the east beside the Crown land as far as the Dumfries Burn which falls into the mill pond of Dumfries—these lands to be had and held by the said Henry and his assignees till the close of the life of the said Henry, of the aforesaid Abbot and Convent and their successors.” Then follow the terms on which Wytwele was to occupy this land, the most important of which were his payment of twelve shillings yearly at Pentecost and at the Feast of St. Martin (Whitsunday and Martinmas), and the promise on the part of the Abbey to defend his ]and against man and beast, and in the event of its being devastated by war, to allow him a reduction of rent. I do not know the ancient topography of Dumfries sufliciently well to be able to explain all the references in this document. The northern boundary of the ground described is fixed by the position of St. Michael’s Churchyard ; the road to the Chapel of St. Laurence of Kellwood may probably find its representative in the present road to Glencaple. In that case, the Castle referred to would not be the ancient Castle of Dumfries, which occupied the site now covered by Greyfriars’ Church, but the. so-called “Comyn’s Castle,” from which Castledykes takes its name. The “ Mill pond of Dumfries” might well have been connected with the old Town Mill which stood on the site of the Mill Street of our own day, and in that case, the “‘ Dumfries Burn” (rivulus de Dunfres) would be the ‘“‘ Loreburn,” which, after running parallel * Terregles. +Kellwood. + Reg. Cart. de Kelso, 332, Transactions. 105 with the street which now bears its name and traversing the nursery grounds to the south of English Street, crosses the line of Queen’s Place, and falls into the Nith at the Dock Park. This view, perhaps, finds confirmation in the fact that a good part of the land whose boundaries are thus indicated is still Church land, being occupied by the present glebe of St. Michael’s. Such are the most interesting of the references to the town of Dumfries in the Register of Kelso Abbey. Others might have been added relating to places in the district, such as Morton, Closeburn (always written here Killosbern, the Cell or Church of Osborne), and Trailflat, all of whose churches belonged to Kelso Abbey, but this would have unduly lengthened this paper as well as interfered with its unity. I hope, however, that enough has been said to show what an interesting field for study those old collections of charters present, as well as to dispel a little of the darkness which hangs over medieval Dumfries. The following is the text of the documents or the relative parts of them to which reference has been made in the foregoing paper :— I.—Confirmatio Regis Wilielmi fratris Malcolmi eidem succedens supra concesstonibus antedictis. Wilielmus et rex, frater ejus, ei succedens confirmat omnia praedicta et addit ecclesiam de Dunfres cum Capella Sancti Thomae in ipso burgo cum omnibus earum pertinentiis infra burgum et extra. (eg. Cart de Kelso 4.) IT,— Carta super ecclesiam de Dunfres et Capellam Sancti Thomae, Wilielmus rex . . dedi et concessi prenominatis monachis ad usus et occupationenem ipsius ecclesiae de Kalchou, ecclesiam de Dunfres cum terris et decimis et omnimodis oblationibus et cum capella Sancti Thomae in ipso burgo, et cum tofta ad ipsam eapellam pertinente, et cum quinque acris terrae quas eidem ecclesiae et capellae in liberam elemosinam dedi, et per Philippum de Valoniis tradi feci, et cum omnibus aliis ejusdem ecclesiae justis pertinentiis. Ita ne liceat alicui ecclesiam illam vel capellam, aut earum redditus sive beneficia ab occupatione ecclesiae de Kalchou et propriis usibus monachorum quoquomodo _ alienare. (Ibid, 13 ef 411.) 14 106 Transactions, III.—Resignatio super quasdam cartas de ecclesie de Dunfres. Universis sancte matris ecclesiz filiis et fidelibus literas istas visuris vel audituris, Rogerus, Dei gratia, Episcopus Sanct Andreensis et Gulielmus, Abbas de Sancta Cruce et Magister Robertus de Sancto Andrea salutationem in Domino. Cum causa quae vertebatur inter Abbatem et monachos de Kalchou et Radulphum, decanum de Dunfres et Martinum clericum, ipsius Radulphi nepotem, super ecclesiam de Dunfres auctoritate amplifica nobis esset commissa, tandem in presentia nostra amicabili lis ipsa compositione quievit sub hac forma :—Pre- nominati Radulphus et Martinus, si quod jus in ecclesia de Dunfres aliquo tempore habuisse videbantur, ipsi juri in audientia nostra penitus renuntiaverunt, et cartas quas de ipsa ecclesia penes se habuerunt, in manum Abbatis resignaverunt. Itaque si aliquod instrumentum de hac eadem ecclesia aliquo tempore inventum fuerit, non eo utentur, sed penitus in irritum devocabitur. Predicti, vero, Abbas et monachi, intuitu misericordiae, concesse- runt ipsi Martino, clerico et fideli corum, ecclesiam de Dunfres cum capellis de burgo et castello, et cum omnibus pertinentiis suis, tenendas in vita sua de ipsis monachis. Reddendo singulis annis ipsis monachis pensionis xx marcos argenteos apud Kalchou, x, viz., marcos ad festum Sancti Michaelis, et x marcos ad Pascham—et episcopalia per omnia persolvendo. Si terra de Dunfres per gwerram destructa fuerit, predicti Abbas et monachi facient prenominato Martino aliquam relaxationem de pensione sua, secundum estimationem bonorum virorum. Hane amabilem compositionem inter prefatum Abbatem et conventum et inter predictum Martinum clericum, anctoritate Doraini proprie qua fungimur, ratam eae (?) volumus et inviolabiliter observari, Ut haec compositio illaesa permaneat, appositione sigillorum nostrorum eam roboravimus. (Jbid, 324.) IV.—Donatio Wilielmi Regis ecclesiae de Dunfres. Wilielmus Rex dat nobis ecclesiam de Dunfres cum capella Sancti Thomae in ipso burgo, et tofta ad ipsam capellam perti- nente, et quinque acras terrae eidem ecclesiae pertinentes ; ita ne liceat nobis ecclesiam illam, sive capellam et earum redditus ab oceupatione ecclesiae nostrae et propriis usibus fratrum quoquo- modo alienare. Et confirmat ejusdem regis donum Jocelinus Transactions. 107 episcopus sub eadem forma. Item Laurentius, clericus, pro decimis de Kars, eidem ecclesiae de Dunfres pertinentibus reddet apud Kalchou, apud nundinas de Rokesburgo, singulis annis vitae suae, duos solidos. Item Radulphus, filius Dunegal, dat eidem ecclesiae quandam terram in Dunfres quae sic potest cognosci :— Duae viae separant ab invicem infra villam quarum per alteram itur ad ecclesiam Sancti Blaani ; altera, vero, procedit apud orientem et circuit rupem quandam quae vocatur Greneham, et sic per quandam semitam revertit ad eandam viam de qua pro- cessit. Tota, vero, terra quae jacet inter has vias Dei est et pre- nominatae ecclesiae. Item, Adam, filius Henrici de Dunfres, ex assensu M. sponsae suae, dat nobis has terras nominatim quas ex legitima emancipatione sua adquisivit in burgo de Dunfres, viz., terras quas Robertus Lokkesmyth, et Walterus fillius Wille, et Robertus Scot, et Rogerus Sutor, et Walterus Carnifex, et Radulphus Mercator, et Alanus filius Emmae, et Adam Sumer- swain, et Alanus de Bodha de se tenuerunt; et resignavit totum jus et dominium quod in terris habebat. (Ibid, 4.) V.—Compositio inter nos et Henricum Wytwele super quasdam terras ir villa de Dunfres. Die Martis proxima post festum Decollationis Sancti Johannis Baptistae, facta fuit haec conventio inter religiosos viros, dominum Abbatem de Kalchou et ejusdem loci conventum, ex parte una, et Henricum Wytwele burgensem de Dunfres ex altera, viz., quod dictus dominus Abbas et ejusdem loci conventus conces- serunt et ad firmam demiserunt dicto Henrico et assignatis suis totas terras illas quas habuit Malcolmus filius Utredi de Travereglis, ex decessu hereditatis nominatae quondam Wilielmi filii Belae, cum toftis et croftis in territorio et villa de Dunfres, per omnes suas rectas subscriptas sicut jacent, viz., Inter terram Sancti Johannis quae jacet juxta cimeterium matricis ecclesiae de Dunfres, ex parte boreali, et sic per viam quae ducit de villa de Dunfres versus castellum usque viam quae ducit versus capellam Sancti Laurentii de Keldwood, ex parte australi, et sic versus orientem, juxta terram regiam, usque ad Rivulum de Dunfres quae solebat descendere in stagnum molendini de Duntfres, tenendas et habendas dicto Henrico et assignatis suis, usque ad finem vitae dicti Henrici de Abbate predicto et conventu et eorum successoribus. (Ibid, 332.) 108 Transactions. 4, Notice of the Principal Scottish Antiquities in the Grierson Museum, Thornhill. By Dr George F. Brack, Edinburgh. Among the numerous local museums in Scotland the Grierson Museum in Thornhill occupies a foremost place, in consequence of the extent and variety of its collections. In addition to its large natural history and geological collections, it is also rich in local archeological specimens of stone and bronze, and in miscel- laneous antiquities of later date. In the following paper it is purposed to put on record an account of the principal antiquities in the collection in the hope that such may be of use to local archeologists. For convenience of description, we may roughly group the specimens in the collection under the heads of Stone, Bronze, Roman, and Medieval. It is to be borne in mind, how- ever, that all the stone implements do not necessarily belong to what is known as the “ Stone Age.”* STrone IMPLEMENTS. The objects of stone consist mostly of axes or celts, perforated hammers, whorls, balls, socket-stones, &c. Of these articles the axes are the only specimens which can with safety be assigned to the “Stone Age.” Awxes.—The stone axes in the collection are fourteen in number, and possess no special points of interest either in shape or finish. Of the fourteen specimens ten were found in Dumfriesshire alone, three in Ayrshire, while the remaining specimen (6) is from Aberdeenshire. One of felstone (1) found at Dalbeattie, 8} inches in length by 3 inches in breadth across the cutting end, is sharp-edged at the butt, and has the sides ground flat. A second axe (2) of mottled stone, found at Barndennoch, Keir, 74 inches in length by 23 inches across the cutting end, also has the butt brought to a sharp edge and the sides inclined to flatness. Another axe of this type (8), found at Terregles, has in addition an oblique cutting edge. This oblique cutting edge is generally supposed to be due to the re-sharpening of an axe which has been subject to much rough usage near one side. A fourth axe (5) of weathered felstone, found at Boreland Smithy, Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, also * The numbers within parentheses are the numbers attached to the specimens in the antiquarian section of the Museum. Transactions. 109 has the cutting edge oblique. The axe from Strathdon, Aberdeen- shire, has also an oblique cutting edge. An axe found at Ingle- stone Rigg, Durisdeer, about the year 1823, approaches a chisel in form, being 5? inches in length by 2 inches in greatest breadth, and 8-inch in thickness. It has the sides sharp, and is slightly imperfect. Another axe (13) of felstone, found at Barhill, Keir, 7 inches in length by 2} inches in breadth, has flat sides and a very sharp cutting edge. It appears to have been little, if at all, used. The cutting end of another axe found in excavating in Dumfries has been utilised as a hammer-stone—the fractured end being considerably worn by use. The butt end (14) of what has been a large axe of a characteristic South of Scotland form, was found at Durisdeer, and is also in the collection. When perfect, it must have been about 11 inches in length. A very common type of axe found in the South of Scotland, and principally in Wigtown- shire, Las narrow, straight, flat sides, and a butt terminating in an edge equalling in sharpness that of the cutting end, They are mostly of felstone. A fine specimen in the National Museum in Edinburgh is 124 inches in length, Perforated Hammers, &e.—The implements of this class are fairly numerous in the collection, and admit of being divided into three varieties, viz.—(1) Those which show special care in the finish, and are sometimes ornamented ; (2) those of large size and mostly of rude finish, their whole condition indicating rather a utilitarian purpose than a warlike character ; and (3) those formed mostly of waterworn pebbles pierced witha half hole through the broad face. Of the first variety there are three specimens in the Museum. The first (17) an axe-hammer of gneissic stone, 4 inches in length, with a haft hole {-inch in diameter, has the upper end ground flat and the cutting edge purposely blunted or rounded. Round the haft hole on either face is an incised line by way of ornament, This weapon was found at Amisfield. The second (16) an axe-hammer of granite stone, is stated in the New Statistical Account of Dumfriesshire to have been found ina cairn in the parish of Tynron, somewhere about the year 1800. The New Statistical Accownt of Dumfriesshire (p. 475) states that there were two cairns examined at Tynron, each of which con- tained a cist and a stone-hammer. The weapon is 6} inches in length by 23 inches in breadth across the widest part, and 2 inches thick. The third specimen (18), which is a beautifully 110 Transactions. formed hammer of white quartz, mottled with red, 22 inches in length by 1% inches in greatest breadth, presents the rare peculiarity of an oval haft hole ¢ by 38-inch in diameter. An axe-hammer found in the Moat of Duns Castle, and now in the Duns Museum, also shows an oval haft-hole (Proceedings Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. xxii. p. 384). Another found in the Thames, is in the British Museum. It was found on the farm of Slacks, Tinwald, and is very similar in form to a beautiful specimen in the National Museum, and which was found in Elginshire. The specimens comprised in the second variety are characteristic of the southern counties of Scot- land, and more especially the south-west. They are mostly formed of diorite or other hard stone, and are thirteen in number. The largest (23) is 124 inches in length by 4? inches in greatest breadth, and has the haft-hole perforated from each side. It was found at High Kilroy. The next largest (24), found at White- hall, Kirkmahoe, is 10? inches in length by 43 inches in breadth, and has the haft-hole partially perforated from each face. Another specimen (33) is 7 inches in length by 3} inches in greatest breadth, and is said to have been found in removing a cairn of stones at Auldgirth in 1862. A fourth specimen (25), 104 inches in length by 4} inches in greatest breadth, has the haft- hole only slightly begun on one face. This hammer was found at Greenhead, Closeburn. These large and heavy hammers do not appear to be of such great age as those of the first variety already described, never being found in association with any remains of early date. The third variety, comprising those formed mostly of waterworn pebbles, as already described, are most pro- bably also of late date. Although classed as perforated hammers, yet they may have served a variety of purposes—such as net- sinkers, loom-weights, and last but not least, as old clock-weights. Stone Ball.—The Museum also possesses a very fine, though unfortunately imperfect, stone ball (38) carved in relief, with six projecting discs or knobs. The ball is 2% inches in diameter, and is formed of white quartz. It was found in Cree Moss, Wigtown- shire. These stone balls are peculiar to Scotland, and are more frequently met with in Aberdeenshire than in any other part of the country. Their use is unknown. From the style of orna- mentation on some of the specimens in the National Museum they have been assigned to the Iron Age. A unique specimen of Transactions. js i bronze found in Lanarkshire is in the National Museum. Three rough stone balls (40-42) in the Museum, from 2 inches to 3} inches in diameter, may have been used as boiling-stones or hammer-stones. Miscellaneous Stone Implements. —Of miscellaneous stone implements one (54) is a portion of a whetstone found in a Moss near Sanquhar on the site of a supposed lake-dwelling. Another (39) is an elliptical-shaped pebble of quartz, 32 inches in length, with the sides brought to an edge all round, and having an oblique groove on one face and two on the other. The implement is an Iron Age whetstone, and was found in Rashbrig Moss. These implements are not common in Scotland, and I only know of fifteen specimens, of which this is one. No. 47 is a polisher of quartz, 4 inches in length by 2 inches in breadth, with the two longest edges ground smooth. It is said to have been found in removing a cairn near Cairnmill, in the parish of Penpont, about the year 1834. Another (53) is a portion of a mould of sand- stone for casting metal objects resembling a wide-toothed-eoinb, and was found at Enterkinfoot, Durisdeer. One (112) is a hammer-stone found on the site of a crannog in Craigenveoch Loch, Wigtownshire. Four others (113-116) are socket-stones of gates, and of barley and meal mills. The larger sized socket-stones have usually a single socket, and the smaller size often have several small socket holes made by the revolution of the iron spindle of the upper mill-stone of the old fashioned mill. Such mills were in common use throughout Scotland until within the present century, and, indeed, have been in use up to the present day in Shetland. There are also in the Museum sixteen (162-177) rudely worked implements of sandstone from Shetland. These implements, which are all roughly formed, are found only in Orkney and Shetland. SPINDLE-W HORLS. Whorls of stone, made to be fitted on to the wooden spindle, so as to increase and maintain the rotary motion given to it by the twirling by the fingers in spinning from the distaff, are of all periods from the first invention of the art of spinning in the later Stone Age down to the present day. In Scotland no whorls have been found with interments, but they are most commonly turned up by the plough, and they have also been found in great Ti2 Transactions. abundance in the numerous brochs in the north of Scotland and in the various crannogs. The Grierson Museum possesses forty- two specimens of whorls, more or less artistic in form and finish. They are mostly formed of claystone and sandstone, and vary in diameter from 1 to 24 inches. They have all been found on the surface of the ground, and apparently unassociated with any relics by which their age could be determined. The specimens in the Grierson Museum have mostly been found in Dumfriesshire and Ayrshire. Fut IMPLEMENTS. Of implements formed of flint there are a number of good specimens in the Museum, particularly the fine dagger-knife found on Crawford Moor. Arrowheads.—Of flint arrowheads there are also several speci- mens in the collection, mostly of the type with barbs and stem. One (93) with barbs and stem, finely finished, was found at Standing Brae, Farding. Another of pitchstone (97) said to have been found in a cairn on the farm of Barndennoch, Keir, is re- markable for its very broad stem. A third (96) with barbs and stem is very regular in form, serrated on the edges, was found at Penpont.* Knives.—A knife of flint (55) plano-convex in section, 23 inches in length by 1 inch broad, finely worked along both sides on the convex face, shows traces of having been burnt in a fire. In all probability it has accompanied a Bronze Age burial. It was found in a cist in a cairn, accompanied by a quantity of burnt bones, at Barndennoch, Keir.t A leaf-shaped knife of cherty flint (136) measures 33 inches in length, and is worked on both faces. It is said to have been found at Parkgate, Kirkmichael. * Since my communication to the Society on ‘The Stone and Bronze Implements from Dumfriesshire in the National Collection” (Transactions 1887-90, p. 207), seven additional arrowheads of flint have been added to the Museum. They are all of the type with barbs and centre stem; and were found at Riggmuir, Gretna. Three of them are remarkably fine, and with one exception they are all perfect. + Flint knives of this type have been frequently found with interments of the Bronze Age in England (Greenwell, British Burrows, pp. 35, 39, 174, 285, 363, 380, 407). They have not been so frequently found or, at least, recorded in Scotland, but the following specimens have been described :—(1) Found in a cist under a cairn at Rudle, near Crinan, Argyllshire, along with fragments of arude urn (Proceed. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. vi., p. 350, and pl. xx., fig. 4) ; (2, 3) two, each found with an urn at Tomontend, Cumbrae (Scottish National Memorials, 1890, pp. 11, 12, and fig. 15); (4, 5) two found at Largie Farm, near Crinan (Pro. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. vi., p. 343, and note); (6) one found in a cist at Ardyne, near Castle Toward, Argyllshire (Ibid, vol. 1i., p. 252). _— Transactions. 113 Dagger-knife.—The dagger-knife (51) is of greyish flint, 63 inches in length by 23 inches in greatest breadth, and 2 inch in greatest thickness. On either side near the middle of its length are two small notches, probably to allow of its being securely fastened to a handle. It was found in a cairn near Glenlochar, Portrail Burn, Crawford Moor, about 1817. Dagger-knives of this form are of great rarity in Scotland, owing to the scarcity of flints of sufficient size to produce them. The National Museum only possesses one found in Mid-Lothian, and there is another in the Museum at Forres, Elginshire. A fourth, found in Banff- shire, is in the possession of Cannon Greenwell. From the sandhills at Glenluce and Stoneykirk the Museum possesses a small collection of flint implements partly collected by the late Dr Grierson himself. The collection includes an arrow- head with barbs and stem, and two of lozenge form (91), two single-edged saws (90) 12 inch and 2 inches in length, a knife of flint (84) 1? inch in length, an oval-pointed implement (85), and a number of scrapers and chips (89-92). Beaps, Rives, &e. Of beads of glass, amber, and vitreous paste the Museum also possesses a few specimens. One (106) is a ribbed melon-shaped bead of greenish vitreous paste, found at Baitford, Penpont, by Dr Grierson. 105 is another bead of the same form, but of bluish colour, and was found at Castle Newe, Aberdeenshire. These beads are generally considered to be of Roman manufacture, and they are at all events found co-extensive with Roman antiquities. One (103) is a bead of amber found in Sanquhar Castle. Another (108) is a good specimen of a very rare and early form of a bead which is more common in the north of Scotland than elsewhere. This specimen was found at Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. Another bead (107) is of brownish yellow coloured glass, and was found at Blackwood, Keir. Of rings there are two specimens, one of jet 12 inch in diameter, found in Lochar Moss in 1840, the other (100) of fine mottled jasper 13 inches in diameter, finely polished, found at Holestane, Durisdeer.* * An almost identical ring of mottled jasper found in the river Lyon, near Fortingall, and a larger ring of the same material found near Inverness, are in the National Museum. 15 4 Transactions. Urns. There are no complete urns in the Museum, but there are a number of pieces of cinerary urns of the Bronze Age from various localities. Several fragments (160) of a cinerary urn found at Borland, near Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, show impressed cord markings round the rim. 179 is a fragment of an urn of food- vessel type, stated to have been found ina cairn at Newbie, near Annan, in 1864. 180 is a portion of a large cinerary urn found at Coylton, Ayrshire. Bronze IMPLEMENTS. The Scottish bronze implements in the collection are fourteen in number, and consist of six axes, four spearheads, three rapier- blades, and a ring. Awes.—The axes of bronze found in Britain are divided into three classes—flat, flanged, and socketed. The flat axes are con- sidered by archeologists to be the earliest, the flanged type coming next, and the socketed last in the series. Of these three forms only the second and third are represented in the Grierson Museum, there being four of the former and two of the latter. Of the flanged axes, one (1) is chisel-shaped, being 43 inches in length by 11 inches across the cutting end. The flanges are very slight, and the implement may be considered as an intermediate link between the flat and the fullflanged form. It was found in Raeburn Bog, Eskdalemuir. The second specimen (2) found at Kirkless, Durisdeer, is 43 inches in length by 2 inches across the cutting face, which is semi-circular in outline. The flanges in this specimen are well developed, and are fusilform in outline. The third specimen (3) found at Townfoot Loch, Closeburn, in 1869, is 5} inches in length by 22 inches across the cutting edge. This specimen has a well-defined stop-ridge across the middle of each face, and is ornamented below each ridge by a semi-elliptical moulding. The fourth flanged axe (4) found at Park of Close- burn is the finest of the series. It measures 6} inches in length by 34 inches across the cutting end. Below the stop-ridge on each face is a series of vertical ribs extending downwards about 2 of an inch, probably produced by hammering. Each flange is also ornamented by facets, eight on each. Of the socketed axes (6) found at Auchencairn Hill, Closeburn, in 1859, is the finest. It measures 42 inches in length by 23 inches across the cutting ee Transactions. 115 edge, and is ornamented down each face by four slightly raised vertical ribs. It has the usual loop found on the axes of this type, and is very finely patinated. The second socketed axe found in Ayrshire (5), is of reddish bronze, and measures 34 inches in length by 2 inches across the cutting edge. Spearheads.—Of these there are four specimens. The largest (7) is of plain leaf-shape, 12% inches in length, and is slightly im- perfect at the socket. It was found on the farm of Springfield Hill, Dunscore. The second (8), which is more of the form known as ‘‘ Lancehead,” measures 5 inches in length, and has a loop for attachment to the shaft on opposite sides of the socket. It was found at Spearford Bridge, Crossmichael, Kirkcudbrightshire. The third specimen (9) is also of lancehead form, and was found at Bowhouse of Caerlaverock. It measures 52 inches in length, with a loop on each side of the socket, and is imperfect at the point. The fourth and last spearhead (10) has been originally about 6 inches in length, but it is now much broken and incomplete. It was found with a flattish circular bronze ring (11), 24 inches in diameter, in the parish of Tinwald. Rapier-blades.—The three rapier-blades (12-14) in the collection are part of a hoard of twelve or thirteen specimens found together in the parish of Kirkgunzeon, Kirkcudbrightshire, about the year 1840. These and other three specimens are unfortunately all that are now known to be in existence. In Dr Grierson’s MS. catalogue of his collection he states that he made drawings of all the principal specimens at the time they were found. A search among the doctor’s papers by Mr J. R. Wilson for these drawings has, however, met with no result. This is much to be regretted, as this find of weapons is one of the most important pertaining to the Bronze Age in Scotland. Of the three specimens in the Museum the largest is 154 inches in length, the second 144 inches, while the third, which is imperfect at the point, is now only 8} inches in length. All three are slightly imperfect at the butt ends, These rapier-blades are not common in Scotland, the National Museum in Edinburgh only possessing five, the largest of which is only 124 inches in length. One of the five in the National Museum was found at Fairholm, Lockerbie. 6 pats Be eC ey ee el Bere tere Pirie seater mn ins. ins. ins. ins, ins. The Carliel Bell . 16 8-128 14 14 75 1bs. G. St. Michael’s Church ... 355 19 26 24 24 Scwt. B Flat. Greyfriars’ Church... 373 20 28% 28 2% Qcwt. G Sharp. Midsteeple (largest) ... 35 18 264 1 18 Scwt. E Flat. Midsteeple (second) ...28 144 22 2} 2g | Sewt. hse Midsteeple (smallest)... 25 13 19 13% 13 38ewt. Enatural. The Carliel bell, which is decorated with belts composed of groups of delicate lines, is of very graceful form and beautiful workman- ship and finish, and the surface remains sharp, almost as ifit were Transactions. 131 newly cast. The inscription of two lines, extending quite round the body of the bell, composed of ornamented raised Gothic letters, each on a small square, is— + :; WILHELMUS : DE : CARLIEL : DOMINUS : DE TORTHORVALDE : ME: FECIT : FIERI : + IN : HONORE : SANCTI : MICHAELIS ; ANNO : DOMINI : MILLESIMO ; CCCC:XXXX: 111.(+ : William de Carliel, Lord of Torthorwald, mae) me to be made. + In honour of St. Michael, the year of our Lord, Below the inscription appears what I take to be the founder’s mark, circular in form, about an inch diameter, slightly raised, showing inscribed border, and in the centre a heater-shaped shield bearing a bell and cheveron lines over it, probably representing _ the frame on which the bell would hang. From marks of abrasion on the interior and exterior of the sound-bow, it is evident that the bell has been in use not only to be wrung in the ordinary way, but also for sounding the hours by the mechanism of a clock. _ This is the bell which hung in the Tolbooth, mentioned by Edgar, who describes it as a “little, sharp, clear-sounding bell.” As no clock existed at the Tolbooth, it is to be presumed that the original position of the bell would be elsewhere, and, doubtless, the - Lord of Torthorwald’s gift in honour of St. Michael would be to _ the Church dedicated to the archangel, which, as we will see, was afterwards gifted with another bell. I hope to be able to show at another time that several churches in the district were similarly furnished with two bells. When the Town Council, in 1830, removed from the Tolbooth, afterwards ‘The Rainbow Tavern,” and now a bookbinder’s workshop, to the Counci] Chamber in the Midsteeple, formerly “ the Court-House,” the bell, which hung in a cleft of the chimney over the rainbow stair, was moved and placed in the parapet of the Midsteeple building, again beside a chimney, where it remained, and was known as the fire bell until about twenty years ago. The chimney being out of order, a tradesman was employed to put it into repair, who, finding the bell, which had been out of use for a long time, to be in the way removed it. After a space the absence of the familiar object from its accustomed place was observed, and search being made it was found in the tradesman’s yard on a heap of scrap, and recovered. So this artistic bell, whose clear, sharp notes have sounded over the town for four hundred years, narrowly escaped the melting pot. St. Michael’s Church bell, while not approaching the one just 132 Transactions. described, is yet a clean, sharp casting, the second in order of artistic merit of those under notice ; and, thanks to those who had the care of the recasting, it bears an interesting inscription recording its history, which would otherwise have been lost. We learn that the bell was recast in 1818, and again in 1839, and that the time of its original founding reaches back to within eight years of the date on the Carliel bell, viz., the year 1451. The letters are Roman, and the inscription, the first part of which relates to the original founding, and the second to the recasting, US HECCE CAMPANA QUAM WILLIELMUS A.D. MCCCCLI EXCUDENDUM CURAVERAT IN USUM ECCLESIZ ST. MICHAELIS DUMFRISIENSIS. ROBERTO WALLACE D. D. PRESBYTERO SACRA PROCURANTE. DAVIDE ARMSTRONG ARMIGERO PR4SPOSITO. GEORGIO DUNBAR, THOMA MILLIGAN, ET JOSEPHO BECK BALIVIS. JACOBO GIBSON DECANUS SOCIETATIS. LIE DEAN OF GUILD, ET JOANNE M‘KIE THEASAURO, BURGI DUMFRIS. FRAN- CISCO SHORTT ET JACOBO BROOM CLERICIS EJUSDEM. NOVATA A.D. MDCCCXVIII ET RENOVATA A.D. MDCCCXXXIX. THOMA MEARS LONDINI. (This bell, William, a.p., 1451, caused to be cast for the use of the Church of St. Michael’s, Dumfries. Robert Wallace, D.D., minister of the parish; David Arm- strong, Esquire, Provost ; George Dunbar, Thomas Milligan, and Joseph Beck, Bailies ; James Gibson, Dean of Guild; and John M‘Kie, treasurer of the burgh of Dumfries ; Francis Shortt and James Broom, clerks of the same. Re-cast 1.pD. 1818, and cast again a.p. 1839. Thomas Mears, London.) The re-casting and hanging of the bell in 1818 cost the sum of £126 12s 5d, of which the Town Council paid one-half, the other being paid by the landward heritors. Thomas Mears, London, was the founder, and the details of the account show that where- as the new bell weighed 8 cwt. 1 qr. 6 lbs., the weight of the old bell was only 4 cwt. 2 qrs. 16 lbs, In 1839 the bell being cracked, a committee was appointed by the Town Council to make inquiry, and on 6th September, “Bailie Milligan reported answers to the application for the expense of re-casting the Old Church bell from Mears, of London, showing that, taking the metal of the old bell weighing 8 ewt. 1 stone 10 lbs., the expense of re-casting may be about twenty-four pounds, and that over and above the expense of taking down, ee ee ee eee Transactions. 133 carriage, and re-fitting.” The work was instructed to be done without delay. Edgar mentions that the bell was supposed to belong to the Abbey of Sweetheart. Similar traditions regarding bells in the district are not uncommon, and in following out this inquiry it is intended as far as possible to test their probability. In the present instance the matter is easily disposed of, as the inscrip- tion shows that the bell was cast for the use of St. Michael’s Church, Dumfries. The person at whose instance the original bell was cast is styled ‘‘ William” in the inscription, a mode of address signify- ing that he was a dignitary, The dignitary most closely associ- ated with, and bearing" direct rule over, the church of Dumfries, and to whom the style of address found on the bell would rightly belong, was the Lord Abbot of Kelso, the church having been granted to the monks of Kelso by William the Lion, and being at this period still in their possession. The name of William VI. has been traced in documents from 1435 on till 1444, and the first mention of Allan, his successor, is in the year 1464. The dates, therefore, with the form of the inscription, point to William VI., Lord Abbot of Kelso, as the donor of the ancient bell weigh- ing 4 ewts. 2 qrs. 6 lbs., and bearing the inscription :— IECCE CAMPANA QUAM WILLELMUS A.D. MCCCCLI EXCUDENDUM CURAVERAT IN USUM ECCLESLH&S ST MICHAELIS DUMFRISIENSIS. Greyfriars’ Church bell is the largest of the bells under notice. It bears the sentiment :—FLOREAT DUMFRIES; WM. EVANS FECIT ; and the date 1744. The New Church was built in 1727. The bell after being twice re-cast in Dumfries, was again fractured, _and on 9th May, 1743, the Town Council appointed a Committee “to consider what is proper to be done with the bell of the New Church steeple, which is lately cracked or broke, and whether it will be proper to dispose of it and to purchase another bell or two ; _ for the said steeple.” 20th February, 1744, it was agreed “to _ cause take down the bell and send the same to Bristol, and there to cause cast the same of new into a bell of about a thousand weight.” The Midsteeple bells are inscribed as follows :— The largest—Tuis or 800 LIBS WEIGHT: WITH OTHER TWO BELLS: VIZ-ONE OF 500 LIBIS, AND ANOTHER OF 300 LIB: WERE FOUNLED FOR THE TOWN OF DrumrRrizs: Epr 1708, UPON THE TOWN’S CHARGE; WILLIAM CopnhanD oF CoLLiesTon, Provost. The second—For THE Town or DumrreIs T () R Epr 1764. The third—For THE TOwN oF DruMmFRizs, 300 trip Epr 1708. 134 Transactions. The figures represent Scots troise weight. The second bell has evidently been re-cast in the year it bears. George Barclay, founder, Edinburgh, contracted to furnish the bells for 17s 6d Scots per pound ; they were to be brought, hanged, and tongued by the contractor at his risk, the town paying the carriage, and if the town choose not the bells after ringing, the bargain was to be nil; Barclay’s account amounted to £1698 14s 6d Scots for stocking, tagging, tonguing, transporting, and hanging the said three bells. In regard to the uses of the bells, the Town Council minute of date 13th December, 1708, bears—‘ The Council thinks fit for letting the town know the time of day and night the better; that the second bell of the Steeple be rung every day at six o’clock afternoon, and every morning at six o’clock ; and that the large bell of the Steeple be rung every night at ten o’clock ; and that the said largest bell be rung every Sabbath before the latter bell instead of the Tolbooth bell, and the second’ or third bell rung therewith at the same time; and that the said largest Steeple bell in case of fire be knolled ; and, lastly, that the second Steeple bell be rung on week days when there are to be sermons in the church instead of the Tolbooth bell.” On the 10th January following the Council “appointed William Pickersgill to be ringer of all the bells of the Steeple and kirk during their pleasure, and that for payment of forty-two pounds Scots of yearly salary, to be paid quarterly, and the Council ordains the said bell-ringer to ring the second bell of the Steeple on the Sabbath mornings with the first kirk bell ; and to ring the bells for fifteen minutes space at the time mentioned in the Council’s former act, and appoints the Treasurer to furnish the bell-ringer with half-a-stone of candle yearly, at the lst of January, to let him see to ring the bells in the night time.” The regulations are utilitarian, except in the case of the six o'clock bell on Sunday morning, which does not fit in with any purpose of the kind. The Kirk-Session records of early date show that three bells were rung before service, the first being at six o’clock in the morning, which is therefore an old custom, and considering the hour, it is probably a continuation of the ancient “ Ave Maria” bell, at the hearing whereof all betook themselves to prayer. There are other occasions on which, according to custom, the bells are in use to be rung—the birthday of the Sovereign, the sitting of the Circuit Court, the meeting of the Synod, Presbytery, and ss Transactions. 135 Town Council, and on the election of the magistrates for the burgh. It has not for a long time been the custom to ring the bells at funerals, except in the case of public men, but at one time the practice was to ring once or oftener on payment of a small fee, as the following extract shows :—April 25, 1695— “ This day the Session appoints that all-persons that have j burials to pay for shall come to the Precentor of the Church of Dumfries (who, being also clerk to the Session, keeps the register of these) before the bell go for the dead, and enrol their names and pay their money according to the several times they will have the bell to go; and ordains the Clerk to give them a certificate to deliver to the bellman.” In connection with funerals, mention is made in the Town Council minutes of the hand-bell—“ The officer and ringer of ye bells in the steeple and old Church, and ringer of ye hand-bell for burials.” Greater significance attaches to the bells when used to sound alarm or celebrate joyful events just transpired, or give expression to such as are of mournful import. Instances of their use in summoning the lieges to arms for the defence of the town are on record. Rae, describing the events of the Jacobite rising in 1715, says that on the last day of October a detachment of the enemy arrived at Ecclefechan with orders to go and block up Dumfries. ‘His Majesty’s friends at Drumfries having received intelligence hereof that morning early, by an express from Ecclefechan, an alarm was given by beating of drums and ringing of bells (the signal concerted to be given on the enemy’s approach), and intimation was made to all, both townsmen and strangers, to appear instantly in arms at the Moat.” Further, he says, “An express came from Roucand affirming that the rebels were advanced to Torthorwald, when she came off, and by that time would be within three miles of the town. This being intimated the town was again alarmed as formerly, and every man stood to his post.” During the French war the town was patriotic and loyal, and the bells were in request to give expression thereto. William Grierson’s diary furnishes examples :— 25th April, 1794.—This morning was ushered in with ringing of the bells. They were rung at six in the morning, at twelve, and at six in the evening. on account of the taking ot Martinico. The prospect of peace was more welcome even than victory, for on the arrival of the news of preliminaries of peace being ratified in 1801, the usual order of the magistrates was not _ waited for, but the door of the bell-house was broken open, and ringing 136 Transactions. proceeded with, which was continued until nearly one o’clock in the morn- ing. And on the signing of the treaty the year following the door was again broken, and the bells pealed forth heartfelt thanks ; nor did the joy- ous sounds cease until daybreak. Next day also was devoted to rejoicing, and the ringing was continued at intervals until night. The treaty proved abortive, and the celebration of victories continued. 9th November, 1805.—News of the glorious victory obtained over the combined fleet of France and Spain on 21st October by Lord Nelson. The bells set ringing, and continued until about four o’clock in the morning. The joy much damped by the death of Lord Nelson. The same diary contains instances of a different kind :— 3rd January, 1794.—At twelve o’clock the late Provost Robert Maxwell was buried in the Old Churchyard, on which occasion the great bell tolled. Monday, 25th July, 1796.—This day at twelve o’clock went to the burial of Robert Burns, who died on 21st, aged 38 years. The great bells of the Churches tolled at intervals during the time of the procession. 8th January, 1795.-—-About eleven o’clock at night was alarmed by the ringing of the fire bell, on account of a house that was on fire in the Kirkgate. 1st January, 1801.—This day has been appointed for the Union with Ireland to take place, in celebration of which the Volunteers, Nottingham Militia, and 4th Regiment of Dragoons turned out at twelve o’clock and fired a feu de joie. ‘The bells were likewise rung on the occasion. Prominent mention is made of the bells in Mayne’s Siller Gun— And while the muster roll was calling, And joy bells jowing, Het pints, weel spic’d to keep the saul in, Around were flowing. The merry bells, in jocund chime, Rang through the air, And minstrels play’d, in strains sublime, To charm the Fair ! Nor fife nor drum Was heard, save when the fire-hell rang For some foul lum ! The bell-ringers were carefully chosen men, and several of them are mentioned as having received commendation and reward for faithful services, but the most remarkable was Thomas Wilson, known as “ Blind Tom.” He was blind from infancy. Being appointed to the office of bellman at the early age of 12, he per- formed the duties during the long period of 63 years, and died in 1825 at the age of 75. It might almost be said that he died at his post, for he fell down insensible of his last illness in the bell- house, and probably the peal then rung by his own hand was to him the last experience of sweet sound. He rang the bells of Dumfries, it is said, more than one hundred thousand times, and with the regularity of the clock itself, only once making a mistake Me Transactions. 137 by ringing at 11 instead of 10—a circumstance he could not account for, or even understand the possibility of. The usual 15 minutes ringing at intervals on the King’s birthday fell short of satisfying his feelings of loyalty, and it was his custom to mount the highest leads of the Steeple with a blunderbuss which he possessed, and there, in sight of the town, fire several rounds supplementary to the bells in honour of His Majesty’s natal day. Widely known and much respected, he was accorded a public funeral, the bells being tolled at intervals as a mark of respect, and the occasion excited more interest than any similar event since the death of Burns. What is before written of Wilson is mostly borrowed from his tombstone. A word may be added of evidence furnished by the bells confirmatory of his zealous performance of duty. The side of the 10 o’clock bell is deeply indented, the sound-bow being worn quite half through. It is Blind Tom’s mark. The bell should be turned half round in order to preserve it from fracture. 3. Ornithological Notes by Mr Hucu M‘Kay, Dumfries. So far as I can learn the past winter has not been very pro- ductive of rare occurrences amongst birds in this locality, if I except the few following instances :—The first to come under my observation was a fine example of the green sandpiper (Zolanus ochropus). Two of this species were shot on Conheath Merse last December. I am informed that these are the first specimens recorded in this locality after an interval of four years. A speci- men of the bartailed godwit (Limosa rufa) was given to me by Mr Charles Turner. It was caught in the nets on Caerlaverock shore in the beginning of February. Although the species is common enough on our shores in the autumn and spring months, it seldom makes its appearance so early. A fine two-year-old specimen of the black-throated diver (Colymous arcteus) was brought to me from Lochmaben on the 4th of March. This species is the rarest of our British divers, and I have been informed that considerable numbers frequented Lochmaben and vicinity during the past winter. A specimen of the common crow was shot at 18 138 Transactions. Kelton last November, the beak of which was peculiarly mal- formed, the upper mandible being so much curved over the lower as to make it appear almost impossible for the bird to feed. I was, however, assured by Mr West, who shot the specimen, that it was in fairly good condition, although it is difficult to perceive how it managed to pick up the food necessary for its existence. During the months of December and January last five specimens of the common heron (Ardea cinera) were sent to me from various parts of the country for preservation. On examining the contents of each bird’s stomach I found four out of the five contained the semi-digested portions of the common rat. These were not the water vole, but the common long-tailed rat. In one of the herons T found an unfortunate rat which had been swallowed immediately prior to the bird being shot. It measured ten and a quarter inches from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. There is nothing new in the discovery of rats forming part ofthe heron’sfood, yet I presume thatthese birds will add another little delicacy to their bill of fare in the shape of those small though too numerous mammals the voles. The angling community generally look upon the heron as their enemy; and while I am bound to admit its partiality for fish, it is well to remember that the deficiency created by its depredations in trout streams is amply counteracted by its undoubted usefulness in other respects as one of the most active of nature’s policemen. Even in a trout stream the heron does some good by devouring the eels, which play such havoc with salmon and trout ova during the spawning season. I am indebted to Mr Henry Martin, of Dardarroch, for the following note, and although it is three years since the specimens were obtained, they were not recorded, and are therefore worthy of mention here. He informed me that on the 1st of March, 1890, three specimens of the American white-winged crossbill were observed in Dardarroch woods, a male and female of which he shot, and are now in his collection. I doubted his statement at first, and remarked that it might be the two barred crossbill, which in appearance is much similar to the American species, but he assured me that they were undoubtedly the American species, and could be seen at any time. He also informed me that the common crossbill was seen throughout the whole of the year. A fine specimen of a blackbird with a white head was sent to me the other day from Holywood. Several blackbirds with white /ransactions. 139 markings frequented the vicinity of Gatehouse last summer. I myself saw three specimens all differently marked, and also a pure white starling without the slightest trace of a single dark feather. A pair of squirrels were brought to me during the winter, one of them having a. fine cream-coloured tail. The lady who brought them quaintly remarked, “ Here’s qua wee ferrets tae be stuffed.” I looked at the ‘“ qua wee ferrets,” and asked her when she would like them. “Oh, weel,” she said, ‘Im in nae great hurry ; the night ‘Il dae fine.” 4. Caryophylls. By Mr Georce F’. Scort-Exuiot, M.A., F.L.S. If one studies the structure of any particular order, and follows the different modifications found in its various species, it is im- portant to know where to begin. Some would commence with the most highly modified forms, such, for instance, as Lychnis and Silene in this particular order, and would then proceed downwards to the most degraded types, such as Sagina. Others might follow exactly the reverse order, beginning with the degraded types and ending with the highest, or what we call the highest. Both these methods are, however, apt to lead one off the track in explaining the origin of any peculiar specific adaptation. Lychnis floscuculli is a very highly developed bee-flower, while Sagina is a degraded type of flower apparently adapted to ants and the lowest kinds of diptera ; neither is, in any sense of the term, an ancestor of the other. Such an ancestor should rather be sought for in the middle of the order, and probably some form like Stellaria or Cerastiwm can be regarded with the most probability as nearest in structure to the original Caryophyll ancestor, from which Lychnis has risen and Sagina fallen. Be- ginning, therefore, in the middle one may take Stellaria uliginosa as a fairly good instance of a generalised Caryophyll, and I will first point out the main features of its adaptation to insect visitors, and then try and show the different departures in other forms. One finds in Stellaria uliginosa ten stamens, of which the five outer, which are opposite the sepals, become ripe, and shed their 140 Transactions. pollen before the others (opposite the petals). Honey is secreted by a little cup-like ring at the base of these outer sepaline stamens, but a rudimentary ring exists also at the base of the others. Thestyles vary in number, from three to five, and project outwards between these outer erect sepaline stamens. Hence insects visiting the flower alight on the petals and crawl round under the outer stamens so that their sides are touched by the anthers or stigmata. The visitors are in this form (as in almost all) flies of medium size, and probably belonging to a large variety of genera. S. Holostea is very similar, but the stamens are more curved outwards, so that self-fertilisation by contact of the stigmata and anthers in the same flower is very rare; the chickweed S. media is on a lower scale, as here the stamens are often reduced in number from ten to sometimes only three, and self-fertilisation by contact happens very frequently. S. graminea has advanced, however, a little, as in this form the styles are lengthened, and the filaments of the stamens are shortened so that contact of the anther and stigma is impossible ; and the effect of this is shown by the fact that a higher class of flies, such as Syritta pipiens, with more rapid flight and a higher type of mouth, are found on it. S. nemorum is very near S. graminea. Cerastium vulgatum and alpinum are a little higher in the scale than S. uliginosa, as in these forms self-fertilisation is pre- vented almost entirely by a different artifice ; here the stigmata are not fully ripe till the stamens have dehisced. C. wrvense is distinctly more advanced, for each sepaline stamen is broadened at the base or insertion, and forms with its sepal a sort of miniature canal ; honey is held in this canal, and to a certain extent protected both from evaporation and small short-lipped and thievish flies ; probably it is visited by a higher order of flies or possibly small bees, but I was too late in the season last year to prove this. In the genus Arenaria, one finds in A. trinervis the petals much reduced in size, and this enables the flower to secrete a larger amount of honey; hence, mainly intelligent kinds of Diptera frequent it in spite of its inconspicuous character. A. serpyllifolia, which is a dwarf plant adapted to poor soil, is not quite so rich in honey, and contact of anthers and stigma occasionally happens. ee ee TRANSACTIONS. 59 On the 18th October there was received a Kingfisher (alcedo ispida) which was shot while hunting along a stream about a mile from Kirkeudbright. This most beautiful of our British birds seems to be on the increase in this neighbourhood, as I have heard of several being seen during the autumn—a rare occurrence in former years. There being a constant demand for the feathers of these birds by the makers of artificial flies, and also for their skins for the adorning of ladies’ hats, besides the desire of the bird stuffers to secure a gem so bright and beautiful, furnishes a constant motive for their destruction ; while during severe frosts 4 many are often starved to death. With all these hindrances to _ their increase, to hear of their being more frequently seen was sur- prising. Ancient superstition attributed many virtues to the king- fisher. Its skin was supposed to be, when kept in a wardrobe, a preservative of woollen stuffs. It likewise averted thunderstorms, and there was a general belief that the dead bird, when hung by a thread, would always turn its bill to the point of the compass from which the wind blew. , A Hare (lepus timidus) of remarkable form and colour was brought to the Museum on the 11th of October. It had been injured when young, so that one of its hind legs was turned up over its back. The stump of its thigh, which touched the ground when it was sitting or slowly hopping, was covered with a hard, horny skin, which must have prevented it from feeling pain when this part was brought into contact with the rough ground. It showed a wonderful recovery without surgical aid from what must have been a very severe injury. Whatever may have been the exciting cause—whether occasioned by the shock it received when injured, or the long-continued pain it must have endured, or perhaps through insufficient food——its colour, instead of being _ the ordinary brown of the hare, was a pale grey along the back —not like the grey of the rabbit or that of the blue or varying hare, but a distinctly different grey, the breast and belly being the ordinary brown. The ears were abnormally large. d.—Tune Cairns of Kirkcudbrightshire. By Mr Freperick R. Coues, Cor. Mem., $.A., Scot. Throughout the very varied scenery of our beautiful ‘Stewartry no relic of pre-historic times is more striking, none more frequently seen, than the vast conical mounds of stones 60 TRANSACTIONS. called cairns. Though the strongholds of the early races—the Hill Forts—may, in conjunction with the later Motes and Doons, actually outnumber the cairns, yet the latter, from their unique form, their conspicuous grey-white colour, their oft-times desolate surroundings of boundless heather, become truly the landmarks of the district. They arrest the most unobservant eye, and arouse curiosity in many for whom the other structures have little or no interest. This, no doubt, may be partly explained by the almost universal tradition of gold and treasure being hidden away in the dark recesses of our stone tumuli. It is with little faith in this tradition that I proceed to place on record some facts regarding our cairns, but with some hope that in the near future measures may be taken towards the better preservation of such of them as are yet left as their builders in- tended them to be. The Stewartry can, even at this late period, boast of having no fewer than 114 sites of cairns. This is the total at which I have been able to arrive after consulting all the authorities within reach and collating the accounts there given with the sites shown on the Ordnance Map. The north and north- west tracts of country own by far the larger number—e.g., in what we now call the Parish of Minnigaff there are 19 (5 at least unopened) ; in Kirkmabreck, 11 (all destroyed); in Carsphairn, 9 —that is a total of 39. About a third of the whole are to be found in the mountainous district north of Dalry and west of the Skyreburn. The district next best represented is the parish of Tongland, where there are nine cairns; Anwoth has 8, Girthon, Dalry, and Colvend 7 each. In certain districts the cairns are ‘conspicuous by their absence ”—e.g., Balmaghie, Balmaclellan, Kirkbean, and Borgue appear to have only two each; two parishes, Troqueer and Kirkpatrick-Durham, have only one each, while in Buittle I have not been able to find a single cairn. Out of the 114 cairns noted, the following are not marked on the Ordnance Map—.e., at Machermore (Minnigaff), Laggan Burn and Newton (Anwoth), Clachan Pluck (2) (Balmaghie), Lochinvar and Knockman (Dalry), Blackerne and the Mile Cairn (Parton), Red Castle (Urr), Tarkirra (Kirkgunzeon), Airdrie (Kirkbean), Pow- brade (Colvend), and Slewcairn (2), N. Milton (Kirkcudbright), Barlae and March Cleugh (Kelton), Balannan (2), Barncrosh and beyond Upper Lairdmanach (Tongland), 5.-W. of Auchengashel Fort (Twynholm), and another 8. of it, and at the Witches’ Thorn, TRANSACTIONS. 61 Low Nunton, Conchieton, and Cairneyhill (Borgue)—a total of 29, many of which, it is only fair to point out, are mere grassy rims of stones encircling a hollow. I have examined 65 myself, and of these the following 16 are quite or very nearly quite untouched, and would, no doubt, repay a properly conducted investigation— Cairn Kinna, Cairn north-east of Clachaneasy Bridge, Knockman Cairn, Drumfern Cairn, Rorie Gill’s Cairn, and Cairn on the Parliament Knowe (all in Minnigaff);, Cairn to the west of Auchenlarie Burn (Anwoth), Cairn at Clachan Pluck (Balmaghie), Meikle Cairn, Minnydow (Kirkpatrick-Durham), Lower and Higher Slew-Cairns, Barnhourie Mill Cairn, Powbrade Cairn (Southwick), Cairn on Galtway Hill (Kirkcudbright), Cairn at the March Cleugh (Kelton), the North Cairn at High Barcaple (Tong- land). That only 16 out of 65 should now remain intact surely involyes a heavy charge of vandalism against our forefathers. Rifling a cairn seems, indeed, to have been with many a farmer "the readiest (and therefore the right) method of obtaining stones for his dykes. But what would said farmer’s feelings have been had some thoughtless laird swooped down upon his family grave, ‘say in Kirkmabreck (where not one cairn remains), and made havoc amid his lettered slabs and gilded monuments? What should we ourselves say? And yet, because a cairn is old, and there is a chance when ransacking it of coming on something novel, we let all our better sentiment vanish and cast respect for the ancient dead to the winds! And after all how little, how _very little, have we learnt here in Galloway of the construction and real meaning of cairns, notwithstanding all our digging and trench-cutting. With the single exception of the grave at Conchieton (described fully by me in our “ Transactions,” vol. 6, page 152), there is positively no authentic evidence regarding the contents of any one of the scores of excavated cairns. We have ‘no account, I mean, accurate enough to be trustworthy of even the contents which were seen after the internal structure—the important part—had been heedlessly rent asunder. Many of these Sixty-five cairns are unspoilt to a measurable extent; one can ascertain, that is, their basal circumference, their over-curve diameter, and their height at least approximately. In one or two cases, indeed, examination might prove that the real secret of the cairn had baffled its would-be destroyers, and that though hundreds of cartloads of stones had been removed, still the kist- = ve . r 62 TRANSACTIONS. yaen was not reached. This has certainly been the case—e.g., with the white cairn close to Corriedhu, half-way between Loch Rinnie Moat and Dalry. Fabulous quantities of stones were carried away, and yet a vast accumulation remains—a grey conical landmark for miles around. In respect of size the cairns vary greatly. I shall take the principal examples in their order. Lagwine Cairn (Carsphairn) heads the list. It is almost exactly circular, and has the enormous diameter of 135 feet. Its present height is 12 ft., but from signs of its having been tampered with, we may be safe in believing its cone-apex originally rose to a greater height. The rim-stones of a huge cairn on the High Lessons field at Kirrouchtree and those of another close by each encircle a space of 120 ft. diameter. At Cairnholy there are now traceable at least two enormous cairns ; that farthest away from the farm-house on the Red Brae must have been oval or barrow- shaped. Its diameters are, as near as possible, 120 by 100 feet. Quite close to Cree Bridge is a partially-opened cairn fully 100 ft. across, and even now 14 ft. high. The White Cairn at Corriedhu just mentioned has a clear diameter of 110 ft., with a height of 4 12 ft. Carlochan Round measures 100 ft. across the debris of its multitudinous stones. It occupied a remarkably conspicuous site 550 ft. above sea level in the heart of Crossmichael. The large cairn west of Auchenlarie Burn, Anwoth, is slightly oblong-oval, and its diameters are 105 by 100 ft., with a height of fully 12 ft. Diameters of 95, 90, and 80 ft. are quite frequent, and thence downwards till we reach such small cairns as that on Culmark Hill, Dalry, 24 ft. wide, and another in the same district almost touching what is called ‘‘ the old Roman road” at Stranggassel, which measures only 20 ft. across. The smallest of all the cairns I have seen, however, is in Tongland, not many yards north-east of the big cairn on Upper Lairdmannach. It is a mere site, and . its diameter is but 12 ft. It is, perhaps, worthy of note that the smallest stone circle in Galloway—10 stones, with a diameter of 21 ft.—is also hard by. I am aware that in many parts of the Stewartry—e.g., in Dalry at Carminnow and the Green Dass,* at Drumfern, at Barstobric, at Plascowmoor, at Barchain, &e., and * Here I have counted between forty and thirty, chiefly on the south side of the foundation stones of what looks like a line of old wall some 240 yards long. TRANSACTIONS. 63 often in close proximity to a large and lofty cairn—-ereat numbers of small cairns exist, averaging 3 ft. in height and 9 to 12 ft. in diameter. ‘These occur in scores, even in hundreds, frequently very close together. What these may be is at present open to conjecture. Out of many dozens which were opened at Aberlour, under the supervision of Dr Joseph Anderson himself, one alone _ contained evidences of interment. This one was, however, very _ much better protected from the destructive agency of the atmos- phere by having its stones well mixed with peaty soil; therefore _ the relics of the skeleton found were preserved. It is just possible that the others, also, once contained interments, but being _ more loosely covered with stones only, all the contents had 7 perished.+ In this instance, as in those examined by Mr Robert Service at Mitchellslacks, very slight structure was apparent—an oblong slab horizontal at the base of the cairn, and surrounded, but not built in, with large roundish stones. [In Chalmers’ Caledonia there is mention made of the opening of several cairns, of which the following are the most important: A cairn near Parton, opened in 1740, containing human bones in a stone coffin. One near Gelstoun contained a stone coffin seven feet long, human bones, and a brass helmet. Blackerne Cairn, opened in 1756, contained burnt bones, human teeth, an amber bead, and a ring of silver, all presented to Soc. Antiq. in 1782. Cairnwanie, opened in 1778, contained a stone coffin with a skeleton, an urn, and an earthen pitcher. Another ‘‘very large cairn” on Glenquicken Moor, opened about 1809, contained a large skeleton with a green-stone axehead sticking in the left shoulder. ] On coming to consider the actual structure of a cairn, we are, as I have already hinted, hampered by the too obyious fact that no well-described instance—with one solitary exception—of the proper excavation of a cairn (in Galloway) is extant. All we can now gather must be from the remains of the larger cairns, the small stones of which have been so utterly removed as to leave open to the storms the huge kistvaens which occupy the level of the enclosed area. That there were marked differences not only in the relative positions of the kistvaens, but also in the manner of their surroundings, there can be little doubt. For instance, in the two interments at Cairnholy and the one at Newton (all in the same district), we find, in addition to the usual four-sided kist with its lid-stone, tall stones erected at the corners. Compare + See Pro. Soc. Antiq. Scot. Vol. xxv., p. 23. 64 TRANSACTIONS. this with the conditions, say at Cairnderry, a specially interesting relic. Within the area of its rimstones there have been three burials—one central placed due N. and §., and two others N.E. and N.W. of the first, but at unequal distances. The central kist measures 14 ft. N. and S. by 3 ft. E. and W. outside measure- ments. The stones forming its sides are 5 to 7 ft. long and 3 to 4 ft. thick. What evidently was the lid-stone has slipped down between the sides. The kist on the N.E. is much smaller, 5 ft. and 3 ft. 6 in, only. Nor are its stones quite so ponderous. The N.E. kist has been more destroyed than the others. It was placed almost on the edge of the cairn, and, probably, in the general ruthless destruction, its side stones were pulled up and scattered. Very similar to this last must have been the single interment in the White Cairn of Glencaird—in this same wild moor borderland between Ayrshire and Galloway. The main difference lies in the dimensions, the grave here being 24 ft. long, and widening from its south-end—hbarely 2 ft. broad—to the north end, where it is very nearly 4 ft. Two of the huge lid-stones still remain cover- ing this wider part. The Boreland Cairn on Knockman Wood has points of its own meriting notice. It is as yet almost untouched. — It is one of the few long-oval cairns in Galloway. Its N. and 8. — axis measures 54 ft., and its E. and W. 90 ft. Its stones, which are unusually large, rise to a height of some 10 ft. Round the base great bulky stones and boulders are set at pretty regular distances, twenty-one of which are now distinctly visible. At the E. end, between two of the largest of these rim-stones, and scarcely over one foot from their inner side, a small urn has been found burnt to a jet black. It rested on the forced earth at a depth of about 5 ft. below the tops of the large encircling stones. A farther important feature is the position of the kist (or kists) relatively to the height of the accumulated stones. In the still existent cairn at Cauldside the four-sided kistvaen (opened years ago by Mr James Faed) is within a few feet, five or six, of the very summit. No doubt there are others below. In Cairntosh the grave was near the middle of the heap ; while at Conchieton the sides of the kist appear to have been driven into the ground ; — and in this instance we know from the testimony of the late Mr Gordon that there was but one interment. Although the majority of our larger cairns were reared solitarily in what were once per-— haps fertile straths, but now are wilds given up to heather and TRANSACTIONS. 65 grouse, there are localities where two or more are placed in close proximity. The High Lessons and Low Lessons cairns, the N. and 8. cairns at Cauldside, the E. and W. Cairns at Clachan Pluck, are separated from each other by but a furlong. The two smallest cairns on the Woodfield, Highbanks, are rather more than 150 yards from each other. At High Barcaple a space of only 31 yards intervenes between the north cairn (which is untouched) and the south cairn, which has nothing to show but a huge kist- cover resting on small granite boulders. Two cairns on Auchen- gassel are only four or five yards apart; the two cairns of Enrick, near Gatehouse-on-F leet, were raised on a fine conspicuous grassy level hill-top ; while at Glaisters, in Kirkgunzeon, three cairn sites can be traced in a remarkable arrangement, two being exactly east and west of each other, and only 21 ft. apart, and the third (a large oval cairn, by the way) lying north-west of the middle one, the rim stones of each having a space of but 10 feet between them. The height of the localities on which the cairns are placed vary from the 2650 feet of the Carlin’s Cairn, and the two cairns on Cairnsmore o’ Fleet shown respectively on the 2331 and 2152 foot levels, down to that at Barnhourie Mill in Colvend, only 25 feet above sea level. Nomenclature.—Certain points in the names of our cairns are. of interest. Several, of course, are purely Celtic in form and signification, such as Cairn-avel, Cairn-derry, Cairn-wanie, Cairn- holy, Cairn-tosh; others are known by personal names—e.y., Pluckhim’s Cairn, Coltart’s Cairn, Douglas Cairn (on Criffel _ summit), Cairn Edward, Peter’s Cairn, Rorie Gill’s Cairn, Cairn _ Kinna, Sheuchan’s Cairn, King’s Cairn, and the Carlin’s Cairn. A still larger number are known simply by the names of the lands upon which they are situated; while the designation of a few others depends on their colour. Of white cairns there are six, and there is one black cairn. In addition to these are the names _ Watch Cairn (on Ewanston Moor), the Mile Cairn (near Crofts - Moat), and the Meikle Cairn at Minnydow—the last almost imply- ing that on the same farm there was once a Wee Cairn, now invisible. Lhe Antiquity of the Cairns.—On this topic, to many doubt- less of the greatest interest, we cannot speak with certainty for _ the following good reason: It is possible to have three or half-a- _ dozen cairns as like each other as can be—all equally grey, time- 66 TRANSACTIONS. worn, and ancient-looking—and yet hundreds of years might not — express the wide gulf of time separating them. For instance, on Glenquicken Moor a great cairn when opened was found to con- tain the skeleton of a man whose left shoulder was cleft by a greenstone axe. That probably places the battle in which this warrior fell far back into what we call the Stone Age. Now, on the summit of one of the highest hills of the Kells range is a cairn fully as romantically ancient and hoary, you would say, and tradition has always assigned its erection to the efforts of the wife of the miller of Polmaddy, who raised this cairn as a monument to the memory of the Bruce. Again, away out on Dranarndow Moor, there is a cairn not a whit less deserving, to all appearance, of an historic or pre-historic past; and yet we are informed on highly probable grounds that a freebooter of the name of Rorie Gill and his accomplices were buried here, after being executed by the Regent Moray, let us say about the year 1330. It seems absolutely futile, therefore, to judge of a cairn by its mere look and dimensions. At the risk of redundancy, I repeat that it is only by the most careful and deliberate examination of their struc- ture, by abandoning our senseless method of cutting trenches into them from the level of their base and by adopting the only rational method of removing every stone by hand, that we shall add to our scanty knowledge of the fashion in which the different builders of cairns raised these trophies to the dead. And, in con- clusion, I think it should be one of the duties of a society such as this rather to discourage indiscriminate excavation, unless the work can be carried out under the watchful eye and control of a specialist. 4.—Scotland in the 18th Century.—By Mr PETER GRay, This was the sequel to a former paper on the same subject. After a brief reference to it as having been necessarily confined, almost wholly, to the more important division of the country—the Lowlands—the author continued :—But however wretched the condition of the Lowlands during the early part of that period, that of the Highlands was very much worse, and it remained so much longer. There were,as everyone knows, additional reasons for the fearful depression of Celtic Scotland then. The last Jacobite rebellion had been suppressed, and its embers trodden out with great and, as it now appears to us, unnecessary severity. i oe TRANSACTIONS. 67 The glens were devastated with fire and sword, and finally the entire social system—the clan or patriarchal-—was overturned, and the land, which had been the property of the clan and only administered by the chiefs, was handed over under a feudal tenure to the latter; who evicted their too faithful followers to make room for sheep and deer—a course which brought down the scathing censure of Burns, who lashed them with scorpions in his ‘* Address of Beelzebub to the President of the Highland Society.” Throughout the series of these papers I have adduced the evidence of contemporary observers, and as much as possible in their own words. My present illustrations I shall mainly take from a book described in the title-page as ‘“ A Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain,” the author being vaguely denomi- nated “a gentleman.” My copy is the sixth edition, professing to have been brought down to the year 1761. It is likely to be new to most of my hearers, and the descriptions in it, on the face of them, appear to have been drawn from personal observation rather than compiled from other published sources. The writer, too, seems to be, for his age and country, remarkably free from prejudice, national or other, for he is not slow to give credit where he thinks credit is due. He speaks, for example, very highly of our own town. It is a good town, he says, with large streets, and “full of reputable and wealthy merchants, who trade to foreign parts and employ a considerable number of ships, especially since they have embarked in trade to England and the English Plantations,” the open trade to England and its colonies being, he considers, an ample equivalent to the “suppression of their woollen manufacture through the Union,” the English sup- plying these goods better and cheaper than they could make them themselves. The fourth volume of the Tour is devoted to Scotland, and the portion of it to which I wish now to call attention is the description of Inverness, then as now the capital of the Highlands, “and as such,” says the author, ‘‘ I shall expatiate upon it and the customs and usages of the Highlanders in general.” Of the houses of the town he gives a poor account, the walls even of the best of them being “ built of stones of irregular sizes, leaving chasms in - them which harbour incredible numbers of rats.” Before the Union they had been neither sashed nor slated, and to that day they remained unceiled, while through the chinks in the flooring and 68 TRANSACTIONS. holes in the deals everything transacted in a room was visible from that above it. ‘*The windows that remain unsashed,” he goes on to say, ‘have two shutters for the lower half,’ and the upper only is glazed ; so that when it is necessary to keep out the weather nothing can be seen in the street. This manner of con- structing their windows is not altogether the effect of penury or parsimony; for in the clan quarrels many were shot from the opposite side of the way, who were discovered sitting in their chambers through the glass.” This is a description of the principal houses in Inverness ; those of the middling sort are yet lower, and have generally a close wooden staircase before the front, which is lighted by small round or oval holes just big enough for the head to come through, and in summer, or when anything in the street excites the curiosity of those within, they look like so many people with their heads in the pillory. The extreme parts of the town consist of wretched hovels faced and covered with turf, with a bottomless tub or basket in the roof for a chimney. With all this poverty and meanness our tourist finds much “affectation.” ‘As in London,” he says, “many petty retailers dignify their shops with the title of warehouse, so the people beyond the Tweed aggrandise many things in imitation of their ancient allies, the French. A peddling shopkeeper who sells a pennyworth of thread is called a ‘ merchant,’ the person who is sent to buy that thread ‘ has received a commission,’ and, bringing it to the sender, is ‘ making a report.’ . T Z TRANSACTIONS. 71 the favour of one should not refuse it to any of the rest, he is in danger of drinking more than he can conveniently carry. ‘‘ This accounts for the overloaded condition in which Ochtertyre’s potu- lent young man was discovered on leaving ‘“ the house of mourn- ing.” “When one set has been thus treated others are introduced, and when all have had their turn they accompany the corpse to the grave, where it generally arrives at noon. The minister is always particularly invited, though he performs no kind of service over the dead of whatever fortune or rank. Part of the company is selected to return to the house, where wine is filled as fast as it can be drunk, till there is scarcely a sober person amongst them. In the end, however, some sweetmeats are put into their hats, or thrust into their pockets, with which they afterwards compliment the women of their acquaintance. This ceremony they call the ‘dradgy.’” Dr Johnson, who visited the Highlands and Western Islands in 1773, gives in his Tour a glowing narrative of the exuberant hospitality with which he was received. Even in the Hebrides he found ‘ neither plenty nor delicacy wanting” at the tables of his hosts. It was after a Hebridean dejeuner that he penned the immortal sentence— If an epicure could remove by a wish, in quest of sensual gratifications, wherever he had supped he would breakfast in Scotland.” He found, too, the crockery for common use to be of ‘‘Queen’s ware,” and silver used on all occasions where it was at the time common in England. But Johnson visited only among the “upper crust” both in Highlands and ' Islands, and his observations furnish confirmation of the fact that the difference in condition between the classes and the masses there and then was abnormally great. The savage character of _ the habitations of the people is noticed by him, and even in the _ dwellings of the better-off classes he found, as he euphemistically _ observes, “‘ that the house and furniture were not always nicely suited.” ‘‘ We were driven,” he says, ‘once, by missing a passage, to the hut of a gentleman, where, after a very liberal supper, when I was conducted to my chamber, I found an elegant bed of Indian cotton, and spread with fine sheets. The accommodation was flattering ; I undressed myself, and felt my feet in the mire. _ The bed stood on the bare earth, which a long course of rain had softened into a puddle.” 72 TRANSACTIONS. 9th March, 1894. Mr James G. H. STARKE, Advocate, Vice-President, in the chair. New Member.—Mr Duncan James Kay of Drumpark. COMMUNICATIONS. 1—A List of Wigtownshire Plants. By Mr James M‘AnpReEw, Assoc. Bot. Soc. Edin, Until Mr G. C. Druce, of Oxford, visited Wigtownshire in 1883, and gave a very extensive list of its plants, West Galloway was almost a terra incognita as regards its Flora. Several lists of its rarer plants had been given from 1835 onwards, but the very common plants had not been recorded until Mr Druce’s list appeared in the Botanical Record Club for 1883. Previous records of Wigtownshire plants had been given by such names as Prof. Balfour, J. T. Syme, Graham, Arnott, Macnab, Sibbald, Bailey, Horn, Cooper, Maughan, Greville, Winch, &c. Mr Druce’s list forms the foundation of the following list. It has been very considerably enlarged by the Rev. James Gorrie, F.C. Manse, Sorbie; Sir Herbert E, Maxwell ; Rey. George Wilson, F.C., Glenluce, &c. Personally I have added, from time to time, a great many plants to the Wigtownshire list—the result of holiday botanizing at Port Logan, Drummore, Portwilliam, Isle of Whithorn, Garliestown, Sorbie, Cairnryan, and Portpatrick. The midland and the more northern portions of the county have not been fully explored, but as these parts have a great similarity of moorish land, there is little probability of finding many new plants there. I very heartily express my indebtedness to Mr G. F. Scott- Elliot for furnishing me with the dates of the first records of many of the Wigtownshire plants, and also to the Rev. James Gorrie, Sir Herbert Maxwell, Rev. George Wilson, &c., who have in various ways given me valuable assistance, and to Mr Arthur Bennett, F.L.S., Croydon, for determining doubtful plants. As a few new plants are still being recorded for Wigtownshire every — year, it cannot be affirmed that the following list is complete, but it furnishes the fullest list of the Wigtownshire plants yet published, and additions can be recorded as they occur. TRANSACTIONS. 13 I have already in former papers given some observations on Wigtownshire and its Flora, which, therefore, it is unnecessary here to repeat. Among plants yet to be recorded for Wigtownshire, and likely to be found in that county, are the following :-—-Ranunculus lingua, Ran. auricomus, Ran. arvensis, Stellaria glauca, Stell. nemorum, Geranium sylvaticum, Epilobium tetragonum, Chrysos- plenium alterniflorum, Knautia arvensis, Leontodon hispidus, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Carex riparia, Cicuta virosa, (Enanthe fistulosa, Sambucus ebulus, Valeriana dioica, Lathyrus sylvestris, Carduus heterophyllus, Anthemis nobilis, Vaccinium Vitis-Idza, _ Galeopsis versicolor, Rumex hydrolapathum, Scirpus sylvaticus, Blysmus compressus, Phleum arenarium, Millium effusum, Lepturus filiformis, Erysimum alliaria, Cardamine amara, Sinapis arvensis, &e. The following plants require re-discovery :—Brassica monensis, Apium graveolens. CEnanthe pimpinelloides, Galium cruciata, Galium mollugo, Limosella aquatica, Rumex sanguineus, Parietaria officinalis, Malaxis paludosa, Ruppia maritima, Cladium germanicum. Outcasts, escapes, or introduced plants, or those doubtfully native, are distinguished by Jtalies. ; When a plant is common and general very few localities are given for it, and when there is no authority given for the locality of a plant it is understood that the plant was seen or gathered by myself. The numbers are those in the 8th Edition of “The London Catalogue of British Plants, 1886,” and the following references and abbreviations are employed in the list :—(1) Mr G. C. Druce, “Oxford; (2) Mr Charles Bailey, Manchester; (3) Rev. James Gorrie, F.C. Manse, Sorbie; (4) Sir Herbert E. Maxwell, Mon- ‘reith; (5) Rev. George Wilson, F.C., Glenluce ; (a) Statistical Account of Scotland, 1843; (b) Rev. W. W. Newbould’s List ; (ec) Hooker & Arnott’s “ British Flora ;’? (d) Herbarium and T sons of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh; (e) Dr Hooker’s ‘‘Students’ Flora of the British Islands ;” (f) Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow, 1841-44, Vol. I.; (g) Mr Hewett Watson’s “ New Botanical Guide,” 1837. 74 TRANSACTIONS. 3 Thalictrum minus L. Rare. Glencree (b) ; Glenluce (5). * Jacquianum K, (flexuosum Bernh.). Not common. On R. Cree above Newton-Stewart (1); 5. of Inner- well. 3 flavum L. Rare. Garlieston Bay; Old Tower of Sorbie. Anemone nemorosa L. Frequent. Shin Valley Moss (1); Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan, &c. 12 Ranunculus circinatus Sibth. Soulseat Loch. 17 ‘. heterophyllus Web. Stranraer Bay (1). is peltatus Schrank. Bishopburn (1). - » var. truncatus, Hiern. Near Inner- messan (1). 3 » var. floribundus, Bab. Frequent. Pen- killpond, Garliestown; Ardwell Mill- dam; Dowalton Burn, &c. - 55 var. pencillatus (pseudo-fluitans, Syme). Black Loch, Castle-Kennedy (1). is Lenormandi F. Schultz. Near Portpatrick. 22 fe Hederaceus L. Common. Newton-Stewart (1) ; Kirkinner (1) ; Glenluce (5) ; Kirkmaiden; Sorbie (3); Ardwell; Drummore; Cairnryan; Portpatrick. e sceleratus L. Notcommon. Port Yerrick ; Dowal- ton Loch; Shore at Wigtown. a flammula L. Common (1); Sorbie (3); Cairn- ryan ; Portpatrick, &c. _ . var. pseudo-reptans, Syme. Black ~ Loch, Castle-Kennedy (1), &c. : 5 acris L, Abundant (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, : &e. 30 - repens L. Abundant in fields everywhere (1). as bulbosus L. The Bushes, Sorbie (3) ; 5. of Cairn- ryan; Glenluce (5). 4! sardous Cr. (hirsutus, Curt.). Onshore N. of Port William (1). . ficaria L. Common. Monreith, &c. (1) ; Sorbie (3); Portpatrick, &c. Caltha palustris L. Common. Creeside, &c. (1) ; Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5); Drummore; Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &e. TRANSACTIONS. 75 Trollius europeus L. Not common. Side of R. Cree above Newton-Stewart (1); meadows near Spital Brig, Bladenoch (4); Craichlaw (Macnab); Bridge of Park (5). — 40 Helleborus viridis L. (Macnab spec.). , Aquilegia vulgaris L. Near Glasserton (f). Berberis vulgaris L. Glenluce (5). 50 Nuphar luteum Sm. Black Loch, Castle-Kennedy (1); Glas- serton (3); near Glenluce (5); Penninghame (a); Barmeal Moor. Nympheea alba L. Black Loch, Castle-Kennedy (1); Sorbie (3) ; near Glenluce (5); Penninghame (a); Ardwell Mili Dam. Papaver Rheas L. Glenluce (5). » dubium L. Railside, Newton of Baldoon (1); Pen- kill, &c. » argemone L. With the last (1). Meconopsis cambrica Vig. Whithorn and Penkill Burn (W. Galloway). : 59 Glaucium flavum Cr. (luteum, Scop.). Portwilliam and Mon- reith (1); Glenluce (5); S. of Whithorn; Innerwell; Sandhead ; Morroch Bay. Chelidonium majus L. (2); Myrton Tower, Mochrum (4); Glenluce (5). Corydalis claviculata Pers. Rare. Baltersan (1); Island in Drumwalt Loch (4). Fumaria pallidiflora var. Boreei, Jord. Portwilliam and Stran- raer (1); Drummore. is confusa Jord. Portpatrick; Drummore. » densiflora DC. Penninghame and Stranraer (1). 0 » Officinalis L. Newton-Stewart (1): Sorbie (3) ; Gar- liestown (3); Isle of Whithorn ; Cairnryan. Cheirauthus Cheiri L. Glenluce Abbey (5). Nasturtium officinale R. Br. Common. Knockbrix (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Ardwell, &c. s palustre DC. Side of White Loch, Kennedy (1) ; Poltanton Burn, Dunragit. 30 Barbarea vulgaris R. Br. Side of Bishopburn (1); Barmeal Moor ; near Stranraer Station. 76 TRANSACTIONS. Cardamine pratensis L. Baldoon Mains, &c. (1); Sorbie (8) ; Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. x hirsuta L. Netherbar railsides, &c. (1) ; Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &c. te flexuosa With. (sylvatica, Link). Foot of Bar Hill, &c. (1); Dunskey Glen, Portpatrick ; Cairnryan Glen, &c. 104 Hrophila vulgaris DC. (Draba verna). Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5). Cochlearia officinalis L. Common along the shore. Wig- town (1) ; Garliestown (3) ; Cairnryan, &c. 4 Anglica L. Wigtown sands in abundance. Hesperis matronalis L. Roadside at Kirkinner (1). Sisymbrium thalianum Gay. Port Kale, Portpatrick. y officinale Scop. Roadsides, common (1); Glen- luce (5); Cairnryan, Portpatrick, &c. 123 Brassica oleracea L. Glenluce (5). re rapa var. sativa (H. C. Watson). Newton-Stewart (1). - monensis Huds. (Balfour spec.), (d). sinapis Vis. Glenluce (5). A alba Boiss. Cornfields (1). 136 Capsella bursa-pastoris Mench. Very common (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan, &c. Senebiera coronopus Poir. Portwilliam (1); Cock Inn, Glenluce (5); Port Logan; Drummore ; Portpatrick, &e. 140 Lepidium ruderale L. Very rare. Penkill, Garliestown. Js campestre R. Br. Glenluce (5). a Smithii Hook. Very common (1); Cairnryan; Portpatrick. Thlaspi arvense L. Isle of Whithorn; near Craignarget ; Dunragit. Teesdalia nudicaulis R Br. Droughdhuil Motehill, Glenluce (5). 152 Crambe maritima L. Between Portwilliam and Monreith (1); Kirkmaiden (a); Glenluce (5) ; Morroch Bay. Cakile maritima Scop. Glenluce (5); Morroch Bay; Isle of Whithorn; Garliestown; Portpatrick ; Portwilliam ; S. of Drummore ; N. of Sandhead in plenty. ; { TRANSACTIONS. righ Raphanus Raphanistrum L. Common. Cairnryan ; Portpat- rick, &c. 5 maritimus Sm. E. of Isle of Whithorn; about Drummore in abundance. 162 Helianthemum chameecistus Mill. Dunskey (Arnott, 1848) ; Glenluce (5); Cairnryan; Portpatrick ; Kirkmaiden ; all the Machars, &c. Viola palustris L. Bishopburn side in meadows (1); Cairn- ryan; Portpatrick ; Grennan Wood, &c. », sylvatica Fr. var. Riviniana. Common (1) ; Sorbie (3); Eggerness ; Cairnryan, &c. ,, tricolor L. Penninghame (1); Glenluce (5); Kirk- maiden ; Portpatrick ; Cairnryan. » arvensis, Murr. Fields near the Ford, Newton (1); Portpatrick ; Cairnryan. » lutea Huds. Glen Razie, &c., var. amoena, Syme (1) ; Glenluce (5). (177 Polygala vulgaris L. Cairnryan, &c. » oxyptera Reicht. (or very near it). Drummore, on banks facing the sea. ; os serpyllacea Weihe (depressa. Wend.). Moss of Shin, &c. (1): Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Kirk- maiden; Cairnryan, &c. Dianthus deltoides L. Mouth of Luce Water (5). Saponaria officinalis L. “< 53 (6). 192 Silene cucubalus Wibel (inflata, Sm.) Knockstock (1) ; Sorbie (3); Kirkinner ; Isle of Whithorn. ,, maritima, With. Common all along the coast. ‘ Lychnis alba Mull. (vespertina, Sibth). North Barnkirk (1) ; | Glenluce (5); Garliestown ; Portpatrick. A diurna, Sibth. Very common (1); Sorbie (3) ; 4 Glenluce (5); Dunskey Glen; Cairnryan, &c. q is Flos-cuculi L. Creeside, &c. (1); Sorbie (3); Portpatrick ; Cairnryan, &c. “6 Githago Scop. Cornfields, Wigtown (1); Sorbie (3) ; Portwilliam (4); Kirkmaiden, &c. 21 Cerastium tetrandrum Curt. Isle of Whithorn ; Portpatrick ; Drummore ; Cairnryan. Pe semidecandrum L. §. of Drummore Quay. mers 78 TRANSACTIONS. _ Cerastium glomeratum Thuil. Not common (1); Glenluce (5) ; Portpatrick. triviale Link. Common (1); Glenluce (5); Port- patrick; Cairnryan. var. near holostioides, Fries. Near the Ford, 2 m. 8. of Newton-Stewart (1). ie arvense L. Near Penninghame, &c. (1). 223 Stellaria media Cyr. Common (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan; Portpatrick. Holostea L. Netherbar, &c. (1); Sorbie (3); Glen- luce (5) ; Cairnryan; Portpatrick. graminea L, Netherbar, &c. (1); Sorbie (3); Glen- luce (5); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. i uliginosa Murr. Bishopburn Meadows (1); Kirk- maiden ; Cairnryan, &c. Arenaria trinervis L. Dunskey Glen; Eggerness Wood ; Cairnryan, Xc. serpyllifolia L. Kirkinner (1); W. side of Luce Bay; Portpatrick; Cairnryan. var. leptoclados Guss. Garliestown Bay. 5, peploides L. (Honkenya peploides). Frequent on the shore. Stranraer (1); Glenluce (5); Garlies- town; Wigtown ; Portpatrick. Sagina maritima Don. Lower Innermessan (1); Portpat- rick; Kirkcolm (a) ; Cairnryan, &c. Ms sé var. densa Jord. 5S. of West Tarbert Bay. 7: a apetala L. N. of Portwilliam; S. of Drummore Quay ; Portpatrick Railway Station. procumbens L. Very common. subulata Presl Torrs Warren (2); Portpatrick Railway Station. nodosa Meyer. Frequent. Near Stranraer (1); Monreith Bay; Garliestown Curling Pond ; Dow- alton Loch; Portyerrick ; Wigtown. Spergula arvensis, var. sativa, Boenn. Cornfields (1); Port- patrick (2); Glenluce (&) ; Cairnryan. Lepigonum rubrum Fr. Near Innermessan (1); Isle of Whithorn ; Whitehall, Luce Bay, (2); Portpat- rick, ” bP] 9 ” 9 9 3” ee a ee eS ee | TRANSACTIONS. 719 Lepigonum salinum Fr. Stranraer (1); Dunskey (Arnott, 1848) ; Cairnryan, &Xc. a > var. neglectum (Kindb.) Port Logan (G. Horn, 1878); Monreith Bay (1). 250 45 marginata Koch. Orchardton Bay (1). ay rupestre Kindb, Isle of Whithorn; Port Logan (G. Horn) ; Portpatrick ; Physgill shore. Montia fontana L. Common. Sorbie (3); Portpatrick ; Cairnryan. ss » var. erectus, Pers (rivularis, Gmel). Newton- Stewart (1). Hypericum Androsemum L. Kirkmaiden (a); Portpatrick (Balfour spec. at Kew); 8. of Old Luce (4); Dunskey Glen; Cairnryan; Glenluce (5); Craigoch Burn, Portpatrick. P perforatum L. Creeside (1); Glenluce (5) ; Portpatrick ; Cairnryan, &c. 3 quadrangulum, var. dubium, Leers. Thecommon Hypericum of Wigtownshire (1); Whithorn (Balfour spec.) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. a quadratum Stokes (tetrapterum, Fries). Pen- ningham (1); Glenluce (5); Sorbie (3). 5 humifusum L. Not common. Castle-Kennedy grounds (1); Portpatrick (a); Sorbie (3); ; Glenluce (5) ; Kirkmaiden ; Cairnryan. é Fn pulchrum L.:: Common. Moss of Shin (1); 4 Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan ; Portpat- : rick. a elodes Huds. Near Cardrain (f); Loch Cree (Macnab); Port Logan (Balfour); Dunskey (Arnott); Kirkcowan (4); Glenluce (5); Drummoddie Moss (3), &c. 275 Lavatera arborea LL. Maryport, S. of Drummore ; Port Logan ; Innermessan, but evidently planted. Malva moschata L. Galloway (Graham, 1836); Portwilliam r (1) ; near Innerwell ; Isle of Whithorn; mouth of R. ™ Luce (5). » sylvestris L. Stranraer (1); Ardwell; Drummore; Cairnryan. » rotundifolia L. Cairnryan; Ardwell. hes: 80 TRANSACTIONS. 284 Tilia vulgaris Hayne. (intermedia DC.). Planted as at Mon- reith (1) ; (Balfour spec.) Radiola linoides Roth. (millegrana). Ravenstone Loch; Mull Head ; near Portpatrick. Linum catharticum L, Common. Cairnryan; Glenluce (5). » usitatissimum L. Wigtown, &c. (1). Geranium sanguineum L. Common on Shore Cliffs, especially the west coast. Mull of Galloway (d); several parts of the Machars coast (4). fs pheum L. E. side of Monreith Lake (4) ; Balkail Glen, Glenluce (5). pratense L. High Drummore. - molle L. Common (1); Sorbie (3); Glanluce (5) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. SUL 5 dissectum L. Common. Newton-Stewart (1); Isle of Whithorn, &c. lucidum L. Near Whithorn (3). Robertianum L. Common in woods as at Egger- ness, Dunskey Glen, Cairnryan, &c. Erodium cicutarium L’Herit. Port Logan; Monreith Bay ; Glenluce (5); W. side of Luce Bay, &c. . Ms maritimum L’Herit. Portwilliam to Glenluce — (Balfour and Graham); Monreith Bay (1). ; Oxalis acetosella L. Frequent in woods ; Outtlewell Planta- tiou (1); Sorbie (8); Glenluce (5); &c. » eorniculata L. Glenluce (5). ‘ Tlex aquifolium L. Monreith Park (1); Dunskey Woods; — Eggerness Wood ; Cairnryan, Xc. Acer Pseudo-platanus L. Very frequent (1). , campestre L. St Ninian’s, &c. (1). 320 Genista anglica L. (b). tinctoria L. Common in the South of the Machars ; — Burrowhead (Balfour spec.) Ulex europeus L. Very common. Gallii Planch. Glasserton (f); Portwilliam (1) ; Kirk- colm (a) ; (Balfour spec.) ; Loch Galdenoch (Balfour) ; about Whithorn, &c. Cytisus scoparius Link. Very common. Ononis repens L. Abundant in the south of the county as at Monreith Bay; Glenrazie (1); Whithorn (Balfour spec.) ; Glenluce (5); Sorbie (3). ” ” TRANSACTIONS, 81 Ononis spinosa L. Common about the Isle of Whithorn (Bal- four spec.) » Yeclinata LL. 3 miles N. W. of Mull on Cardrain Farm (Dr Graham) ; Mull (D. Cooper, 1836), probably now 2 extinct. © 331 Medicago sativa L. Wigtownshire (d); Garliestown ; Kirk- i inner, — ; . lupulina L. Abundant in the south of the county ; ; Kirkmaiden ; Kirkinner ; Portpatrick. - maculata Sibth. Garliestown. Trifotium pratense L. Abundant. f: medium L. Common. Longcastle (1); Glenluce (5) ; Sorbie (3) ; Whithorn ; Cairnryan, &c. - ne arvense L. Not common. Kirkmaiden (a) ; Eggerness; Drummore; Glenluce (5). Se striatum L. S. of Drummore ; Dalmannoch Bay, S. of Cairnryan ; Dunragit Creamery. re hybridum L. All over the county. 3 repens L, Abundant. - procumbens L. Frequent. Newton-Stewart (1); Isle of Whithorn ; Sorbie ; Cairnryan, &c. P minus (dubium, Sibth.). Common (1); Cairnryan: Portpatrick. Anthyllis vulneraria L. Sorbie (3) ; Castle-Kemnedy (1); Isle of Whithorn ; Cairnryan, &c. 66 Lotus corniculatus L. Common (1 and 2); Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan, Portpatrick, &c. "4 x var. crassifolius, Pers. Portpatrick (2). » pilosus (major Scop.). Common (1); Portpatrick ; Cairnryan, &ec. Astragalus hypoglottis L. Kirkmaiden (a); Seacliffs from Barrowhead to Glasserton (4); N. of West Tarbert, &c. S glycyphyllos L. 4 m. N. of Portwilliam on west side of the road (4) ; Portwilliam (Mrs Gilchrist Clark, 1867). Oxytropis uralensis DC. Near Mull (Arnott, 1848) ; Mull of Galloway (c): N. of West Tarbert in several places. - Ornithopus perpusillus L. Castle-Kennedy and Mildrigean (1) ; Galdenoch (Balfour) ; Glenluce (A. White) (5); Kirkinner ; Drummore ; Cairnryan, &c. 82 388 TRANSACTIONS. Vicia hirsuta Koch. Rather common (1); Ardwell; Sand- head, Kirkmaiden ; Cairnryan, &c. jie Gracca, Te) Do. sylvatica L. Drummore (Macnab, 1835) ; N. of Drum- more on the shore in abundance; Glenluce (4) ; mouth of Dunskey Glen; Morroch Bay, &c. 5» var. condensata. Portwilliam beach (1). » sepium L. Frequent. Penninghame (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. ,, lutea L. On the beach in N. end of New England Bay. ,, Sativa L. Kirkinner (1); Kirkmaiden ; Cairnryan, &c. », angustifolia Roth. Carsegoun and Portwilliam (1): Whauphill ; Cairnryan, &c. » Jlathyroides L. 5S. of Drummore in fields. Lathyrus pratensis L. Common (1); Glenluce (5); Isle of Whithorn ; Cairnryan, &c. % sylvestris L. On the Cree N. of Newton-Stewart. i. macrorrhizus Wimmer (Orobus tuberosus). (b); Outtlewell Plantation (1); The Forest, Sorbie, &e. - palustris L. (e) but likely a mistake. Prunus communis Huds. (spinosa, L). Common. Penning- hame (1); Glenluce (5), &c.; a dwarf var. on the shingle at Portwilliam. » instititia L. Lochnaw (Balfour spec.) ; Penning- hame (1), &c. » avium L. Near Whauphill, &c. (1). » padus L. W. of Glenluce Village (5). Spirea ulmaria L. Very common. Rubus ideus L. Netherbar, &c. (1); Glenluce (5); Cairn- ryan; Portpatrick, &c. suberectus Anders. Newton-Stewart (1). plicatus W. and N. Wigtownshire (Top. Bot. Ed. II), affinis, W. and N. Do. Do. rhamnifolius W. and N. Newton-Stewart (2). umbrosus Bab. (polyanthemos Lindb.). Near Whit- horn (2). Sprengelii Weihe. Near Newton-Stewart (2). Whithorn (2). Radula Weihe. Netherbar and Newton-Stewart (1); _ TRANSACTIONS. 83 Rubus Kochleri Weihe. Penninghame (1). » corylifolius Sm. Netherbar (1); Whithorn (2). » cesius L. §. of Portwilliam (1). » saxatilisL. Creeside(1); Craigoch Burn, Portpatrick. 478 Geum urbanum L. Frequent. Newton-Stewart (1) ; Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5); Cairnryan, &c. », intermedium Ehrh. Rare. Creeside above Newton- Stewart (1). rivale L. Growing with urbanum (1); Glenluce (5) ; , Portpatrick ; Cairnryan, Xe. j 481 Fragaria vesca L. Frequent. Newton-Stewart (1); Glen- rf luce (5); Grennan Wood; Cairnryan, &c. Potentilla fragariastrum Ehrh. (b). Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5). 5 tormentilla Scop. Abundant, x procumbens Sibth. Frequent. Netherbar (1); Isle of Whithorn ; Sorbie (3) ; Cairnryan, &c. is repians L. Carsegoun (1); S. of Drummore Quay ; Port Logan Harbour - anserina L. Common (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5), &e. comarum Nestl. (comarum palustre L.). Frequent. Luce Moss (1); (Balfour); Glenluce (5); Cairn- ryan ; Portpatrick. Alchemilla arvensis Scop. Newton-Stewart (1) ; Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5); &c. EB vulgaris L. Creeside (1) ; Glenluce (5), &c. 501 Agrimonia Eupatoria L. North Balfern (1); Monreith . Bay (1); Glenluce (5); Isle of Whithorn ; Port Logan, &c. 3 odorata Mill. N. of Cairnryan. - Poterium officinale L. N. of Eggerness Point. Rosa spinosissima L. Between Monreith and Portwilliam (1) ; Whitehall, Luce Bay (2); Ardwell; Sandhead ; Cairnryan, &c. pimpinellifolia L. Torrs Warren (2). », Sabini Woods. Monreith (1). » mollis Sm. Near Whithorn (2). » lmollissima Wild. Frequent (1). F a var. coerulea Woods. Creeside (1). tomentosa Sm. Penninghame (1); Newton-Stewart (2). “ ” 84 TRANSACTIONS. Rosa rubiginosa L. Monreith, Landberrick (1). 5 canina var. lutetiana Lem. Not infrequent (1). ? », var. dumalis Bech. Newton-Stewart (1). 55 » var. urbica Lem. Penninghame (1). 54 » var. dumetorum Thuil. Wigton (1). $5 », var. subcristata Baker. Near Whithorn (2). 530 Pyrus aucuparia Gert. Carsegoun Moss, &c. (1); Glenluce (5). » lmalus, var. acerba DC. Penninghame, &c. (1). » var. mitis, Wallr. St. Ninian’s (1). roe Oxyacantha L. Hedges, &c., probably not wild (1), &c. Saxifraga granulata L. Woods at Galloway House (8); Glenluce (5). Chrysosplenium oppositifolium L. Woods by Creeside, &c. (1) ; Glenluce (5); Dunskey Glen, &c. Parnassia palustris L. General. South Barbuchany (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Portpatrick,. &c. Ribes grossularia L. Outcast. Quarry at St. Ninian’s, &e. (1). 5 nigrum L. Do. do. Cotyledon umbilicus L. Introduced from nurseries, Glen- luce (5). Sedum rhodiola (roseum Scop). Cliffs at Dunskey (Arnott, 1848) ; mouth of Craigoch Burn, Portpatrick. ie telephium L. Penninghame (1); Glenluce (5) ; Sandhead ; Cairnryan. anglicum Huds. Common on dry banks, &ec. (1); (Greville Herb., 1835); Glenluce (5) ; &c. “ acre L. Common along the shore. Stranraer (1) ; Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan, &c. rupestre L. Lochnaw (Balfour, 1835) ; (f). Sempervivum tectorum L Glenluce (5). Drosera rotundifolia L. Moss of Shin, &c. (1); Drummoddie Moss (3); Glenluce (5); Dowalton Loch; Port- patrick, &c. 5» anglica Huds. Carsegoun Moss (1). 5, intermedia Hayne. Glenluce (5) ; Capenoch Moss. Hippuris vulgaris L. Glenluce (5); N.of Sandhead; The Dunskey Lakes ; Ravenstone Loch ; Rieferpark, Sorbie (3). vt a? ae 1 TRANSACTIONS. 85 Myriophyllum spicatum L. Bishopburn (1); Barmeal ; Ravenstone Loch ; Monreith Loch. spac: alterniflorum DC. Black Loch; Cree River at Newton (1); Penkill pond. Callitriche stagnalis Scop. Penninghame (1); Knockbrix (1); Torrs Warren (2), &c. a. hamulata Kuetz. Bishopburn, &c. (1); Cairnryan, &e. autumnalis L. Lochnaw (f) and (2) ; Ravenstone Loch ; Soulseat Loch. 587 Lythrum salicaria L. Frequent. Stoneykirk ‘Balfour and Arnott); Bisphopburn; .Ardwell; Glenluce (5); Sorbie (3). Peplis portula L. Torrs Warren (2); Ardwell Milldam ; Port Logan (Arnott, 1848) ; The Lakes, Dunskey, &c. Epilobium angustifolium L. In several places, as Craigoch Burn, near Colfin. ds hirsutum L. Frequent. Bladenoch (1); near Garliestown ; Tonderghie ; Powton, Sorbie (3) ; Portpatrick ; Kirkmaiden, &c. parviflorum Schreb: The common Epilobium of Wigtown (1); Port o’ Spital. » var. bifida Boem. Along with’ the type. Newton-Stewart (1); Portpatrick, &c. Lamium amplexicaule L. South Balfern (1); Isle of Whit- horn ; Kirkmaiden ; Sorbie ; Portpatrick, &c. intermedium L. Kirkinner (1); Morroch Bay ; Ard- well; Sandhead (Graham, 1836); Kirkcolm (a) ; Cairnryan; Portpatrick. purpureum L. Very common. Sorbie (3); South Balfern (1) ; Cairnryan, &c. » album L. Wigtown (3); Glenluce (5). Teucrium scorodonia L. Locally common. Netherbar (1) ; Glenluce (5); Eggerness; Isle of Whithorn ; Cairnryan, Portpatrick. Ajuga reptans L. Bishopburn side (1); Glenluce (5); Dunskey Glen; Eggerness Wood ; Barnbarroch ; Cairnryan, &c. ” ted ” ” ” a TRANSACTIONS. 97 Plantago major L. Very common everywhere. Newton- Stewart (1). * lanceolata Reich. Very common everywhere. by maritima L. Very common on the shore and sometimes inland, as at Barmeal ; Sorbie (3). ; * coronopus L. Common on the shore along with the last, as at Portpatrick. Littorella lacustris L. Round pond, Castle-Kennedy a Ardwell Mill-dam, near Sandhead; The Lakes, Dunskey. : Scleranthus annuus L. Common. Carsegoun (1); Kirkin- ner (1); Cairnryan, Portpatrick, &c. 1181 Chenopodium album L. Newton (1). var.viride. Common. Cairnryan; Port patrick, &c. Ps » var. candicans, Lam. Wigtown (1). rr » paganum, Reich. Newton (1). te rubrum L. Glenluce (Balfour, 1843). Bonus Henricus L. Penninghame hamlet (a) ; Beoch Bridge, Cairnryan. Beta maritima L. Morroch Bay; N. of Portwilliam ; Cowans, Port Logan (Arnott, 1848). Atriplex littoralis, var marina, L. §. of Garliestown in Rigg Bay. patula, var. erecta, Huds. Kirkinner (1); Glen- luce (Balfour, spec. 1848). - - var. angustifolia Sm. Garliestown (1). hastata Huds (Smithii, Syme). Wigtown (1). deltoidea Bab. Bladenoch side (1). a Babingtonii Woods. Garliestown (1); (Balfour spec.); Portpatrick, &c. laciniata L. (arenaria, Woods). (Balfour, 1843); Garliestown ; New England Bay; S. of Drum- more ; Port Kale, Portpatrick, &c. portulacoides L. Mull of Galloway (d); (Graham, 1843) ; (Balfour spec.) Salicornia herbacea L. Orchardton Bay (1); Wigtown Bay. Sueda maritima Dum. Isle of Whithorn; Rigg Bay; Wigtown Bay. ”? ” ” ” 98 TRANSACTIONS. Salsola Kali L. Lag Point, Monreith Bay (1); Garliestown Bay ; Sandhead ; 8. of Drummore. Polygonum convolvulus L. Common. Newton-Stewart (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. , aviculare L. Very common (1); Sorbie (8); Glenluce (5), &c. ‘, sf var. littorale, Link. Stranraer (1); Portpatrick. ss Roberti, Loisel (Raii). _Morroch Bay ; Stran- raer (1); Garliestown, &c.; Mull of Gallo- way (d); (Balfour spec.) ; Graham, 1836). 5 maritimum L. Mull of Galloway (d). 1210 i hydropiper L. Common. Carsegoun (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. : persicaria L. Common. Newton (1); Sorbie (3); Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &c. 5 lapathifolium L. St. Ninian’s (1); Sorbie (8) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. a lapathifolium var. incana. Sorbie, &c. +s amphibium L. Penkill Dam; The Lakes, Dunskey, &c. FA amphibium var. terrestre, Leers. Frequent. Borrow Moss (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &e. Rumex conglomeratus Murr. Wigtown (1). » Sanguineus L. (Balfour, 1843). a 45 var. viridis, Sibth. Frequent. Egger- ness Wood; Cairnryan; Portpatrick. ,, obtusifolius L. Common. Newton-Stewart (1); Eggerness Wood ; Cairnryan: Portpatrick. » crispus L. Frequent (1). Cairnryan; Portpatrick. » aquaticus L. (domesticus, Hartmann). Newton-— Stewart (1). » acetosa L. Abundant (1); Cairnryan; Portpatrick. » acetosella L. Do. Do. Daphne mezerewm L. Naturalised in Monreith Woods (4). » laureola L. Naturalised (4). Hyppophe rhamnoides L. Rigg Bay; Eggerness Wood ; Innerwell ; Portpatrick, &c. a a TRANSACTIONS. 99 Euphorbia helioscopia L. Common. Newton-Stewart (1) ; Sorbie (3) ; Cairnryan, &c. 3 paralias L. Morroch Bay ; N. of Portwilliam. ‘3 portlandica L. Mull of Galloway (d); shore of Glasserton parish (4); Physgill shore, near St. Ninian’s Cave; S. of Dunman ; near Portpat- rick. “A peplus L. Creeside (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan; Portpatrick. 3 exigua L. Isle Farm; Isle of Whithorn. Mercurialis perennis L. Eggerness and Monreith Woods ; Grennan Wood; Dunskey Glen; Cairnryan Glen; Ravenstone ; Glenluce (5). Ulmus montanus Stokes. Newton (1). 5 campestris, var. suberosa, Ehrh. Castle-Kennedy | (1). Humulu; lupulus L. Penninghame (1); Sorbie (8); Glen- ; luce (5); Portpatrick, &c. _ 1266 Urtica dioica L. Very common. p » urens L. Frequent. South Balfern (1); Isle of Whithorn ; Glenluce (5); Sorbie (3): Stranraer ; Ardwell; Drummore; Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &e. Parietaria officinalis L. Recorded for Glenluce Abbey. Myrica gale L. Shin Valley, &c. (1); Torrs Warren (2); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. Betula alba var. verrucosa Fr. Shin Valley (1); Glenluce (5). » glutinosa var. pubescens Wallr. Monreith (1). Alnus glutinosa L. Shin Valley (1); Glenluce (5) ; Cairn- ryan; Portpatrick, &c. Corylus avellana L. Outtlewell Plantation (1); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. Quercus robur var. pedunculata Ehrh. Newton (1); Cairn- ryan, Xc. * », var. sessiflora Salisb. Creeside (1); Glasser- ton, Whithorn, and Mochrum (4). Castanea sativa Mill. (vulgaris). Monreith (1). Fagus sylvatica L. Common(1); Glenluce (5); Portpatrick. Salix pentandra L. Moss of Shin (1); Roadside, Castlewig. 100 TRANSACTIONS. Salix alba L. Common (1); Cowans (Arnott, 1848). 5,5 purpurea L. Roadside opposite Castlewig (3). », viminalis L. Bishopburn Side (1). » Smithiana Willd. Newton-Stewart (1). », ferruginea Anders. Bishopburnside (1). » cimerea L. Rather common (1). +: » var. aquatica Sm. (Arnott, 1848). », aurita L. Carsegoun (1). 5, caprea L. Bishopburn Side (1); (Arnott, 1848). » higricansSm. Shin Valley (1). ‘a » var. cotonifolia Sm. On roadside between Newton- Stewart and Glenluce(g); (Maughan in Hooker’s Flor. Scot.). » repens L. North of Luce Moss (1); Portpatrick. FH » var. fusca. (Arnott, 1848). 1311 Populus alba L. Glenluce (5). » tremula L. Minnick Water (4); Glenluce (5); Craigoch Burn, Portpatrick. » nigra L. Newton (1). Empetrum nigrum L. §. of Port Logan on the heughs (4) ; Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan hills ; Portkale, Portpatrick. Juniperus communis L. Moors of Penninghame (4); Glas- serton, Whithorn, and Mochrum shores (4); N. of West Tarbert ; Morroch Bay ; E. of Burrowhead. Taxus baccata L. Penninghame (1). Pinus sylvestris L. Moss of Cree (1) ; Glenluce (5). Elodea Canadensis Mich. Monreith Lake. Malaxis spaludosa Sw. Reported from near the Mull of Galloway in Hooker’s Flor. Scot. (Winch.). Listera cordata R. Br. Inshanks Moor and Mull Head; 8. of Portpatrick. ¥ ovata R. Br. Wigtown (1); Eggerness Wood ; Outtlewell ; Ravenstone, Cairnryan Glen, &c. Orchis pyramidalis L. 35m. N. of Portpatrick (d); Killi- ness Point, 8. of Drummore (Graham, 1835); Castle- Kennedy (1). » mascula L. Common. Glenluce (5); Portpatrick. » imearnata L. Barbuchany (1); Ravenstone Loch. », latifolia L. Monreith (1); Dunskey Castle; Raven- — stone Loch ; Cairnryan. TRANSACTIONS. 101 Orchis maculata L. Frequent. Barbuchany (1); Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. Habenaria conopsea Benth. Mark of Luce Moss (1); abun- dant on Fell of Mochrum (4) ; Capenoch Moor ; Cairnryan ; (Balfour, 1843). Fe albida R. Br. Balsier, Sorbie (3). | viridis R. Br. Frequent. Barbuchany (1); Sorbie (3); Cairn Piot; Kirkmaiden; Cairn- ryan ; (Graham, 1835), 1367 Habenaria bifolia R. Br. Not common. Sorbie (3); Kirk- maiden. = ochroleuca Ridley (chlorantha). | Common. (Graham 1835); Barbuchany (1) ; Cairnryan. Tris fetidissima L. Naturalised in Monreith Woods (4). »» pseudacorus L., var acoriformis Bor. Frequent. Blad- enoch side (1) ; Glenluce (5) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &e. Narcissus pseudo-narcissus L, Naturalised (4) ; Old Castle of Gillespie (5). Pologonatum multiflorum All. Townhead, near Garlies- town (3). Allium vineale L, Frequent on the heughs, S. of Crug gle- ton Castle; Cardrain; Kirkmaiden; Portpatrick. » ursinum L. Glen Cree (1); Eggerness Woods ; Grennan Wood; Cairnryan Glen; Glenluce (5) ; Portpatrick in Dunskey Glen. Scilla verna Huds. Portpatrick (Arnott, 1848) ; common all along the shore. » nutans Sm. (hyacinthus non-scriptus). Glen Cree Chyc Eggerness (4); Cairnryan; Portpatrick. Ornithogalum umbellatum L. Naturalised (4). Narthecium ossifragum Huds. Abundant (4); Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5); Cairnryan, &c. Juncus bufonius L. Common. Barbuchany (1) ; Sorbie (3) ; * Glenluce (5); Cairnryan, &c. » squarrosus L. Frequent. Shin Valley Moss CLys Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan, &e. F Gerardi, Lois. Common along the shore. (Balfour spec.); Glenluce (5); Cairnryan, &c. 102 TRANSACTIONS. Juncus glaucus Ehrh. Monreith Bay (1); Wigtown; near Millisle Station ; Knock Bay, Portpatrick. effusus L. Very common. conglomeratus L. Common, as at Portpatrick on the moors, &c. maritimus, Lam. Kirkcolm (a); West Tarbert (Balfour spec.); N. of Portwilliam; Port Kale, Portpatrick. supinus, Moench. Moss of Cree (1); Dowalton Loch ; about Portpatrick, &c. supinus, var. fluitaus, Fr. Capenoch Moor; Cairn- ryan; Machars generally. obtusiflorus, Ehrh. Common in the S. of the Machars ; Glenluce (5); Balfour spec.). lamprocarpus, Ehrh. Frequent. Newton-Stewart (1); Portpatrick, &c. lamprocarpus, var. nigritellus, Don. Torrs Warren (2). acutiflorus, Ehrh. Very common. 1449 Luzula pilosa Willd. (vernalis DC.). Frequent in woods. 99 Creeside (1) ; Cairnryan ; Dunskey Glen. maxima DC. (sylvatica Beck). Glen Cree (1); Grennan Wood; Dunskey Glen; The Forest ; Cairnryan. campestris DC. Carsegoun (1); Portpatrick ; Cairn- ryan, &c. multiflora Lej. Frequent. Moss of Shin (1); Port- patrick ; Cairnryan, &c. > var. congesta Koch. Moss of Shin (1); Portpatrick ; Cairnryan, &c. Typha latifolia L. Castle-Kennedy; Sorbie (3) ; Monreith Lake ; Ravenstone Loch; Prestrie Loch; Dowalton Loch: Barmeal ; Glenluce (5). Sparganium ramosum Curt. Common. Bishopburn (1) ; Glenluce (5); Enoch, Portpatrick, &c. 53 simplex Huds. Chapelrossan(Arnott); Bishop- burn (1); Dunskey Lakes; Kirkmaiden, &c. ~ of affine, Schnizl (natans) (b). ss minimum Fr. Castle Kennedy (1); Cape- noch Moor ; (Balfour spec.). lag, Oat Lie 2 ie Mian metecntite ere TRANSACTIONS. 103 Arum maculatum L. Glenluce Abbey (5); St. Medan’s Cave, Kirkmaiden (5); west coast of Kirkmaiden (Dr Gemmell). Lemna minor L. Frequent. Baldoon (1); Tonderghie ; Sorbie (3); Glenluce (5); Kirkmaiden ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. Alisma plantago L. ' Bishopburn (1); Glenluce (5); Ard- well Mill-dam, near Sandhead ; Dunskey Lakes. by ranunculoides L. Whithorn (d) ; Isle of Whithorn ; N. of Burrowhead, Sorbie; Dowalton Loch ; Kirkmaiden ; Portpatrick; Black Loch, Stran- raer (Hooker’s Flor. Scot.). ranunculoides, var. sub-repens. Black Loch and Round Loch, Castle-Kennedy (1). Elisma natans Buch. Black Loch, 6 m. North of Stran- raer (C). Triglochin palustre L. Frequent. Monreith (1) ; Isle of Whithorn; Ravenstone Loch ; Kirkmaiden . Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, ” maritimum L. Frequent along the shore as at Port Yerrick. 1479 Potamogeton natans L. In ditches in the mosses ; Sorbie (3) ; Portpatrick ; Capenoch. Live polygonifolius Poir. (oblongus). Bishopburn (1); Cairnryan, &c. i polygonifolius, var. ericetorum. Borrow Moss (1). as rufescens Schrad. Bishopburn (1). = heterophyllus Schreb. Black Loch, Castle- Kennedy (1); Sorbie, ss Zizii Roth. Bishopburn (1). r prelongus Wulf. Bishopburn (1). we crispus L. Baldoon (1); Milldam, Isle of Whithorn ; Penkill, near Sorbie Station in Sorbie Burn; Black Loch, (astle- Kennedy, Py pusillus L. Baldocn (1); Ersock Loch ; Barmeal dam ; Ravenstone Loch. 5 pectinatus L. Ravenstone Loch. 104 TRANSACTIONS. Ruppia maritima, likely R. rostellata, Koch. Stranraer (Greville). Zostera marina L. Stranraer (1); Portwilliam. Eleocharis acicularis, Sm. Castle-Kennedy Lochs (1) ; Ravenstone Loch. y palustris R. Br. White Loch, Castle-Kennedy (1); Monreith Lake; Cairnryan; Portpat- rick, &c. * multicaulis 8m, Lochnaw (f); Capenoch Moss ; Portpatrick. tf pauciflorus Lightf. Portpatrick (Balfour spec.) ; Wigtownshire (Typ. Bot. Ed. II.); Bar- buchany (1); Cairnryan Hills. “ cespitosus L. Common on the moors. Uarse- goun Moss (1); Cairnryan, &c. 3 fluitans L. Ditches in the mosses. Capenoch Moss; Portpatrick, &c. i Savil, Seb. and Maur. (numidianus, Vahl). Fre- quent on the West Coast (c) ; Kirkcolm (a); Mull (Graham, 1835); Kirkmaiden ; Port- patrick. ” setaceus L. Frequent. Monreith (1); Dowal- ton Loch; Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &c. : lacustris L. Monreith Lake; Palmallet Pond ; Ardwell Mill-dam, Sandhead. a maritimus L. Port Logan (Arnott); Creeside (1); Wigtown; Kirkcolm (a); Garliestown Bay. 5 rufus Wahl. Frequent along the shore as at Garliestown and Wigtown. 1543 Eriophoron vaginatum LL. Mosses rather common (1); Cairnryan Hills ; Portpatrick Moors. . angustifolium Roth. Mosses abundant (1); Cairnryan Hills; Portpatrick Moors. 5 latifolium Hoppe. Newton-Stewart (1). Rhynchospora alba Vahl. Moss of Cree (1); Capenoch Moss; (Balfour spec.) ; Stranraer (J. T. Syme). Scheenus nigricans L. Frequent along the shore. Mon- reith (1); Claunch Moor, Sorbie (8); Portpatrick, &e. Tr te eee eee 1577 TRANSACTIONS. 105 Claudium germanicum Schrad. (mariscum). Wigtownshire (Hooker’s Student’s Flora) ; Ravenstone (Macnab). Carex dioica L. High Baltersan (1); Cairnryan Hills. » pulicaris L. Barbuchany (1); common on Cairnryan Hills, &c. » disticha Huds. (intermedia). In several places at Isle of Whithorn; old Sorbie Tower ; Knock Bay, Portpatrick. » arenaria L. Glenluce (1); Garliestown Bay ; N. of Portwilliam ; west side of Luce Bay; Portpat- rick, &c. », teretiuscula Good. (diandra, Schreb). Round the Isle of Whithorn ; Enoch Moor, Portpatrick. », teretuiscula, var. Ehrhartiana, Hoppe. Prestrie Loch, Whithorn (3). » paniculata L. High Arrow Loch; Loch N. of Cutreoch ; Capenoch Moss; Dowalton Loch; Ravenstone Wood. », paniculata, var. simplicior, Anders. Ravenstone. -» _ paniculata, var. or form pseudo-Boenninghauseniana. Ravenstone (3). » vulpina L. Frequent along the shore. Bladenoch side (1); Garliestown Bay ; Cairnryan; Portpat- rick, &c. » muricata L. Carsegoun (1); Garliestown ; Sorbie ; Grennan Wood by roadside; Cairnryan; Port- patrick ; Castle-Kennedy. » muricata, var. pseudo-divulsa. Ravenstone (3). echinata, Murr. (stellulata). Common. High Balter- san (1); Cairnryan, &c. , remota L(b), Cairnryan; Genoch Woods. , curta, Good. Shin Valley (1); Dunskey Lakes, east-end, &c. », ovalis, Good. Shin Valley (1); Cairnryan, Port- patrick, &c. » acuta, var. gracilescens, Almquist. Prestrie Loch, Whithorn (3). » Goodenovii, J. Gay (vulgaris). Common. Moss of Cree (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. 106 TRANSACTIONS. Carex glauca, Murr. (flacca, Schreb.). Frequent. Moss of Cree (1); Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &c. pilulifera L. Moss of Shin (1); Portpatrick, &e. proecox, Jacq. (verna, Chaix). Newton (1); Moss of Shin (1); Portpatrick, &c. pallescens L. Shin Valley (1); Cairnryan, &c. panicea L. Common. Baltersan (1); Shin Valley (1) ; Cairnryan, &c. pendula Huds. On the shore on rocks N. of Cairn- ryan ; Dunskey Glen. sylvatica Huds. (b). On the roadside N. of Cairn- ryan. levigata Sm. Cairnryan. binervis Sm. Common. Moss of Shin (1) ; Loch- naw (Balfour); Cairnryan, &c. distans L. Frequent along the shore, as at Isle of Whithorn ; Portpatrick ; (Balfour spec.). punctata, Gaud. Rare. Craigs of Garchew. fulva, Good. Isle of Whithorn, &c.; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick Moors. fulva, var. Hornschuchiana, Hoppe. Between Penning- hame and South Barbuchany (1). extensa, Good. Occasionally along the shore. West of Mull (Macnab spec., 1835); N. of Port- william; S. of Portpatrick ; Isle of Whithorn ; Kirkmaiden (a). flava L. Common. Baltersan (1); Cairnryan ; Port- patrick ; Dowalton Loch. flava, var. minor, Towns. Castle-Kennedy, &c. (1). flava, var cyperoides, Marss. (Cideri, Auct, non Ehrh.) Garliestown Curling Pond. CEderi Ehrh. Kirkmaiden Parish ; Portpatrick. filiformis L. Prestrie Loch, Whithorn (3). hirta L. Frequent. Baldoon (1); Kirkmaiden Parish ; Garliestown ; The Forrest, Sorbie ; Knockencurr ; Cairnryan; Portpatrick ; Port 0’ Spital, &e. paludosa Good. (acutiformis, Ehrh.). Monreith Lake ; Ravenstone ; Portencorkrie Bay. rostrata Stokes (ampullacea, Good.). Common. Shin Valley (1): Castle-Kennedy. ee i eee TRANSACTIONS. 107 Carex vesicaria L. Common. Bishopburnside (1). Phalaris canariensis L. Outcast. Portwilliam ; Garlies- town ; Cairnryan ; Drummore, &c. arundinacea L. Common. Creeside (1); Cairn- ryan ; Portpatrick ; Kirkinner, &c. Anthoxanthum odoratum L. Very common (1). Alopecurus geniculatus L. Common. St. Ninian’s (1) ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. % pratensis L. Common. Newton (1); Cairn- ryan; Portpatrick, &c. Agrostis canina L. Common on moors as about Portpat- rick and Ravenstone. » alba L. Very common(1). Newton (1). alba, var. stolonifera, L. Common. Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &e. vulgaris, With. Abundant. Cairnryan ; Portpat- rick, &c. vulgaris, var. pumila. (f); Penninghame (1) ; about the Old Battery, Portpatrick. Ammophila arundinacea Host (arenaria). Killiness (Arnott, 1848); W. side of Luce Bay; N. of Port- william ; §. of Drummore. Aira caryophyllea L. Frequent (1); Cairnryan; Portpat- rick, &c. » precox L. Frequent (1); Castle-Kennedy (1); Cairn- ryan ; Portpatrick, &c. Deschampsia czspitosa Beauv. Abundant everywhere. ; flexuosa Trin. Frequent. Borrow Moss (1) ; Sorbie (3); Portpatrick ; Capenoch Moor ; Inshanks ; Cairnryan. Holcus mollis L. Common. Cairnryan ; Portpatrick, &c. » lanatus L. Common. Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &c. Avena pubescens, Huds. Craigoch Burn, &c.; Portpat- rick ; Physgill Shore. ,, strigosa, Schreb. Common in cornfields; Newton- Stewart (1); Sorbie; Cairnryan; Portpatrick, &e. » fatuaL. Wigtown (1). bb) 1684 Arrhenatherum avenaceum Beauv. Very common every- where, 108 TRANSACTIONS. Sieglingia (Triodia) decumbens Bernh. Common on the moors. Moss of Shin (1); Portpatrick. Phragmites communis Trin. Frequent. Baldoon (1); Monreith Lake ; Ravenstone ; Portpatrick. Cynosurus cristatus L. Very common. Newton (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. Keeleria cristata Pers. Frequent. (Arnott, 1848); Port- patrick (Hooker in Flor. Scot.) ; Cairnryan. Molinia ccerulea, Moench. Common on the moors. Borrow | Moss (1). Catabrosa aquatica Beauv. Port Logan, Port Gill (Arnott) ; Balcraig, near Myrton. Melica uniflora Retz. Not common. Glen Cree(1); Cairn- ryan Glen ; Dunskey Glen. Dactylis glomerata L. Very common everywhere. Briza media L. Frequent. Monreith (1); Claunch Moor, Sorbie (3). Poa annua L. Very common everywhere. » nemoralis L. Rare. Carsegoun (1). », pratensis L. Very common. , 5 var. subceerulea Sm. Stranraer (1), , trivialis L. Common. Newton-Stewart (1), &c. Glyceria fluitans R. Br. Common, Newton-Stewart (1), &e. e maritima, Wahl. Occasionally on the shore. Stranraer (1); N. of Portwilliam ; Portpatrick. Festuca loliacea Huds. (Graham, 1836); (Balfour spec.) ; Stranraer (1); E. of Drummore ; Portpatrick. 5, scluroides Roth. Frequent. Penninghame (1); Sorbie ; 8. of Drummore ; Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. ., ovina L, Common. Borrow Moss (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. a », var. capillata, Hackel (tenuifolia Sibth). New- ton (1). “ » var. major S. Portwilliam (1). » Tubra, var. arenaria, Osb. Wigtown, &c. (1). », fallax, Th. (rubra, var. duriuscula, L.). Newton (1), — &e. » elatior L. Garlieston (1); Orchardton Bay ; Reifer Park ; Kirkmaiden ; &c. — Pe a, aT a, eee a TRANSACTIONS. 109 Festuca elatior, var. pratensis, Aust. Creeside, &c. (1). » arundinacea, Schrad. Mr Arthur Bennett in Scottish Naturalist of July, 1891. 1731 Bromus giganteus L. Glen Cree (1); Cairnryan Glen. » asper Murr. §. of Maryport; Grennan Wood ; Dunskey Glen. » Sterilis L, Gamekeeper’s Cottage, Dunskey, Port- patrick.: » Secalinus, var. velutinus, Schrad. (Graham, 1835) ; near Sandhead (¢). » Yracemosus L. Common. Carsegoun (1); Cairn- ryan ; Portpatrick. » commutatus, Schrad. Wigtown (1). > mollis L. Common. Newton (1); Sorbie ; Cairn- ryan; Portpatrick. » arvensis L. §. of Drummore Quay. Brachypodium sylvaticum, Roem. and Schult. Common in woodsand glens. Monreith ; Eggerness ; Grennan Wood; Dunskey Glen; Cairnryan Glen. Lolium perenne L. Abundant. Agropyron caninum Beauv. Frequent. Cairnryan Glen ; Dunskey Glen. i (Triticum) repens Beauy. Abundant. $3 acutum DC. Wigton (1); Sorbie (3); Cairn- ryan; Portpatrick. 55 junceum Beauv. Frequent on the shore. (Arnott, 1848) ; Port o’ Spital, &c. Nardus stricta L. Very common on the moors. Moss of Shin (1); Cairnryan ; Portpatrick. Pteris aquilina L. Very common. Cryptogramme crispa, R. Br. Dowalton Loch (3). Lomaria spicant, Desy. Frequent. Outtlewell (1) ; Glen- luce (5); Cairnryan, &c. Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. , Frequent. Near Garlies- town and Millisle ; Eggerness Point ; Glenluce (5); Cairnryan ; Dunskey Glen. rr marinum L. On rocks on the shore. Garchew; Glenluce (5); Caves near Portpatrick (4); Phys- gill shore ; (Balfour spec.) 110 TRANSACTIONS. Asplenium trichomanes L. Cree Bridge (1) ; between Gar- liestown and Sorbie; Glenluce (5); Eggerness shore ; Dunskey Glen ; Cairnryan. i ruta-muraria L. Portpatrick; Isle of Whithorn; Cairnryan, &c. Athyrium filix-foemina Roth. Frequent as in Dunskey Glen. * 53 var. erectum, Syme. Dunskey Glen. "9 var. convexum, Newm. Barbuchany (1); Dunskey Glen. 1781 Ceterach officinarum Willd. Bridge over the Bishopburn ; near Glenluce (5); Walls of Morton Hall Gardens. Scolopendrium vulgare Symons. Ina ditch between Pen- kill and Garliestown Bay; in a ditch between Pal- mallet Pond and the Shore; Glenluce (5); Dunskey Glen, &c. Cystopteris fragilis Bernh. Dowalton Loch; Glenluce (5). Polystichum lobatum Presl. Dowalton Loch; Cairnryan Glen; Glenluce (5); Portpatrick Mill. _ lobatum, var. acculeatum, Syme. Dowalton Loch ; Glenluce (5) ; Dunskey Glen. Lastrzea oreopteris Pres]. Cairnryan Glen; Glenluce (5) ; Cairnpiot. ,, filix-mas Pres]. Common as in Dunskey Glen. t: “7 var. Borreri, Newm. Barbuchany (1) ; Cairnryan Glen; Dunskey Glen. » eristata Presl. Wigtownshire (Heath’s British Ferns). ss Spinulosa Presl. Near the Bishopburn (1). ,, dilatata Presl. Common. Glenluce (5); Cairn- ryan ; Portpatrick. Polypodium vulgare L. Abundant. Phegopteris dryopteris Fée. Dowalton Loch; Glenluce Ps (5) 5 Cae s polypodioides Fée. Glenluce (5). arte ti Glen ; Cairnpiot, &c. Osmunda regalis L. Near Auchenvalley (f); in some of the mosses ; near Glenluce (5); Sorbie (3); Forest Moor (3) ; near Gillespie Farm. Ophioglossum vulgatum L. Portpatrick (a); Dowalton Loch ; Claunch Moor, Sorbie (3). TRANSACTIONS. 111 Botrychium lunaria Sw. Near Portpatrick ; The Bushes, Sorbie (3) ; Glenluce (5) ; Ravenstone. Equisetum maximum Lam. Dunskey Glen; Monreith: Cairnryan; S. of Sandhead; Stoneykirk (Arnott, 1848). re maximum, var. serotinum, A. Br. S. of Port- william on Monreith Bay (1). ra arvense L. Newton-Stewart (1); Sorbie (3); Portpatrick ; Cairnryan, &c. 4 sylvaticum L. Not common. Shin Valley (1) ; Cairnryan Glen ; The Lakes, Dunskey. - palustre L. Frequent. Barbuchany (1). a limosum Sm. Bishopburnside (1); Ardwell Mill-dam ; The Lakes, Dunskey ; Ravenstone ; J Castle-Kennedy Lochs ; Monreith Lake. _ 1822 Lycopodium selago L. Dowalton Loch; Kilitringan Fell, Portpatrick ; between Portpatrick and Stran- ' raer. e clavatum L. Glenluce (5); between Portpat- rick and Stranraer. Selaginella selaginoides Gray. Mull Head; Capenoch Moss, &c. Isoetes lacustris L. Loch Magillie, E. of Stranraer (2). Pilularia globulifera L. Round Pond, Castle-Kennedy (1). Chara fragilis Desv. Barbuchany (1). », polyacantha A. Br. Loch N. of Burrowhead and Loch N. of Cutreoch. » contraria Kuetz. N. of W. Tarbert. » vulgaris L. (feetida, A. Br.) Mill Dam, Isle of Whit- horn ; Gapenoch Moor. 1857 Nitella opaca Agardh. Dowalton Loch; Enoch, Portpat- patrick. 2.—Monastic Orders connected with Dumfries and Neighbourhood 500 Years Ago. By Mr James G. H. Starke, M.A. There have been many papers read to this Society upon the hi S ory and architecture of the Monastic alas cabin in this district ; 112 TRANSACTIONS. therefore occurred to me to supply this blank in our Transactions. In treating of the subject there is room for an appeal to the eye as well as to the ear, and I am indebted to Mr M‘Lellan Arnott for chalk drawings of the costumes or “ habits” of these Orders to illustrate this paper. RSX Wess \S Sa SS SS SSW SS SS ASS The period from the first erection of stone Monastic buildings in Scotland until their demolition extends from the 12th century to the Reformation of the 16th century ; and they were most numerous and prosperous 500 years ago. At a little later period, viz., A.D. 1400, Lincluden Abbey was being changed from a Nunnery into a Collegiate institution, and a new church was being erected, beautiful to us even in its ruins, in which services con- tinued to be performed after the Reformation. On this point Mr M‘Dowall writes: ‘“‘ The Galloway Monasteries were about the last to yield. Lincluden withstood the shock of the Reformation longer than its sister establishments.” ; The religious sentiment which led to the erection of — Monasteries goes back to Pagan times, when the deserts of Egypt _ became peopled by Hermits and Anachorites of both sexes, and — small communities were also formed called Coenobites, who had everything in common, and withdrew from the world for religious exercises and contemplation. This Monastic system became linked with Christianity in the second century, when, owing to the perse- — cution of Christians by the Roman Emperors and their provincial — governors, they had to flee into solitary places to save their life in this world and in the hope of saving their souls in the life to TRANSACTIONS. 113 come. In the course of time a religious life presented itself to many of all creeds and countries as the only one worth living ; and in the habits of the Monastic orders men and women, young and old, beheld a similar, but greatly more attractive, profession and dress than that of the soldier in his regimentals. A new direction was given to this spirit when, at the call of Peter the Hermit and St. Bernard of Clairvaux, thousands of young men joined the Crusades to drive the infidel out of the Holy Land—a religious war which lasted from A.D. 1096 to A.D. 1274. Orders of Chivalry had existed before the Crusades to protect females from the lawlessness of the age, but their bloody combats in this cause represented mere physical force, and, as a rule, it was only within a Monastery that females found a safe refuge. The Crusades gave a religious turn to chivalry, but still repre- sented the physical force, while the monastic life included the spiritual strength of the nation. I should mention that the support which the Church of Rome gave to the Crusades was a powerful factor in the spread of the influence of that Church and consequent gradual extinction of the Culdee organisation in Scotland. The leading founders of the Monastic system in Great Britain were St. Augustine in England, St. Columba in Scotland, and St. Patrick in Ireland—all about the 6th century. But the Monastic buildings then erected were few in number and insignificant in appearance —chiefly of timber and wicker work—and in Scotland we must come to the latter half of the Middle Ages to find those Cathedrals and Abbeys being erected, the ruins of which as we now see them give but a faint idea of their original grandeur and beauty. There were Cathedrals in existence before Abbey churches, but many of the latter subsequently became the Cathedrals of Episcopal sees ; and here I should explain the difference between _ what is known as the Secular and the Regular clergy, from which difference arose long and bitter jealousies between the two (especially in Scotland) until by the founding of Collegiate insti- tutions a sort of compromise for peace was effected. The Secular clergy were those who traced their spiritual descent from the Apostles, Bishops (or Presbyters), Priests, and _ Deacons, and at a later period from the Bishop of Rome as Pope 114 TRANSACTIONS. and his College of Cardinals. The Regular clergy were those who from the 2nd century downwards came under Monastic rutes and vows under the authority of the Superior of the particulur Order to which they attached themselves. In short, the Secular clergy were those who officiated in spiritual matters as the clergy of a district (called some time in the 12th century “ parishes”) under a Bishop ; and the Regular clergy were those who ignored Episcopal jurisdiction and the parochial clergy. The Seculars seem to have been so called, says Sir W. Scott, “‘ because they lived after the fashion of the seculum or age, unbound by those ties which sequestrate from the world.” Each thought their system to be based upon the strongest featur2 of primitive Christianity ; but as they differed regarding the import- ance of the Monastic or ascetic life, a bitter rivalry ensued, and it was not until the 15th century (when all religious Orders were trying to reform themselves) that by the erection of Collegiate institutions a sort of compromise was effected. The Collegiate institutions were clerical corporations founded by generous landowners, untrammelled by Monastic vows, inde- pendent of Episcopal jurisdiction, and so, like the large Monasteries, free from ecclesiastical interference and taxation, but open to the spiritual services of the parish priest. They were under a Provost or Dean, who, with a number of Prebendiaries or Canons, consti- tuted the supreme authority of the Chapter. These had their stalls in the choir, their common seal, and possessed lands and endow- ments. At the Reformation there were 38 of these institutions in Scotland from Tain in the north to Lincluden in the south. There would be a Chantry-priest, or it might be the curate of the parish, to say prayers and chant prescribed services with special refer- ence to the founder and his family. The Chantry was either a small enclosure within a church or a small chapel by itself, in which the priest resided. He was a humble functionary, and his ordinary dress was a long frieze cassock with a leathern girdle. Outside of the old town wall of Dumfries, on that hillock where St. Mary’s Church now stands, was a Chantry Chapel to the memory of Sir Christopher Seton, described in the Transactions of this Society for session 1864, The bitter jealousy which so long prevailed between the Secular and the Regular clergy may be still seen represented in the sarcastic, grotesque, and often coarse caricatures of each other es TRANSACTIONS. 115 that are carved upon the miserere seats within the chancel and the gargoyles outside of ancient Cathedrals and Abbey or Minster churches. The Monks regarded the Secular clergy with contempt, and considered those only entitled to the name of “ religious” who belonged to a Monastic Order. Having now described the origin and growth of the Monastic system, and explained wherein it differed from the Episcopal organisation, which it tried to supersede, I now proceed to notice those Orders who owned monasteries in Dumfries and its neigh- bourhood 500 years ago. I begin with the oldest Order—the Benedictines—who pos- sessed Lincluden Abbey as a Nunnery from A.D. 1164 until it was changed into a Collegiate institution about A.D. 1400. This Order was founded by St. Benedict of Clugny about A.D. 529, and came soon afterwards to England. He took as its motto the words of _ the Apostle Paul: ‘‘ Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ : in God.” It became a wealthy and learned Order, and universal _ throughout the west for four centuries of the Midéle Ages. Their abbeys were almost always built in or near to towns, and often upon an eminence ; and they were distinguished by the richness and often magnificence of their architecture in contrast with the plainness of abbeys of the Cistercian Order, immediately to be noticed. St. Benedict added manual labour to the religious life, observing that idleness was the great enemy of the soul; and he also made the vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity perpetual. This is the only abbey they possessed in the district, and I here show you drawings of a Monk and of a Nun of the Order. The habit of both was a large black woollen robe, covering the body to the feet, with a plain black scapulary ; the Nuns wore a black veil and a white wimple over the chest and neck, which sometimes also covered the chin ; and also a cowl or coif, which covered the forehead. The Benedictine was the parent of among others the Cistercian Order, which owned the large Abbeys of Dundrennan and Sweet- Heart, called in later time the New Abbey. This Order was founded by St Bernard at Citeaux, in Burgundy, A.D. 1098, and introduced into England a century later. It was a reformed Order of the Benedictine, adhering to ‘the strict letter of its rules and inculcating silence, except to the _ Abbot, and simplicity of habit and diet. The sites of its abbeys 116 TRANSACTIONS. are to be found in secluded valleys, so that the popular saying was “Bernard loved the valley and Benedict the hill.” They preferred the cultivation of the soil to the pursuit of literature, and were excellent farmers and horticulturists. Their abbeys were marked by plainness of architecture, and in having either no tower or a very short one. Their inmates passed a peaceful life in these sequestered glens, and Sir W. Scott makes Abbot Boniface, of St. Mary’s, regret that he had ever left Dundrennan Abbey. The Abbot says: ‘I fancy to myself the peaceful towers of Dundrennan, where I passed my life ere I was called to pomp and trouble. I can almost fancy that I see the Cloister garden, and the pear trees which I grafted with my own hands.” Dundrennan Abbey was founded by Fergus, Lord of Gallo- way, A.D. 1142; and Sweetheart A.D. 1284 (Fordun says 1275), by Devorgilla, daughter of Allan, Lord of Galloway, and widow of John Balliol, who died A.D. 1269, by whom she became the mother of John Balliol, afterwards King of Scotland. She buried her husband’s heart at its high altar, and hence the name, which was afterwards changed to New Abbey, as being of more recent erection than Dundrennan. Devorgilla died A.D. 1289, and was buried in the same spot as she had placed her husband’s heart. The last Abbot of Sweetheart was Gilbert Brown, who died in Paris, to which he had been banished in 1612. Beyond the names of its founders and abbots no records or ‘legends have been preserved. It and Dundrennan lay outside of the world’s busy thoroughfares, and no history of them has survived, The habit of the monks of this Order was a white robe in the form of a cassock, with black scapular and hood, and a black woollen girdle; of the nuns a white tunic, a black scapular and girdle, a black veil, and white wimple. Within the ruins of Dundrennan are two sepulchral effigies —one of an Abbot of this Cistercian Order, which the late Mr Bloxam, the eminent ecclesiastical antiquary, described in a letter to me as “ the best effigy of a Cistercian monk I have seen any- where.” The other is an incised slab of a Nun, supposed to have been the last Prioress of Lincluden ; but, at all events, of a Nun, on the same high authority of Mr Bloxam, who thus wrote to me: _ ‘“‘ | was much interested in the incised slab of a Nun, not, I think, au Abbess.- She appears clad in cowl, mantle, wimple; and veil ; NS ——— ee a ater Ane src % ~ T] TRANSACTIONS. 117 had she been an Abbess she would have had the pastoral staff. I think it very probable that this slab may have been removed to Dundrennan from Lincluden.” Now upon this opinion I have to remark that when Mr Bloxam wrote it he had not had his atten- tion drawn to the undisputed date of A.D. 1440 upon this slab, which was 40 years after the time when Lincluden had ceased to be a Nunnery, and when its Prioress—if this be her tombstone— had ceased to carry the pastoral staff. 1 regret now that I omitted to bring this historical fact to Mr Bloxam’s attention when we visited the ruins, several years before Mr M‘Dowall’s book on Lincluden was published. I think that the want of a pastoral staff is owing to this historical circumstance, and that the ; representation of sheep under her feet was intended to show she was not only a Nun but had exercised authority. I think it is also probable that she died as a religieuse in old age, attending the services of Dundrennan Church, and so at death was buried within its precincts. Where no nunnery existed, or where it had been dissolved, as at Lincluden, the inmates and female religieuses were always made welcome to accommodation within or adjacent to an abbey of the same or a similar Order. ‘© And then our Provincial Hath power to assoylen All sustren and brethern That be’th of our Order.” —Piers Plowman. There need, therefore, be no surprise at finding the tombstone of this Nun of Lincluden, after its suppression, within the walls of Dundrennan, seeing that the Benedictine was the parent of the Cistercian Order. The Abbey of Holy-wood—sacrum boscum, or monasterium sacri memoris, t.e., of the holy grove, as it is called in ancient _ documents—belonged to the Premonstratensians, a branch of the _ great Augustinian Order, which included all Orders not based upon the rules of St. Benedict. This Order was first established in a meadow (pr), said to have been pointed out (montie) by the Virgin to.St. Nerbert in France, A.D. 1120, and was introduced into Eag- land A.D. 1134. They discarded the black habit as well as the tule of St. Benedict, and wore a white woollen cloak and a white four square cap to signify purity of mind and body. The Abbey is said to have been founded some time in the 118 TRANSACTIONS. 12th century by a Lord of Kirkconnel ; and there is an engraving of it as it appeared in the middle of the 18th century in Cardonnel’s Antiquities of Scotland, small in size, because apparently only the pre-Reformation Chancel made use of for Presbyterian worship down to 1779, when its stones were built into the present parish Church. It stood on the $.E. corner of the present churchyard, and vestiges of its foundation were to be seen some years ago. Its Abbot sat in the great Parliament of 1290 as Abbot de Der-Cougal, or holy-wood, in the diocese of Glasgow, and he swore fealty to Edward 1st at Berwick in 1296. In 1568 its Abbot— Thomas Campbell—assisted Mary Queen of Scots in her flight, and his title was therefore forfeited. In 1587 the Abbey became vested in the King; and in 1617, by an Act of Parliament, its lands were erected into a free Barony of Holywood. The Abbot’s Seal on a lease, dated 1557, represents a bird sitting on an acorn on the branch of an oak. All the Abbots of this Order met once a year at Prémontre. Keith, in his notice of religious houses in Scotland, says—‘‘ Johannes de Sacro Bosco, who is famous for his book De Sphoera, is believed to have been a religious of this Abbey.” Aneffigy of this great mathematician was removed from the Church to that of Terregles by Lord Maxwell at the Refor- mation. The monks of Holywood possessed much land in Nithsdale and Galloway, and it is said that between the years 1172-80 all the churches in Galloway were granted to it by William the Lion, specially Tongland, Whithorn, and Soul’s Seat. Almost all the land in the parish of Dunscore belonged to it, and to a Priory at Friars’ Carse. As there are no remains in this district of a monastery of this Order, I would recommend the student to visit the Abbeys of Dryburgh, Jedburgh, and Hexham, all within reasonable distance, and of the Augustinian Order. Some time in the 13th century various orders of Friars came to this country from Italy, wearing the monastic habits, but not under monastic vows; and who, instead of loving seclusion and an ascetic life, devoted themselves to active religious duties every- where, in rivalry of the parochial clergy, whom they accused, not without reason, of negligence in their spiritual duties, especially to the poor. Some were famed as preachers, others as confessors and missionaries, and nearly all of them as mendicants. But the TRANSACTIONS. 119 Friars’ frock and cowl were often worn by imposters, like Friar John in the Canterbury Tales of Chaucer, and the adage was true— Cucullus non facit monachum. Their monastexies, known as Friaries, were in cities and towns; and their churches different from the monks in being less encumbered with pillars and aisles, so as to be better fitted for preaching to large audiences. They kept up an intimacy with the subordinate officials of monasteries in their constant peregrinations; and different chiefly from monks in being by profession beggars. They called each other Fratres, and their superior Master, and sometimes Warden. There were four great Orders of this religious brotherhood. ~ (1) Dominicans, or preaching Friars, called also Black Friars, because they wore a black cassock over white robes ; hence like- wise called ‘‘ Magpies,” because of the mixture of the two colours. They came to England A.D. 1220. (2) Franciscans, or Grey Friars, who came to England A.D. 1224, (3) Carmellites, or White Friars, but for long their cassock was white, striped with brown, like the bourhouse of the Arab Bedouin, and hence called in Paris in jest Freres barzés—i.e., in prison bars. (4) Augustinian, or Austin Friars, also called White Canons. As the chief characteristic of the Dominican friars was preach- ing and praying, that of the Franciscan was begging ; and to this Order belonged a large monastery in Dumfries occupying all the ground between the present Church of Greyfriars and the Nith, at which time Buccleuch Street, Castle Street, and Irish Street were fields and gardens. Their church is believed to have stood where _Comyn’s Court is, now approached by that long narrow street called fromthe French a Vennel. I saw some remains of that monastery 30 years ago ina large vaulted room with a huge fireplace, supposed to have been the kitchen of the Refectory, which ran behind Mr Lennox’s shop, who tells me there is still some ancient mason work in his cellars. This Monastery was founded by Devorgilla, who gave the Friars authority to levy dues on persons and ani- nals crossing the bridge. The Friars were great bridge makers, d these dues would be partly for its upkeep and partly for their own maintenance. The original bridge would, I think, be con- ‘Structed chiefly of timber, but the main features of it have no doubt been preserved in the subsequent stone erection. One q 120 TRANSACTIONS, striking feature remained until 1769, and this was the Port or Gateway, with the toll-keeper’s residence on the centre of the bridge. At this point there would be a drawbridge in the original wooden structure, so that until payment to the toll-keeper a yawn- ing gulf prevented any one from crossing it. On many a stormy night of that far distant time the toll-keeper, wrapt in slumber, would leave the belated traveller to stay until daybreak at either end of the bridge; and some house of rest would be the earliest building erected in what is now the Maxwelltown end, to refresh those who had travelled from the wilds of Galloway to Dumfries. The Franciscan Order was founded by St. Francis of Assise in Italy, and came to Scotland about A.D. 1230. They were also called ‘‘ Minorites ””—7.e., fratres minores, or lesser brethren—either because the Dominicans had preceded them or as a sign of their humility. They were also called ‘ Cordelliers,” from, the thick rope which they wore round the waist. Their highest official was called Minister, the elect of all, yet the servant of all. Their habit was a long grey robe over a black tunic, a grey hat, and a strong cord for a girdle, hanging down in front to the feet, with three large knots on it. They had eight monasteries in Scotland, and it was at the high altar of their church in Dumfries that the Red Comyn was slain by Robert Bruce and his friends A.D. 1305. It is believed that the learned John Duns Scotus was an inmate ; and military knights and pilgrims, when dying, asked to be buried in the Franciscan habit, as a sure passport to heaven. In addition to the above, there were two Orders of ,religious knights who owned lands and churches in this district, called Knights Templars or Red Friars, and Knights of St. John, called Knights Hospitallers—the former founded to send money to free captives and protect pilgrims in the Holy Land; the latter to maintain an hospital for those of them who became sick or dis- abled on the journey. They originated in the East, and settled in Scotland in the 13th century, and throughout this district their lands are still called Temple land, or Templand, a list of which is given in M‘Dowall’s “‘ History of Dumfries.” One of their principal houses was at Kirkstyle, in the parish of Ruthwell, and many sculptured stones, with sword and cross upon them, have been dug up. Their houses were called Hospitals; their churches Temples ; and their TRANSACTIONS. 121 superior the Master of the Temple. Their headquarters were in Fleet Street, London, still called The Tempie, with its beautiful circular-shaped church, which dates from A.D. 1185, in which ser- vices are still given. ‘Their habits were white, with a red Maltese- shaped cross on the mantle over the heart, as so admirably depicted before you, with the others, to illustrate this paper, by Mr M‘Lel- lan Arnott. The old order changes alike in Church and State—even the proud knights “ their swords are rust, their bones are dust.” But the spirit that animated these Orders at their origin was good, and cau never die. The Monks kept the lamp of literature lit through _ what has been well called the Dark Ages, and their Monasteries were safe asylums to rich and poor; while the religious knights were the first to inculcate true chivalry and courtesy towards women. The Monastic system broke down at last because it had _ departed from its primitive simplicity of life and allied itself with _ wealth and worldly power. In regard to these Abbeys, as we call them, which were only the churches of the Abbeys, we won- der how they could have been filled with worshippers. But we must remember that the ancient Church of Scotland was almost wholly monastic, and that most of the parish churches became subject to a monastery. Abbeys and Priories were to be met with _ everywhere, and the monastic habit was a familiar dress not only in country districts but in the town of Dumfries 500 years ago. These buildings contained within their walls a vast number of per- sons, and outside of them were baronies, villages, granges, and hamlets, of which the names only now survive. In the neighbour- hood of Dumfries there were the baronies of Torthorwald, Rock- hall, Mouswald, Lincluden, Holywood, and Drumsleet, then inhabited by vassals and by cobenaeite and artisans in every vocation of life. _3.—The Old Water Supply of Dumfries, and the Progress of the Water Supply in the Town. By Mr James Barpour, Architect. Z Prior to the construction of the existing gravitation works, more than forty years ago, the town derived its supply of water chiefly from the river Nith. The minor sources consisted of sur- face wells and pump and draw wells. 122 TRANSACTIONS. The river was long and justly celebrated for the superior quality of its water. A distinguished native of Dumfriesshire, Christopher Irvin, of Bonshaw, professor in the University of Edinburgh, in his work entitled Historie Scotice Nomenclatura, written about the year 1638, says in reference to the Nith: ‘“ Itis the clearest river in Scotland.” The Copper Plate Magazine, pub- lished in London in the year 1793, contains an engraved view of the town, after the well-known artist, Alexander Reid, with de- scriptive letterpress, where it is said: ‘“‘ Dumfries is fortunate in the possession of three essential particulars conducive to the health and happiness of man—the extreme beauty of its situation, the salubrity of its atmosphere, and the lightness and softness of its waters ;’ and in M‘Diarmid’s Picture of Dumfries we read that “in point of size the Nith ranks fifth among the rivers of Scotland, and its waters, when unagitated, rival in purity those of the silver Tweed itself, even where it rises within a few miles of the village of Moffat.” It is interesting to find the traditional estimate of the Nith confirmed. Of three samples of water submitted for analyses in connection with the proposed introductiou of a new supply in 1849, all of which were reported to be good, that drawn from the river ranked the highest in regard to purity. Three wells in Dumfries will be remembered, namely, the Doctor’s Well, St. Allan’s or the Three Wells, and the Dock Well, all now drained away. They are marked on the Ordnance Map of the town, as well as one in Maxwelltown named Maggie Broatch’s Well. The water of the Doctor’s Well was believed to possess healing virtues, and was resorted to for many causes—chiefly for the cure of sore eyes. The well is mentioned in J. Russel Wal- ker’s list of holy wells in Scotland, but classified as doubtful. St. Allan’s wells, the most important, were situated beside the Mill Burn, at the foot of a lane on the south side of St. Michael Street, and consisted of a group of three square stone basins, each backed by an arched recess, all neatly built of dressed stone. They were doubtless of ancient date. Until about fifteen years ago the water, which was bright in appearance and pleasant to the taste, was held in esteem and extensively used; but a sample having been found by analysis to be very impure, the authorities, after some hesitation, caused the wells to be closed. A number of the deep wells were originally draw wells afterwards fitted with pumps. ll the houses in the newer streets, such as Castle Street a e TRANSACTIONS. bps and Buccleuch Street, were provided with pumps ; but the main parts of the town where the houses are crowded together, and where the mass of the population resided, were almost wanting in this respect, and such wells as did exist, considering their sur- roundings, could scarcely be free from impurities. There were three public pumps between Queensberry Square and Assembly Street. One of them stood at the Fish Cross, a little below the Midsteeple, and the well still exists under the pavement. The Town Council minutes relating to it give the im- pression that much inconvenience must have been experienced on account of tke scarcity of water in the centre of the town. The well, as the minutes show, was built in the year 1719. On 10th August instructions were given that workmen be employed to dig any three or more places upon the streets where it is thought proper draw wells may be built. A few months later, 10th November, it is minuted that the Magistrates and Council, considering that the inhabitants do much injury to the draw well now made a little below the new Council-house by drawing water furth thereof too early in the morning and too late at night, do restrict the time during which water may be drawn to the part of the day between the hours of seven in the morning and four in the afternoon. Other regulations followed, such as that none should draw continuously to the injury of their neighbours ; that none should wash anything to spoil the water; and as if pressing need sometimes resulted in breaking the well open, it is ordained that no one injure the lock or chain. In the year 1738 it was ordered that a leaden pump be fitted to the well. Finally, before 1840, all the three public pump wells had been closed, for what reason is not stated. Notwithstanding the attempts to find water by sinking wells in the streets and elsewhere, the river continued to be the source of supply for all but very limited sections of the town. The method of distributing the water, an important feature of the old ‘system, was carried on mainly by water-drawers or burn-drawers, s they are designated in the Council’s minutes, who perambulated hestreets with water-carts, calling ‘“ Water! water!” and supplying those of the inhabitants who responded to the call, the price for two cans of water being one-halfpenny. Notwithstanding the | stance of the river, much water was also conveyed by hand, and a necessary part of the stock of utensils in every house consisted 124 TRANSACTIONS. of two water-cans and a hoop. The cans were carried one in- either hand, the hoop being used as a rest. The usual place for filling the carts was the watering-place opposite the foot of Bank Street, and the process, a slow one, was carried on in this way. The cart having been drawn well into the stream, the waterman, holding in his hands a long pole, on one end of which was fixed a tin vessel, stood on the cart, and pro- ceeded to dip the tin vessel into the water, drawing up what was caught and filling it into the cart, one vesselful after another, till the barrel was filled, In the state of accounts incurred by the Committee of Health in connection with the cholera of 1832, the names of three water- drawers appear, with their charges—-William German, for water, £3 19s 2d; Widow Brannaghan, water-drawer, 11s 6d; Robert M‘Phearson, for water, 2s. German is remembered as being help- ful to aged and weak customers, carrying the water for them to the head of close or stair. His turnout, it is said, was not of a high order, but between him and his aged and ill-fed horse sub- sisted mutual affection, and he often desired to reward the faith- ful animal with a feed of corn, but the fulfilment of the wish was interfered with by a feeling of dryness with which he was himself much troubled. As both could not be satisfied, resort was had to an ancient method of ascertaining the will of providence—lots were cast, and the lot of the horse was to lose invariably. German lived at the Townhead, a poor part of the town then, and his cart at night stood in a recess off the street. Unsuspected by him or his customers, the cart was sometimes utilised in a way not very consistent with its main purpose. Many vagrants were about, and as little provision existed for their housing at night any kind of shelter was welcomed, and German’s water-barrel found occupants. A gentleman remembers that, when a boy, he had the curiosity one night to climb upon the cart, lift the leathern cover of the top opening, and look in, when he was surprised to find the barrel occupied by three beggar boys, evidently for the night. From our standpoint, at least, there is no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that the old water supply of the town was wholly faulty and inadequate. A glance at the Ordnance Map surveyed in the year 1850, on which the pumps then existing are marked, shows forcibly of how little account these could have been, even if the wells had been, as they were not, fairly productive and pure. TRANSACTIONS. 125 - The three surface wells mentioned, besides being very distant from the populous parts of the town, yielded but a trifling supply, and two of them were liable to be submerged when the river was high; and in regard to the river itself, while there is no doubt of the superior purity of its water, it must have been, at the point usually drawn from, contaminated by sewage, and far more largely, in consequence of a practice which, if now discontinued, was prevalent only a few years ago—the custom of making the river a sink for the reception of all kinds of refuse. When to this is added the discolouration of the water during floods, and the inefficient, cumbersome, and objectionable method of its distri- | bution, it may well be conceived that water famine must have been an often recurring circumstance in the town ; and at no time could the supply be said to approach a sanitary standard either as to quantity (the circumstances being considered) or quality. _ ' Although a better supply of water was urgently needed, the movement in that direction for a long time made but little pro- _ gress. This was partly due to the peculiar relation in which the governing authority stood to the question. It was not generally recognised as a part of the duty of such authority to enforce or to provide a supply of water. The usual course, in case of a supply being desired, was to establish a joint stock company, who obtained an Act of Parliament and undertook the construction of the works as a speculation. In the present instance the scheme was not sufficiently tempting, and therefore the several efforts which were from time to time made to start a company proved a failure. The earlier Acts of Parliament for police purposes proceeded on similar lines, no provision being made in them for introducing a supply of water. In the year 1681 Dumfries obtained from the Scottish Parliament of Charles II. a Local Police Act, and another was passed in favour of the town in the 51st year of the reign of George III., but neither of them contained water clauses. The General Police Act of 1833 first conferred on local authorities powers in that direction, and gradually as the importance of the ‘question came to be recognised, they were amplified in succeeding Acts, until now the providing of a plentiful supply of pure water occupies a foremost place in the sanitary work of which local authorities have charge. The Town Council minutes show that about the beginning of last century proposals had been made to bring water in pipes to the town, but not until more than a 126 TRANSACTIONS. hundred years later did the question come to be seriously enter- tained. In 1832 the movement commenced which, after much debate and many vicissitudes during a period of nearly twenty years, culminated in the successful carrying out of the existing gravitation works. The reason which seems to have weighed in its promotion was one of convenience mainly ; but the idea of sanitation was also present, inasmuch as the cleansing of the streets and flushing of such sewers and channels as existed was in view. The desirableness of attaining a higher standard of purity does not seem to have exercised much if any influence, and the importance of this aspect of the question was as yet almost over- looked. Thus, during the Cholera of 1832, while the general and local boards of health urged attention to cleanliness, ventilation, temperance, guarding against partaking of unripe fruit, no word of warning was given against the use of impure water. And in the Courier newspaper of the time the only mention I find of water in connection with the cholera has reference to certain ignorant and evil-disposed persons who, according to the editor, had spread false reports to the effect that the presence of the epidemic in the town was due to the wells having been poisoned by the doctors. He mentions, also, that a gentleman from Castle- Douglas informed him that the wells of that place had all been cleaned, in order to satisfy popular clamour, a person having been seen shaking something over them. The popular view was in this instance in advance of the scientific, which frequently happens, the scientist being weighted by the necessity of providing reasons and proofs. The connection between cholera and impure water was established in the year 1856, when in one of the districts of London it was proved that of the inhabitants using the water of one company, which was comparatively pure, the deaths from cholera in 1853-4 were 37 per 10,000, whereas of those using the water of another company, which was impure, the deaths from cholera reached 130 per 10,000. There is little doubt it was in consequence of the alarm caused by the outbreak and spread of cholera in the country that steps were first taken in the direction of introducing a better supply of water into the town, and just before the disease reached Dumfries a survey had been begun with that view. The work occupied several weeks, and the position arrived at appears from TRANSACTIONS. 127 the Town Council minute of Ist November, 1832. The Provost stated that the Council were already aware that Mr James Colquhoun, civil engineer, from Sheffield, had been making some surveys in the neighbourhood, and had found that a stream of water sufficient to supply the town with good and wholesome water might be introduced from a place called Nunland Hass, on the ground of Mr M‘Culloch of Ardwell, within about three miles of the town, on the road from Dumfries to Portpatrick by Castle- hill, and that he (the Provost) had good hope of bringing about an agreement to get the water. A year later, 21st October, 1833, he reported that the whole arrangements were nearly completed for bringing water into the town by pipes from Nunland, and that before engaging further in an undertaking of this magnitude he thought it right to request Mr James Jardine, civil engineer, to come out from Edinburgh on _ Monday, the 28th current, to make a survey of the springs at _ Nuniland and to report. Mr Jardine accordingly made an inspec- _ tion, and on the same day reported that these springs, together with four others falling into the Goldilea Burn which might be utilised, yielded over 6000 cubic feet of water in 24 hours ; that according to returns submitted to him the inhabitants of Dumfries, _ exclusive of the landward portion, amounted to nearly 9000, and - the portion of these who would likely be willing to pay for water was 4000. The ordinary quantity of water required by each inhabitant, young and old, for domestic purposes is one cubic foot per day, and as much more for those who use baths and water- closets, estimated to number in process of time about 2000. From these data it appeared to him that the springs would afford a sufficient supply of water to the aforesaid 4000 inhabitants for a considerable number of years. This looks a very inadequate scheme, providing only ten gallons per head per day for less than half the population, and it shows how little progress had yet been ‘made towards forming a correct estimate of the ultimate require- ments of the town. Mr Jardine’s report was followed, November 17th, by the issue of Parliamentary notice of the intention of the Town Council to apply for a new Act for police purposes, and for supplying the town and burgh with water; and, alternatively, to bring in a separate bill for power to supply said town with water by pipes from Nunland, That it was not the intention of the Council, how- 128 TRANSACTIONS. ever, to undertake to construct the works themselves is shown by the terms of the minute of 19th November. Mr Broom having explained and read Mr Jardine’s report, the Provost said he thought it would be most advisable for a joint-stock company to take up and carry through the scheme; and Mr Broom stated that the former Council never intended to carry through the pro- ject with the public funds. The measures were merely prelimi- nary, and by proving the practicability of the scheme inducing a company to take it up. Ata meeting of the inhabitants, held 1st January, 1834, to consider what should be done, the proposal to apply for new bills was disapproved on account of expense, and it was resolved instead to adopt the General Police Act. The water supply scheme was now postponed indefinitely, and, beyond being mooted once or twice, the question lay dormant until the begin- ning of the year 1848, when it again came to the front. In the interval, through the exertions of scientists, by Govern- ment Commission reports, and in other ways, public opinion, without which schemes of this kind could not be enforced, was stimulated and ripened for the advancement of sanitary reform, and the wave gave impetus to the proceedings in favour of the intro- duction of water here. “ Sanitary improvements,” says a writer in the local newspaper of 1st February, 1848, ‘seem now to have cast railways and almost every other topic into the shade.” Under such favourable circumstances did the revival of the water-supply movement take place ; but the difficulty as to the method to be adopted in carrying out the scheme remained, and the circum- stance that Dumfries and Maxwelltown were separate burghs added to it. At a Town Council meeting, held 14th January, a Committee was again appointed to make arrangements for the formation of a water company. Time went on without any approach to the accomplishment of that end; and meantime, on May 30th, it was reported in the local newspapers that cholera | had appeared at Constantinople. About six months later, 16th November, the epidemic reached Dumfries, where for the space of two months it continued to decimate the town. The visitation still further impelled and made imperative the introduction of | water ; and light as to the method of proceeding came at last. The town of Stirling had obtained a water bill in favour of the Town Council. This was an example, and, influenced by it, on 6th — March, 1849, it was resolved that the scheme here should not be ' TRANSACTIONS. 129 left to private enterprise, but should be managed by the Corpora- tion, supported by the inhabitants. The Town Council of Max- welltown also agreed to co-operate with the Dumfries Council in whatever steps might be deemed necessary for the introduction of a supply of water. | The difficulties which had so long retarded the project having _ now been cleared away, the forwarding of it was earnestly set about, and the right man appeared in the right place at the right time. Mr Wm. Gale, engineer to the Gorbals Water Company, being in Dumfries on his way from Stranraer, the Joint Committee of the Council and community, which had been organised to arrange the preliminaries of the important undertaking, held a special meeting on April 21st for the purpose of having an inter- view with Mr Gale. That gentleman expressed himself confident that they need be at no loss in the matter from the quantity of water suspended on the hills on both sides of them. He advised that it was preferable to introduce water by gravitation rather than by mechanical means, and that good soft water was to be preferred to that of the springs. Subsequently, after a perambu- latory survey of the district, Mr Gale reported in favour of taking the supply from Dalscairth burn or Tinwald hills. Measurements having been made, however, it was found to be doubtful if an adequate supply was obtainable from either of these sources; and the Committee considered Torthorwald burn, which received the _ drainage of 1200 acres, would be the best. The Nith, Lochaber, Lochrutton, a stream at The Grove, and other places, were also considered. Ata meeting on 31st July the Committee strongly urge the importance and necessity of obtaining an adequate sup- : ply of good water; advise steps to be taken for the introduction of a Bill next session on similar grounds to that obtained last year for the burgh of Stirling; and considering the difficulty of the choice of a site, they suggest that the reports by the Committee ‘and Mr Gale’s report be referred to Mr James Jardine, chief or ‘consulting engineer to the Edinburgh Water Company, for his advice and guidance. It is well known, they say,that Mr Jardine, native of the county, is intimately acquainted with the geology : ya of the district. Mr Jardine, after obtaining information and visit- provide 30 gallons per day for each individual for domestic pur- 130 TRANSACTIONS, : poses, and one-fifth more for manufacturing and other purposes. The loch was a store already made, and by constructing a dis- tributing tank on Corbelly Hill of a capacity for two days’ supply, a 9-inch diameter pipe between them, and a 13-inch diameter distri- buting pipe, would be sufficient to convey the quantity required. This, he thought, would be much cheaper than raising the water from the Nith. He preferred the gravitation principle, observing that the mechanical power of man soon comes to rest and requires frequent repairs, while the power of gravity, with which the Almighty endowed water, is immutable, and slumbers not nor sleeps. A meeting of the inhabitants was held on 6th November, when the action of the Committee and Mr Jardine’s scheme were approved of unanimously, and the whole documents were referred back to the Town Councils of Dumfries and Maxwelltown to obtain an Act of Parliament the first session, Mr Gale to be engineer, and Mr Newall local engineer, in the preparation of the Parliamentary plans. Every one was not satisfied. It will not be seriously main- tained, writes one, that our beautiful limpid river, oft rushing in majesty and great power, and giving notes of varied and sweet sounds, possesses any deleterious qualities whatever. ‘ What must our enterprising youth now in distant lands think,” says another, “ when they hear a sound wafted to them from Nith’s flowery banks—surely not from genuine Dumfriesians—that the ample supply of water from our pure flowing streams and St. Allan’s and other wells, which could be made to give any quantity of water, are now ungratefully despised, and that an Act of Parliament is intended to be applied for to take water from Loch- rutton Loch. . . . Up Dumfriesians! Now’s the time! Don’t let the foe advance a step further.” Ultimately opposition was organised and promoted at great expense, and much feeling was imported into the dispute. As the lapse of time may not have been sufficient to remove all trace of the feud, it is my desire not to enter on debatable ground, Suffice it to say, that the Bill applied for was passed, and the works, as designed by Mr Gale, were successfully carried through under his direction by tue Water Commissioners appointed under the Act. TRANSACTIONS. 131 It is due to the memory of two gentlemen, Mr Thomas Harkness, solicitor, and Mr Newall, architect, to record that, from the commencement of the movement until the scheme was fairly floated, they in particular were ever active in promoting it at the Council Board, and the latter also from time to time performed much professional service. He assisted Mr Jardine in 1833 and 1848 in obtaining data, and made up the estimates of the cost of the various schemes. He was associated with Mr Gale as local engineer in the preparation of the Parliamentary plans of Loch- rutton scheme, and part of the work performed by him consisted in surveying the loch when covered with ice, and taking sound- ings, and in preparing a chart of it showing the depth and the nature of the bed at many different points. The bed he found consisted mostly of debris of rock. It has been mentioned that Mr Jardine, the consulting engineer, whose guidance was sought in 1833, and again in 1848, and on whose recommendation the existing works were under- taken, was a native of Dumfriesshire. It may be added that he was engineer to the Edinburgh Water Company, and carried out _ the Crawley Spring's water scheme there, which works were de- signed by another well-known Dumfriesian, Thomas Telford. Mr Leslie succeeded him as engineer to the company in the year 1846. The very modest gravitation water supply works constructed for the purpose of introducing a suitable supply of water to the burghs of Dumfries and Maxwelltown, and inaugurated with some ceremony on the 21st day of October, 1851, have proved to be beneficial beyond the approach of any other work ever carried out in the place, saving life, and promoting health directly, and making possible and efficient other important means to that end, contributing to the advancement of trade and general prosperity, and in every house saving labour and adding to convenience and comfort. By a touch of the finger this wonderful element, endowed with the power of gravity, comes at your call, not Sluggishly as if unwilling, but bounding as if in delight to serve During the discussion which followed, Dr MAXWELL Ross owed a series of lantern slides he had had prepared to illustrate the collection and distribution of water supplies, and various 132 TRANSACTIONS. modes and effects of pollution of the same. In describing these he dwelt at some length on the lessons to be learnt from the Broad Street pump epidemic and the more recent outbreak of cholera at Hamburg, drawing attention to the efficacy of pro- perly prepared and kept sand filters. 20th April, 1894. Mr Tuomas M‘Kin, F.S.A., Vice-President, in the chair. New Members.—Mr Alexander Malcolm of Priestlands House, and the Rev. H. M. B. Reid of Balmaghie. Donations.—The Proceedings of the Linnean Society, 1875- 1886 (from Mr W. Robinson Douglas) ; the Report of the Smith- sonian Institution, Washington, for 1891; Cardiff Naturalists’ Society Report, 1892-8; History of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, 1892; Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 1892-3; Essex Naturalist, October-December, 1893. Exhibit—Mr Peter Gray exhibited a specimen of the gagea lutea, found at The Grove. COMMUNICATIONS. 1.—lVotes on the Plants of Northumberland and Durham, in relation to their extension Lorthwards to Dumfries, Kirk- cudbright, and Weagtown. By Mr ArtTHuR BENNETT, F.L.S., Croydon. If you look at a map of Great Britain you will see that Northumberland extends some 20 miles northwards of the most northerly point of any of the three Scotch counties named above ; and that the extreme southern point of Wigton about cuts the two counties of Durham and Cumberland into equal portions, thus including under equal latitudes some 70 miles south to north of England and Scotland. In 1868 Mr J. G. Baker, in the Flora of Northumberland and Durham, gave a list of species which, while reaching these two counties, failed to reach Scotland. They numbered 77 species. 28 of these reach Cheviotland, 18 stop short in Tyneland, and 31 in Durham. Looking to these TRANSACTIONS. 133 77 species (or rather most of them), we may discuss how far on present knowledge they are likely to be natives of the three Scotch counties, as many really seem to have as fair claims to notice as they do in the two English counties named above. They are : Humulus lupulus.—I doubt much if this can be held certainly native north of the Midland Counties of England ; but it seems as well established in South Scotland as in North England. Arundo calamagrostis.—This has been gathered by Mr M‘Andrew in Kirkcudbright, as a native plant. This is, however, still to the south of the English station, ‘‘ near Alnwick, Cheviot- land.” Menchia erecta.—No Scottish record as a native, or as an alien (?), but I see no reason why one of the three counties should not preduce it; extends to Cheviotland; an early flowerer on sunny grassy banks. Euphorbia amygdaloides.—Cheviotland. Ia the Transactions for 1891-2, p. 13, this species is reported by Mr Scott-Elliot for _ “Cowhill.” This interested me greatly, and I got Dr Traill of Aberdeen, when at Kew, to discuss it with Mr Scott-Elliot and myself, but he acknowledged it could not be held native at Cow- hill. It loves the sunny edges of woods on limestone, and in Surrey grows with Myosotis sylvatica, a species that extends north to Kincardine, and the South Hebrides. Juncus diffusus. Cheviotland. Perth only in Scotland. Verbena officinalis—Reported from Fife. Agrimonia odorata.—Here we have a distinct advance north- wards in records. Kirkcudbright (Prof. Oliver) ; Stirling (Craig- Christie) ; Clyde Isles (Syme). Orchis morio.—Cheviotland, Cumberland. Reported from Edinburgh and Orkney. I look for this as a plant of Southern ‘Scotland; it grows in Sweden in at least four of the southern provinces; in Norway, near the sea; but not in Finland. In Denmark in at least three of the islands. Atropa Belladonna.—Cheviotland only as a denizen. Helmintha echoides.—Here again an advance northwards. Berwick (Cleghorn); Roxburgh (Brotherston); Haddington (Syme). Solanum nigrim.—Wigton, Balfour. In several counties as introduced plant. 134 TRANSACTIONS. Chenopodium urbicum.—As a colonist only in Cheviotland. Galium tricorne.—Cheviotland, in corn and barley fields. Hippohae rhamnoides—In several Scotch counties, but planted. Lepidium latifolium.—Native in Northumberland ; as a casual north to Ross. Rosa rubiginosa.—Cheviotland and Cumberland, with the usual mark of introduction. Of late years there is a decided tendency to call this a native plant far northwards. Mr Druce says “as wild as the other roses” in Inverness ; and Mr P. Ewing finds it on rocks by the sea far from gardens in South Hebrides; and the Rey. E. 8. Marshall in Ross. Orobanche minor.—In Fife (Syme). Rosa systyla.—Cumberland. No good Scottish locality. Narcissus pseudo-narcissus.—Cumberland. Not truly wild in Scotland (Watson). I have omitted such species as Populus alba, Ulmus campestris, Ribes grossularia and nigrum, and Rubi, as no certain determina- tions can be come to with these. Stopping short in Tyneland (18). Myosurus minimus. Medicago maculata.—In Wigton (M‘Andrew). Reported for five other Scotch counties. Myriophyllum verticilliatum.—Not a plant of the extreme north, but in Sweden to Vesternorlands ; very rare in Norway. Bryonia dioica.—Reported from Ayr. A good example of Watson’s English type, although he calls it English-germanic. Apera spica-venti.—Although given by Paton, this plant is a southern type, doubtfully native north of Norfolk, Cambridge, and Bedford. Hordeum sylvaticum.—Although not a northern grass, yet it often grows with Triticam caninum, and where that occurs might be looked for. In Denmark, Southern Sweden, but not in Fin- land. Chenopodium glaucum.—Fife, not native, if anywhere (Syme). Chenopodium murale-—Better claim as a native than the last. Often found by the sea-side. Scrophularia aquatica.—New, north to Cheviotland, Berwick, and Edinburgh; this, or Erharti, surely will occur in the three counties. 0 K+ prs TRANSACTIONS. 135 Convallaria multiflora.—Recorded for Dumfries. Recorded as new to county by Mr Scott-Elliot in the last vol. of Trans- actions. In Norway, South Sweden, and Finland. Helleborus iuridis.—Very difficult to say where native, prob- ably only in the south of England. Laluca muralis.—Cumberland (Stirling) ; Perth (Miller) ; but probably not native. In Mid and South Norway, and Sweden north to Vesterbotton. Orchis ustulata.—Cumberland. In Denmark and Southern Sweden, but not in Finland; yet Herminium monorchis occurs there ; rarely in the Aland Isles. Tamus communis—Cumberland. General throughout all , England; but not recorded for any part of Scandinavia. It _ reaches Holland, but not Mecklenburgh. Cuscuta trifoliii—To Perth, only on clover. It is by no means confined to clover in the south. I have seen it on Lotus, and other leguminosis plants. Stopping short in Durham (31). Picris hieracoides. Roxburgh (Brotherston) ; as introduced. Daphne mezereum.—Native only in South England, but prob- ably sown by birds in the north. Cornus sanguinea.—Cumberland (wild). Stirling (Kidston). Generally dispersed over all Europe, except the extreme north. In Sweden and Norway; but seems to be a doubtful native in all its recorded Scottish stations. : Acer campestre.—Not accepted by Watson as a native of Scot- land, yet recorded for many stations and counties. It would be well to faithfully record its surroundings when found. Lysimachia nummularia.—I cannot see why this should not be native in Scotland, yet Watson doubts it. Carefully recorded stations, with all the characters of any dubious plants with them, are needed. Viola odorata.-_Mr Watson says that although seen by him in many counties, the only ones he could look upon it as native are Lincoln and Surrey. Hypericum montanum.—In Scotland in Ayr. In Sweden north to provinces of Upland and Vermland. In North and South _ Norway, but not in Finland or Northern Russia, but nearly gener- ally dispersed over Europe. A lover of dry, shady situations on limestones, 136 TRANSACTIONS. Mentha pulegium.—In Ayr (Duncan Cat), and Berwick (ong locality). Not recorded from Scandinavia Rhamnis catharticus.—Dumfries, 1843. Queried in Top. Botany. Reported for four other Scotch counties as an introduced plant. Polypodium caleareum.—Perth (Dr White). Reported also for North Aberdeen. Robert Dick also reported it for Caithness ; it has not been confirmed, but he was usually a careful recorder. Ophrys muscifera.—Westmoreland. There seems no reason why this plant should not reach Scotland. Norway, north to 67° N. latitude, and south. Sweden, from Scania north to Norland. In Finland in the Aland Isles, and the province of Carelia Onegensis. Colchicum autumnale-—Reported for Edinburgh and Perth. In Scandinavia, in Denmark only. Hottonia palustris— Westmoreland. Reported for Forfar (not reliable), Denmark, Sweden from Scania (generally) north to Geflleborgslan. Not in Finland. Linum perenne.—Kirkeudbright (M‘Andrew) ; Dumfries (Dr Davidson). In Kirkcudbright only. Reported from Edinburgh. Ligustrum vulgare—Now recorded for 13 Scotch counties north to Inverness (S. Grieve). Carduns eriophorus.—Reported from 6 Scottish counties, with doubt, not indigenous. Not in Scandinavia or Finland ; north Germany, central and east Russia. Onobrychis sativa.—Likely native to mid-England only, not — YW beyond. Hordeum maritimum,— Reported from Perth and Forfar ; given by Nyman as Scot. Not in Scandinavia or Finland, and rare in Slesvig and north Germany. Iris foctidissima.—Reported from Wigton, Ayr, and Clyde Isles. A species with a restricted distribution. England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy, elsewhere probably an escape. Butomus wnbellatus.--Reported from several Scottish coun- ties; a probable native in Perth (F. B. White); in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, very rare in Norway (Blytt, 1892). Hydrocharis morsus-rane.—Kdinburgh (an error ?), Denmark, Sweden, Scania, north to Gefleborgslan, Finland in 15 provinces. Ophrys apifera.—Reported from Lanark. ee TRANSACTIONS. 137 Specularia hybrida.— Has been gathered in Fife and Hadding- ton as a casual. : I have omitted mention of such plants as Cypripidium, Cacaulis daucoides, Bupleurum rotundifolium and tenuissimum, Papaver hybridum and Ranunculus paviflorus as not likely to be atives of Scotland. It will be seen that since 1868, the date of Baker’s Flora of Northumberland and Durham, that many records northwards have been made, hence it is interesting historically to review now and again the status of dubious native species in Scotland that “ thin out” rapidly northwards from the mid-English counties. In Dumfries, especially, a large number of alien species and escapes evidently occur; and, so much is this a feature of the flora, that care should be used to show these plants plainly as not natives or entering into the real flora of the county. 2.—Ornithological Notes for 1893. By Mr HucuH Mackay, Dumfries. Within the past twelve months several interesting specimens have come under my notice which are not altogether unworthy of note. The appearance of the quail in such unusual numbers in the _ district last summer is already too well known to require mention. During the months of July and August I received large numbers of owls from various parts of the country. The long-eared species were by far the most numerous, and from their emaciated condition it was not difficult to perceive that death was due to starvation, as scarcely one bird out of every dozen had been shot or trapped. _ This great mortality is attributed principally to the cessation of _ the vole plague, for when the voles were numerous the owls flocked from all parts of the country attracted by the abundant food supply. _ At first I was inclined to think that this mortality was due to ' some peculiar disease amongst the long-eared species, as the very few tawny and short-eared owls which were brought to me were in fairly good condition, and had been either shot or trapped. My theory, however, proved incorrect, as I afterwards learned that _ hundreds of owls had been found dead in other vole infested dis- tricts. Many of these birds were so emaciated that scarcely a _ particle of flesh remained upon the bones, and several which I as a % weighed averaged from four to six ounces, whereas the normal 138 TRANSACTIONS. weight is from ten to twelve ounces. The long-eared species is still the most numerous in the district, the tawny and short-eared species comes next, while the barn owl appears to be the scarcest of all. ; On the 19th of November Mr Hume, gunsmith, brought me a fine specimen of the shoveller duck (Spatula Clypeata), which had been sent him from the parish of Carlaverock. This species is chiefly a winter visitor, although a few remain with us all the year round. A specimen of the grey phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarious) was sent to me from Gribton on 24th November. Two or three speci- mens were obtained during the winter of 1892-93, but so far as I can learn the specimen referred to is the only one recorded during the past winter. A specimen of the Little Auk (Mergullus dalle) was found on the railway near Loch Skerrow on 20th December. About the same time a specimen was picked up in the streets of Sanquhar, © and another was found a month later on Eskdalemuir, near Lockerbie. All three specimens were obtained immediately after stormy weather. On the 3rd of February Mr Davidson, fisherman, sent me a beautiful adult male specimen of the red-breasted merganser (Mergus Serrator). Immature specimens are frequently met with in the Solway. It is on very rare occasions that adult male birds are found. Mr Turner gave me a specimen of the fork-tailed petrel (Procellaria leucorrhoa) to set up. It was caught in the nets on Carlaverock shore in the beginning of January. This species breeds on St. Kilda, and is known to many as the St. Kilda Petrel. About the end of February a specimen of the great grey shrike or butcher bird (Landus excubitor) was brought to me from Terregles village. It is two years since a specimen was recorded. A specimen of the common buzzard (Buteo vulgaris) was sent to me during the winter from Newabbey parish. These birds are annually becoming scarcer owing to the incessant war waged against them by gamekeepers, who imagine that the larger the bird the more harm it must do. Now, the common buzzard preys very little upon birds of any kind, its principal food being rats, mice, moles, and young rabbits. Indeed, the crop of the specimen referred to was distended with rabbit’s flesh when opened. Several ————————— TRANSACTIONS. 139 specimens were observed in the neighbourhood of Criffel last winter. ; Gullimots and young razorbills were exceptionally numerous last winter. Mr Turner informs me that he has not known them to be so plentiful for the last ten years. 3.— Words, new to me, collected from the Dumfriesshire Dialect during the last 30 years. By Mr JAMES SHAW, Tynron. The collection of words which I present has been gathered together at intervals, as opportunity presented, or as curi- osity stimulated. It is by no. means exhaustive; indeed, I believe that with attention the number of such words could easily be doubled. It is strange how few of them are to be found in the works of our more popular authors who have made us acquainted with Scotch characters and manners. The percentage of them in the “ Waverley Novels” is only five, and there are only two or three of them in the writings of Burns, and six or seven in Ramsay ; none, I think, in Fergusson, while a very few of them are found in Hislop’s “ Collection of Scottish Proverbs.” A few of them are in the writings of Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, _ but here I have not had the advantage of consulting a vocabulary to these works. The words here submitted may, to some extent, have been known in Renfrewshire, but they must either have become obsolete before my day, or been current in the parts of it away from those in which the first half of my life was spent. Now, while Dumfriesshire dialect has introduced me to a great many new words, it at the same time presents blanks by not con- taining many old words familiar to me in childhood. Indeed, the obverse side of the shield should contain a paper on words in Renfrewshire new to a Dumfriesshire man. I fear, however, that unless work of this kind is attended to at an early date the crop will be a poor one. National education is upon us, and words not in the English dictionaries are treated as so much base coin. Powerful influences are at work in favour of the exclusive use of reputable words, and one of the most powerful of all is the open derision or suppressed laugh which assails the unfortunate indi- _ vidual who trips in his talk, and substitutes a word from the native tu 4 - : _Porie for one that has the patronage of the schoolmaster. It is a mh Le 140 TRANSACTIONS. well for us that we have in Dr Jamieson’s “ Scotch Dictionary ” such an excellent collection. Testing this collection by the words I have gathered, I am astonished, not so much at a few omissions as at the laborious and exhaustive collation he has made. Gene- rally when I got a new word I opened his dictionary, and with a little painstaking I found it in some form or other there. With a few words my search was long-continued. Dialect is not under reins like the Queen’s English. It runs a good deal loose at its own free will. Gaelic scholars tell us a Skye man could scarcely make himself intelligible in the Isle of Arran, nor a native of Sutherland understand the patois of Breadalbane. It is the same with the dialects of English. Consonantal and vowel changes, depending on Grimm’s law and on multiform divergent circum- stances, changes like those so admirably discussed in Piele’s intro- duction to Greek and Latin etymology are to be met with. Thus I look for Feume, and I get it under Veem; I look for Rauner, and get it under Rander ; for Haizard, and it is written Rizzard ; for Witter, and it is under O¢ter; for Kenshes, meaning ‘ favours,” and I get it under Avnchis, a kind of rope ; and just in the middle of the discussion on ropes, one of its meanings is ‘‘ unexpected advantages,” which I believe is my Kezches thus cavalierly dis- posed of. My Gameril is entered Cameril. Yaupish, meaning “hungry,” is entered Yage or Yap. Terminal d jumps in and out. The consonant 7 is of mercurial temperament, and you cannot predicate on which side of the vowel it will be found. In rare cases initial letters or syllables disappear, as Zoush for Cartouche, and Orts for Worts. As for vowels, you are pretty much in the position of the student of those Hebrew manuscripts, which have none. Peile says that there is much reason to believe Indo- Europeans begun with one vowel only, the sound of a in father, which has become, by the law of least action, the father of the other vowels that require a very little less stress to articulate. In the Scotch dialect a often betrays a tendency to escape from itself ; e and z change places, and altogether hardly a single district abides exactly by the vowel sounds of another. As to etymology, I have, with very few exceptions, let that alone. My impres- sion is that the study of dialects proves there is no Scottish nation distinct from English. The Anglo-Saxon in both countries speak dialectical varieties of the same language. I believe there are more words of Celtic origin in the dialect of Renfrewshire than in TRANSACTIONS. 141 that of Dumfriesshire. Zawune/, a bonfire; Oe, grandchild; and even Seltane, denoting Whitsunday, are quite unknown, so far as I have enquired, to our Tynron shepherds ; while several Dumfries- shire words not current in Renfrewshire are known in the north of England, or may be found in old English books. As to the sentimental notion that owing to the long alliance of Scotland and France we have derived many words from French, that notion must be received with caution. Max O’Rell, in “ Friend Macdonald,” gives a list of about forty of these words, a list neither complete nor correct, as it can be shown that great part of them are old English words, some still known to the English peasantry, and going back to the days of Chaucer. I fancy that when words become to be despised as vulgar they have a tendency to be put to humbler uses. The words drisket, the “ breast,” faiple or frple, the “under lip,” and graith, “clothes,” are instances of this tendency. I seldom hear these words applied to human beings. The brisket of a sheep, the firpl/e of a horse, and graith, equivalent to ‘‘ harness,” are still current. “Dont tell me I have Zugs, said the schoolboy ; “‘ naebody but a cuddy-ass has Zugs.” Another peculiarity in my list is one which might be expected ; by far the greater part of the words are monosyllables. Jawbreakers seem to have been avoided by our peasantry. A few words supplied me by correspondents, but which I have not myself heard uttered, _ are marked “ communicated.” Ces =. Ae Adderbeads, small round stones supposed to have been formed by adders. Beads from prehistoric graves, made of dark glass. . Aval or Avil, not spelt with v in Jamieson, but with w, as Awald or Awalt. The Dumfriesshire pronunciation agrees with the history of the word. I have heard it used by our shepherds. A sheep lying on its back and unable to right itself was said to have fa’en avil. I believe it was applied to men lying supine when intoxicated, and evena man dying lying on his back was said to die avil, vide Jamieson. Brachet, the ablest French philo- logist, traces the French word aval, meaning “ down stream,” to the Latin ad vallem, used of a river flowing vale-wards. Its _ Opposite is ad montem, meaning towards the hill. The verb avaler, literally “ to go aval,” signified at first to descend, then became ‘Testricted to “to swallow.” From aval comes the word avalanche, 142 TRANSACTIONS. literally a mass of snow which slides towards the vale. The word was introduced from Switzerland. When in the vale of Chamouni I heard the avalanche, “ that thunder-bolt of snow,” I thought how strangely the Swiss and Scotch shepherds were connected by this word, one may say, in the mouths of both. It is not in Scott, Burns, Ramsay, nor Fergusson. Atherbell, or in Tynron, Etherbell, the dragon-fly. Halliwell informs us that in the Isle of Wight the sting or bite of a dragon- fly is supposed to be as venomous as that of a snake, and there the local name is snake-stanger. So the Dumfries Etherbell also has reference to the snake or adder. Ark, a large chest for holding corn or meal ; E. English word. In Renfrewshire we had no arks, save these mentioned in the Bible. In my own kitchen I have an ark with a partition, the one part holding oatmeal, the other flour.—* Waverley Novels.” B. Bairge or Baird, to scold. Bask, hard, dry. A bask day is a day with a withering wind. Bat, state or condition. The two are about a bat—i.e., about the same. Bee, a hoop or ring of metal put round the foot of a staff to keep it from splitting up. To Beit or Beit, to help or mend by making addition. To beit a fire, to mend it ; to beit a dyke, to make it higher. Burns uses the word in the “ Cottar’s Saturday Night ”—‘Or noble Elgin beats the heavenward flame.” Chaucer uses the word in the sense of mending a fire. Berthy, fruitful. A plant, such as a rose, full of vitality and blossom is said to be berthy. Bensel, force, violence, applied to a wild, stormy day, such a day is said to be a bensel day. In N.E. bensel means to bang or beat. Benner-gowan. 1 have heard this name applied to the fever- few of our gardens. Berry, to thrash corn, or man, or child. In the Galloway poem of Aiken Drum, the Brownie says— q T'll berry your crops by the light of the moon. In the N. of England the thrasher is a berrier, and the flail the berrying instrument. Pee TRANSACTIONS. 143 Basket-hinger, the gold-crested wren. Communicated. Bilter, a child. This meaning is widely spread, butit appears to mean a minnow in Dumfriesshire. Perhaps a generalised idea of “a little one.” However, in Renfrewshire a thriving child was a “big: bilter.” Black-dookers, a Galloway word for Cormorants. Brass, used in Dumfriesshire for money—in Renfrewshire tin. Also, in former it means “ coppers.” Vide Matthew’s gospel. Bowin, to take the lease of a farm in grass with the live stock on it. Blaud, to strike. Bus, a cow-stall, N. of England, pron. Boose. Billy, brother. ‘‘ Waverley.” Allan Ramsay. Bink, a bench,along form used inschools. Allan Ramsay. Bit, used for place. Have you gota new bit? Have you got a new place or situation ? Bleeze-money, money presented to the teacher at Candlemas. tome old people recollect when candles were lighted as a part of the ceremony. Boiler, this is the common word for kettle. Bluidy-fingers, fox-gloves ; in Renfrewshire called Dead-men’s bells. . Baul or Bauld, we would imagine this to be a variation of the English word bold, which once spelled bald, but the meaning is different. “Are you bauld?” signifies “Are you in good | health? Are you strong?” There is an old French word bauld, _ later baud, meaning gay, pleased, content, which may put in for , the origin of ours. . Breem, to burn with desire. East England word. Brisket, the breast, oftener of dead animals exposed for sale. Brisky, a chaffinch ; also, Brichtie. Communicated. Bull dairy, a wild orchis. Brand, a contemptuous name for a worthless person. Pos- sibly a variant of brat. Buist, to stamp sheep with the owner’s initials. Bullisters, the fruit of the bullace tree. Butterblobs, what James Hogg calls Lucken-gowans, the - plant Trollius Europaeus. Beds, hop-scotch. The circular slate driven by the foot is called the bed-stane, but in Renfrewshire the game is known as 144 TRANSACTIONS. the Peeverals and the stone the Peever, a word not given in Jamieson, but evidently allied to the Dumfries peefer, q.v. Burnbecker, the dipper or water-pyat. Communicated. Bullfit, the house-martin or swift. Communicated. Bullering, making a noise, as with gurgling water in the mouth, more generally being rude and noisy or forward. Applied metaphorically to the quick bursting of buds by heat and rain, and to a great growth. “ Everythings bullering out.” Blearie, a buttermilk gruel. Probably from an older word blear, thin ; given in Jamieson. Burble, a state of confusion. Braxy, of or belonging to sheep that have died. C. Cair or Ker, the left hand ; Renfrewshire caury. Caumstane, white stone for rubbing and marking the stone floor; slate-pen, which is called by my scholars caum.—‘ Waver- _ ley Novels.” Carritch, catechism used by Burns. Cashie, soft, succulent, delicate. Cawker, the sharpened under part of a horse’s shoe. I sup- pose you know the slang word cawker, a dram. Charkers or Cherkers, crickets. In Chaucer chirking means a disagreeable sound. Clink, alert. He was clink at it. Clyre, a gland in meat. Crony, a potato. In Clarke’s poem on the potato, often attri- buted to Burns.—Moniaive, 1801. Cleps, the handle of a pot. Creuzie, a long ladle for melting lead in. The lead was poured out of it into moulds or caulms for shot when country people had assembled for the purpose of shooting for a pig, the best shots securing the best parts of the animal. The word is also in use for a flat hat worn by women something like a sun- bonnet. A stand with three legs upholding a lamp. Cundy, a small opening to carry off water. Sometimes a rabbit-hole is called a cundy ; evidently from conduit. Curmas or Kirmas, a quarrel ; evidently from skirmish. Cameril, a stick crooked so as to be inserted between the hind legs of a carcase when hung up. TRANSACTIONS. 145 Choops, the heps of the wild rose. In Renfrewshire the hairy seeds inside were called lice from the irritation they caused if they came in contact with the skin. Crock, an old ewe. In the south of England this is called a crone. A croaker in Renfrewshire was a slang word for a dead person or animal. Channel Stones, curling stones. This word points more directly to the origin of the game. Crones, the small berries of the cranberry ; evidently cor- rupted from cran, which in turn is from crane. Cipher, a useless, diminutive person ; usually-expressed ‘“‘He’s a useless cipher.” Cleuch, a valley, two steep hills. It is called a clough in N. Eng. Chun, a term applied to the sprouts or germs of barley, but, as I have heard it, to the shoots of potatoes when they begin to spring in the heap. To chun potatoes is to nip off these shoots. Crottle, small fragments. The dry lichen of the stone dykes, apt to stick to clothes laid on them. Crot or Crut, a short person.—s. Ayrshire. Curbody, active courtship. Jamieson gives the following illustration of it—‘ She threw water at him and he an apple at her, and so they began curbody ”—a lover’s quarrel. Cladscore, twenty-one sheep sold at the price of twenty. Capernoity, irritable. D. . Dass, a column of the hay stack. Hogg, ‘“ Brownie of Bled- noch,” calls a dass a grassy turf growing in a stream. ; Dabbies, shortbread for the Lord’s Supper. Daiman, rare, occasional. Burns’ mouse says : A sma’ request. Daiver ye, confound ye. Perhaps allied to the Ayrshire Taivert, stupid. Darg, a day’s work. There is a field in Tynron parish known as the four-darg ; that is, it takes four days to plough it. Jamie- _ son considers it a corruption of a day wark. In Scott and Burns. : Deaf, without vegetable life. Deaf coals don’t burn easily. : A daiman icker in a thrieve’s ; Dead man’s creesh, Oenanthe crocata, water hemlock. 146 TRANSACTIONS, Debate, struggle. He made a great debate, i.e., he struggled well and kept up his head. In Chaucer it means to fight ; and Gibbon calls the wars of the Crusades the World’s Debate. Deck of cards, Moniaive. In Mark Twains “ Huckleberry Finn ” we read of ‘an old ratty deck of cards.” Deer’s hair, the scirpus growing on the hills. Dock, the following entry is in Jamieson :— Dock, a pub- lic walk or promenade in Dumfriesshire on the banks of the Nith.” Donneries, clothes’ moths. I have not heard the word, but give it on the authority of Mr R. Armstrong, Thornhill. Doddy or Doddet, without horns. N.E. Scot. Dollop, quantity. ‘*‘ The whole dollop,” whole piece. Drachty, designing, cunning. Draw-moss, the sheathed cotton grass. Dooth, shady. The dooth side of the hill is the side towards the north. Dymond, a wether of the second or third year. Daised, having lost its strength; daised wood, rotten wood ; a daised sack, one ready to burst into holes. Daised, meaning stupid, is not a local word. Dazed bread in N. Eng. means dough-bread, and dazed meat. meat badly roasted. Dyooks, Dumfriesshire for ducks. Dryne, driven, used by old shepherds. ‘“ Have you ever dryne sheep over that road.” Duffel, the name of a woollen cloth, dyed blue or various colours, used in Dumfriesshire for petticoats, and in Renfrewshire for cloaks or mantles for women. My mother’s aunt had a duffel mantle, which she usually called her duffel. E. Ebb, shallow, narrow. Eizel or Azle, a hot ember, a cinder. To Ely or Ailie, to disappear, to vanish. Fild yows, Renfrewshire yell yows, ewes that are barren. Ein, Dumfriesshire contraction for even. “ Draw the line ein,” z.e., draw the line even. F. Fawns, rough wet places on the hills ; white spots on moor- ish or mossy ground. On the stone set up to commemorate the TRANSACTIONS. ; 147 shooting of two Covenanters near where the parishes of Penpont, Tynron, and Dalry join at an elevation of 1500 feet, it is stated that the martyrs were shot on the adjoining Fawns of Altry. * Faildyke, a wall built of sods. Fern-year, last. year. In Chaucer ferne means “ before.” Allan Ramsay. 5S. Ayrshire. Feil, soft and smooth and warm. An unfeil day is an un- comfortable day. A feil hand is a smooth, warm hand. Feat, in the ballad of “ Aitken Drum” we are told of a new- fangled wife fond of a’ things feat, in the sense of nice, exact. In Shakespeare’s ‘‘ Tempest” we have the comparative degree, ‘‘ Look how my garments sit upon me much feater than before.” Allan Ramsay. Burns. Feuing, working or attempting. ‘“ He’s feuing well at the mawing,” He’s making a good beginning. Flauchter-spade, a long two-handed spade for working with in the peat moss. Ramsay. Flichen, anything small or light, as flichens of soot. To Fleg, to fly from place to place. Firple, the Renfrewshire faiple, under lip (more frequently of a horse). Fitchet, the pole cat. This is an old English word spelt fit- chew. Itis in Shakespeare. The original meaning is “ the beast that smells bad.” Flosh,aswamp,abog. In this sense it is employed in the title of a popular English novel, “‘ The Mill on the Floss.” Flosh is the name of a place near Gasstown, Dumfriesshire. Foy, an entertainment to a person about to leave a place.— * Waverley Novels.” Fow, a pitch pork. Flake, a bar. Fow or Fooze, the house-leek. In the “‘ Waverley Novels” it is spelt Fouats. frem or Fremmit, strange, foreign. This is one of the Dum- friesshire words used by Burns. It is also used by Ramsay and Scott. Burns says—‘‘ And mony a friend that kissed his cup is now a fremit wight.” Vide the Five Carlines. So that it was employed by the poet after his residence in Dumfries. The word is spelt fremde in Chaucer, and fremed in Shakespeare. The sense these is the same. Ramsay. 148 TRANSACTIONS. Flapperbags, butter-burs. Friggle, to work vainly, to work at trifles. Fleem. I was surprised to hear this word used in the sense of phlegm, spume, but my surprise ceased when it was found as far back as in Chaucer. foisonach or Fushloch, waste straw, dried grass, chips of wood, or refuse of that sort. forthy, in good condition, applied to cattle, Fettel, condition. G. Gaishon, a skeleton; a word found in James Hogg’s writings. It also means extremely emaciated. Gairies, steep, rough rocks; gair means side in the Scotch ballad of “ Burd Helen.” Gair seems to mean a rough place in the “‘ Brownie of Blednoch.” Gangers, people afoot coming home from church in contrast to those in vehicles. Gow, to flaunt about, to coquette. A gowf is a foolish gigglet ; Chaucer gofish, foolish. Gellock, an iron lever or crow-bar. Gellock, the earwig ; Renfrewshire gullacher. Giyl, the gable ; Renfrewshire gavel. ° Ged, a pike ; an old English word allied to goad. The names both of pike and ged are suggested by the shape of its snout. Gill, a leech. Gled or Buzzard-gled, the buzzard.—Communicated. Giff, a short sleep, a short while, a fright. Galligaskins, rig-and-fur woollen coverings for the legs.— “ Bennett’s Tales of Nithsdale.” Groozle, to speak huskily. Gaubert, a domestic cock that does not crow or lead out the hens gallantly. Gorrach, to crowdy, or to mix porridge with milk, or to make mud pies. ‘“ What are you gorraching there for in the dirt?” is addressed to a child. Gunner, the yellow-hammer.—Communicated. Goan, a wooden dish for holding porridge. Gorlings, nestlings ; in Renfrewshire Scuddies. This interest- ing word is allied to English girl and French garcon. Originally — =_——_— —— anaes SA TRANSACTIONS. : 149 both girl and garcon were applied to young persons of either sex. —Ramsay. Gib, or Gibby, a male cat. It is used in this sense in Shakes- peare. In Renfrewshire it was a tom cat. Grizzle, a gooseberry. Grain, the branch of a tree. Gryce, a pig. Found in Allan Ramsay, and in several of our Scotch proverbs. Only used by old people. Perhaps the swine- cry, gussy gussy, may be a degenerate descendant of gryce. Grushach, glowing embers ; a fire made by heaping peats on coals; a fine glowing fire which is intended to last for an hour or two.—‘‘ Waverley Novels.” Grool, the ground refuse of coal or other material. ‘To sweep out the grool” is to clean the outhouse. Guddle, to catch fish with the hand. Hogg gave the variant, goupart. ise Hurley Hurley, or Hurley Hawkie, a cry to cattle to bring them home from the field to be milked. Hurchin, an urchin or hedgehog. Skeat traces the word to the Latin orrere to bristle, so that the initial A of the original is retained in Dumfriesshire. Hempie, the hedge-sparrow.—Communicated. To Harp, to riddle ; evidently suggested by the shape of the instrument used in riddling or separating sand and gravel, which is of an oblong shape, containing wires enclosed in a wooden frame. Fleather-bleet, the mire-snipe. ffefted, domiciled, as of sheep that have got used to their pasture. Hewl, a cross-grained person. Hiindberries, raspberries. Known as such through N.E. In Chaucer a hine means a farm-servant. FZirsel, a flock of sheep. fod or Hud, the back of the fire-place built of stone or clay somewhat like a seat ; applied now to the spaces on each side. Hoshens, Renfrewshire Huggers; stocking-legs used as gaiters in snowy weather. 150 TRANSACTIONS. Hut, a square basket, which opened at the bottom for carry- ing manure into the fields—only known to old people, and that as a tradition. Hlummings, what is chafed and left by rats or other rodents. ‘“‘ Give the wean a hum.” Chew a piece and feed it therewith. Fech-Kechan, making much ado about little. 1 Innerlie, situated in the interior or more populous part of the district, snug, not exposed. Infestuous, extraordinary. fs Jenny-spinner (Renfrewshire: Jennynettle), crane-fly. Jib, to milk closely. K. Karson or Kerses, the lady’s smock or cuckoo flower. I don’t care a curse—7.e., I don’t care a kerse. Kain, part of farm rent paid in kind. This word occurs in the weird old ballad of Tamlane. It is used by Scott, Ramsay. Kades, sheep-ticks. Kerk, to scold or nag. Keelie, the kestrel hawk. In Glasgow keelie is a low word for “ thief.” Kent, a walking staff, a cudgel.—‘* Waverley Novels.” Keestless, tasteless, insipid. Ket, irascible, quick tempered. Kinvaig, a small plaid. So says Bennett’s ‘Tales of Upper Nithsdale.” I have not met the word. To Kist, to enclose in a coffin. Kir, cheerful, fond, confidential. Kyaugh or Kyaught, anxiety. Mayne’s “ Siller Gun.” Kyaw, jackdaw. Kyloes, Highland cattle. “ Waverley Novels.” Kedgy, brisk, lively, amorous, E. English word. Kenches, favours. In Jamieson entered Kinsches, ‘“‘ unexpected advantages.” ‘Waverley Novels.” Kink, to twist a rope. Kink, a twist in a rope. In Brockett’s * Glossary of N.E. Country Words.” Sa ee eee TRANSACTIONS. 151 li Laggan-gird, the hoop securing the bottom of a wooden vessel, Yo Lair, to stick in the mud or snow. In Renfrewshire the word is applied to the piece of ground one purchases in a church- yard or cemetery. Lovenanty, O strange ! Led farm, a farm held along with another,—« Waverley Novels.” Let day, a day when you have little to do. To Leam nuts, to separate the bunch of hazel nuts from the husk, To Leep, to heat. Leemt, par-boiled. To Leese, to pass a coil of rope through the hand unwinding or winding it up again. Liggat, a wooden gate, Lunkie, a hole ina dyke left for the passage of sheep, filled up with thorns when inconvenient. Loper, to coagulate ; loper snow, snow in a state of slush. In Renfrewshire the word is laper, and only applied to blood. Launer, a laundrymaid. M. Mankeeper, newt. Because it is believed that it waits on the adder to warn man of his danger.—Jamieson. Merve or Mervy, ripe, applied to apples when they aro sweet and mellow. To Mein, to pity, to bemoan. A mistlie thing, a useful thing which it is awkward to be without. Moidart, stupid. Mochrum elders, cormorants. Communicated. Mow or Mou, a heap of corn. Minnie, most frequently applied to the mother of a lamb. Mai, in Dumfriesshire a door mat, called in Renfrewshire a bass; whereas in Renfrewshire a mat meant a thick woollen covering for the bed, generally wrought into a pattern, 152 TRANSACTIONS. N. Nups, the cloudberry. We have Nupberry hill in Closeburn —well named, for there the plant grows. Niddle, to work quickly with the fingers. Nibbie, a walking staff, a shepherd’s crook. Nightingales, moths. Communicated. Nocket, a luncheon. Nap, a wooden dish. In Renfrewshire “to take your nap off one ” is to befool him. Notour, notorious. Avowedly persisted in in spite of warn- ing. Bennett’s ‘‘ Tales of Nithsdale.” 0. Oon, apparently a contraction of oven, but applied to a large shallow pan with suitable lid in which the guidwives make loaves. Glowing peats are heaped on the top of the lid. PB; Parrock, a small enclosure in which a ewe is confined when it is desired that she take to a lamb not her own. Pensy, conceited. Ramsay.—“ Waverley Novels.” Paidle, a stake net. Communicated. Peps, cherry stones. Pingy, cold, not able to endure cold. Plut or plout, to put down with a plump. A farmer’s wife being irritated one morning at the servants grumbling to sup por- ridge out of the same dish took the pet, I was told, and plutted a lot here and a quantity there along the wooden table in front of each of the grumblers. Fettles,feet. This word occursin Clark of Glencairn’s Poems, 1801. Picked calf, a dead born calf. To prevent this mishap intro- duce a billy-goat into the byre. Peefer or Pyfer, to whimper, to complain. A Peefering body, « trifling person. Pingle, a small tin goblet with a long handle, a pan. Piskie, dry, shrivelled ; applied to grass or to the hair of cattle. Pry, the carnation carex ; esteemed as an early feeding grass. Puist, bien, m easy circumstances. TRANSACTIONS, 153 Puddock-spit. Renfrewshire cuckoo-spit. The froth secreted on stalks of grass around a small immature insect. Pumiose, by Tynron peasantry takes the place of Primrose. Jamieson has Pumrock. Putiock, a worthless species of hawk.—Shakespeare. Kirk- cudbright, Craigenputtock—a place-name. Pouts and poultry come from the same root. Q. Quickens, couch-grass, allied to the old English word quick, living, used in the Creed, and here applied to this grass, whose vitality is marked. “Iam cut to the quick” means to the parts which are very sensitive, very much alive to the pain. R. Ramps, allium ursinum. This is an old English word. An old English word for March was Lide. Eat leeks in Lide, and ramsins in May, And all the year after physicians may play. Raskill or Rascal, a young deer. This is Shakespeare’s word fora young deer. In Tynron we have Mount Raskill, which I submit is ‘ Deer Hill.” Reeves, or, as itis pronounced in Renfrewshire, Ree, a perma- nent sheep fold surrounded with a wall of stone and feal. In Ren- _ frewshire an enclosed place for coal—the coal ree. Ree also means in Renfrewshire half drunk. Refeir, ‘to the refeir,” in proportion. “The cook has as much work to the reifer as has the tablemaid.” Ressum or Reisum, a fragment, a small quantity. Rice or Ryss, brushwood. And thereupon he had a gay surplice, As white as is the bloom upon the rise.—Chaucer. , Rittocks, the refuse of tallow when it is first melted or strained. Rookits, balls of minced meat or fish with bread crumbs. Rizzard, to dry, to bleach clothes. In Renfrewshire the word was haizard. “This is a fine day for haizarding the clothes.” Rizzered in the Waverley Novels means half-salted, half-dried ° fish. 7 154 TRANSACTIONS. Rizzards, currants. (Sanquhar.) Road-riddens or Road-ribbens, stuff cleared off the road and banked up on the side. Rime or Rine, the Dumfriesshire word for hoar frost. Ayr- shire cranreuch. It can be shown that the two words are vari- ants from the same root. Anglo-Saxon spelt it with an initial 2. Curtius connects hrim with the Greek krumos frost. Rile, Dumfriesshire contraction for ravle, Renfrewshire. To rile worset, to entangle it. Rip, a regardless fellow. Ragabus, a tatterdemalion, a vagabond. Rien, contraction for riven. ; Rackingwage, too great a wage. Comp. EH. rack-rent. Red land, ploughed land, so called by many who know it is not red. Vide Gladstone’s misconceptions of Homeric inability to distinguish colour, founded on paucity of Homeric colour-names. In old Scotch ballads the fox and yellow gold are red. S. . Sad, firm, steady. ‘The jelly is sad enough.” It means grave or steady in Chaucer. Scart, the Cormorant—of Gaelic origin. ‘“ Waverley Novels.” Scowder, to scorch. Shore, to shore a dog on; to hound on a dog to cattle or sheep, perhaps with the intention of dividing the flock into separate parts. To shie, to start, as of a horse at a strange object. H.H. Shott, an ill-grown ewe. Slid, slippery. Shoddie, a baby’s shoe. Shine, to fling or throw violently. In Renfrewshire a shine was a quarrel. Shog-bog, a quaking moss-bog. Shilbands, cart tops. Shyle, to make wry faces. Renfrewshire, showl. Sit, applied to any piece of crockery or furniture. These sit in Dumfriesshire, but stand in Renfrewshire. Scoory, disreputable in appearance. Sparttanus, in his life of Hadrian (ch. XVI), says :—“ He was a very intimate friend of the philosophers, Epictetus and Heliodorus.” é Themistius (Oratio ad Jovianum) says:—“Thus also the } fathers of your kingdom honoured the ancestors of this art— Augustus, the famous Arius; Tiberius Thrasylus; the great Trajan Dio, the golden-tongued ; the two Antonines Epictetus.” This statement of Themistius as well as that of Suidas, that Epictetus lived to the reign of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, is _ *In the margin of one of his manuscripts, at I., 8, 14, Schweighaeuser found _ this note :—‘‘ That Epictetus had been wounded on the leg and was lame, the _ Theologus has also mentioned.” This term was applied both to St. John and _ Gregory by the early Christians. 70 Transactions. absurd. M. Antoninus, in his “ Meditations” (I., 7), says :— “T owe to Rusticus that I read the commentaries of Epictetus which he communicated to me out of his own library.” He also quotes from his ‘ Discourses” several times. The only acquaintance the Antonines could have had with the philosopher was with his books, and there is no evidence that the elder Antonine had any knowledge even of them. The popularity of this philosopher is attested by Origen (lib. VWI. adversus Celsum) :—‘‘ Therefore we can see that Plato is in the hands of those who are esteemed learned ; but Epictetus is admired by the ordinary folk, and by those who have a desire of improving, since they feel that they become better from his discourses.” These are all the materials which we have for a life of Epictetus. He was born about the middle of the first century at Hierapolis, in Phrygia, about five miles north of Laodicea, between the Meander and its branch the Lycus. It is mentioned by St. Paul in Colossians IV., 13, as the seat of a Christian Church. It has been conjectured that the parents of Epictetus were poor, and that they sold their boy into slavery. But whether this were so or not, one of the few facts we know of him is that he was a slave in Rome, and that his master was the notorious Epaphroditus. This man was a favourite freedman of Nero mentioned by Tacitus (Annals XV., 55). He is called by Suetonius a libellis, the officer whose duty it was to receive petitions. He was one of the four men who accompanied Nero in his flight, and he it was who assisted him to commit suicide (Suetonius’ “Life of Nero,” 49 ch.). For this service to his lord, he was many years after put to death by Domitian (Suetonius’ “ Life of Domitian,” 14—Dio Cassius 67, 14). It has been erroneously supposed by some that he was identical with the Epaphroditus whom St. Paul in Philippians IJ., 25, calls ““my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need.” He has also been ideatified with the Epaphroditus to whom Josephus dedicated his works ; but this is impossible, as the latter Epaphroditus was alive and in office under Trajan. Grotius says he was a freedman and procurator of that emperor. We do not know much about Epaphroditus, the secretary of Nero, and the master of Epictetus. He seems to have placed his slave under the tuition of one or more philosophers at Rome, as we find that Epictetus attended the lectures of Musonius Rufus, a famous Stoic philosopher. Some interesting remarks were communicated BH tp Transactions. 71 to Schweighaeuser by Garnier, the author of a “ Memoire sur les Ouvrages d’Epictéte” :—“ Epictete dut apparemment les avantages dune éducation distinguée a la fantaisie qu ’avaient sur la fin de la République, et sous les premiers Empereurs, les grands de Rome de compter parmi leurs nombreux esclaves desGrammairiens, des Poétes, des Rheteurs et des Philosophes, dans le méme esprit et les mémes vues qui ont porté de riches financiers dans ces derniers siécles 4 former 4 grands fraix de riches et de nombreuses Bibliothéques. Cette supposition est la seule qui puisse nous expliquer, comment un malheureux enfant, né pauvre comme Irus, avoit regu une éducation distinguée, et comme un Stoicien rigide se trouvoit étre esclave d’ Epaphrodite, |’un des officiers de la garde Impériale. Car on ne soupgonnera pas, que ce fut par prédilection pour la doctrine Stoique, et pour son propre usage, que le confident et le ministre des débauches de Néron, efit été curieux de se procurer un pareil esclave.” It is assumed that Epictetus was manumitted by his master Epaphroditus ; but there is no statement to this effect to be found. At anyrate, by some means or other, he obtained his freedom, and began to teach in Rome. But in a.p. 89 Domitian expelled the philosophers from Italy (see Tacitus, Agricola 2 ; Suetonius, Domitian 10 ; Dio Cassius 67-13; Gellius 15-11), and he retired to Nicopolis, in Epirus, where he opened a school of philosophy, and lectured till he was an old man. Nicopolis was a city which had been built by Augustus to commemorate the victory at Actium (see Suetonius’ ‘“‘ Octavian,” 18). The fact that Epictetus taught at Nicopolis is stated by Suidas and Gellius ; and Spartian says against all probability that he was a familiar friend of the Emperor Hadrian ; but nothing is said about his ever returning to Rome. There are frequent allusions in the ‘ Discourses” to Nicopolis as his place of residence. Here it was that Arrian became his disciple, and took down in S wri ting his lectures, which form the “ Discourses.” Like Socrates, Epictetus wrote nothing, and just as for our knowledge of the doctrines of the former we are indebted to his disciples, Plato and Xenophon, so we owe our knowledge of those of the latter to Arrian, afterwards the historian of Alexander the Great. He himself says in the epistle to Lucius Gellius which forms the preface to the “ Discourses” :—‘‘ Neither did I compose the ‘Discourses’ of Epictetus in the way a man might compose such _ things ; nor did I publish them myself, for I assert that I did not OE LLNS 72 Transactions. even compose them. But whatever I heard him say, the same I tried to write down in the very words as nearly as possible, in order to preserve them as memorials for myself in the future of his reasoning and freedom of speech. Accordingly they are naturally such remarks as a man would address to another, speaking without previous preparation, not such discourses as a man would compose that afterwards they might be read by others.” CONVERSAZIONHE, January 24, 1895. Invitations were issued to the members and their friends to a conversazione to be held in Free St. George’s Hall, and they responded in large numbers. The hall was carpeted and taste- fully draped for the occasion, and tea tables were dotted about it. As the members of the company entered they were individually introduced to Sir James Crichton-Browne, president of the Association ; and then, grouping themselves around the little tables or moving about among acquaintances, had tea and cakes handed round to them. This was followed by a short programme of instrumental music. Miss Andson, Miss Hamilton, Victoria Road, and Miss Stark, Woodlea, played selections on the pianoforte ; and Mr Hume and Mr Dearlove on the violin and pianoforte. The greater part of the evening was given up to an address by the President and a lecturé by him on “ Emotional Expression,” which was profusely illustrated with photographs displayed by means of the limelight lantern, under the direction of Dr Maxwell Ross. Dr Chinnock, secretary of the Society, apologised for the absence of Mr Thomas M‘Kie and Mr W. J. Maxwell, M.P., two of the vice-presidents ; and stated that he had the very pleasing duty of introducing their distinguished president, Sir James Crichton-Browne. (Cheers.) Sir James Crichton-Browne, who was cordially cheered, said : Ladies and gentlemen, I am afraid before the evening is ended you will have heard more than enough of the sound of my voice. T shall, therefore, as briefly as possible, discharge the first duty assigned to me by the Council of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, and in their name bid you welcome to this conversazione. (Cheers.) And in dis- charging that duty, I would embrace the opportunity it affords Transactions. 73 me of thanking the members of that Society who may be here present for the honour they have done me in placing me in the presidential chair—an honour which I am sure I owe to their kindness and generosity, and not to any services which I have myself rendered to the Society. The fact that I am the only Fellow of the Royal Society of London at the present time connected with the south of Scotland perhaps suggested my selection for the office. But, however that may be, I do assure you that I regard it as a great honour to occupy a position for a time of which the first occupant was that distinguished ornitho- logist, the late Sir William Jardine of Applegirth—(cheers)—a position which has been filled since his time by a succession of able and worthy men,-each having some special claim to local recognition. I regard it as a great honour to preside even for a short season over a Society that during the last thirty years has held aloft the lamp of scientific culture and antiquarian research in this town and district. I am told that it was on the 20th of November, 1862—just thirty-two years ago—that the Dumfries. shire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society was called into existence, chiefly owing to the initiative of the late Dr James Gilchrist, one of the most genial and accomplished and loveable men whom I have ever met, and who, had he been able to devote himself to pure science, would certainly have attained to the highest eminence. (Cheers.) Dr Gilchrist drew around him a coterie of kindred spirits, believers like himself in the advantages of scientific culture—men like Mr Aird, Mr M‘Dowall, Mr Gibson, the Rev. Mr Goold, Dr Dickson, Dr Grierson, of Thornhill—and it was by these men, banded together into a preliminary committee, that this Society was launched and started on that voyage which it has since very prosperously pursued, which I hope it will long continue to pursue, and upon which [ am sure we shall all wish it God-speed. (Cheers.) I should weary you were I to attempt to rehearse the excellent work that has been done by this Society since the first paper was read—a paper on the Scutellaria Minor by that veteran botanist, the Rev. Mr Fraser, of Colvend. (Cheers.) Indeed, it is not needful that I,should attempt any such rehearsal, for the work of the Society is chronicled in a form that is accessible to all of you in the admirable Transactions _ published from time to time. I will only say of these Transactions that while, of course, they vary in merit from paper to paper and 10 74 Transactious. from number to number, they seem to me to have generally embodied a vast amount of valuable observations. They seem to me to have been animated by the true scientific spirit, a genuine earnest love of truth ; and they seem to me to have maintained a high standard of scientific excellence. These Transactions, at anyrate, have rescued from sheer oblivion and neglectfulness many interesting memorials of our ancestors in these parts ; they have supplied us with trustworthy charts of the distribution of animal and vegetable life in the south-west of Scotland ; and they have preserved accurate records of many interesting and important natural phenomena. I am quite sure the Transactions of this Society will bear favourable comparison with the Trans- actions of any similar Society in any part of the country. I trust that the publication of these Transactions will be long continued, and that they will continue to mirror for us such traces of life in the past as may be still discernible or discover- able ; that they will continue to reflect light on some of the dark corners of the mineral and vegetable world around us. The past is an ever-increasing quantity, and its landmarks and character- istics are perpetually crumbling away. So there is room for any number of students to employ themselves in accurately noting facts relating to the past—the immediate or the remote past— those facts which are the raw materials of history. On the other hand, the field of science is an ever-widening area, and there is a growing demand for labourers and for investigators to explore the contines of science. The work of a society like this is not exhausted when complete collections have been made, when all the species in a district have been discovered and classified. On the contrary, that work is only introductory to the more important investigation into their life habits—into the action of living organisms, and the effect produced on them by their environment, investigation which cannot fail to have important practical results. The splendid development which has taken place quite recently in bactereology—in that branch of science which is concerned with the very lowest forms of animal life, which has almost certainly given us a cure for diphtheria, which has certainly given us a remedy for tetanus (lock-jaw)—that splendid development is an illustration of the lines on which scientific investigation is now advancing ; lines which it is not beyond the members of a Society such as this to some extent to pursue. I feel confident that this Dumfries Society has an important part ses Transactions: ia to play in the future ; that it has a mission to perform. Science is coming more and more to the front every day. Not long ago it was a sort of Cinderella in the household of learning, a despised drudge, looked down upon by its haughty sisters, Literature and Philosophy. But recently science has possessed herself of her little glass slipper, and she has risen to honour, (Cheers.) And I take it that science will daily increase its dominion over us ; that it will minister more and more, in ways that can scarcely yet be surmised, to the comfort, well-being, and convenience of our daily lives. (Cheers.) Only on Friday last I saw handed round, at a meeting in London, bickers full of a pale blue fluid bubbling furiously; and that fluid was composed of the atmosphere we breathe, which had been condensed and liquified. I saw plunged into that fluid bunches of flowers, feathers, and other substances; and when withdrawn they were emitting light. They brilliantly illuminated the room by their phosphorescence. I was privileged there to see the demonstration of the latest discovery of science. The discovery was made by a typical Scotsman, Professor Dewar, and carried through in the laboratory of the Royal Institution. But, it may be asked, what is the good of this liquid air? And it must be admitted that we don’t at present recognise its utility. But had the same question been asked about electricity when it was first discovered, or about liquid carbonic acid a few years ago, an answer exactly the same must have been returned. We must have a deep and earnest faith that all knowledge is power ; that every scientific discovery, no matter how minute or trivial—whether made in the laboratory of the Royal Institution in London or by a member of this Society—will be woven into the warp and woof of e. scientific knowledge and have its important place. As science is _ advancing very much, it seems to me more and more important that all educated men and women should possess a knowledge of it—should acquaint themselves with the scientific method and have a knowledge of some branch of science. Therefore it seems to me important that thoughtful and educated people, who do not live in university towns or in great cities, where opportunities for study abound, should have opportunities for scientific study and intercourse for increasing their knowledge of advancing . science ; facilities which are to some extent provided by the _ Society, under whose auspices we are met this evening. I do believe that in the future this Dumfries Society will greatly 76 Transactions. extend its uses. I look forward to the time when it will have a well stored library, a well filled museum, and above all a well qualified curator. (Cheers.) The Society is really an educational institution, carrying on to some extent the work of university extension in this town. It supplies an intellectual stimulus. I think it must supply a bond of union among its members, and tend to break down those narrow, artificial, but still rigid barriers which are apt to spring up in provincial towns. I am told it supplies glimpses of rural pleasure in its summer excursions ; and it is seeking to supply social enjoyment in such a meeting as this. (Cheers. ) Sir James proceeded to deliver a very able lecture on “Emotional Expression.” Noticing Darwin’s theory on the subject, he remarked that although the facts observed by Darwin himself or selected by him with great discrimination were always of the greatest value, he thought the laws propounded by him were now open to review. With regard to the principle of antithesis, according to which certain movements were expressive of certain emotions because they were the opposite of movements expressive of opposite emotions, he had had doubt even when working with Darwin. Among other reasons for scepticism he observed that such sharply opposite emotions as grief and joy were expressed by weeping and laughter; but that these modes of expression were not opposed might be seen by a simple experi- ment. In Darwin’s book you had an illustration of a baby erying, but by placing another picture over it and retaining the face the squalling baby was converted into a fat and bald old gentleman laughing consumedly. (Laughter.) This was explained by the association in the mind of squalling with babies and laughter with fat old gentlemen. The lecturer went on to refer to the great discovery of the localisation of functional activity in the brain, and the perfection of knowledge on the subject obtained by experiment chiefly on the brains of monkeys, by the electrical excitement of certain areas. He mentioned in this connection that in one of those beneficent operations, which a few years ago would have been considered impossible, he had seen Mr Victor Horsley touch particular parts of a human brain, causing move- ment in certain parts of the body, and remove a tumour from the brain, and thus cure the patient of epileptic fits. The central portion of the brain, where were localised the movements of the face, controlled the nervous system, to which Darwin gave a ee Tronsactions. 77 subsidiary, but to which he would give the first place, in the study of emotional expression. A most interesting, and at the same time entertaining, series of photographs were here intro- duced to illustrate first facial changes expressive of different emotions, and secondly hand movements in association with those of the face. They were portraits of three young lady friends of the lecturer, who had, at his request, endeavoured to place them- selves under the desired emotions, and had then been instan- taneously photographed. A typically perfect face was also thrown on the screen, leading the lecturer to observe that George Herbert was wrong when he said that man was all symmetry ; it was woman to whom the remark applied. (Laughter and cheers.) In concluding, Sir James observed that evolution was still going on, and the faces of men and women were altering, and he hoped altering for the better, every day. The emotions were less violently expressed. The beauty of form of Greek statues might be unsurpassable ; but the faces of the men and women to-day _-were far more interesting than those of classic times. The Roman lady required a lachrymarium or saucer to catch her tears; but our wives and daughters were content with a very small pocket handkerchief. (Laughter.) The faces painted by the old masters were, he ventured to suggest, on the whole some- what insipid when contrasted with those that we saw on the walls of the Academy to-day. Our ancestors gave vent to their feelings in a way that we would be ashamed of, and their range of feeling seemed to have been in some degree more limited. (Cheers.) The language of the countenance, like that of the tongue, had been enriched in the process of the suns. (Cheers.) A vote of thanks was awarded to Sir James, on the motion of Mr J, G. H. Starke, vice-president. 8th February, 1895. Rev. Wituiam Anpson, V.P., in the Chair. New Members.—The Ear] of Stair, and Mr Thomas E. Walker of Dalswinton. Donations.—Insecta (Zoological Record, vol. xxx.) by Dr D. Sharp of Cambridge; the Transactions of the Glasgow Archeological Society, 1894; a Scotch half boddle found at 78 Transactions. Lauriston, Liddesdale, presented by Mr J. Barbour, who also presented from Mr Dinwiddie of Kirkmahoe an old coin found there. Exhibits.— Mr Andson exhibited some old coins belonging to Miss M‘Cracken. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. The Standing Stones of the Stewartry. By Mr Freperick R. Coxzs, Corr. Mem. Soc.. Ant. Scot. To make an intelligent record of the Standing Stones of any district we must naturally begin by dividing all the known stones into typical groups. It will be found that four strongly-marked groups comprise the specimens to be treated of in the present paper—lst Group, Boulders; 2nd Group, Unsculptured Slabs ; 3rd Group, Sculptured Stones ; 4th Group, Holed Stones. On investigation we shall notice points of interest attaching in varying degree to all these different types. lst Group—Bovu.LDERs. 1. Close to Glenlochar road turn on Barncrosh, Tongland, stands a great stone at the height of 150 feet above sea level. It is a rude rounded mass of whinstone, measuring 5 feet 3 inches by 4 feet. It may possibly commemorate the Battle of Druim Beate (circa 1340). . 2. Teepuck Stone.—Such is the name on the O.M. given to a huge pyramidal block of granite, 12 feet high by 8 broad, on a ridge of granite-strewn hillside above the keeper’s house at Marbroy, Colvend. Even in the midst of the myriads of blocks all around this great stone is conspicuous, and the fact of its bearing so peculiar a name (cf. Irish Gaelic, Cheepock, once in common use in Galloway) is certainly remarkable. 3. Bruce's Stone, Moss Raploch, in Kelis parish, at 600 feet above sea level. It is said that against this stone the Bruce rested after the battle at Craigencallie in 1307-8. I am aware that near Blackerne, and on the march between Buittle and Crossmichael, there is a so-called standing stone—an insignificant block of whin—but in spite of its having been preserved in sitw by the late Rev. Mr Grant, of Buittle, it is doubtful if this stone be anything more than a march stone. Transactions, 79 2nd GROUP—UNSCULPTURED SLABS. 1. At Dalarran Holm—A conspicuous object on the left as the visitor drives from the Royal Burgh of New-Galloway to Dalry. Its position is 150 feet above sea level. It is a natural slab, rudely four-square, and was probably brought from the Mulloch hill, where the rock splits up into this form of long, narrow slabs. It is 8 feet above ground, and its sides are about 2 feet to 2 feet 6 inches wide. It is supposed to commemorate a battle hetween Danes and Scots. 2, 3, and 4 are all on the farm of Red Castle, in Urr parish. Chalmers, in “ Caledonia,” says the tallest was “rising 14 feet from the ground ;” but unless some very extraordinary changes in the surface have occurred, that must be a misstatement, since, although this stone is the tallest I have measured in the Stewartry, it is only 9 feet high. Two of its sides are 2 feet 6 inches wide, and the others 2 feet 3 inches. It is granite, and on the east side there is a deep natural fissure so remarkably like an incised cross as to be deceptive at the distance of a few yards. This stone is not in view of the other two, one of which is in view of the celebrated Mote of Urr. They are compara- tively small, being but some five feet high. 5. This is a set of four long, narrow, squarish slabs, known in Anwoth as the Standing Stones of Newton, and really the grave- posts of a huge prehistoric interment, which, I think, has never been opened. 6. Standing Stone of Bagbie—In the parish of Kirkmabreck, adjoining the last. It is 500 feet above sea level, and stands in a bare, lonely field a little way south of the old Kirkyard of ‘Kirkmabreck. It is five feet high, and in thickness 3 feet 4 inches by 10 inches. There are traces of other stones, some prostrate, within a few dozen yards, which lead one to surmise this may have been once a stone circle. 7 and 8. On Dranandow Moor, Minnigaff. I have not seen these stones, but in Mackenzie’s “‘ History of Galloway ” they are stated to be about 8 feet high, and were supposed to mark the place of execution of assassins who killed Randolph (Regent of David Bruce) in 1330. The stones are popularly called The Thieves. 9. On the farm of Standing Stone, Borgue. When I saw it, it was not in its original site, having fallen when the late Mrs Gordon of Conchieton (who was proprietrix also of Standing 80 Transactions. Stone) left Galloway. It is a thin friable slab of whinstone 7 feet 2 inches long, and is now prostrate. 3rD GROUP-—SCULPTURED STONES. This group obviously presents more interesting features to the antiquary, and in this half of Galloway did in the past contain more numerous examples than any other. Some of these, how- ever, have been lost, or, at anyrate, lost sight of. 1. The first example is in this category—The Penny Stane, on Cambret Muir, Kirkmabreck. ‘The “ New Statistical Account” says :—‘‘ This stone hath upon it the resemblance of that draught which is commonly called ‘the walls of Troy.’” M‘Kenzie in his ‘‘ History” quotes this without comment. But the stone is not now extant. 2 and 3 were once close to the great cairn of Stroanfreggan, in Carsphairn. The “ New Statistical Account” says they were shaped “like human figures.” These, too, have vanished. 4 and 5 (at High Auchenlarie) are two very interesting stones. Formerly they stood at a height of 475 feet above sea level, on the farm of High Auchenlarie, in Anwoth. One seems to have been in connection with a stone circle there; the other stood some 200 yards or so to the west. About thirty years ago they were both removed to the garden at Cardoness, where they may still be seen. They are figured in pl. 122 of Stuart’s great work on “The Sculptured Stones of Scotland.” The nature of their incised sculpturing may be seen from the accompanying drawing. (See pl. I., figs. 1 and 2.) They stood about five feet above ground, 6. We now come to an important and striking example. Its present site is on the east rampart of Caerclach Mote, Anwoth. It is a thin broad slab off the rocks on the near hills, and bears a double sculpturing. On its upper face—exposed, we are sorry to add, to all the wind of a stormy cliff, and to the rain droppings from the firs so thickly planted here—is the elaborately carved cross shown in pl. L., fig. 3 ; and on its under side a very archaic cross, picked out with some sharp-pointed tool in the same manner that the cup and ring marks are made. This stone is shown also in Stuart’s work, pl. 123, vol. I. 7. At Holm of Daltallochan, the stone with the incised cross here shown (pl. II., fig 1) was found apparently, if report be true, amongst the stones of a cairn. Along with another, also ee TH Fig. I] Fig. Fig. PLATE ——— ee eo ee eee on IH Sta Vi) 77 au xt ac \BZE) We eae Wn i A — Lyi ee Yu: ies ft re i \\\ \ <\ 04'// Zikeeeece \ XN ~ ASA WS sX\ \y Ys ZZ ee vis N Cy ‘ ZY £3 Mf f., MWY : Aone ith fh - \ Gage Ve 4 \ SSSSSSs i La \\s Si NY TUT ‘ ye ~\ \ x i A a i? Zo me 4 . x te o Ge! SZ ee fy - 7 Zo i; | (CA By it J HA - iy "Y2 GPE ay Z i @ 2A - 4 ye hy ff gp Fay 2 sas y \ ae ‘ a Bees ee ‘aaa \A oo aie ee: Wii ai Zee liitned N \ a He Bo ‘I “SI4 YY OD Ot ae: Yy Ohio. / ses NOSLVM OH-4ASNV AO Y “ON y ) 1): i Bay oes if Cpe or / Mi “Z. / Uf ) ees ; BOWES i Udy, hj a %e YY if ‘t, ) S YIM in? EZ wow iy yy a q By, QZ i SE te Z W “7VAB ie" Z % Wa Mi, i oe ; is for WB. Uf : 4 “14 y La Line bpp thi Z ph titi tes ” nw RDAED, qj Zi PD, Pd Gg LZ Zo oy Yy Zz Dercrod si peohay ‘| ‘Sl4 Co; “aif 7 Fr KZ AAG! "UG at AA ’ y 4 Ze LON EZ Y ile JE We Ly, MEE ea Yip Mi Wer 7. A Mi (, ae ee rae AA 7 , ly ; if NEE. as MYR Ny G gp? Lg Wy Zo ZAY Ze B22 SL? ZAG ; . 4 PLATE Ill. Ih dy ; 4 1 j 4, Sey Transactions. 81 sculptured, it was laid ap against a dyke—this was some fifty years ago—and though this happened to be preserved, the other was used as the cover stone of a pen. This stone is now set up close to the farm house of Garryhorn, where it was placed many years ago by the present tenant (Mr Somerville’s) father. The cross measures 2 feet 6 inches by 12 inches, and is 5 inches wide at the base. 8. At Auchenshinnoch, Dalry, is the stone with rudely-incised cross shown in pl. II., fig. 2. Mr Bruce, late of Slogarie, tells me it was recently removed to near the dwelling-house from a former station 200 or 300 yards away on the top of a knowe to the east, and near an old road. The inscription, which reads— DAVID MACMILLAN & FLORANCE HOWATSON BOGHT & PAYED this ground, year 1734—is much more modern of course than the cross, which is very like the Garryhorn one. 9. At the lodge of Dalshangan, Carsphairn, may now be seen a stone bearing the cross in relief shown in pl. II., fig. 3. The history of this fine specimen is not without an interest of its own. It is believed, on fairly good authority, to have once stood on a heather-clad spot near Carsphairn village, called The Cwmmnock Knowes. Ata point there, at anyrate, the Ordnance Map shows a Standing Stone ; and in searching for its probable site, with the utmost care and bearing by compass, Mr Bruce and I found a somewhat suspicious looking mound. However this may be, the stone was really removed from some wild spot, and deposited where it now is by Dr Alexander Trotter, the proprietor of Dalshangan. The stone is a thick squarish block of porphyry, 2 feet high. The arms of the cross, which project in pretty high relief, measure 5 inches each, and at their junction is a small circular hole. ' 10. In the precincts of the ruined old Church of Minnigaff there now stands a richly-carved stone, which by reason of its history no less than its carvings, is probably unique among our stones. Some fifteen years ago, when the house known as The Old Market-house* of Minnigaff was demolished, the workmen brought to light, while loosening one of the windows, a stone which was serving as a lintel, and that stone bears on its three sculptured sides certain remarkable designs and effigies. (See pl. III.) It was after some time removed to its present resting- : * The site is now marked by a large whinstone slab, on the top of which there is scratched an archaic sun-dial. 11 82 Transactions. place in the old Churchyard, where, in the course of time, its fine incised work will become gradually but assuredly undecipherable. The stone is a rudely trimmed rectangular block of porphyry (?), standing 2 feet 104 inches above ground, and measuring 8} inches at the base, and 8, 6, and 34 inches at the top. The design is remarkably fine, having a bird, Celtic cross, pattée, and two panels of Celtic ornament below—this side now faces the west ; a very vague and much spoilt design is on the east side ; while that facing south bears a design having resemblance to a female figure, and the north face is unsculptured. The edge of the north- east side seems to bear some ornament also, but much disfigured through exposure. Taken altogether, this small but beautifully- carved monolith is certainly one of our most precious relics of the Celtic sculptured stones, if, indeed, it be not absolutely unique ; and it is worthy of a much safer abode than the open and damp precincts of the little kirkyard where it happens at present to be deposited. 4rH Group—Ho.uep SToNEs. 1. Of this type, I have as yet besn able to note but one. Its site is interesting, far away among the hills beyond Loch Urr, and close to a remarkable structure called Lochrinnie Mote. The stone occupies the crown of a somewhat pyramidal hill about 300 yards west of the Mote, and much higher. It is a thin, broad slab of hard blue whinstone, and stands 3 feet 2 inches above ground, 2 feet 6 inches wide and 6 inches thick. It is placed not precisely east and west (breadthways), but so as to allow the hole to be exactly north and south, the hole having been drilled rather obliquely. The hole is about four inches in diameter, and has been, to judge only from its present mutilated condition, nearly circular. Around The Holed Stone, and at radii differing from 45 to 120 feet, are several stones, some fairly prominent, others prostrate. These are 10 in number, and between the two on the north-west arc is a small heap of stones. The circum. ference is 585 feet. In Lands and their Owners, Mr M‘Kerlie mentions two standing stones south-east of Lochrutton Kirk; but, after a personal examination of the probable locality and due inquiries from persons likely to know, I have not been able to obtain any information about these. The Ordnance Map 6-inch scale also shows a Machermore Stone in Kirkmabreck on the bank of the di ¥ » - - " Transactions. 83 Carrouch Burn, at an altitude of 950 feet above sea level, near Craigherron, but I have not seen it. We may conclude, there- fore, that the three-and-twenty standing stones of which there are more or less authentic accounts, and sixteen of which I have myself seen and measured, form the total for this county, now available as a remnant of its standing stones. Fit F1¢e 19 FOL LY aK Ly “UITED) 10 “IBA, "MN “MA "MS ‘g ‘A'S ‘a ‘avod oy} Sutanp pura, 99 Jo suorqoeard | = 8 | G-GP Gr | L-&F 806 | 10-2F | F8-T 8h | GOOF | 9-99 8 LZ G8 | G68-66 | OTL-G | 189.86 | 469.08 | TA s e 16 | G98 | 8-26 | 8-88 61 | 80-F | 60-1 | 8-68 | 8-FE | 8-FP Te | G2 | GG ] $06.62 | $80.6 | 069-86 | 629-08 | Pd 2 B 06 | 61h | 9-8F | 6-FP 0G | OLF | G8-0 ce | z.0r | 2-02 | 226 | 8-62 | G-2G | 0€8-66 | 089-7 | 9F8-86 | 969-06 | AON SF 88 | OIF | SEP | 8.67 FL | $9.8 | 26-0 | F-9F | 9-88 | GPG | GSP | 8-16 G9 | 488-66 | 266-1 | 969.86 | 889.08 490 nm << 62 | 6-GF | 8-8F | 2-19 P 8T-0 | SLO €¢ | L-&P $9 | F-OF | 9-18 2) | Fez-08 | 969-0 | 28.62 | 022.08 | 3dag “S €8 TG | G&G | 9.9 SL | $6.2 | P&-T | €-9¢ | 68h | 8-79 [g 68 o2 | gcg.62 | 60-1 | 2z.6e | 182-08 | “SnVv eee Ss QL | 6G 9g 09 9L | 29.6 | 12-0 | 7-09 | T-6 | 9-69 Tr IF zg | Fo8-62 | 96-0 | OcF-62 | P4808 | Ame Ss = ow LL | $-8F | 8-19 | ¥-9g LT | ST- | G2-0 | 2-99 LP | ¥-49 | G-6h | 9.9E cg | 966-62 | 688-0 | 099.66 | 68F-08 | PUL Ss = = 18 | GIF | 8-07 LF Iz | ze-¢ | 90-1 | 6-2 | &-68 | G-9G | 8-28 | 2-66 | 29 | G&6.66 | 800-T | S6P.66 96F-08 | APT SJ Q 4 G8 | LGP GF | 9-LP 6L | 00-2 | 98-0 | 6h | €-0F | #89 | F-LE GE | 6-69 Z10-1 | 998-66 | 228.08 | dy ae = ez §8 | PLE | 3-0F | P-cF ZL | GL | -0 | SFr | 8S | 6-8S | T-OF | F-26 | &-L19 G19-T | G06-86 | LTG-08 | “ | $¢-0 | GLE | GSE | ZZr | 9-Gh | 0.2 9.6F | Z89-66 | TS9-L | 9F0.66 | 269-06 uel : = Be ‘Beq | seq | seq ‘uy ‘uy | ‘Seq | seq | “sq | “s0q ‘Baqi | seq | ‘seyouy | ‘seyouy | ‘seqouy | ‘seqouy Be : : S a I] 5 3 a & =e) a a fas] SPlgece| F | BTS el ee [Sé) Sl EL) wl ]eb lel] eB | 2 2b | ah Ss plres)se| 8 | 2 [So |e8les|se/25/25| & [Se \Se| 2 | 2 | ga | BF eae | a) ay fey Se lee | eal £6 Pee [oe bee (en me |. 28 Be | be | & a Se¢s| Qe = s Pe ic SR oi ce oa BiB ies © Sean || ero aang © pet Bc g ee Rake | see nd A mle a hie oe 5 5 5 si a 5 > yee = ue) wa UALANOWDA ‘[[eyarey ‘apeyg Ul LaZaMIOUTIEY,T, SULIO4SI59Y-J[PS “MaLa WOU a xe “q2oq OY ‘JOA9] Vos Oaoqe VOTPwARTY “MW OE .€ SUL “Nh GG FT Transactions. 85 Barometer.—The highest reading occurred on the 3rd day of January, when it rose to 30°697 in., and the lowest on 11th of February, when it fell to 28-587 in., giving an annual range of 2-110 in. There is reason to believe, however, that a considerably lower fall than that of the 11th February took place on the night of the 21st or morning of the 22nd December, the period of the recent severe storm, when so much damage was done hoth by sea and land. The reading of the barometer at 9 a.m. of the 22nd was 28-590 in., a fraction higher than that of the 11th February. But before that hour it had began to rise, and the deepest part of the depression in all probability passed over this district in the early morning, perhaps between 2 and 4 or 3and5 a.m. This may certainly be inferred from the fact that in other places where barometer readings were taken every hour during the progress of the storm decidedly lower readings were registered. At Leith, for example, where this was done, the barometer fell to 28:119 in. between 6 and 6.30 a.m., and by 9 a.m. it had risen to 28°384 in. As the movement of the cyclone was from 8.8.W. to N.N.E., the centre of the depression must have passed over Dumfries at an earlier hour than 6 a.m., most probably between 2 and 4 a.m., and there is no reasonable doubt would have shown, if registered, an equally low reading with that at Leith. The fluctuations of that period were extraordinary, and are believed to have been almost unprecedented for the rapidity both of fall and rise. At 9 a.m. of the 21st the reading of the barometer was 29°905 in., by 9 p.m. it had fallen to 29°383 in.; and if our inference is correct, that by 4 a.m. of the 22nd it had gone down to about 28°20 in., this would have shown a fall of 1:7 in. in L9 hours ; but it rose again with almost equal rapidity. During the twelve hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. of the 22nd the rise was from 28-590 in. to 29°810 in., and by the morning of the 23rd it had risen to 30 in. On the 28th and 29th December there was a somewhat similar storm, with a rapid fall and rise of the barometer, but of considerably less intensity, although severe enough to do a good deal of damage. The fall on that occasion was from 30:189 in. on the morning of the 28th to 29-033 on that of the 29th—a fall of 1:156 in. in 24 hours. It may be observed also that the February cyclone was accompanied by very strong squalls and extremely heavy rainfall. The depth of the river Nith at the New Bridge, as shown by the gauge, was 10 feet; and a good many trees and chimney cans were blown down. On 86 Transactions. the 25th October and the 14th November, as well as in February and December, the barometer fell considerably below 29 in., and on these occasions the weather, as is usual in such circumstances, was stormy and wet. The mean pressure for the year (reduced to 32 deg. and sea level) was 29°895 in., which is a little below the average of the last eight years—viz., 29923 in. There was only one month in which the mean pressure exeeeded 30 in., viz., September, with a record of 30:234 in; and it will be remembered how remarkable that month was for dryness and almost unbroken fine weather. Temperature (in shade, four feet above the grass),—On the 30th of June the self-registering thermometer reached its highest point for the year, viz., 85 deg., illustrating what has been often observed before, that the highest single day temperatures frequently occur near the time of the summer solstice. The lowest was recorded on the 7th January, when it fell to 7 deg. in the screen and to | deg. on the grass, giving an annual range of 78 deg. There were three nights of very severe frost at the period mentioned, from the 6th to the 8th January, when the minimum readings ranged from 7 to 13 deg., with the result of numerous ruptures of water-pipes and the freezing over of the river Nith. The mean annual temperature was 48 deg., which is about half a degree above the average of the last eight years. The annual means during these years have ranged from 46 deg. in 1892 to 49-4 deg. in 1893, and on only two of these years, 1889 and 1893; has the annual temperature exceeded that of 1894, and in 1889 only by one-tenth of a degree. The warmest month of the year was July, with a mean of 60°4 deg.; and the coldest January, with a mean of 37:2 deg. There were six months in which the mean temperature exceeded the average of the last eight years: viz., February, March, April, October, November, and December ; the excesses ranging from 0:4 deg. in October to 3°6 deg. in March and April. In November and December the excesses were about 2 deg. In the other months there was a deficiencys which was greatest in May, June, and August; but while the aggregate excesses amounted to 15 deg., the aggregate deficiences amounted only to 9 deg. There was a fair proportion of warm days, with a maximum temperature ranging from 70 deg. to 85 deg. There were twenty-one in all, six of which occurred in the latter part of June, ten in July, only one in August, and four in September. This strikingly contrasts with the previous year, | Transactions. 87 1893, in which the number was sixty-one. The number of days in which the thermometer fell to and below the freezing point was 48, with aggregate degrees of frost amounting to 206 deg., 100 deg. of which occurred in January and 40 deg. in December, as compared with an average of 80 days, and 400 deg. of frost. On the whole the year was favourable to vegetation, for although the month of May and the greater part of June were cold and wet, those of March and April were considerably above average in point of temperature, and were characterised at the same time by an ample supply of moisture, while July was warm, and the autumn months were more than usually mild. Rainfall.—The heaviest rainfall of the year occurred on the 2nd of August, when 1:34 in. was registered. But there were other three days in which the amount exceeded 1 in., viz., on the 16th February, when it was 1:30 in.; the 14th May, when it was 1:08 in.; and the 21st December, when it was 1:09 in. The rainiest month of the year was February, with a record of 8°15 in., with 24 days on which it fell. The mean amount for that month, calculated on an average of eight years, is 2°44 in., so that the record for 1894 is quite abnormal, being from three to four times above the average. In January, May, June, and November the rainfall was also considerably above the average. In January there were 24 days on which it fell, with an excess of an inch-and- a-half; on May 21, with an excess of 1 in.; and on June 17, with an excess of 1:20 in. On the other hand, the rainfall of July, August, September, and October was under average. The driest month was September, when 0:18 in., less than two-tenths of an inch, was registered, in contrast with an average of nearly 3 in, (2°85 in.). There was a marked period of drought indeed, extending from the 22nd August to the 22nd October, fully eight weeks, during which the rainfall amounted to no more than 0°58 in, as compared with an average of over 7 in. Notwith- standing this, however, the total rainfall of the year was considerably above the average of the last eight years, 42°01 in., as compared with an average of about 37 in.—that is, about 5 in. _ above average. The difference is nearly accounted for by the extraordinary excess in February. The number of days on which it fell (rain or snow) was 206, rather above the average ; A 4 i but on 33 of these the fall did not exceed one hundreth of an a _ inch, There was very little snow during the year, not half as 88 Transactions. much as we have already had this year—during January and the first week of February. Hygrometer.—The annual mean of the dry bulb thermometer was 47:3 deg., and of the wet bulb 45 deg.; giving 42-2 deg. as the temperature of the dew point, and a relative humidity of 84 —saturation being equal to 100. This differs little from previous years ; the average difference between the annual means of dry and wet bulb being 2°3 deg., the same as during the past year, and the average relative humidity 83—although in 1893, the year of highest mean annual temperature, it fell to 82. Thunderstorms, &c.—These have not been of frequent occurrence during the year. There was one in February, one in April, three in May, two in July, and two in August—in all nine. On some of these occasions, however, they were distant, and there was either thunder without lightning or lightning without thunder. The most severe storm of the year was that of the 6th July, which began about 5 p.m. and continued till 7.30, with loud thunder peals and incessant flashes of lightning. The maximum temperature of that day was 78-8 deg., and the wind was south in the morning, and backed in the course of the day to E.S.E. The storm was accompanied by a rainfall of 0-71 in. There was a repetition on the 8th of electrical disturbance, but on a much diminished scale. I have noted the occurrence of hail showers eleven times, four of which occurred in May and three in November ; lunar halos, twice in February and twice in August ; and solar halos, twice, once in March and once in May. There were probably more of these latter phenomena in the course of the year, but I did not observe them. Wind.—The summary of wind directions shews that on 19 days it blew from due north, on 394 days from N.-E., on 47 days from the E., on 244 from 8.-E., on 704 from S.-W., on 61 from W., on 37} from N.-W., and that on 17} it was variable or calm. As usual, the 8.-W. wind was the most frequent, and taking the S., S.E., and W. along with it, it appears that 203 days out of the 365 were characterised by winds from these directions, and that the northerly and easterly, including the north-west, had 143 days. Comparing this with the wind record of 1893, it appears that there was a preponderance of southerly and westerly winds in 1893, as contrasted with 1894. There were 20 days more wind from the 8. and W., and 12 days less from the N. and E. The effect of this upon temperature is evident from the fact that Transactions, 89 the mean annual temperature of 1893 exceeds that of 1894 by nearly a degree and a half—49-4° as compared with 48°. THE COUNTY MEDICAL OFFICER ON THE WEATHER AND HEALTH. Dr Maxwell Ross moved a vote of thanks to Mr Andson, They were all indebted to Mr Andson for these papers, which he gave from year to year, and speaking for himself there was no paper he enjoyed more. The reason for that was partly a professional one, for as was known to the fathers of medicine certain diseases were remarkably subject to weather influence, For example, he thought it was very well established that, in the case of respiratory diseases, when they had a winter with a high temperature the mortality was small, and when they had a winter with a low temperature the mortality was greater. Then, taking diarrheea, when they had a high temperature in summer the deaths from this cause would be increased. Again, in relation to diphtheria, there were some curious points to be made out. The influence of subsoil water, which to a large extent depended on the rainfall, seemed to be great upon diphtheria. In 1893, when the rainfall was high, they found diphtheria very prevalent on the Solway shore. Last year, when it was low and the people rejoicing in a dry season, their condition was expressed by one who remarked “ We all feel very fit.” They were very much indebted to Mr Andson for his valuable paper. (Applause.) 2. A Famous Old Battlefield. By Mr Avexanper D. Murray, Newcastle. Twenty-five years ago, when I had the honour to be secretary of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History Society, the late Sir William Jardine being our president, a joint-meeting was held of the Society with the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club in Liddesdale, which might be considered neutral ground between the two Societies. Part of the programme was to visit Dawston Rigg, the reputed site of the battle of Daegsastan, recorded by the venerable Bede in his “ Ecclesiastical History ” and in the _ © Saxon Chronicle.” We were unable on that occasion to fulfil this part of the programme, and not until recently did I have the _ opportunity, along with the veteran secretary of the Berwick- shire Naturalists, Dr James Hardy, and other friends, to spend 12 1 atic ee 90 Transactions. a day on this distinctly interesting spot. It occurred to me that it might be a matter of some interest if I should communicaté to this Society a few notes regarding this site, which, possibly, if not too distant from your sphere of action, you may yet some day visit in your summer excursions. Dawston Rigg is a low rounded hill, situated at the very head of Liddesdale, or rather in the water-shed that divides the source of the Liddle from that of the North Tyne. It is overlooked by the great mass of Peel Fell, the uttermost hump of the Cheviot range, and itself overlooks the depression through which the railway passes from Deadwater to Saughtrees. The highroad that crosses from Liddesdale into the valleys of the Rule, the Jed, and the Teviot passes the base of the hill on the north ; and, as I have said, the railway skirts it on the other or southern side. It is a wild pastoral district, but very pleasant on a summer day, such as that on which I visited the spot. As a locality, related to the early topography of this island, it obviously possesses interest, from the fact that here the Catrail or Pict’s Work, which crosses the Scottish Low- lands, originating about the base of the Pentland Hills, and following the great water-shed between west and east, to all appearance terminates. It can be very distinctly traced as far as this spot, and can visibly be seen dipping towards the Cauldron Burn, which runs along the eastern base of Dawston Rigg, as if it were making towards Peel Fell. But it can be traced no further. Now, just over this ravine of the Cauldron Burn, on a rising ground known as Wheel Fell, the well-known Roman road, the Maiden Way, coming over the head of the North Tyne valley, crosses the hill barrier. From its local name of the Wheel Causeway the hill gets its name of Wheel Fell, and on its summit are still visible some slight ruins of a small ecclesiastical structure, known as Wheel Chapel, which was originally dependent on Jedburgh Abbey. These are not the only medieval remains, for a stone cross, which, in a dilapidated condition, once stood on Dawston Rigg, has recently been removed, and, I believe, is in the Hawick Antiquarian Museum. When we remember that these Roman roads were in early times the only safely traversible roads in the country, we are not surprised to find these traces of ecclesiastical buildings and erections along their course. And it is certain that this has always been regarded as an interesting locality, the halo of tradition surrounding it, mainly, no doubt, in conse- quence of its connection with events recorded by Bede. The Transactions. 91 name, Abbey Sike, attaches to a spot on the high road, just where it skirts Dawston Rigg; and there is a tradition that a religious house once stood there, and that crosses and other stones have been dug up on the spot and taken away, but I could not gain any definite information on the subject. However, what it is very important to note is the fact that this mysterious Catrail work is seen crossing the flank of the hill, dipping towards the ravine, and making its way towards the Roman road ; and that here, to all appearance, it ends its course—a course extending all along the backbone of the Lowlands, from the Pentlands to the westernmost outposts of the Cheviots. Without entering upon the vexed and difficult question as to the date, origin, and purpose of this Picts’ Work, I may say that it appears to me to have been almost convincingly demonstrated that it never was or could have been intended as a wall or barrier, and that it must have been a protected way—a road traversing a rough and dangerous country, and defended by a ditch and a turf and earth wall, formed by the material dug from the ditch, which might possibly have been originally strengthened by stakes. Its purpose, then, almost certainly, must have been that of enabling armed forces to traverse an unfriendly country on their way to fields of battle or plunder beyond. That is to say, it may have been, and probably was, a road by which the Picts of the north, whose southern outposts were the Pentland or Pechtland Hills, crossed what once had been the border Roman province of Valentia, to reach the more desirable territory of the Romanised Britons in the south, which all early history tells us they ravaged so unmercifully after the withdrawal of the Romans. One can quite understand why the work should terminate here, after striking the Maiden Way, for that road would afterwards serve the purposes of the invaders, There is a difficulty, of course, in understanding or realising the condition of the country traversed by the Catrail, rendering so extensive and elaborate a work necessary. When we consider, however, that it would be largely filled with forest and morass, and that numerous swift-flowing rivers had to be crossed, there would be an absolute necessity for the construction of a road of some kind ; and by following the water-shed, keeping, however, always well down on the eastern slope, the best route for steering clear both _ of bog and jungle would be taken. A manifest imitation of the . _ Roman method of crossing the country would suggest that these —————————————EeEreor 92 Transactions. redoubtable Picts and Scots of the fifth and sixth centuries were not disorganised hordes of savages, but that they had learned a great deal from the great Empire that had so long established itself in the southern half of the island, with which they had been at constant war, and against which they had finally main- tained their independence. I have in my own mind another explanation of this famous half road, half dyke, that crosses southern Scotland, though I do not think it has been much noticed by writers on the subject. The work, I fancy, dates from the latter end of the fifth century, or even a little later—that is, after the departure of the Romans ; and at that time, I believe, there are excellent grounds for stating that Saxon colonies had been established in the valleys of the Tweed and Teviot in anticipation of the more extensive invasion of the Angles both to the north and south of the wall, which took place nearly a century later. These Saxon colonies, I infer, from the allusions of the Roman writers themselves, had made a beginning of their occupation previous to the departure of the Romans from Britain, and that they sometimes were in conflict with the Picts of the north, and sometimes joined them in their attacks on the Roman defences and on the protected Britons. After the departure of the Romans, doubtless they extended their colonies as far as the dividing water-shed. I have never been able to understand the rapidity with which such districts as Dumfriesshire and West Lothian were apparently Saxonised, on the assumption that the Teutonic wave flowed out exclusively from the Anglian settlements in Northumbria. If, however, we take into account that there was an earlier Saxon occupation of the country to the north of the Cheviots, our difficulty on that point vanishes. And it seems to me also that a sufficient explanation is given of the defensive character of the military way which the northern Picts made through the Lowlands to reach the Romanised country. The Saxons were down in the valleys hewing down the forests and forming their wicks and crofts. The Picts had no wish to meddle with them, especially as they possessed little which was worth coveting. But they wanted a road across the country to get at their natural enemies, the Romans and Romanised Britons, and so they constructed their Catrail. This is not altogether a digression, for it will render more intelligible what follows. Dawston Rigg is one of two places 4 j Transactions. 93 which are claimed as the site of the battle of Daegsastan, fought in 603 between Edelfrid, king of the Northumbrians and the Scots, or the Scots, as allies of the Cumbrian Britons, in which the latter were signally defeated. The other claimant to be the site of the battle is Dalston, near Carlisle. I am not in a posi- tion to discuss the question which of the two sites has the better case in its favour, though I think modern antiquarians are more partial to Dawston Rigg than to the other; and, in any case, most certainly a great early battle has been fought on Dawston Rigg ; whilst, as already said, a halo of tradition has always surrounded the locality. Of this battle of Daegsastan we know nothing whatever beyond what is contained in Bede’s “ Ecclesi- astical History,” and in the ‘Saxon Chronicle,” which may very well have been borrowed on Bede’s authority. The passage is as follows :—“ a.p. 603 — Edelfrid, king of the Northumbrians, having vanquished the nation of the Scots, expels them from the country of the Angles. At this time Edelfrid, a most valiant king, and ambitious of glory, governed the kingdom of the Northumbrians, and ravaged the Britons more than all the great men of the Angles, inasmuch as he might be compared to Saul, once king of the Israelites, excepting only that he was ignorant of the true religion. For he conquered more victories from the Britons, either making them tributary, or expelling the inhabi- tants and planting Angles in their places, than any other king or tribune. To him might justly be attributed the saying of the Patriarch—‘ Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil.’ Hereupon Aidan, king of the Scots that inhabit Britain, being concerned at this success, came against him with a numerous and brave army, but was beaten by an inferior force and put to flight, escaping with only a few of his followers, for most all his army was slain at a famous place called Daegsastan, that is Degestone. In that battle also Theobald, brother to Edelfrid, was killed, with all the forces he commanded. To this war Edelfrid put an end in the year 603 after the incarnation of our Lord, and in the eleventh of his reign, which lasted twenty- four years, and the first year of the reign of Phocas, who then governed the Roman Empire. From that time no King of the Scots durst come into Britain to make war on the Angles to this 4 day (730).” + t Bede, it will be seen from these dates, was writing a century 94 Transactions. and a quarter after the event he was recording, and may or may not have clearly known the facts. At all events, his account is open to more interpretations than one. It is not clear whether Edelfrid’s brother, Theobald, who is stated to have been killed in this war with his force, was in league with the Scots, and in rebellion against his brother ; or whether he had been slain by the Scots in a previous encounter—Edelfrid himself “ putting an end to the war,” as Bede expresses it, by a final victory at Daegsastan. Nor does Bede say whether Aidan, the king of the Scots, had come to the assistance of the Britons, whom Edelfrid was ravaging, or whether he himself was a rival invader of the territory. We frequently find in subsequent history that the Scots of Dalriada and Galloway came to the assistance of the Strathclyde Britons, and that at last they exercised a suzerainty and protectorship over the Britons, but we never hear of their making any attempt on their own account to extend their dominions into the southern part of the island. Edelfrid, one of the immediate successors of Ida the Angle, was a famous planter of the Anglian race and colony in the country that was after wards known as Northumbria. But the native Britons could not have been entirely driven from the Roman defences along the line of the Wall, to which we know they long clung, and which afterwards, when led by Caedwallada, they re-occupied, and for a time resumed their sway over Northumbria, terribly ravaging the Anglian community there. It is, therefore, exceed- ingly probable that the Britons, unable to make a stand against Edeltrid, had called in Aidan, king of the Irish Scots (who were a race of military adventurers rather than a nation in those times), and were endeavouring to hold or regain their ground in the western and northern part of the isthmus, when they were encountered and defeated at this battle. The locality is all in favour of its being the scene of such a struggle. We conceive of the northern forces making their way along the Catrail and being joined by the Romanised Britons, at its junction with the — Maiden Way, ready, if they were successful, to make a descent upon the Anglian settlements down the valley of the North Tyne, where Caedwallada advanced in after times to the scene of the battle of Heavensfield. But there might, and probably would, be another reason for their concentrating at this spot. Bede calls it ‘‘a fainous place,” and probably, ‘because of its being so famous, felt it unnecessary to | Transactions. , 95 give any more particular description of its whereabouts. One reason for its being famous might be the number of native remains to be found in the locality, as well as the fact that it was the meeting place of the Picts’ Work and the Maiden Way. On the face of the slope, looking to the south, and down upon the railway, there exist three large British camps close together. One, which lies on the shoulder of the hill, has been converted into a sheepfold, and the other two, situated close to the railway, are side by side. They are both remarkably perfect, and one in particular has been stated to be one of the most perfectly preserved examples of a British hut circle to be found in the country. They have all been inhabited camps—that is, in fact, British villages ; and in the case of one it is evident that the outer rampart has been materially strengthened at a period anterior to its original construction. It is more than probable that as late as the period of this battle these hut circles would be habitable, and would form the main encampment of Aidan’s army. Right above these camps was the field of battle. The hill side bears traces of escarpments raised for defence, and is full of small stone mounds, which may have covered the burial-places of the slain warriors. Numerous arrow-heads and other implements have from time to time been picked up on the spot, most of which unfortunately have been scattered, or preserved without any particular record of where they were found. But it requires no elaborate demonstration to convince the visitor that he is certainly standing on the scene of an ancient battlefield—a battlefield of the Saxon epoch, which was in all probability one of the spots on which the great controversy between the Teutonic and the Celtic race for the possession of this island was fought out. How it was fought out still remains, and is likely to remain, one of the obscurest passages in history. Bede has little informa- tion to give us, partly because his field of vision is limited by the b beginnings of the Anglian settlement in Northumbria, which was his nation and people, and partly because even in his time the record had grown dim and undecipherable. It may amuse or inspire the _ antiquarian imagination to build upon the slender and not very trustworthy foundation of the Chronicle of Gildas, ornamented _ by the poems and legends of Cymric bards, a more or less heroic _ conception of the struggles of the Britons with the Saxon race. { But we have to acknowledge all the while that it is not history, and 96 Transactions. that even its historic basis is doubtful. This only we really know, that more than a century intervened between the withdrawal of the Romans from their stations on the Wall and the successful invasion of Northumbria by the Angles. Muck may have happened within that century, but for us it is blank and voice- less. If the twelve Arthurian battles of Gildas were ever fought, and if Mr Skene be right in saying that they must have been fought in the north, then they took place within that century; and they were not fought with the Angles, who came into England after Ida and his successors. But they may have been fought with the Picts, and with that earlier Saxon colony which, as I have already said, almost certainly existed in the Merse and on the Lothian seaboard even before the withdrawal of the Romans. That colony appears to have been closely connected with the tribes that under Hengist entered Kent; and the colonists were, therefore, Saxons and not Angles. Let us suppose, if we please, that after the withdrawal of the Romans these early northmen swarmed southward and westward in alliance or in rivalry with the northern Picts, and overpowered the Britons who had been left by the Roman commanders to man, as they best could, the stations on the Wall; that they oppressed and harried, but were not strong or numerous enough to dispossess or exterminate, the Britons as far south as York and the Humber. Let us then suppose that the Britons, driven by necessity to close their ranks and sink their sectional disputes that made them an easy prey to the hardy Saxons, found an able and warlike Gulledig—or “Wall-keeper,” the Arthur of Gildas, and that in a series of triumphant battles he defeated the Saxons, and drove them back over the Cheviots, and over the Tweed, and then we should have the basis of fact for the entire Arthurian legend. The era of union and conquest would not last long, and when the Angles arrived in the middle of the sixth century they met with no effective or protracted resistance; for in the course of half a century, as we find, they had rendered themselves masters of all the eastern half of the country, back to the water-shed, and in 603 were able to fight and win this decisive battle of Daegsastan, Transactions. 97 8th March, 1895. The Rev. Witt1am Anpson, V.-P., presiding. On the proposal of Dr Chinnock, a resolution was passed expressing the regret of the Society on account of the death of Mr Patrick Dudgeon of Cargen, the eminent mineralogist. New Member.—Mr William Murray of Murraythwaite. Donations and Exhibits.—The report of the British Association, 1894 ; Transactions of the New York Academy of Science, 1894 ; Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, North Carolina. Mr Shaw exhibited an adder-bead possessed by an old woman in Tynron as a charm. Mr J. A. Moodie exhibited, on behalf of Mr J. F. Cormack, of Lockerbie, the following documents :— Precept of Sasine by Oliver Cromwell in favour of Patrick Lyndsay, as heir of William Lyndsay, dated 13th Sept., 1655. Sasine in favour of William and James Raff, of one merk land in Chirnside, dated 31st May, 1597. The notary to this Sasine was George Sprot, of Eyemouth, who was executed 12th August, 1608, for being concerned with Robert Logan of Restalrig in the Gowrie Conspiracy in 1600. Crown Charter by King Charles IT. in favour of John Sybbald, servant to Sir John Howe, Lord Justice-Clerk, dated 1668. Seal awanting. Sundry ancient legal documents—one being a Charter by John, Commendator of _the Monastery of Coldinghame. Mr Moodie also exhibited a _ Crown Charter belonging to him, dated 1578, having attached a fine example of the Great Seal of James VI. CoMMUNICATIONS. 1. New-Galloway Fresh Water Alge. 4 By Mr James M‘ANpREw. ‘ The following list of Scotch Fresh Water Algz found round New-Galloway is taken from a paper contributed to “The Journal of Botany,” April, 1893, by Mr Wilham West, F.L.S., Bradford :— — Conferva pachyderma, Wille. Do. Raciborskii, Gutw. Pediastrum angulosum (Ehrnb.), Menagh. Ophiocytiwm cochleare (Kichw.), A. Br. Bremosphera viridis, De Bary. 98 Transactions. Urococcus wnsignis (Hass), Kiitz. Epithemia gibberula (Ehrnb.) Kiitz, var. rupestris, (W. Sm.) Rabh. Eunotia incisa, Greg. Do. majus, var. bidens, W. Sm. Do. gracilis, Ehrnb. Do. pectinalis, var. undulatum, Ralfs. Synedra lunaris, var. wndulata, Rabh. Do. biceps, Kiitz. Nitzschia tenuis, W. Sm. Navicula serians (Breb.), Kiitz. Pinnularia nobilis, Ehrnb. Do. gibba, Ehrnb. 2. A Superstitious Custom in Galloway. By Mr Jonny M‘Kig, Kirkcudbright. Superstition dies hard, as newspapers still occasionally record, and it is often found that customs linger in the land for genera- tions after the cause which first led to their adoption has dis- appeared. The habit of putting “cowsherne” into the mouth of a young calf before it was allowed to suck its mother is one commonly practised within my recollection. Having once asked an old woman, whom I had just seen perform the operation why ~ she did so she then gave me the following legend :—“ In the olden time, when Galloway was stocked with the black breed of cattle, there was a carle who had a score of cows, not one of which had a white hair on it ; they were the pride of the owner, and the admiration of all who saw them. One day while they were being driven out, the carle’s dog worried the cat of an old woman who lived in a hut hard by, and though he had always treated her with great kindness, and expressed sorrow for what his dog had done, she cursed him and all his belongings. After- wards, when the cows began to calve, instead of giving fine rich milk, as formerly, they only gave a thin watery ooze on which the calves dwined away to skin and bone. During this unfortunate state of affairs a pilgrim on his journey, probably to the shrine of St. Ninian, sought lodgings for the night. The wife of the carle, though rather unwilling to take in a stranger during the absence of her husband, who was on a journey, eventually granted his request, On her making excuse for the poverty of the milk she Transactions. 99 offered, when he tasted it he said the cows were bewitched, and for her kindness he would tell her what would break the spell, which was to put some ‘cowsherne’ into the mouths of the calves before they were allowed to suck. As the carle approached his house, when returning from his journey, he noticed a bright light in the hut of the old hag which had cursed him. Curiosity induced him to look in, when he saw a pot on the fire, into which she was stirring something and muttering incantations all the while till it boiled, when, instead of milk as she doubtless expected, nothing came up but ‘cowsherne.’ He told his wife what he had seen, and she told him what the pilgrim had told her to do, and which she had done, which left no doubt that it was the ungrateful old witch who had bewitched their cows. Next day, when she came expecting her usual dole, the carle’s wife caught hold of her before she had time to cast any cantrip, and scored her above the breath until she drew blood with a crooked nail from a worn horse shoe, which left her powerless to cast any farther spells. The cows now gave as rich a yield of milk as formerly, and the custom then began was continued long after witchcraft had ceased to be a power in the land.” Whether there are any who still continue the practice I am unable to tell, not having thought of making any inquiry. 3. Notes of 30 Years’ Residence in Tynron. By Mr James Suaw. The parish of Tynron is hardly so pleasant to the eye of an artist as it was more than thirty years ago. At that period we . had several fords crossing the highway. Sir Walter Scott, mounted on his pony, has been known to take a round-about to —=—ser— = cross a ford, rather than a bridge; it seemed to him so much more romantic. We had some of the finest Jarch trees in the county. The wind, more than the woodman’s axe, levelled them to the ground. The terrible storms of 1883-4 have left us only their unsightly roots, and the late storm—22nd December, 1894— uprooted or broke several thousand trees, some of them the finest in the parish. With the loss of the trees there has been a ‘diminution of owls, so that the long nights are quieter with less of their screeching. On a few farms when I came the cattle _ were black Galloways. These have disappeared, and Ayrshires 100 Transactions. alone are seen. Cheviot sheep are giving way, and blackfaced prevailing. Instead of vehicles going to market at neighbouring villages, cadgers’ carts come to the farm houses. Since the new Ground Game Act rabbits are scarce, and hares are nearly extirpated. The squirrels are fitful visitors. A great wave of them appears ; then, as at present, there is an ebb. The curious flat stones which roofed the houses have disappeared in favour of slates. The number of inhabited houses has decreased, and their ruins are not always picturesque. Tinkers with their donkeys do not now visit us. Umbrella-menders, knife-grinders, and sellers with baskets are scarce, but tramps asking alms have noways decreased. The river Shinnel runs as of yore, arched over for many miles with a beautiful canopy of natural wood. Although illegitimate methods of securing trouts, with which it was well stocked, have been put down, yet the system of deep-draining, suddenly flushing the water and carrying away the spawning beds, is an angler’s complaint. The heritors having mansions in the parish are not now resident. They spend only a few summer months with us, or let their houses, so the work of smith, coach- man, and domestic servants is far less in demand. On the other hand, houses that have been built or repaired since I came to the parish are much more comfortable to the inmates. When I arrived in Tynron, and for years afterwards, water was obtained almost universally from open wells ; chimneys were swept by setting fire to them; messages were conveyed across straths by shrilly whistling on fingers ; towns were reached by bridle paths. These mountain tracts were used for sheep conducted to the great stock markets, as Sanquhar, and not being much employed for this purpose now are falling into decay. The people around me to a greater extent than at present knitted — their own stockings, plaited their own creels, carved their own crooks, made their own curling brooms or cows, bored their own tod-and-lamb boards, squared their own draught-boards. A very few women smoked tobacco like men, and a very many men had chins like women. Broom was boiled, the juice mixed with hellebore and tobacco, and used as a sheep-dip. The sheep, in fact, were not dipped at all, but their wool was combed into ridges, and the composition carefully poured in the skin from an old teapot. There were no wooden frames for bees; only the cosy-looking straw skeps. The Shinnel drove several mill wheels ; now it drives only one. ‘There was a method of announcing the Transactions. 101 arrival of letters, by depositing them in a water-tight chamber of a cairn or mass of boulders on an eminence a mile perhaps from the shepherd’s house, and then erecting a huge pole or semaphore, which soon attracted a messenger. The limbs and backs of boys were stronger, and carried for you heavy carpet bags at 1d per mile. Watches were worn in trouser pockets. The school children were fitted out with stronger leather bags, like soldiers’ haversacks, containing their dinner as well as their books. Their books were much more carefully covered with cloth, and in some instances with white leather. Their food was more thriftily cared for, and there was no débris of leaves of books and crumbs of scone left on the roadside near the schoolhouse as is at present. The plaid was a much more common article of dress. It is now giving way to the great-coat or waterproof, which is more convenient to a shepherd, affording him pockets to hold tea for the weak lambs, and covering his body better. When I found myself in the interior of shepherds’ and dairymen’s houses, the old eight-day clock, with wooden door and painted dial, was common. It kept company with the meal-ark, a huge chest divided into two compartments—one for oatmeal, one for wheaten flour. Bacon, hams, and flitches, then as now, wrapped in newspapers, hung from kitchen rafters. Puddings were wreathed round suspended poles. Fireplaces are gradually contracting—the older ones are the widest. The fire in winter, eked out by peats and cleft-wood, is often very violent in its hospitality. Seated in the cushioned arm-chair, I have for a while maintained conversation by holding up my extended palm for a fire-screen, but was generally obliged to push back my chair at the risk of overturning a cradle or turning the charmed circle into an ellipse. An inner ladder was stationed in the porch or between the but-and-ben, up which the children or serving men mounted to their obscure attic hammocks. On great nails, here and there in the walls, hung, and still hang, crooks, shears for clipping sheep, lanterns for moonless nights, mice traps with holes, rat traps with strong iron teeth and springs. There were no carpets on the rooms, but the floor was mottled with sheep skins in their wool, and the mat before the room fire was home-made, with all sorts of dark rags stitched together, having a fluffy, cosy look. On the chest of high drawers might be observed a Family Bible, a field glass, a stuffed Dlackcock and pair of large ram’s horns, or a basket with curious 102 Transactions. abnormal eggs and with shells from the seashore. A black cat, a brindled cat, and a muscovy were generally crossing each other or demanding a seat on your knee. You would feel something cold touching your hand, and presently observe it was the nose of a collie dog, generally named after a Scotch river, such as Yarrow, Tweed, or Clyde. At the door of the poultry house was a little hole or lunky which admitted the cats when shut out from the family domicile. On Sundays waggon loads of children, carefully packed in straw, presided over by the maternal or paternal owner, or both, would pass my house on the road to church ; wives and maidens who could not command such a conveyance walked past, their shoes and stockings in a napkin, ready to be put on at the rivulet’s side nearest the church. At that time the greater portion of the families in my district were Cameronian or Reformed Presbyterian. At the present time the Parish Church has the greater number of adherents, and it being a much nearer place of worship, these modes of travelling are wearing out. Ever since I came to Tynron, the child enters the Christian Church on a secular day. Neighbours are invited, and the table groans with every kindof food. Butter (salt, fresh, or powdered), bacon and eggs, sweet milk and skimmed milk cheese, potato scones, soda scones, drop scones, treacle scones, tea, and a dram are part of the fare. The shepherds have a very restricted number of baptismal names. At one time the fourth of my school- boys were “ Williams.” Weddings are celebrated in the same hospitable and jovial style. I have sat in a barn or cheese-room, the walls of which were lined with sheeting to protect our clothes; the floor saw ' dusted for dancing. The built-in boiler was transposed into a platform for the fiddlers. The tea was taken in relays; the minister, schoolmaster, and small gentry occupied seats at the first table, which, along with the forms for sitting on, was improvised from slabs for the occasion. The commoner folk and young herds were next regaled at a second spread, while the elders smoked tobacco outside. The dances did not consist of walking, simper- ing, and circling round each other with planetary regularity, but were like those that took place in Alloway Church, as far as noise, life, and motion were concerned. Towards morning came that awful ordeal, the pillow dance, or ‘‘ Bob at the bolster,” an ingenious method of picking out the bonny and weel-liked, and Transactions. 103 placing the less distinguished at the bottom of the class. The best man having picked out the bride, it next became her turn to throw the handkerchief to whomsoever she chose. The happy swain knelt as she stooped. The fiddlers shrieked a minuendo, and the last kiss that ever alien lips should secure was wrested from the bride. Funerals were well attended, and the custom of having a service prevailed, and only began to thin out after I entered the parish. I was told by a well-wisher to get acquainted with the people, and to attend all the sheep shearings and funerals to which I was invited. The attendance at funerals is diminish- ing, and generally a few gigs now pick up all the mourners. The exodus of young men and daughters into the large towns reacts on provincial simplicity. I witnessed wreaths of flowers heaped on the coffin of an old Cameronian, whose opinion, I am certain, had never been taken on the matter. The humblest family must have a memorial stone. I shall pass over gatherings in connection with sheep, killing pigs, &c., and remark that the kirn, or harvest home, is no longer celebrated. St. Valentine’s Day is forgotten, and the Candlemas bleeze has given way to a Christmas present. Even the Hallowe’en described by Burns—the turnip lantern and the pulling of kail stocks—is away, the only survival being that on Hallowe'en mummers with false faces enter your kitchen expecting an obolus, and highly gratified when you are puzzled and unable to guess their names or even their sex. The gradual decrease in our rural population, consequent on the increase of factories in towns, and the turning of Britain into a manufacturing centre for the whole world, is evident in Tynron. In 1801 the pop. was ... 563 | In 1871 the pop. was 813) Resa S69. ysis AM AOS tM, TSBUO) Oe t ... 416 ao ee oe iy ATS (oss OOl wel cat shevs 1. 359 PLSOL* wort; 8m, 5, .. 446 That is, at last census, the reduction in population compared to 1801 was 204 persons. The former considerable population has left on our hills and dales some traces of itself in a few stones of former bourocks overgrown with nettles, and here and there a few wild gooseberries and some plants, such as monks’ rhubarb and masterwort, of no use now, but formerly used in poor people’s broth. On the hills also, 200 ft. above any arable ground, there are at present to be noticed the furrows once caused by the _ ploughshare. Dividing the results of the last four decennial 104 Transactions, estimates by four we find the average population for 30 years is 400. Our deaths from 1861 to 1891, both included, are 183. Divide by the number of years 31, and you have 6 deaths per annum to 400 population, which gives us—death rate, 15 per 1000. By the same mode—marriage rate, 6 per 1000; birth rate, 27 per 1000. This birth rate is less than that for the whole of Scotland taken for the same period —namely, 27 against 33. The marriage rate is_ slightly less,and the death rate is considerably less. In the 31 years over which I have gone the death rate for Scotland is nearly 21 per 1000, while that of Tynron is 15 per 1000. When we consider that many of our young men and women emigrate to the towns, leaving the older people remaining, our health record stands out well. As I have already read a paper on folk-lore, I shall mention only one curious custom. A woman about 30 or 40 years ago caused her children to wash their feet every Saturday evening. As soon as the ablutions were performed, a live peat or coal was thrown into the tub, the person doing so walking three times around it. This was meant to prevent death. On Thursday, after the terrible snowstorm of 6th February, a shepherd told me he could have predicted a change, because on Tuesday evening Hurlbausie was far too near the moon. This strange word was old people’s name for the planet Jupiter. Art has decidedly improved. We have two large memorial windows in the Parish Church, one of them as fine as any window of the kind in the county. In sewed samplers you have Pharoah’s daughter rescuing the baby Moses, and others of that sort. On the mantelpieces are crockery hens sitting on delf baskets, brooding over crockery eggs. But cabinet photos are superseding the high-coloured prints of the happy pair courting | or going to church to be kirked, Red carts, red petticoats, red cravats, red calico napkins still prevail, but the young women coming back for holiday from domestic service in towns are toning down the enthusiasm for primary colours. The rack above the dresser with the dishes, knives, forks, and spoons is sometimes a picture of itself. The stone floor of the kitchen and the threshold are made gay with curious scroll patterns, white or red, by rubbing with caumstone. The taste for garden and potted flowers has increased, and at Yule Christmas trees are in bloom with us. Concertinas and melodeons have multiplied. Queer ee Transactions. 105 old songs in which the heroine mourns over her highwayman executed, or in which disappointed love vows vengeance, or in which Bacchus is blest, are hiding their heads. There was a low suppressed murmur of disapprobation at the introduction of instrumental music in church. Proverbs, some of them having an aroma of the sheep-walks, abound. I beg to give a few not inserted in ‘ Hislop’s Collection of Scotch Proverbs,” although that collection professes to be complete. The richt wrangs naebody. He’s a man among sheep, but a sheep among men. There’s nocht sae crouse as a new scoured louse. She would mak’ a gude poor man’s wife; get him poor and keep him poor. Ye’re aff your eggs and on the grass (applied to one who reasons incorrectly). Auld soles mak’ bad uppers (that is, old servants make hard masters). _ Hae as much o’ the deil in you as keep the deil aff you. Gif ye winna hae walkers, riders may pass by (applied to girls who are too saucy). He that lies down wi’ the dogs rises up wi’ the fleas. |- renee He would mak’ a gude poor man’s pig: he eats weel at every meal. Tak’ tent o’ the hizzie that’s saucy and proud, Tho’ her e’e’s like the gowan and the gowan like the gowd. Whittlegair was theheroineof a favourite story. She is beautiful, but set at nought. She finds a gold ring in apie, and afterwards is lucky and happy. A variant of the ballad of Gill Morice used to be sung. The child’ grew to manhood, and was in great poverty. His mother was wont to meet him secretly and relieve his wants. A tell-tale aroused the earl’s jealousy. He was beset by the earl, overpowered, beheaded, and his head , brought home to his unhappy mother on a pike as the reward of her supposed infidelity. The Countess, on seeing her son’s head, -swooned and shortly after expired. The old woman who chanted pas i is long since dead. The following child’s rhyme was more 14 106 ; Transactions. common in Renfrewshire. I only heard it once in Dumfriesshire. It was sung to a young child previous to its learning to walk :— Wag a fit, wag a fit, whan wilt thou gang ? Lantern days, when they grow lang, Harrows will hap and ploughs will bang, And ilka auld wife tak’ the ither by the tap, And worry, worry, worry till her head fa’ in her lap. “Lantern days” mean the days of Lent. In this winter of unwonted severity ploughs have not begun with Lent, though they stopped about Christmas. About six years after my residence in Tynron, my father and I listened to the sound of an aurora. It was a very bright aurora, sending streamers and luminous mist across the zenith, It was like the sound of rustling silk, falling and rising. It is a very rare thing to hear this; but I wrote of it to Mature, and discovered I was not entirely alone in my experience. Tom Brown, while a member of this Society, when early up at lambing time, saw the spectre of the Brocken—that is, opposite himself, reflected on a bank of clouds about sunrise, he saw a magnified image of himself, whose motions corresponded to his own. My neighbour schoolmaster observed ‘ Will-o’-the-Wisp” one summer night in a marshy spot between Shinnel and Skarr. In the store at Tynron Kirk is to be seen a shop account book made by a former grocer, bound in calf skin, the hairs still adhering to it. In that book entries are made of sales of tow, showing that the spinning wheel went round. There are also entries of sales of barleymeal. Now only a few rigs of barley are grown by one farmer only. Sermons are shorter, but there is more psalmody. Thanksgiving Monday ha; become secular. Grace before meat has nearly reached vanishing point. Grace after meat is most frequently taken for granted. I fear Burns’ ‘ Cottar’s Saturday Night” is following Burns’ “ Hallowe’en” into the halls of memory. Before closing, let me say a good word in favour of the scrupulous honesty of the great mass of'the parishioners. I have had, during a whole night, linen spread to bleach or my blankets hung out to dry. I have forgot to lock my door. I have left the school door wide open for a night without loss. A cow might swallow half a shirt, but no fingers ever pilfered one. I lost a legging on the hills, but the lost legging hopped back to me. Carrying my coat on my arm ona bridle path one sultry day I dropped my spectacles, but my spectacles gravitated towards my ; ; : : q Transactions. 107 eyes again. A friend of mine had a spill, but a schoolboy care- fully gathered up the larger spelks of the tram of the broken vehicle and made me a present of them, as he said, for my museum. My bad debts in the long period of my residence might all be paid with that current coin of the realm upon which is engraved the figure of the war-like saint vanquishing the dragon. 5th April, 1895. Mr Tuomas M‘Kie, F.S.A., Vice-President, in the Chair. New Members.—Messrs John M. Aitken, Norwood, Lockerbie ; J. H. Edmondson, Riddingwood ; and William M. Maxwell, Bank House. Donations.—The Bulletin of the Geological Institution of the University of Upsala, 1893-4; the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution, 1893. Exhibits.—Mr James Barbour, on behalf of Captain R. C, Fergusson of Craigdarroch, exhibited 13 burgess tickets held by the Captain’s predecessors, and also a diploma of admission to the Revolution Club, Edinburgh, 1755, to James Fergusson of Craigdarroch, COMMUNICATIONS. 1. Troqueer in the Olden Time. By J. G. Hamitron-Starke, M.A., F.S.A, The annals of the parish of Troqueer are to be gathered chiefly from the memoirs of the Rev. Mr Blackader, who was ordained its minister in 1653 ; from the Kirk-session records, which begin in 1698; and from the “Old and New Statistical Accounts ” written in 1791 by the Rev. Mr Ewart, and in 1844 by the Rev. Mr Thorburn, two of its parish ministers. But these accounts are more or less fragmentary, and the fullest history of the parish appeared in the columns of the Dumfries and Galloway Courier during the months of July, August, and September, 1878, in which the old authorities were revised, the minutes of the Kirk-session carefully deciphered, and for the first time most of them published, together with full information up to that year upon almost every subject of public interest within the parish. 108 : Transactions. As these articles bore no name of the writer of them, I may now mention that they were written by me, so that no charge of plagiarism can be made if I weave a few of their details into this paper. But I shall avoid details as much as possible, and give a general account more suited to the time and taste of our monthly meetings. In one important respect this paper is an original communication, inasmuch as I can now prove what was for long a mere theory of mine—viz., that in the olden time there was a village or kirktown called Troquire along the road leading to the Parish Church, and quite distinct from the Bridgend of Dumfries, now the populous burgh of Maxwelltown. The first thing which srikes one is the peculiari ity of the name of the parish, the spelling of which as at present dates only from a little before the beginning of this century. In a charter of the fourteenth century it is spelt Trogwayre, and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it is variously spelled, according to the ear of the writer Trequair, Trequier, and Troquire. It has been suggested that the word may be derived from old French words trois choewrs, and mean the third of three choirs, of which Lincluden and Newabbey were the others. But the French language had scarcely any influence in this district, and if it had any, the words supposed would be unintelligible French applied to a church building. On this point Mr Cosmo Innes says—‘‘ From the names of places and persons in charters of the twelfth century in Galloway it appears the people were of Celtic or Gaelic race and language, which remained until the fifteenth or sixteenth century. It had its own laws of the Bretts and Scots, which King Edward in vain tried to abolish. The Normans had no secure footing, nor the court French of Queen Mary’s time.” The learned Mr Chalmers in his “ Caledonia” derives it from two old British words—+ére, a small town or village, and gwyr (similar to the way I find it spelt in fourteenth century), the bend or turn of a river. There is but one other town in Scotland of a similar sound and spelling, Traquair in Peeblesshire—a village situated beside a winding river called the Quair. Here the river has been always called the Nith or Nid, but it certainly winds round this eastern boundary of the parish from near the church to Mavisgrove, a characteristic which caught Transactions. 109 the eye of Burns when one day thinking of Miss Phillis M‘Murdo he composed the beautiful verses which begin, “‘ Adown winding Nith I did wander.” I long thought over the matter, seeking for some other physical feature in the landscape which might better explain the latter syllable, until it occurred to me that it might be that other no less ancient British word caer, meaning a fort, and, if so, mean the fortified village or town. I had not far to look for some corro- boration of this opinion, for here, close to the Parish Church, is that high circular mound called the Moat, which, whatever may have been the later uses to which it was put, has been recognised by antiquarians— including the learned author of ‘“ Caledonia ” —as originally a British fort. It stands opposite the lofty, grim rock of Castledykes—once a castle of the Comyn family—both guarding against a hostile invasion from England the town of Dumfries and this side of the river. We have Caerlaverock, Cargen, Carruchan, Corbelly, all derived from caer a fort; and so also, I believe, was this village Tre-Caer, now called Troqueer. But you may accept either interpretation, as both follow the clue given by Chalmers that it is derived from old British words. The more important question is—Was there a village or town here in the olden time? To which I am able to give an unquestionable reply in the affirmative, and thus corroborate Mr Chalmers’s opinion as to the derivation of the first syllable. Many years ago I was told of, and in some instances saw, the foundations of old houses revealed when new buildings were being erected along the Troqueer road ; and in 1878 I was agreeably surprised to discover in the Kirk-session records the name of a “village or toun of Troquire ” in the direction towards the Parish Church. Subsequently I found it mentioned in title deeds of the 17th and 18th centuries, and quite recently in a charter of the 14th century. This explains why the Bridgend was always called ‘of Dumfries”—to mark it out as an adjunct of that ‘town, though not subject to its legal jurisdiction. Into the Bridgend fled all outlaws from justice and those banished from the town of Dumfries. . These Kirk-session records tell how, 200 years ago, the church officer, or “ bedle,” as he is sometimes called, had to ring a hand- _ bell through the whole parish to announce burials, but if he only required to ring it in Bridgend and Troquire he received only a part of the fee for ringing it landwards. 110 Transactions. 13th Nov., 1698.—That the officer have 14 pence for the grave- making and ringing the bell at burials throughout the whole parish, except at the Bridgend and Troquire, which shall pay but 10 pence. This hand-bell was rung through Troquire and Bridgend “ each Sabbath morning when there is sermon as usual.” Then in 1716 it is called Troquier toun. 26th August, 1716.—The Session, understanding that William Edgar in Troquier toun did last Lord’s day after sermon, at the church door and toun of Troquier, warn shearers in Brigend and toun of Troquier to repair to the Mains of Terregles to begin shearing on Monday and following days ; and considering that this was no work of necessity, but a breach of the Lord’s day, they appoint the officer to summon the said William Edgar to compear before them the next day of Session. Then in 1754 here is an extract from a title deed for a small hit of land on the Troqueer road, which reveals a busy village or kirk town of which no vestige now remains, and the very description of it is in the names of places that are completely changed :—‘“ Three roods of land called Clerk’s Croft in parish of Troquire, near to the church of the said parish at the south end of the toun or village called Troquire, bounded betwixt the King’s High Street going from the Brigend of Dumfries to the said kirk of Troquier, and on the south by lands called the Short Butts.” Here, then, along what is now called the Troqueer road was the old village of Troqueer, with its Short Butts near to the Moat hill for the practice of archery under old Scotch statutes, which required them to be set up in every parish near to the Parish Kirk. In the 18th century it would be as a mere pastime—to recall old times, “short butts ” for the young, and “long butts”’ for grown-up persons—and at a later period probably to practice musketry for more serious purposes than mere pastime. Then there was the village green, still called the Pleasance- There was a place called the Bilbow, with a park, houses, barns? and barnyards, where the villa of Ashbank now stands. It was a rural village or kirk town, with its population ploughing, sowing, reaping, and also gathering the produce of their orchards and gardens. One may still have a faint glimpse of what it was by standing in summer within the Troqueer road entrance to Rotchell Park, and seeing the remains of old orchards and } a: Transactions, 111 gardens in blossom fringing the rich agricultural lands which in gentle hill and valley trend towards Newabbey. Lastly, it was not a village of mushroom growth, but a very ancient one, dating at least from the 14th century. Here is the translation of an extract from a charter granted by King David 2nd, dated a.p. 1365 :— To Roger Wodyfeld all those tenements in the burgh of Dumfries, and 20 pounds worth of land (viginti libratum terre), with one house in the town of Trogwayre, which Janet, daughter of Walter Moffat,and Richard Duchti, her husband, had mort- gaged to the said Roger. Rob., Index, p. 77. Cosmo Innes says :---‘‘ The very ancient denominations of land from its value, ibrata, nummata denariata terrae, point at a valuation for some public purpose.” Having thus proved the existence of a very ancient village or small town of Troqueer, we corroborate the learned Chalmers in his derivation of the first syllable of its name. We also see the significance in ancient deeds of the Brigend being always called “ of Dumfries ;” and in the populous nature of both places we find an explanation for the parish church having from time immemorial been situated at this north-east part of the parish. Although this ancient village has disappeared, the locality has in modern times acquired fresh interest in its association witb our national poet, Burns, who often traversed the Troqueer road to visit Mr Syme at Ryedale ; Dr Maxwell at Troqueer Holm ; or Mr Lewars, his superior officer in the Excise, who lived and, in 1826, died in that quaint small house called Ryedale Cottage. It was on Mr Lewars’s sister Jessy that Burns composed the beautiful song, ‘‘Oh, wert thou in the cauld blast?” concerning which Dr Chambers, in his biography of the poet, thus writes :— “Many years after, when Burns had become a star in memory’s galaxy, and Jessy Lewars was spending her quiet years of widow- hood in a little parlour in Maxwelltown, the verses attracted the regard of Felix Mendelssohn, who married them to an air of exquisite pathos.” Two other houses Burns visited in the parish were Mavisgrove and Goldielea. The minutes of the Kirk-session are extant with a few blank years—from 1698, and give a view of ecclesiastical affairs long fallen into desuetude. It used to exercise a very strict super- = vision over the congregation. ‘The jurisdiction of these tribunals § x 112 ' Transactions. and of the. local magistrate, and, indeed, in some matters of the Court of Session, were by Statute, 1593, co-ordinate, but the former had full powers in questions of the faith and of morals in the first instance. We may in a general way classify the accusations, or “‘delations” as they were called, before the Kirk-session and Presbyteries by virtue of some Scotch Act of Parliament, as including all offences against religion or decency or the well-being of the community in general. These were enormous powers, some of them necessary in those days to preserve law and order, especially in landward parts where there was no local magistrate; but others of them were a meddlesome interference with the liberty of the subject, such as charges of cutting wood or kail, driving cattle, carrying water, or walking on the Dock Park of Dumfries during the hours of divine service ! In cases where members of the congregation were suspected of being Papists they were summoned, interrogated, and if a prima facte case were made out, it was reported to the Presbytery for further inquiry. Here are a few of these charges, but for others I refer you to the Courier of 1878 :— Irregular Church Attendance.—June 11, 1699,—The Session considering that many persons in this parish attend only one diet of divine service, and go away home immediately after forenoon sermon, to the great disregard of the Gospel and offence of good persons, the Session orders that Church persons thus guilty shall be immediately cited to the Session and _ their pretences and excuses heard, which if found trivial and invalid shall be prosecuted as Sabbath-breakers and punished accordingly, and appoints intimation of this to be made on Sabbath first. Cutting Wood on Sunday.—This day William Hannah makes report that on Monday last the Laird of Lag delivered to him 3 pounds 14 shillings for the use of the poor, being a part of a fine imposed on a man, Thomas Howat, for Sabbath breaking, being cutting wood the last Lord’s day in this parish. Walking on Fast Day.—March 31, 1701.—The quilk day John M‘Kie being cited, called, and compearing, was interrogate if it was he that was walking in time of Dumfries sermon on the Dock in sight of this congregation with Nethertown and Dirleton ; answered in the affirmative. Being interrogate if he went to Dumfries church that day, answered in the negative, And being a Transactions. 113 questioned where he went, answered to Robert MacBrair’s, and drank but one choppin of ale. Being interrogate if he sent his son that Fast Day with two horses to plough in Terregles, ac- knowledged he did, adding because there was no Fast kept there, it being a vacant congregation. Upon which he was removed ; and the Session, considering his affair, finds him guilty of great contempt in not observing a day set apart for solemn fasting and humiliation. Wherefore the Session appoints the said M‘Kie to be rebuked before the congregation on Sabbath next, and he being called in this was intimate to him ; and, further, it is left upon the minister to acquaint the minister of Dumfries of Nether- town and Dirleton’s offensive deportment. 7th June, 1716.—The thanksgiving day for extinguishing the rebellion. Apostasy.—-The Session taking into consideration the libel against Janet Hood, in Cargen, do find that by her own confession she hath absented herself from the worship of God upon the Lord’s Day in her parish church or any other church for the space of one year and a half, and that her heart did not give her (as she speaks) to come to the worship of God for that space of time. And also that she was inclined and her heart did give her to the Popish or Roman Catholick religion, yea that she owned the Roman Catholick religion for her religion. Whereby it is apparent unto them that the said Janet is guilty of apostasy from the true Christian Reformed religion into the erroneous, idolatrous, and superstitious religion of the Romish Church, And this being a scandal of an atrocious nature, implying idolatry, heresie, errour, and schism, the Session understands that it is not proper for them to proceed any further in this process according to the form Assewb., 1707, number 11, chap. 6. Therefore they do refer the process unto the Reverend Presbytery of Dumfries that they may determine thereon as they shall find cause. _ There was in every parish church of Scotland a conspicuous seat or post, called the stool or pillar of repentance, where delinquents had to appear generally for three successive Sabbaths before the congregation to have their sin proclaimed, and to be rebuked by the minister. The tollowing extracts show that there _ was one for long in Troqueer Church :— August 13, 1699.—Jean Waugh was this day rebuked before the congregation for profanation of the Sabbath by spinning. - Dee. 31, 1699.—This day appeared on the pillar Agnes Robeson 15 _ : 114 Transactions. for the third time, and offered to pay her penalty of four pound Scots, but in regard the money being not correct, being all found not weight, the Session orders her to pay it against next Lord’s day. Slander.—26th August, 1716.—The Session find John M‘Minn guilty of slandering and reproaching Margaret Sloan; and therefore, they do appoint the said John to stand in the publik place in the Church of Troqueir upon the 9th day of September next, being the Lord’s day, and in the forenoon, to be rebuked by the minister. Unchastity.—2nd June, 1717.—Mary Conkie appeared this day before the congregation in the publick place, and was rebuked after the forenoon sermon, the evil of her sin was laid before her, and she was exhorted to repentance. The Parish Church seems to have stood on its present site from time immemorial, and the tombstones over seven of its ministers since the Reformation, extending from 1690 to 1846, or a period of 156 years, are to be seen inthe churchyard. I have been often asked if I can explain why the church is situated so far from the centre of the parish, but it was necessary to have it here to serve the populous villages of Brigend, Troquire, and Nethertown, Before the Reformation there would be chapels more inland for the landward population on large estates, and the large churches of Newabbey and of Lincluden at either end of the parish would attract those nearer to these edifices. The learned Mr Chalmers says in regard to the Rev. Mr Ewart’s account of his parish and church in ‘‘ The Old Statistical Account ”—‘“ This minister, who knew nothing of the history of the parish, supposes that the church was a chapel of ease. But it appears to have been an independent church from its foundation, and a separate parish so far back as it can be traced.” Tn olden times the parish church belonged to the Abbot and Monks of Tongland, who enjoyed the rectorial tithes and revenue, while the cure was served by a vicar, who reported it at the period of the Reformation as worth £20 Scots yearly, exclusive of gifts and fines. In 1588 it was granted for life to the commendator of Tong- — land, and on bis death in 1613 it was transferred by Royal grant to the Bishop of Galloway. When Episcopacy was_ finally abolished it reverted back to the Crown. You are aware that after the riots in Edinburgh caused by the Transactions. 115 reading of Laud’s liturgy the General Assembly declared Episcopacy to be abolished, and in 1638 a National Covenant was signed with great enthusiasm throughout every parish in Scotland. So unahimous was this feeling in the parish of Troqueer in favour of the covenant that in 1640 the captain of its War Committee sent in the following report :—“ Lancelot Grier of Dalskarthe, captain of the parochin of Troqueer, declares no cold or un-Covenanters within his bounds, except the Maxwells of Kirkconnell and the Herrieses of Mabie.” This was an ancestor of the family called Grierson of Lag. In 1653, when the Rev. Mr Blackader was ordained minister of the parish, he found that the teinds were claimed by the Ear! of Nithsdale, as appears from the following letter of the Countess to Sir George Maxwell of Pollock, published in “ Memoirs of the Pollock family ” :— Sir,—Since I cannot have the happiness to see you in this countrie, I must importune you by letters as one in whose wisdom and affection to myself and my son I remain most confident. My husband had a tack of the tenths of the Church of Troquere in Galloway from the College of Glasgow, whereof they be as yet some years’ standing ; and now, as I am informed, Mr John Blackader, present minister of the said church, is putting in to have the said tenth in his own hand. Therefore, I earnestly entreat, as you wish the good of my son, you will stop his pro- ceedings herein, since my son is now for many years by-past in possession and willing to continue in pay for the said tenths as his _ predecessors hath been, and if anything else shall be requisite he shall submit to you therein. Thus, not doubting of your good- will, I rest as ever, Your faithful friend to serve you, E. Nirispat. This 16 of February, 1654. This letter, dated the year after Mr Blackader’s unanimous induction, was the beginning of many troubles, as detailed in his published memoirs. Soon after the Restoration, in 1660, a Royal edict ordered all parish ministers who had been ordained since 1649 to remove out of the bounds of their Presbytery ; so, putting his children into _“cadgers’ creels”” on either side of a horse, he went to Glencairn, _where he held open-air conventicles among the hills. _ The following is a vivid account of his last visit to Troqueer, 116 ; Transactions. probably the most memorable event that has occurred in the history of the parish :— On several occasions he preached in Galloway, and in January, 1681, he visited Troqueer at the request of his old parishioners. He preached at Dalscairth to a vast assemblage, and the Laird of Dalscairth accompanied him to Lochmaben, and back again by Rockhall to Dalscairth, where he again preached on a green near the house. On his way back to Edinburgh he preached at Sundy- well, in Dunscore. It was a time of deep snow, but the people set a chair for him, and pulling bunches of heather, sat on the moorside. Dalscairth accompanied him, and they were obliged to take the road at God’s venture, the hills being loaded with snow. They shunned the pass of Enterkin, and went by Lead- hills as safest. But the people seemed to waylay him, and flocked about him to baptise their children. After this he returned no more to the South. In this same year he was apprehended in Edinburgh, and sentenced by the Privy Council to be imprisoned on the Bass Rock, where, after four years’ cruel confinement, he died in 1685. His body was brought ashore and buried in the churchyard of North Berwick, where a handsome tombstone and _ long inscription mark his grave. In the olden time the Griersons of Lag possessed large estates “betwixt the waters,” 7.¢., the rivers Nith and Urr. In this parish they owned all the land south of the present Troqueer road, including Ryedale and the Moat; to Nethertown and Dalscairth ; and had a residence called Lag Hall, on or near to the site of the mansion-house of Mavisgrove, a little below which at the riverside is still in use for vessels a small quay called the Port of Laghall. In these days the house upon Troqueer Holm was called the Hall House. Sir Robert Grierson, the “‘ Redgauntlet ” of Scott, who obtained unenviable notoriety for his persecution of the Covenanters, was made a baronet by King Charles II. in 1685, and died in 1733. In these times land in the parish was described as within the regality of Lincluden, but regalities were abolished in 1746. T heard the late Mr Pagan of Curriestanes, who was born in 1803, say that he had seen flogging at the cart’s-tail through the streets of Dumfries, and a pillory in use in the Brigend. But an older man was the late Mr Welsh, born in 1794, who told me he had seen the funeral of my wife’s grandfather, General Transactions. °* 117 Goldie of Goldielea, in 1804, at Troqueer Churchyard. It had been impressed on his memory, he added, owing to the great attendance at it of all classes, and a grand gilt coffin. In the early part of this century there were rumours of a French invasion, and a company of Volunteers was raised in the parish, colours to which were presented by Mrs Maxwell of Kirkconnell, and are still preserved there. In 1859, on the occasion of similar fears, there were formed Rifle corps throughout the Stewartry, among them the 5th or Maxwelltown corps, which I joined as ensign, and accompanied to Edinburgh in 1860 to a great review of over 20,000 Volunteers from all parts of Scotland by the Queen and Prince Consort. The arrangements were made by Colonel (afterwards General) Sir Montagu M‘Murdo, of the family of Mavisgrove, and, with splendid weather and countless spectators in the Queen’s Park, were a great success. 2. Some Incidents in Nithsdale during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. By James W. WuHuireEtaw, Solicitor. A century and a half have elapsed since the last attempt was made to re-instate the Stuart dynasty upon the throne of Britain, and by the day of the month we are within eleven days of the anniversary of the battle of Culloden, where that attempt finally ended in failure. It may not be amiss, therefore, if at this . meeting of the Society I say something regarding the Jacobite _ Rising of 1745, more especially as I am able to bring before you some correspondence which passed between the then Duke of Queensberry and his Commissioner in this county at the time, _ which has not been previously published. It is not within the limits of this paper, and indeed it would be presumptuous on my _ part to attempt any general survey of that Rising, but I trust ~ you will permit me to recall to your memories one or two main facts, in respect that they have a bearing on the “ Incidents in Nithsdale” to which I am to allude. The Jacobite standard -was unfurled on 19th Aagust, 1745, at Glenfinnan (a narrow valley at the western extremity of Loch Eil), and by 4th September the Prince was in full possession of Perth. The occupation of so important a centre necessarily drew attention to she Rising throughout the Lowlands of Scotland, and one 118 Transactions. naturally asks what was taking place in Nithsdale at such a time. For an answer I turn to a letter written to the Duke of Queensberry by his Commissioner, Mr James Fergusson, younger of Craigdarroch ; and as I shall again have to refer to this gentleman’s letters, it may interest you to know that he was the eldest son of ‘‘ Bonnie Annie Laurie,” and the father of Alexander Fergusson, who carried off the Whistle at the famous meeting at Friars’ Carse, celebrated by Burns. The draft of these letters are in possession of his great-great-grandson, Captain Cutlar- Fergusson of Craigdarroch, to whom I am indebted for a perusal] of them. The first letter to which I refer is dated 2nd September, and is as follows :— “The Invasion in the north of Scotland, which has been. for some weeks talked of as a matter of little consequence, seems now more serious. We have many uncertain reports every day, but by the best accounts it’s now past doubt that the young Adventurer landed near Fort-William several weeks ago, that a good many of the Highlanders have joined him. Their numbers are yet uncertain. Some say 2, others 3000, that General Cope with twixt 2 and 3000 regular troops is gone in quest of them, and was on Tuesday, the 27th August, within two days’ march of them, and that they are much alarmed at Edinburgh and Glasgow, and are putting themselves as fast as possible in a posture of defence. These accounts we had here on Saturday last, and may be depended on as true. This day we were informed by letters from Edinburgh that General Cope had gone towards Inverness, and that the Highlanders had taken a nearer way over the mountains and come further south, that the Marquis of Tullibardine had come with a part of them as far as his brother, the Duke of Athole’s house, and had sent orders before him to the Duke’s factor to prepare dinner for him and his attendants, upon which the Duke came off for Edinburgh, and that the inhabitants of Perth were greatly alarmed, and were removing all their valuable effects. These accounts came by express to Edinburgh on Saturday. That night Hamilton’s regiment of Dragoons lay upon their arms in the King’s Park, and were to march early on Sunday morning for Stirling, where regiment now is.” “There was this day a meeting of the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Supply here, occasioned by a pressing letter from the General Receiver of the Land Tax at Edinburgh Transactions. 119 demanding payment of the arrears of this shire without delay. After having settled that matter, the gentlemen turned their conversation upon the present situation of the kingdom, and the defenceless state of this shire in particular, and agreed to write to the Justice-Clerk the good inclinations of the people, and their desire to have arms put in their hands out of the public - magazines, as there were few in the county, and to ask his advice how to behave in the present emergency, whether to rise or wait orders for raising the Militia. lig .e Eh, AR >free Published as a Supplement to this volume : BIRRENS AND ITS ANTIQUITIES JAMES MACDONALD, LL.D. AND JAMES BARBOUR, F.S.A.(Scot.). ee President. Sm ROBERT THRESHIE REID, M.A., Q.C., M.P. Wice=Presidents. JAMES BARBOUR, F.S.A. WILLIAM JARDINE MAXWELL, M.A., Advocate. JAMES GIBSON HAMILTON STARKE, M.A., Advocate. PHILIP SULLEY, F.S.A., F.R. Hist. Soc. Secretary. EDWARD JAMES CHINNOCK, LL.D., M.A., LL.B., Fernbank, Maxwelltown. Treasure. JOHN A. MOODIE, Solicitor, Bank of Scotland, Dumfries. Librarians and Curators of Museum. Rev. WILLIAM ANDSON and JAMES LENNOX, F.S.A. Curator of tberbarium, GEORGE F. SCOTT-ELLIOT, M.A., B.Sc,, F.L.S., F.R.G.S. Assisted by the Missrs HANNAY, Other Members, Rey. JOHN CAIRNS, M.A. JOHN NEILSON, M.A. - JAMES DAVIDSON, F.I.C. GEORGE H. ROBB, M.A. WILLIAM DICKIE. Dr J. MAXWELL ROSS, M.A. MATTHEW JAMIESON. JAMES S. THOMSON. ROBERT MURRAY. Rev. ROBERT W. WEIR, M.A. ae Ad COUN De Nee SS EH IT PAGE Secretary’s Report ce ree ae tec er ver cen ttle 4 Treasurer’s Report wie : “0 ah as Erie 2) Old Friars’ Carse Fi ete W. meee oe a ao aeRO The Future British Botanist—G. F. Scott-Elliot ... se Pe eae wl John Macmillan—H. WM. B. Reid ... Sag wes tae oa an 6 Prehistoric Chisel (Illustrated)—Z. J. Chinnock ... kd sae a.) 20 Botanical Notes—/J. M‘Andrew om ane vp Bis re we ee Development of Arms—P. Sulley ... Sse be ase a5 wen 2D Camps in Dryfe and Lochmaben—J. H. Thomson .. oe is ie 28 Meteorology of Dumfries—W. Andson Es sh a we eee P| Kirkbean Folklore—S. Avrnott.. 35 oa st aa fee. Adder Beads and Children’s Rhy mes—J. Shaw... Pee a ac Ae Place Names of the Stewartry—F. R. Coles 338 a Be von OO Food Piants—P. Gray ... ea Be us se aE Church of St. John, Dalry finches W. aes PS Aes .. 69 A Scotch Idyl—W. K. R. Bedford... pee bie one er 2 eo A’ Lorburne (Illustrated)—J. Barbour ant fe Bs Ss sas eo Pearl Fishing in 8.-W. Scotland—J. S. Thomson ... ‘ a pois Oe Inseribed Stones of Dumfriesshire (Illustrated)—/J. Macdonald ... ... 108 Meteorological Observations—W. Andson ... ade tae Ha «> 180 Report on the Herbarium—G. F. Scott-LEiliot Se wee es ... 182 The Glenkens in Olden Times—J. Barbour (Dalry) se LIFE oF MACMILLAN. aly Confession of Faith, in a fly-leaf of which I deciphered an inscrip- tion by Alexander M‘Millan, dated 27th December, 1752, bearing that certain persons (presumably his own children) were born at certain dates, as under :-— 1, [Part torn or burned off]... gee. G64! 2. John M‘ Millan ish te, lbae 3. James M‘Millan £4 se Be) 692 4. Mary M‘Millan oo i Sead, LPS _ On another leaf is a note as follows :— “James M‘Millan aught this book, God give him grace thereon to look; and I grant it may be restored to my son, John - MMillan, at my death; as witnesseth my hand this 12 of Febuorrie, 1732. James M‘Millan.” I at once thought of the minister of Balmaghie, and it occurred to me to inquire whether the commonly received state- ment of his birthplace and date was settled by any conclusive authority. Mr Thomson of Hightae gives the statement without citing any authority: so does Mr Hutchison. The monument at Dalserf says: ‘‘ Died December first, 1753, aged eighty-four.” The rare tract, called ‘“‘ Observations on a Wolf in a Sheepskin,” "published in 1753, says “in the eighty-fourth year of his age.” But we know how often ages are misstated. If the John Mac- millan of this fly-leaf is our man, he was born at Glenhead in 1682, about ten miles from Barncauchlaw farm-house, as the crow flies; and he was 71 years old, not 84, when he died at Broomhill, Bothwell. I consulted the registers of Edinburgh University, and found that John M‘Millan matriculated there in 1695, and graduated two years after A.M., in June, 1697. In 1695 the Glenhead John would be 13 years old, at which age, and even earlier, Scottish students then went to college. A two-years’ course was probably enough to secure the Master’s degree, being a certificate chiefly of knowledge of the classics. Three years more for divinity studies bring us to 1700, when he was licensed by the Presbytery of Kirk- eudbright. Here the question of age emerges again. If born in 1682 he would at license be only eighteen. Nowadays license to preach is not granted till the age of twenty-one. Principal Tulloch, as Mrs Oliphant* relates, was kept back because he was *Life, p. 26, 18 LirzE or MACMILLAN. not of age. ‘* Why was not I born two months sooner ?” he asks, in a note to his fiancée, after he had passed his “ trials” for license, but got no license after all. But in the seventeenth century mere striplings were licensed freely. I have noted the following cases from the “Scots Worthies ” as illustrations :— John Welsh, born 1570, minister at Selkirk, Kirkcudbright, and lastly at Ayr, in 1590; aged 20. James Mitchell, born 1621 ; M.A. at eighteen. Andrew Gray, born 1634 ; licensed at nineteen. Hugh Binning, became Professor of Philosophy in Glasgow Uni- versity at eighteen. Hugh M‘Kail, born 1640 ; licensed when about twenty. It is quite possible, therefore, that a lad of eighteen might be licensed, and even a year after become minister of Balmaghie. Macmillan’s youthfulness might explain his mixture of firmness and wavering’ in the conflict with the Presbytery. All authorities agree that Macmillan was connected with the family of Arndarroch, in the barony of Harlston. Oddly enough, Macmillan, for his second wife, married a daughter of Sir Alex. Gordon of Earlston. Brockloch, in Carsphairn, seems to have been the chief Macmillan centre. The present proprietor of Lamloch in that parish has not, however, any evidence of connection with our Macmillan. 2. The question of heraldry is not unimportant, and I now shew AZacmillan’s seal, with the two-handed sword and lion ram- pant and motto from Virg. 4x. 1. 630 (miserts succurrere disco ). The same crest and motto are used by the Palgown branch, omit- ting the lion rampant. Another Macmillan family use the lion rampant alone, with a different motto—age et perjice. 3. I have obtained a platinotype of fly-leaf of Macmillan’s family Bible, which I exhibit. This throws a faint light on the question of his exact branch, favourable to my somewhat daring conjecture as to Glenhead. His youngest child was, strangely enough, christened A/exander Janeta or Jonita. The writer in the Glenhead Confession of Faith is Alexander Macmillan, and, according to my guess, would be the grandfather of this little child named after him. More certain is the information in this fly-leaf on Macmillan’s movements after his deposition in 1703. His first child, Jonas, was born in 1726 (12th June), at Balmaghie Manse; but the Lire or MAcMILLAN. 19 second, Kathren, was born in 1727 (December 19), at Eastshields in the parish of Carnwath ; hence Macmillan left Balmaghie finally between June, 1726, and December, 1727. This corrects an apparent error in Hutchison’s History, p. 158, where the date of his leaving seems to be fixed in 1729. Macmillan moved about at first from one house to another in Carnwath. In 1727, as we saw, he was at Eastshields ; in 1729 at Eastforth ; and in 1731 at Henshelwood. Then between 1731 and 1734 he must have removed to Dalserf, since his youngest child, and first deceased, was buried in the churchyard there. His house at Dalserf, from the Societies’ minutes, appears to have been called Braehead ; but he died not there, as Hutchison (p. 201) states, but at Broomhill, Bothwell (see the Dalserf monument). This fly-leaf also shews that he publicly baptized all his own children, the mother being sponsor. He could not, indeed, do otherwise, as he had no ordained colleague till 1743, when he was associated with Rev. Thomas Nairn in forming the Reformed Presbytery. 4. The dispute between Macmillan and his Presbytery occa- sioned a paper warfare. I shew first an anonymous “ Narrative,” generally ascribed to Macmillan himself, and dating, probably, in 1704. At the close of this long paper, of 62 pp., a note is added, referring to a “Letter to the Parishioners,” just published, by Rey. Andrew Cameron, of Kirkcudbright. See Narrative, p. 9. A third print appeared in 1705, containing the Presbytery’s ** Answers ” to Macmillan’s paper of ‘‘ Grievances,” and a fourth came out in the same year, in reply to Macmillan’s own “ Narrative,” containing also a copy of the Libel. I exhibit copies of these two last prints, and draw attention to two points—(1) the statement in preface to the ‘ Pamphlet intituled,” that Macmillan as a boy was a “Separatist;” (2) in the special * Examination,” p. 7, that Macmillan himself is the author of the anonymous ‘* Narrative.” 5. I have two further relics of a literary character, and both highly interesting. (1) The “ Elegy” on his second wife, also anonymous, but from internal evidence, the work of Macmillan. _ See especially a passage at page 15 (“The Sprightly Babe,” &c.). The date is 1723. (2) The full report of the “ Auchensaugh _ Renovation” of the Covenants, with notes of Macmillan’s addresses 20 Lire or MACMILLAN. and sermons (1712). Especially curious is the passage on page 38, in reply to the charge that he had excommunicated Queen Anne. 6. Lastly, I have brought here ‘* Macmillan’s cup,” at- whose appearance the Brownie of Blednoch was obliged to flee. The cup dates from 1615, and was constantly in use at Balmaghie Com- munions up till 1795. Macmillan must have handled it hundreds of times. In the same volume with the Presbytery’s * Answers” and the “‘ Examination ” are the following interesting prints relating to Macmillan :— 1. Act of Commission of Assembly against Macmillan and Macneil, 1st October, 1708. 2. Their Protestation sent to said meeting of Commission, 29th September, 1708. This volume is the property of Rev. Mr Hutchison of New Gumnock.- The volume containing the “Elegy” and the volume of the “ Narrative” belong to Mr Wm. Macmath, Edinburgh. The seal is the property of Mr Thomas Rouet, Newton-Stewart. 13th December, 1895. Mr Puitie SuLLEy, Vice-President, in the chair. New Members.—Mr Adam J. Corrie, Senwick ; Mr William E. Malcolm, Burnfoot ;; Mr George Neilson, Glasgow. Donations.—The Proceedings of the East of Scotland Natural- ee ee ists’ Societies, 1891-95 ; The Common Crow of the United States, — from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Evhibits —Mr James Barbour exhibited a piece of Roman glass and a supposed dart, found at Birrens during the recent excavations. Mr John Rutherford exhibited celts found at Tinwald and in New Zealand; an anklet found at Lochrutton, and a tripod — found at Glenlee. Dr Chinnock exhibited a bronze chisel belong- ing to Mr Joseph Gillon Fergusson, of Isle, found in Dumfries. | He also read the following description :— i PreuIsroric CHISEL. 2] This brass or bronze chisel is exhibited by Mr J. Gillon Fergusson, of Isle, a member of this Society. It measures 64 inches in length and 3 inch in diameter. Mr W. Ivison Macadam, F.R.S.E., made the following analysis for Dr Joseph Anderson, National Museum of Antiquities . Copper... us ie 86°86 per cent. Zine ae bbe = LOO)... Mine». Sr oe oer 2-950 2 Tron Le ne 5a On : : 100 | This implement was found by Mr Moffat, plumber, Dumfries, in an excavation, and by him presented to Mr Fergusson. These tools are very rarely found in Scotland. One found in Sutherlandshire was described, with this Dumfries one, by Dr Joseph Anderson, whose paper will be found in the last volume of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Another from Glenluce is pictured in the same article. Sir John Evans has tabulated about twenty bronze chisels found in England. They are very rare on the continent of Europe, and some have been found at Troy and in Egypt. Dr. Anderson in the paper referred to says: “The use of zinc as an alloy, in conjunction with copper and tin, is not a Bronze Age characteristic, but points to a date less remote than that of true bronze, in which zinc was never present, even as an impurity. _ If we assume that the cylindrical chisel from Dumfries was prob- ably a mason’s chisel, as its shape implies, we have to admit that there is no evidence of hewn or surface-dressed stone-work for which such a tocol might be required, until the period of the Roman occupation, when it is also to be remembered that iron was inuse. The researches of Gobel have shown that zinc is absent even from the Greek bronzes, which are composed of copper, tin, and lead. Zinc only begins to appear as an ingredient in Roman alloys, and i: is only towards the commencement of the Christian era that it begins to be present in them.” Dr. Anderson’s sugges- tion that this chisel was a mason’s chisel hardly scems to be tenable, 22 BoranicaL Norves. considering its bluntness. See his article from which this quota- tion is made, April or May, 1895. COMMUNICATIONS. I.—Botanical Notes for 1895. By Mr JAMes M‘ANDREWw, of New Galloway. In July 1895 I spent a fortnight at New Luce in Wigtownshire in hope of gathering there some of the plants of the inland part of the county. I was not altogether disappointed, though the dis- trict has not a particularly rich or varied flora. Except in the valleys of the Main and Cross waters of Luce, the surrounding district is moorland. However, here and at Portpatrick I found the following ten plants, as new records for Wigtownshire, to be added to my former list :— 1. Hieracium gothicum (Fr.), Backh. In the bed of Luce Water. 2. Hieracium auratum (FY.), Do. do. 3. Galium mollugo, var. Bakeri, Syme. At New Luce railway viaduct. 4. Hymenophyllum unilaterale, Willd. At Barnshangan Bridge and at Loups of Kilfeather, New Luce. Centaurea nigra var. radians. Frequent at New Luce and Portpatrick. 6. Melampyrum pratense var. montanum. Near New Luce. The var. dians occurs at Pularyan Glen. Utricularia intermedia. Airieolland Loch, New Luce. 8. Barbarea stricta. Sent to me by Mr. R. C. Lupton, school- house, New Luce, and found growing along the Cross Water ; perhaps an outcast. 9. Calamagrostis epigeios, Roth. Knock Bay, Portpatrick. This is, as far as I am aware, the first record of this grass for the south-western counties of Scotland. 10. Potamogeton perfoliatus. Lochnaw Loch. It is about sixty years since Dr Macnab recorded Cladium ger- manicum or mariscus, for Ravenstone Loch, Wigtownshire. Since (Sy then it has not been seen in the county, but this year I was fortun-_ ate in finding a tuft of this rush in a Loch wesc of New Luce, thus confirming this plant for the county, though not for the old locality. a BotrantcaL NovEs. 93 Among other plants scen around New Luce were Ranunculus Lenormandi and Radiola linoides, in Torrs Warren ; Z'rollius europ- wus; Prunus padus (confirmed); Pyrus malus (confirmed) ; Rubus saxatilis ; Viburnum opulus; Valeriana pyrenaica, at the Cruives ; Habenaria albida, near Pularyan; Eleocharis lacustris, Kilhern Loch ; Rhynchospora alba, Carex filiformis, Airieolland Loch ; Bromus giganteus, Avena pubescens, Cryptogramme crispa, Botrychium lunaria, Equisetum sylvaticum, Lycopodium selago and clavatum; Selaginella selaginoides, Chara fragilis, and Nitella opaca. Near Portpatrick I gathered Carex laevigata and Pulicaria dysenterica, at Knock Bay ; and Corydalis claviculata, Epilobium angustifolium, var. brachy- earpum, in great abundance, Potamogeton pusillus, Carex pendula. &c., at Lochnaw. The three forms of Alchemilla vulgaris, as given in the Annals of Scottish Natural History for January, 1895, viz.: (@) pratensis (Schmidt), (b) alpestris (Schmidt), (c) filicaulis (Buser), are found in Wigtownshire. I have also gathered the three forms at New Galloway, and the Messrs Linton record them for Moffat. When attention is directed to them, they will be found in the three counties. The Rev. James Gorrie writes me that Datura stra- monium is spreading at Rigg Bay, Garliestown ; and Sir Herbert Maxwell gives the information that Carum carui is very plentiful in a meadow at Corvisal, Newton-Stewart. KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE. I have almost nothing new to record for Kirkcudbrightshire. _ However, (1) Sagina subulata, Presl., and (2) Avena pubescens, Huds., are new records for the county, occurring frequently in the Glen- kens. I found Juncus tenuis in a third station in this county, viz.: _ Creetown Station, where also I gathered Galium mollugo. The rare moss, Oncophorus crenulatus (Mitt.), Braithw., is found on the Kells hills, and also on Black Craig Philonotis fontana, var. capillaris, I may also add the Hepatic Cephalozia multiflora (Huds.), Spruce, and the Lichens Graphis sophistica and Cladonia cariosa, - from New Galloway. Il.—TZhe Development of Arms and Weapons. By Mr Puiip SuLLEY, F.R. Hist. S. “ Without weapons, man is the feeblest of animals, but with the weapons which he alone can create, he is the king of them all.” mh 24 DEVELOPMENT oF ARMS. So wrote Thomas Carlyle ; and primitive man, when he made his appearance on this planet, must have found himself in immediate need of loose stones and broken tree branches to use as missiles and weapons, alike to keep off his more dangerous animal neigh- bours, and to take the lives of the weaker ones, in order that he might sustain hisown. Necessity, best of teachers, would speedily drive him to select the hardest and most durable of the stones, and such as could be fashioned into a cutting edge ; and the stone axe, the flint knife, arrcw, and spear-head, gradually supplanted the first casual or fortuitous implements. Indeed, the weapons of this prehistoric time, as it is called, are divided into the rough, the chipped, and the polished ; and the highly-wrought jade axes and _ hammers, weapons which have survived among savages of the — Southern Seas down to the present day, bespeak an amount of art and craftsmanship far removed from those associated with our aboriginal forefathers, yet still belonging to the same class. As gunpowder in later ages, and the terrible weapons of war of modern times, are held to have been the strongest factors in promoting peace, enlightenment, and progress, so in early times did the improvement of weapons lead to what we know as civilisa- tion. The peoples who first learnt the art of working metals, and of making swords, spears, and shields of bronze and iron, could not only conquer their less advanced neighbours, but by the terror and prestige of these arms, turn their newly-won powers to the industrial arts, and thence to decorative art and to luxury. Probably the earliest civilisation, although the one we as yet know the least of, was the American; and metal weapons and armour are to be found among the ruins, and carved on the walls of cities there, which are credibly believed to date back for 4000 years. Those, however, of which we have more knowledge and better records, are the Indian, the Assyrian, and the Chinese. It was the custom, till comparatively recently, to speak of the Bronze Age as separate from, and anterior to, that of iron, but extended researches in Assyria and Asia Minor have proved that these metals existed, and were used at the same time, although, from its easiness for working, nearly all the tools, and all the weapons, — including edged ones, were made of bronze. In the Homeric war bronze was the material in use, but iron is repeatedly mentioned — under a name which shews why, although harder and more dur- able, it was not preferred—it is called,“ difficult to work in.” DEVELOPMENT oF ARMS. 25 As the knowledge and use of bronze passed slowly from the east to the west, until the remains are found as frequently in the west and north as in classic localities, so did iron, by which the Romans established their superiority and vast empire, travel in the same direction, to be turned eventually against themselves, when the vigorous and fierce Goth, and Hun, and Vandal con- fronted the cohorts of Italy, armed with the same weapons. These weapons differed but little in the early civilisations. They were the spear or lance, sword, sling, and bow, while the defeusive armour consisted of helmet, round buckler or long shield, and later of a cuirass or corselet, with plates of metal sewn on to woven stuffs or skins. The sword varied greatly, from the short, straight blade of the Assyrian, the hatchet or chopper-like implement of the Egyptians, the grand, shapely bronze of the Grecian, the scimitar of the Arabian, and the well-known short, broad-bladed cut-and-thrust weapon of the invincible Roman foot soldier. The throwing knife, khop or tolla, was in common use among the early Egyptians. The battle-axe, the enlarged suc- cessor of the bronze celt, and the lance, doubtless, came in later, when coats of mail and protective armour were used. Such implements of war as scythe-chariots, battering-rams, catapults, or balistas, for throwing missiles into besiezed towns, &c., require only passing enumeration. Varying only in form, in material, in fashion, and finish, the weapons used for hand-to-hand combat must have remained the same for centuries scarcely to be numbered ; and any improve- ment in attack was met by improvement in panoply, in defensive armour. Further development could, therefore, only be by way of missiles discharged at a distance. The use of the helmet and coat of mail must have speedily “rought to an end the art of the slinger, whose stones and bolts would prove powerless against such pro- tection; while the yew bow and good yard-long arrow were effective only against the lightly armed, or when it chanced to pierce a joint in the armour, or found its way through the holes of a vizor or frontlet. ‘The crossbow, a mechanical improvement on the old bow, giving greater penetrative force, failed against the magnificent suits of mail of the Middle Ages, and it required the irresistible force of the bullet, propelled by explosion, to change the entire system of warfare, and render shield and buckler, corset nd suit of steel, of no avail to protect their wearers in the fight, 26 DEVELOPMENT OF ARMs. Like so many other notable inventions, the origin of gun- powder is shrouded in obscurity and doubt. The Chinese, that peculiar race who acquired civilisation so soon, and whose progress as strangely ceased, knew and used it for centuries before it made its way in Europe. The great wall of China (200 B.c.) has embrasures for cannon. It seems very doubtful whether, as an explosive and incendiary agent, it was not used both by the Greeks, Romans, and Arabs, and it is now believed that the secret came westward from India, and it is on record that firearms were used in 690 A.D., at the siege of Mecca. g wis = | ss | Isa ee io stig RRS eB eller SE : feaeieh 35.| = S | re eae er aks Slt UALAINOUVE “e6st "CGR wok OG} SULINP SOLIJUIN(T JV Usye} SUOYRAIESgY [ROLdO[OICOJOT JO Lod ayy WIND METEOROLOGY. 33 _ years. The highest monthly mean was in February, viz., 30-163 in., and the next highest in May and September, with values of 30°136 in. and 30°092 in. The weather in these months was for the most part anti-cyclonic, with very light winds and small rain- fall; but as regards February with the severest frost and also the heaviest snowstorm of the year. The lowest barometrical means were in March, with 29-640 in., and December, with 29-704 in. _ But January and November had records almost equally low, and in these months the weather was for the most part changeable and unsettled, with occasional strong gales and heavy rain, and in March with a good deal of snow. TEMPERATURE (in shade 4 feet above the grass).—The highest single day temperature of the year was on the 7th June, _ when 82-5 deg. was recorded; but the maximum of the 25th June _ was little short of this with a reading of 81-4 deg., and in Sep- tember there were three days in which the temperature reached or exceeded 80 deg., viz., the 9th, the 27th, and the 28th, ranging from 80 deg. to 81:3 deg. While the absolute maximum was 82-5 deg. the absolute minimum or lowest temperature of the year was 1 deg. below zero, which occurred twice on the night of the 8th and again on that of the 10th February, giving an annual range of 83:5 deg. The warmest month was August, vith a mean of 59°8 deg., the next warmest, September, with a mean of 58°8 deg., June had 58-5 deg., and July, which is often the warmest month of the year, had only 57-5 deg. ; but it was a cloudy and showery month, with a marked deficiency of sunshine, which may account for its being under average in point of tempera- ture. The mean temperature of the year, taken as a whole, was 46-7 deg. The average of the last nine years is 47-7 deg., so that the mean of 1895 is 1 deg. below average. The months in Which the temperature was in excess of the normal were April, by ae and a half deg. ; May, by two deg.; June, by fully three- arters of a deg. ; August, by two deg.; September, by nearly q a alk and November, by three-quarters of a deg. The anc January by six to seven deg. ; February, by ten deg; July, by me deg.; and October, by two and three-quarter deg. Thus, while there was an excess of rather more than ten deg. in the monthly means, there was a deficiency of fully twerty, so that it an be no matter for surprise that the annual mean for the past E | ce 34 METEOROLOGY. year fell short of the average. Although August was the warmest month, it was marked by an unusual number of days on which more or less rain fell (no fewer than 28 out of the 31, with occa- sional thunderstorms); but while there was less sunshine than usual, the nights were generally warm, as is shewn by the high mean minimum of 52-7 deg., which is higher than that of July by 3 degs. The finest months of the year, and the most exceptional in point of warmth and dryness, were May and September, and particularly the latter. The first two months of the year were characterised by a protracted frost of unusual severity, which set in in the concluding days of December, 1894, and continued with little intermission till the 4th or 5th of March. The mean tem- perature of January was only 30-7 deg., as compared with average of 37:3 deg., and that of February as low as 28:2 deg., which is about 10 deg. under the normal. It will give some idea of the extraordinary character of this long spell of frost when it is men- tioned that the protected thermometer fell below the freezing point on 51 out of the 59 days comprised in the first two months of the year, and that the aggregate amount of degrees of frost was 207 for January and 288°9 deg. for February, in all 495-9 deg. The climax was reached on the 8th and 10th February, on which two nights the mercury fell to 1 deg. below zero, a rare circumstance in this district. In some parts of the country con- siderably lower readings than this were recorded, as at Drumlanrig, for example, where the thermometer fell to 11 deg. below zero, and at Braemar, where it went down to 17 deg. below. During the week from the 8th to the 14th February the themometer only once rose above the freezing point, and one day, the ninth, the maximum was as low as 19 deg., while the highest of the minimum or night readings was only 9°7, and the mean temperature for that week was no more than 16 deg. It need hardly be added that during the greater part of the month the river Nith was frozen over, and that great damage was done by the bursting of water pipes, and no small amount of inconvenience occasioned by the scarcity of water owing to its being frozen in the supply pipes. In some instances this was found to be the case with pipes sunk three or four feet below the surface of the ground. As to the other months in which frost occurred, there were six days in March with an aggregate of 18-2 deg., six in April with an aggre- gate 10-5 deg., twelve in October with an aggregate of 65°8 deg. ; METEOROLOGY. 35 four in November, aggregate 6°7 deg.; and thirteen in December, aggregate 42-9 deg. This makes the total number of days in which the protected thermometer fell below the freezing point 100 and the aggregate degrees of frost 640, which is considerably in excess of any previous record during the period of observation at this station. In connection with the intense and protracted frost of the first two months of the year, it may be asked if any expla- nation can be given tending to account for it. I have no doubt that the proximate cause was the distribution of pressure during the period while it lasted. When we look into the details we find that the prevailing winds were almost constantly from the north and east. In ordinary winters the greatest pressure is commonly over Spain and the adjacent parts of the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and decreases towards Iceland and the north of Europe. Hence the prevailing winds are largely from the south-west and bring mild and moist weather. But last year this state of things was reversed. The greatest pressure was over the Arctic regions, and over Scandinavia and West Russia, giving rise to northerly and easterly winds, and making us participants in no small degree of the Arctic severity of the climate from which they came. This is an explanation so far, but we cannot carry it any further back, or tell why there should have been a different distribution of pressure last winter from what is most common, although doubt- less it had its causes. Perhaps the extremely sudden change of _ temperature which took place in the beginning of October should not be passed over without remark. The mean temperature of the last week of September was 64°8 deg., which is higher than that of any other week in the year by more than 2 deg. The mean temperature of the first week of October was 46-9 deg., shewing a fall of almost 18 deg. ina single week. But if we compare with the last week of September the last week of October, say from the 24th to the 30th, we find the mean of the latter period to have been only 35:8 deg., so that in four weeks the mean temperature had fallen to the extent of 29 deg. ; that is to say, from the warmest summer temperature to the average of the coldest period of winter. RAINFALL.—The total amount of rain or snow that fell during the year was 35:03 in., and the number of days on which it fell was 193 (rain 179, snow 14); but on 27 of these the fall did not exceed one-hundredth of an inch. The heaviest fall in 24 hours was on 36 METEOROLOGY. the 26th July, when. 1-48 in. was registered. But there were other two days in the same month when the fall exceeded one inch, viz., the 2nd, in connection with a thunderstorm, and the 25th, when the records were 1:05 in. and 1:15 in. These were the only occasions on which the fall exceeded one inch. July was the wettest month in the year, with a total of 6-28 in., spread over 21 days; and the next wettest were August, with 5-73 in., and November, with 5:41 in. These records weve considerably above average, and those of March and April were slightly so. The rainfall of all the other months was under average, and some of them ina remarkable degree. ‘The driest month was May, in which only 0-21 in., or less than a quarter of an inch, fell. The next was September, with very little more than half an inch, viz., 0:56 in., and February had also less than an inch—0°81 in. In these three months the rainfall amounts to no more than 1°58 in,, while the ordinary mean for them is 7:13 in. There were several periods of drought during the year. The first was in February. Between the 8th and the 28th of that month, a period of about three weeks, rain fell only once, and only to the amount of four- hundredths of an inch. Again, in May and June, there was an extended period beginning with the 1st of May and continuing to about the 25th of June, a period of about eight weeks, during which the rainfall did not exceed 0°-48.in. The rainfall for the whole year, 35°03 in., shews a deficiency from the average of the last nine years of about 2 in. HYGROMETER.—The mean dry bulb for the year was 46:6 deg., almost exactly the same as the mean annual temperature, which was 46°7 deg. Mean wet, 44:2 deg., giving for the dew point 41-3 deg., and for the relative humidity 82—saturation being equal to 100. The only remark to be made upon this is that the mean temperature of the dry bulb is about 1 deg. under average, corresponding with the similar deficiency in the mean temperature of the year, and that the relative humidity of 82 exhibits a like correspondence with the diminished rainfall, the average of nine years being 83. THUNDERSTORMS were not frequent during the year. So far as I have observed, there was one in April on the 24th, one in May, also on the 24th (which was repeated to some extent on the following day), two in July in the beginning of the month, two in August on the 6th and the 27th, and one in September on the 9th. METEOROLOGY. 37 The most severe of these were those which occurred on the 1st and 2nd of July and on the 6th of August. I have noted that on the 2nd of July there was incessant thunder and lightning from 1 to 2.30 p.m., and again that on August 6th a severe thunder- storm came on about 4 p.m. and continued till 5.20. There was a remarkable phenomenon witnessed at 9 p.m. of the 13th March, which was probably to be traced to electrical causes. This was a broad band of whitish light, somewhat resembling smoke, and stretching across the greater part of the sky, from N.E. towards S.W. Ihave observed that in some reports the aurora is said to have been very conspicuous that night in different parts of the country, and I suppose that what I saw must have been of this nature, although in some respects it was different from any aurora I ever saw before, more especially in its great extent and appar- ently fixed character, and in the absence of those streamers or rapid flashes of light which we usually see in connection with that phenomenon. WinD.—With regard to the directions of the wind, it appears that during the past year those from a northerly and easterly direction—N.; N.E., E., and N.W.—blew during 154 days; and those from a southerly and westerly direction—S., S.E., S. \., and W.—during 187 days, while 22 were variable. This differs from what is usual, only in a somewhat greater preponderance, of northerly and easterly winds. In connection with the report on the movement of the barometer, | may take this opportunity of offering a remark on the extraordinary readings recorded on the 9th of the present month, although it does not properly belong to the subject of this paper. As I have already stated, the highest barometer reading for the past year was 30°805 in. on the 30th January. But it was also the highest recorded for the nine years during which obser- vations have been taken here, the others ranging from 30-632 to 30°805. But on Thursday of last week the mercury rose to the unprecedented height of 31:106 in. As far as information goes, the highest readings recorded in Scotland previously during the present century were 31:01 in. in February, 1808, and 31-05 in January, 1820-—-both taken at Gordon Castle, Banffshire, and the latter corroborated by a similar reading in Edinburgh. It is by no means improbable, therefore, that the abnormal reading of the 9th January this year is the very highest on record—a circumstance _ which could not be passed over without special notice. 38 KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. Il.—* Kirkbean Fotklore.” By Mr SAMUEL ARNOTT, Carsethorn. We naturally begin with New Year’s Day, but in the parish its celebration was conducted in the usual way. The custom of “first footing,’ which has now almost fallen into desuetude, was, until comparatively recently, almost universal throughout the parish. As in other places, the “ first foot ” went to the houses of his friends with his bottle of whisky with which to treat all the inmates, who, in return, expected that he should partake of the contents of the house bottle and of the shortbread or currant loaf provided for the occasion. Certain individuals were, from some cause or other, con- sidered to bring misfortune to the house if they were the first to cross its threshold on New Year’s Day. Besides these ill-omened individuals, there were others presenting certain physical character- istics who were equally unlucky to the household they were the first to enter that day. These were ‘ fair” or ‘ red-haired” people, and those who were “ flat-footed.” In the course of my inquiries I heard of one woman who was considered an unlucky ‘first foot,’ and on asking why this was so, I was told that it was ‘‘ because she was flat-footed.” To the youthful members of the population who had the for- tune to be under the tuition of a teacher who kept up the “ good old style,” Candlemas day—the 2nd of February—-was one of the most welcome of the year. It was the day of the ‘ Cannelmass Bleeze,” when the stern discipline of the dominie was relaxed (one would almost say was suspended) and the day given over to mirth and jollity. The Candlemas “ bleeze ” was an unknowing survival of the pre-Reformation feast in honour of the purification of the Virgin Mary, at which candles were burned, or perhaps of the ceremony spoken of by Herrick, of which he says :— Kindle the Christmas brand, and then Till sunset let it burn, Which quenched, then lay it up again Till Christmas next return. Part must be kept, wherewith to teend The Christmas log next year, And where ’tis safely kept, the fiend Can do no mischief there. I have been unable to trace anything in the celebration of the Candlemas ‘“ bleeze ” which would explain why the word “ bleeze” KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. 39 —which, as you all know, is the Scottish for “ flame”—was used, except in one instance afterwards related, and can only come to the conclusion that the word has been handed down for genera- tions. The Candlemas “ bleeze” celebration appears to have taken a slightly different form in the various schools, and in some does not seem to have been observed at all, In some schools this was the day on which the “ coal money,” as the fee given to the teacher for firing was called, was taken to the school. In others the “ coal money ” was taken on some other day, or a peat taken regularly by each scholar, but in this case the money was given to the teacher as a Candlemas gift. In some schools a boy and girl were respec- tively made “king and queen,” the honours being, as it were, put up to the highest bidders by their falling upon those who gave the largest sum of money to the schoolmaster. — I have been told of one instance in which the teacher always left two particular scholars to the last, so that they might be able to hand a larger sum than any who had preceded them. It is gratifying to think that this was not general, however. Sometimes the teacher gave the “king and queen” a present, which frequently consisted of a _ knife for the bey and a pair of scissors for the girl. After the _ teacher had received his gifts or his “ coal money,” as the case _ might be, all the scholars were treated to refreshments, which usually consisted of “‘toddy” and a hard biscuit, known as a “bake.” The toddy shows us what progress has been made in ideas of the fitness of things since these days, but the description I have received of it leads one to believe that its effect upon the pupils would add little to the hilarity which followed. It is said to have been “ hot water, sugar, and a little whisky ”—* a very wee drap o’ whusky ” is the most graphic way of putting it I have heard. In some schools cordial was substituted, and although not in Kirkbean I may be pardoned for introducing it. At my first school in Dumfries port-wine negus or coffee were offered from which to choose. The toddy was handed round in a jug, the bearer of which also carried a glass, into which the steaming beverage was poured, to be quaffed by the expectant juvenile. When this was over desks and seats were put out of the way, and games succeeded. Generally speaking, these were of the usual character, such as “blind man’s buff,” “hunt the slipper,” &c. ; sometimes the sport seems to have been more demonstrative, and _ one could perhaps best describe it by the well-known expression SS lL rr rr r—COC COU 40 KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. of * pandemonium let loose.” What are known as “ billet guns,” i... pop-guns made from the wood of the ‘“ boor tree” or alder, were freely used, and dancing of the most boisterous nature indulged in. What the dancing meant may be realised when it is said that most of the children wore clogs, and the noise was so deafening that the ‘‘ maister”” had frequently to hold his hands over his ears and to run out of the school, Various competitions were also engaged in, for which the reward was an orange. These were hardly so educative as a “spelling bee,” as may be understood when it is said that there was a “ shiling” competition and a “scraighing” combat. In the former the competitors stood in a row facing the ‘‘dominie” and one of the elder scholars, who officiated as judges, and the orange was awarded to the one who “shiled” best, 7.¢., the one who made the ugliest face. One of my informants, who once acted as one of the umpires, still speaks with zest of the performance of one boy, who so excelled the others in the delightful accomplishment of ‘‘ shilin’” that he was always the winner of the luscious fruit, then far more prized than now. The “scraighing” contest (1 prefer to use my informant’s expressive Scotch for the emasculated English one of screaming), while it appealed less to the ocular organs, must have been something of a trial to the organs of hearing, as it consisted in ‘“ scraighing” as loudly as possible. The boy who made the most discordant sound received the orange. The only example of the use of a bonfire, or indeed of the use of fire of any kind, in the observance of the Candlemas ‘“ bleeze” that has come within my hearing, was at Southwick school, in an adjoining parish, but as children belonging to Kirkbean took part in the operations I may introduce it as appropriate to this paper. For some days before Candlemas day the children busied themselves during the dinner hour in collecting a pile of whins and other brushwood. On the day itself they made an effigy with a stake dressed in an old coat and hat, and placing it in the centre of the pile set fire to the heap, and consumed the effigy. This is what they knew as the Candlemas ‘“ bleeze,” but very singularly, the effigy they burned was that of Thomas Paine, the author of the “ Aoe of Reason,” but who was only known to them as “ Tom Paine, the infidel.” This must have been a comparatively modern introduction, as Thomas Paine did not die until 1809, and his effigy was being burned as the Candlemas “ bleeze ” about 1830. KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. 41 How long before that it may have been carried on I cannot ascertain. At this school the scholars were afterwards treated to toddy. The only saying applicable to Candlemas which I have heard in the district was the familiar one :— If Candlemas Day be fair and clear, There'll be twa winters in the year ; Tf Candlemas Day be wet and foul, The half o’ winter’s gane at Yule. The next season which has been remembered by custom or by saying is March, but this had nothing beyond the familiar saying : * A peck o’ March dust is worth a king’s ransom,” “ A peck 0’ March dust’s worth a bowe o’ aul’ meal.” The first of April was, as may be expected, a popular day among the practical jokers, who delighted in the fancied license to tell “‘ fibs.” The sport of “ Hunt the Gowk” has always been a favourite one, but it is needless to detail the character of the celebration of All-fools’-Day, when people were sent on fruitless errands, or led into embarassing’ situations to give sport to the practical joker. The usual superstition regarding St. Swithin’s Day appears to have been prevalent, and it is still spoken of, although now treated with but scant respect. The cutting of the Kirn, as the last patch of corn was called, was performed with some little ceremony. In the days when reaping hooks were used instead of scythes, a small patch of corn was left standing until the last. The reapers then took up a . position several yards from the “ Kirn,” and in turn threw their shearing hooks at the patch of corn. The one who succeeded in cutting it in this way was proclaimed the victor, and the Kirn was taken into the house, and generally decorated with ribbons, and placed in the apartment in which the dancing which followed was held. On the supercession of the reaping hook by the scythe the practice on some farms was altered, and the scythesman was placed a short distance from the corn, blindfolded, and told to walk up to it and cut it with the scythe. This was frequently difficult, and much amusement was caused by the efforts of the scythesman to walk in a direct line, as the feat is by no means so easy as it looks. The sweep of the scythe in the hands of a blindfolded man was at times rather dangerous, and the practice fell into desuetude. The : > ] 42 . KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. celebration of the feast of the Kirn, or simply ‘“ The Kirn” or ‘“‘ Harvest Home,” was very general, and occasioned much enjoy- ment among the young folks. There seems to have been nothing unusual in the feasting and enjoyment in the parish, and readers of Scottish literature are familiar with the references to the Kirn in song and story, so that itis unnecessary to detail here the feast- ing and dancing with which the ingathering of the harvest was welcomed. The Kirn is now almost obsolete in the parish. ‘“‘ Hallowe’en,” celebrated on 31st October, was a red-letter day in the calendar. During the day the children amused them- selves by singing : Hallowe'en ; the nicht at e’en The fairies will be ridin’. A variation of this, which was in use in Kirkbeana number of years ago, was, it seems, as follows: Hallowe’en ; the nicht at e’en The fairies will be scraighin’. Din Doup had a wife, Her name was Peggy Aiken. It was at night, however, that the celebration was in full swing. The young folks gathered together and burned nuts in the fire. As now, the two nuts were put in together. If both burned brightly the young man and woman whom the nuts were supposed to represent are or will be true lovers, and have happiness in their married life. If one jumps away that one was unfriendly or unfaithful. The pulling of the kail stock was a part of the celebra- tion now quite obsolete in the parish. The young folks were blindfolded, and made their way to the garden of a bachelor or old maid, where they pulled the first ‘‘ kail stock” they touched. On re-entering the house the ‘ stocks” were eagerly examined to see what fortune was in store for those who had pulled them. If the stalk was tall and straight the future husband or wife would be comely and straight. On the other hand, if short and crooked, the partner would be unattractive. If the pith was bitter the husband or wife would be bad tempered ; if sweet, of an agreeable disposi- tion. If only a little earth adhered to the root the spouse would be endowed with but little of this world’s gear, but if a consider- able quantity of the soil was lifted, there would be a fortune. The stocks were then placed over the door, and the first person who entered the house afterwards was supposed to be of the same KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. 43 Christian name as the future husband or wife. In order to ascer- tain the Christian name of her future husband or its initials, a young woman would pare a potato, taking care to keep the skin in one piece, and place the skin above or behind the door. The Christian name of the first man who came into the house was held to be the same as that of the futurespouse. The other way was by paring an apple, the skin being again kept in one piece, and then throwing the skin over the left shoulder. In falling it was sup- posed to assume the form of the first letter of the future husband’s name. It was also quite a common thing for the young women to eat an apple before the looking-glass at midnight on Hallowe’en, with the expectation that the face of their future husbands would be seen in the mirror as if looking over their shoulders. Fig. 3. Scale 75. We may expand thus :—-D(zs) M(anibus) [sacrum]. Afutiano Basst, ordinato Coh(ortis) LI. Tun'grorum), Flavia Baetica, conjunx fac(iendum) curavit ; te. ‘“(Sacred) to the Divine Manes. To Afutianus, (son of) Bassus, centurion in the Second Cohort of Tungrians, his wife, Flavia Baetica, caused this to be erected.” The slab is interesting as the only relic we have of the Birrens cemetery. The spot where it was found has unfortu- nately not been recorded. But this monument and a fragment of another, now lost, seen by Pennant along with it, can have been but a small part of a class of lapidary records with which Birrens would have enriched us had the clue afforded by their dis- covery been followed up. A search, even yet, for the spot might amply repay the cost. There is some evidence in favour of the supposition that the cemetery was situated to the west of the station proper. As its discovery would almost certainly be cf importance, it is permissible to hope that, at some future time and under suitable arrangements, an attempt may be made to find it. 10. “ Found at the station at Burrens” (Pennant); seen by Pennant at Hoddam Castle in 1772; ‘in the collection of Charles INSCRIBED RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 119 Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq.” (Wilson, Prehist., Ann. of Scot., 1st ed., 1851); “deposited in the Museum of the University of Edin- burgh” (Stuart, Ca/. Rom., 2nd ed., 1852); deposited by the Senatus of the University in the National Museum, Edinburgh, 1866. An altar, 4} ft. high and 1 ft. 6 in. broad. The symbol 00 at the commencement of the last line is regarded as a graphic alteration of the Greek letter Chi used to represent a thousand by the Chalcidian colonists of Southern Italy. There are heavy mouldings on the base and pedestals of this altar. The top is not hollowed out as in most of the other Birrens altars ; but its sides, cylindrical in form, are connected by a notched FORTVNAE or undulating broad border, the enclosed space cOH.T. being occupied by a flat rectangular focus. It is NERVANA ; ; REA NOR dedicated to Fortune. Pennant has not copied =. EQ. the inscription with much care, and an expansion of it in two lines is what he gives. Expand thus: Fvrtunae Coh(ors) I. Nervana Germanor(um) milliaria eg(uitata) |dedicavit] ; and translate: *‘‘ To Fortune, the First Cohort of Germany, (called) the Nervana, a thousand strong including its complement of cavalry, (dedicated this).” The epithet MIL (zavia) was applied to those cohorts that numbered about 1000 men. They were called EQ(u/ata) when they contained a certain number of horse, the proportion generally being 760 foot soldiers formed into 10 centuries and 240 horse in 10 ¢urmae. Bodies of troops of this mixed character, the composi- tion of which the Romans are said to have borrowed from the Germans, “‘ were particularly well adapted for the garrisoning of a station situated in an open country, and liable to frequent inroads of the enemy.” * A difference of opinion exists as to the meaning of the epithet Nervana. Some are of opinion that it has reference to the emperor Nerva as being the first to organise the cohort. Others think that it was so named because it had been levied among the Nervii, one of the bravest tribes of Belgic Gaul. 11. “ Found near the Roman encampment on Burnswark Hill, Dumfriesshire, parish of Hoddam or Middlebie” (A7cheologia *Thomas Hodgson, Archeologia liana (1st series), vol. ii. p. 83. 120 Inscrtpep RoMAN STONES oF DUMFRIESSHIRE. Scotica, vol. iii., Appendix, p. 92); presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland by Dr (afterwards Sir) David Brewster in 1810, and since in the National Museum, Edinburgh. — A head sculptured in bas-relief, beneath which are some API letters of an inscription, two of them complete, the rest incomplete. The stone is 11 in. by 9 in. The statement in the Arvchezologia conveys at first sight the idea that this piece of sculpture was found on Birrenswark Hill. It must, however, be borne in mind that Birrens and Birrenswark were, and still are, very frequently confounded. “ Burnswark [z-e., Birrenswark] Hill” is in Hoddam parish, but Birrens is in Middlebie. In the printed catalogue of the Museum the head is said to be “from Birrens,” and there can hardly be a doubt that this is correct. 12, (Fig. 4.) Dug up by Mr Clow of Land in 1810 on the west of the station proper. For many years after 1813 the pedestal of a sun-dial at Burnfoot House; in a recess in the lobby there (1896). A highly-ornamented altar, 4 ft. 2 in. in height and 1 ft. 10 in. in breadth. Narrow beadingss enclose the inscription, which is further separated from panels on the base and capital by heavy mouldings. On the upper panel are two dolphins, a concentric DEAE ring, and two birds; on the lower, MINERVAE two dolphins and one bird. On the ea aN top are two volutes with rosettes on MIL, EQ. C.L: their ends and a crescent in the space CVI PRHEST . C. SIL between them. A bason-shaped pro- AVSPEX . PREF pais é ‘ jection occupies the central portion of the top. Sculptured on the sides are festoons of ivy leaves. The letters of the inscription, though of different sizes, are all dis- tinctly formed. The significance of the C.L at the end of the fifth line gave rise at first to many conjectures ; but the letters are now taken as standing for Civinm Latinorum, probably because it is difficult to say what else they can mean. Expanding, we have :—Deae Minervae [sacrum]. Coh(ors) LL. Tungrorum mil(iaria) eg(uitata), c(ivium) L(atinorum), cut praeest C. Sil( vius) Auspex, Praef(ectus), | fectt]; z.e., “ (Sacred) to the god- dess Minerva. The Second Cohort of Tungrians, a thousand strong, of which a due proportion is cavalry, and in possession of INscRIBED RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 121 the privilege of Latin citizenship, under the command of their Prefect, Caius Silvius Auspex, (erected this).” |MI EQS C+ L> di CVI PRAESTGSL |i AVS PEX- PRAFIEG Fig. 4. Scale +4. This altar was first described in the Dumfries and Galloway Courier for August 26th (with woodcut) and Sept. 7th, 1813. It is also the subject of a communication from A.I.K., ‘“‘ New Kent Road,” London, in the Gen¢leman’s Magazine for June, 1832. But it was only on the publication of Wilson’s Prehistoric Annals of Scotland in 1851 that it attracted general attention. 13. Probably dug up near the same place as No. 12, date un- certain ; in the garden of the farm-house of Land (1896). 122 InscrRIBED RomMAN Stones or DUMFRIESSHIRE. A fragment of an inscribed stone, 16 in. high by 10} in. broad. Of the breadth there appears to be nearly one-half left ; i how much of the length is uncertain. Only four letters sa Of the inscription remain. The stone seems to have been a small votive altar slab, sacred toMA . . . , probably either Marti Victori or Matribus. 14. ** Found about the year 1812 at Birrens,” and “in the collection of C. K. Sharpe, Esq.” (Wilson, Prehist. Ann. of Scot- Jand, 1st ed., 1851) ; depositedin the Museum of the University of Edinburgh” (Stuart, Ca/. Rom., 2nded., 1852) ; deposited by the Senatus of the University in the National Museum, Edinburgh, in 1866. A much ornamented and solid-looking altar, 4 ft. 7 in. high and 2 ft. 6 in. broad at the top. | Well-marked mouldings divide Sse rane the central porticn from the base and RIAE.AVG.c. RAE pedestal. Next to these at the top and bot- TI MILIT.IN COH tom are panelled spaces, filled with leaf- Il] TVNGR. CVI. ic : ; Maenaaene a: (1 ON OL the same character as in No. 12. AVSPEX - PRAEF. On the top are two volutes with a bason- risk 2 st shaped projection between them. The C.RAETI of the inscription is explained as Cives Raeti, that is, soldiers levied in Raetia, now the south-east of Germany. Expanding and translating, we have:— Marti et Victoriae Augustae [sacrum]. C(ives) Raett milit(antes) tn coh(orte) II. Tungr (orum) cui pracest Silvius Auspex, Praef(ectus),| fecerunt), V(otum) s(olverunt) Kibentes) m(erito) ; z.e., “ (Sacred) to Mars and Victoria the August. Raetian citizens, serving in the second cohort of Tungrians, commanded by Silvius Auspex, the Prefect, (erected this). They performed their vow willingly, deservedly.” 15. Same recent history as No. 14. An altar 3 ft. 72 in. high and 1 ft. 112 in. broad. Above the inscription are four mouldings, alternately square and round ; and below are two of the same kind. The top is DERE RACY |». similar to thatof No,14 BEDAE PAGVS VELLAVS MILIT Like the two at Hoddam Castle, this altar oe aan is dedicated to a foreign deity, Ricagambeda, of whom nothing is known. Expanding, we read:— Deae Ricag(«)mbedae [sacrum]. Pagus Vellaus milit(ans) Coh(orte) Il. Tung(rorum) [fecit]. V(otum) s(olvit) Kibens) m(erito). INscRIBED RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 123 (Sacred) to the goddess Ricagambeda. The Vellavian district (=soldiers from that district) serving in the Second Cohort of Tungrians (erected this). They performed their vow willingly, deservedly.” 16. Same recent history as Nos. 14 and 15. A votive altar, 3 ft. high and 1 ft. 28 in. broad. The in- scribed space is inclosed within a beading of cable pattern. Below the beginning and end of the last line are two a hay crescents. On the top are two plain volutes OMNIB| with a ‘‘ focus” between them. Dybus for dets FRVMENT is frequently met with on Roman inscribed IVSMIL.COHII. | : aoNCR . stones. The expansion and translation are as follows :—Dib(us) deab(us) g(ue) omnib(us) [sacrum]. FKrumentius mikes) Coh(ortis) 7. Tungr(orum) [ fecit]. ‘ (Sacred) to all the gods and goddesses. Frumentius, a soldier of the Second Cohort of Tungrians, (erected this).” 17. *‘ Dug up in 1814 in a small vicinal camp on the banks of the Kirtle, near Springkell” (Irvine MS., in library of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland). An altar dedicated to Jupiter, now apparently lost. Spring - kell is distant from Birrens about three miles, and the altar might easily have been carried from it to the spot where it was found in various ways. But there is no absolute certainty of this. The inscription is too imperfect to be intelligible. 18. “A stone taken out of the heart of the wall of the church at Hoddam, Dumfriesshire, when thrown down (in 1815) for the purpose of building a new one” (Irvine MS.) ; since built into the porch wall of the present church, where it still is (1896). It is a plain stone, 4 ft. 2 in. high and 1 ft. 8} in. broad, without any ornament or moulding. This is the second stone found in Dumfriesshire that marks the IOom ~ resence of the fi ee oo ee De ‘ e first cohort “ called the GERMANOR . ©. EQ Nervana. CVI PRAEEST L . FANI The parish of Hoddam consists of VS FELIX TRIB F : three parishes united—Hoddam, Luce, and Ecclefechan-—which were thrown into one about the middle of the seventeenth century. The present church is distant from 124 InscripepD RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. Birrens 34 miles, and occupies the site of the structure pulled down in 1815. Itis by nomeans improbable that part of the materials for the latter may have been brought from Birrens. On the other hand, if this was not originally a Birrens stone, then a post on Birrenswark Hill, or some other position in the neigh- bourhood, must have been held by the cohort for a longer or shorter period. Expand :—JZ(ovz) O(ptimo) Maximo) [sacrum]. Coh(ors) 7. Nervana Germanor(um), militaria, eq(uitata), cui praeest L. Faenius Felix, trib(unus), \fecit| ; and translate :—‘ (Sacred) to Jupiter, the best and greatest. The First Cohort of Germans, (called) the Nervana, under the command of L. Fenius Felix, the tribune, (erected this).” 19. Found at Birrens, 1886; preserved at Burnfoot House (1896). Srey A small altar-shaped stone, 10} in. by 6 in. In nag vo the top is a square depression 2} in. wide, possibly ee intended to receive a small statue of Fortune. The meaning of the inscription is sufficiently plain. 20. Found in the course of recent excavations at Birrens; in the National Museum, Edinburgh. A roughly-dressed stone, 114 in. by 102 in, LEG . VI. VI with a short inscription punctured on it in faintly marked letters. It belongs to the class already described as legionary. Expand :—Leg(to) VI. Viletrix); te. The Sixth Legion, (called) the Victorious.” 21. Same recent history as 20. Part of a small votive slab, which, when entire, had been 1ft. 5 in. broad and 1 ft. 10 in. high. In all probability the inscription began with the letters I.0.M,ona part of the stone now broken off. What remains ane of the first of the remaining lines and the beginning No SACR of the second suggest that the missing letters of the MAGVN former are ICHE. Dolichenus was an eastern god aah widely worshipped in the Roman army during the second and third centuries, and frequently identified with Jupiter. Inscripep RomMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 125 Supplementing and expanding, we have: —[I. 0. M] Dol(iche)no sacr(um). Maguuna v(otum) s(olvit) ; t.e., “ Sacred to (Jupiter) Dol(iche)nus, (the greatest and best). Magunna per- formed a vow.” 22. (PI. I., fig. 1.) Same recent history as 20 and 21. Thirteen fragments of a commemorative tablet, discovered within the area of the pretorian buildings. When entire it had measured 4 ft. 6 in, by 2 ft. 5} in.; and the inscription must have read as follows :— MP 2 CANS oT . ARE, BADE ANTONINO . AVG . P . P. PONT MAX ..TR , POT . xan" . COS . IK COH . II. TVNGR. MIL. EQ.C.L. SVB. IWL > IBC. AVG. PR. PR: This tablet is particularly valuable, inasmuch as it gives us an exact date, possibly but not necessarily, that at which these build- ings were erected. On his accession a Roman emperor was sup- posed to be invested with the tribunitial power for life ; and after each anniversary of this event a year was added in all public documents to the number of those during which he had held the dignity. As Antoninus Pius became emperor A.D. 138, the twenty- first year of his investment with the tribunitial power, in other words, of his reign, was A.D. 158. Another public function usurped by the emperors for life was the presidentship of the College of Priests. The consulship was theirs too, if they cared to hold it; but few of them were at the trouble to do so often. Pius was consul four times—A.D. 138, 159, 140, and 146. cos Ill, ‘ Four times Consul,” was therefore applicable to any year between that date and the last of his reign, A.D. 161. The name of the Roman governor of Britain at the time had been on the slab, but, unfortunately, only a few letters of it remain. It is impossible to say whether this stone is honorary or purely commemorative, marking only time. Either view may be taken. Read in full :—JSmperatore Caesare [or Zmperatori Caesari, *TIn the Report published in the Proceedings, xvi is read instead of xxi. All the fragments of the tablet that were found have now been fixed on a piece of wood of its original size; and a renewed examination, sug- gested by Mr Haverfield, shows along the line of one of the fractures, distinct traces of the half of a second x. (see Plate). 126 InscriBep RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. &.], Tito Aelio Hadriano Antonino Augusto [Pio], Patre Patriae, Pontifice Maximo, tribuniciae potestatis XXI., Consule IV., Cohors IT. Tungrorum miliaria, equitata, civium Latinorum, sub Jul Legato Augusti Pro-Praetore { posuit] ; t.e., * In the reign of (or in honour of) the Emperor Cesar Titus Atlius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus (Pius), Father of his Country, Chief Pontiff, invested with the tribunitial power twenty-one times, four times consul, the Second Cohort of Tungrians,a thousand strong, of which a due proportion is cavalry, and in possession of the privilege of Latin citizenship, (erected this) under Jul Legate of the Emperor as Governor of Britain.” 23. (Pl. IL, figs. 1 and 2, and pl. I., fig. 2.) Same recent history as Nos. 20, 21, and 22. An altar, 3 ft. 2 in. high, 1 ft. 11 in. broad at the top, and 1 ft. 8 in. across the middle in front. The capital is ornamented on all four sides by a narrow cornice of fretwork and two mouldings, the higher of which is rounded and projects over the lower. To these succeed three lines of delicately carved work, which are interrupted in front by pillars that support what appears to be the roof of a domed building. On the top are volutes enriched with rosettes, and on a projection between the volutes a patera-like depression. A patera with an ornate handle is sculptured on the right side of the altar, and a sacrificial axe and knife on the left. An enlarged view of the top is given on pl. L., fig. 2. The altar is dedicated to the disciplinary fetal ne severity of the emperor, adored as a divine coH.TL. attribute. This honour appears to have been TVNGR. first paid to Hadrian. Mee eee Expand :—Discip(linae) Aug(usti) Coh(ors) II. Tungr(orum), miliaria), eg(uitata), c(ivium) L(atinorum) [ posuit] ie— To the Discipline of the Emperor, the second Cohort of Tungrians, a thousand strong, with a due proportion of cavalry, and in possession of the privilege of Latin citizens (erected this).” At some time the altar had been thrown into a well in the pretorian buildings, where it remained till discovered in the course of the recent excavations. 24, (Pl. IL, fig. 3.) Same recent history as 20, 21, 22, and 23, \ INSCRIBED RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. lyri An altar of very chaste design, 3 ft. high, 1 ft. 8} in. broad at the base, and 1 ft. across the middle. At the top on each side are volutes that have six lance-shaped thunderbolts laid closely on them in two sets of three each. Between them is the usual bason-shaped depression. ‘The altar bears no inscription. It was found lying on the steps leading down to a paved rectangular de- pression within the preetorian buildings. In the list of Birrens antiquities recorded by Pennant (Zour in Scotland, vol. ili., Appendix, p. 407), as “ found at the station at Burrens,” are four inscribed stones that have not been included in the present list. All of them belong for certain to the north of England. As Pennant’s third volume was not published till some years after his visit to the station, it is not difficult to under- stand how his note-book may have so far misled him. (See Proc. Soc. of Antig. of Scot., vol. xxxi., p. 150.) Such is an outline of the records furnished by archeology for a history of the Birrens garrison. They are necessarily fragment- ary, but they present us with some facts of importance. Unfor- tunately, from no other quarter can the slightest help be got in any attempt we may make to connect them; unless, indeed, they can be grouped round the Blatum Bulgium of the Antoniue Itinerary. But this, though highly probable, is not absolutely certain. The work so called is generally regarded as a compilation drawn up in the reign, and by order, of one or other of the emperors that bore the name of Antoninus. Some indeed give it an earlier date, and trace it to a survey of the empire undertaken in the consulship of Julius Cesar and M. Antonius (B.c. 44), by command of the for- mer. If this is so, it could not have included at first the Britannic Iters, which must in that case be an addition made in the course of some of the revisions it bears internal evidence of having under- gone at various times, down at least to the reign of Diocletian (A.D. 285-305), so as to bring it up to date. Whatever its history may be, the Itinerary is a document of great value, inasmuch as it indicates the course of the principal roads and cross roads through- out the whole empire by the names of places and stations situated on them, all the distances between towns being given in Roman miles. Of fifteen Britannic Iters the Second, which is the longest, runs in very zig-zag fashion froin Rytupiae (now Richborough, in Kent) 128 InscriBED RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. to Luguvallium (Carlisle), by way of Viroconium (Wroxeter, 1ear Shrewsbury) and ZLéuracum (York). From Luguvallium it is con- tinued for 12 miles to Castra Exploratorum (usually identified with Netherby), and tor other 12 to Blatum Bulgium (appar- ently Birrens), where it stops. Another Iter, the First, also reaches the north on the other side of the island, and strikes the line of the Wall at Corstopitum (Corbridge, on the Tyne), whence it pro- ceeds to Bremenium (High Rochester), a distance of 20 miles. It deserves, however, to be noted that there is no mention of the Southern Wall or the stations on it, or of Haditancium (Rising- ham), a station nearly midway between Corstopitum and Bre- mentum. We are on firmer ground when we pass on to inquire how early Birrens was a Roman station. A date is fixed for us by the tablet found in the pretorian buildings, which was set up there in the year A.D. 158, the twenty-first of the reign of Antoninus Pius, It does not, of course, follow that this was the year in which the station was either founded or completed. It may be so; but all that can be affirmed for certain is that it was then held in force by Roman auxiliary troops. The Disciplina altar certainly points back to the preceding emperor, Hadrian, whose regulations for all ranks in his army were exceedingly strict, and several of whose coins bear in consequence the legend, Désciplina Augusti. It is true that the same legend is found on some of the coins, probably early ones, of Pius. But this may be accounted for by the supposition that the severity which marked the discipline of Hadrian was continued by the heads of the army for years after his presence no longer inspired it. It is not so likely, however, that this severity would be singled out as an attribute of the mild Pius, specially worthy of adoration ; although this is possible. We may thus confidently place the erection of the altar between A.D. 117 and A.D. 158. Whatever was the case in later times, Birrens appears to have been at first an advanced position, intended to guard the approach to the Southern or Lower Isthmus against the Caledonian foe. Its proximity to the line which Hadrian made the northern Limes of the Roman province of Britain, its resemblance in plan to Cilurnum (Chesters) and other stations on that boundary line, and its early date, all lead to this conclusion. Along with Castra Exploratorum it served the same purpose on the west as Hadii- InscrRIBED RoMAN STONES OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 129 ancitum and Bremenium on the east. Whether it was used asa basis for carrying on operatious beyond, is another and a different question. The fact that both the northern Iters extended but a short distance north of the wall is significant. The Romans cer- tainly pushed their arms much further, even beyond the Vallum raised by Lollius Urbicus, the Prator of Pius, across the Upper or Forth and Clyde Isthmus. But so far as there is any evi- dence bearing on the point it goes to shew that they generally advanced northwards, having York as their headquarters, and taking an easterly rather than a westerly route. Moreover, it would seem as if they looked upon the territory between the Walls as a protectorate rather than an integral part of the empire, subject to its administrative rules. It was the policy of Hadrian and some of his successors to strengthen the more exposed frontiers by cultivating friendly relations with the neighbouring tribes, who thus became first exposed to attack. Such an arrangement would be the more easily effected for the frontier of the province of Britain, if, as is possible, racial differences and antipathies could be utilised for the purpose.* At all events, by accepting this view of the relation of the Romans to the country north uf the Southern Wall, several diffculties disappear, and we need feel no surprise that the official Iters seem to end somewhat abruptly. During the occupation of Birrens by the Romans its garrison, so far as we can judge from the evidence before us, was mainly composed of the Second Cohort of Tungrians, a people of Germanic origin that had settled in Gaul, and whose name survives in the modern Tongres, or Tongern, in the province of Limberg, Belgium. The First Cohort of Germans, called “‘ Nervana,” or a portion of it, was there for a short time, as well as a detachment, likely a small one, of the Sixth Legion. The fact that foreign auxiliaries consti- tuted so large a proportion of the defenders of Birrens accounts for so many of the altars being dedicated to unknown divinities, such as Harimella. Brigantia was probably a native deity worshipped by the Brigantes, a powerful tribe in possession of the greater part of the north of England at the time of the Roman invasion. ———— eee To the question, how long the Romans occupied Birrens, the inscribed stones, in the absence of dates, give no answer. All * See Map of Britain, ‘‘ showing the relative positions of its chief peoples during the Roman occupation,” in Prof. Rhys’s Celtic Britain. 130 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. the more important of them appear to belong to the second century, and are well cut. It is impossible to say whether the seeming degeneracy of others is due to less skilled workmanship or to their being of later date. Some information on this point, as will be afterwards seen, may be gathered from the interior buildings. 24th April, 1896. Mr JAMES BARBOUR in the chair. New Members.—Mrs Matthew Jamieson; Mr James M‘Cargo, Kirkpatrick-Durham ; Mr Wm. Sanders, Rosebank, Lockerbie ; Colonel Patrick Sanderson, Glenlaggan, Parton; and Mr Alex. Scott, Erkinholme, Langholm. Donations —Mr Andson presented some communion tokens from the Rev. Mr Scott, of Sanquhar, and also some meteorologi- eal observations taken by Mr Elliot, gardener, at Warmanbie and Kinmount. Mr Adam J. Corrie presented the catalogue of the Loan Exhibition held at Hastings. The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland for 1894-5, and the Jack Rabbits of the United States (from the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Exhibits—Miss Hannay exhibited a violet obtained by Mr Scott-Elliot at Ruwenzori at a height of 11,000 feet. Mr Robert Barbour exhibited a beautiful skeleton leaf. COMMUNICATIONS. I.—Meteorological Observations taken by Mr Elliot at Warmanbie. By the Rev. Wm. ANDSON. The following table shows the means of temperature, rainfall, and barometer for each year during the period 1866 to 1881 (omitting 1874, for which the observations were not complete). The observations were taken with great regularity by Mr Elliot, gardener, and by means of reliable instruments. The self-registering thermometers were protected by a screen, and placed 3 feet above the grass. (Makers, Negretti & Zambra, METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 131 London.) The barometer was a Fitzroy. Elevation above sea- level, 100 feet. Distance from Solway, 3 miles. Mean | High- | Lowest Daysin Mean Mein in est in in which Years. max. | min. | year. | year. year. | Rauge.| Rainfall. | it fell.| Barom. deg. | deg. | deg. deg. deg. deg | inches. inches. 1866 56°99 | 38°4 47°4 88°5 13 755 41°416 20) 1867 551 414 46°7 85'°7 00 85°7 34°999 146 29°89 1868 57°4 414 48°5 92°5 21 715 43°512 200 29 87 1869 571 39°5 47°8 87 12 75 33°987 180 29°91 1870 56 6 38 46 89 10 79 307181 144 29°97 1871 56°6 39°4 472 $3°5 13 705 38°84L 185 29°89 1872 56°8 41-4 | 481 84 20 64 53°708 214 | 29°71 1873 56°9 395 471 88°2 132 75 38°049 170 | 29°87 1875 56°9 40°2 477 85 20 65 36139 169 | . 29°92 1876 55°7 38 2 46°71 94 11 83 37°979 153 29°89 1877 55°6 398 46°9 88°2 12 76°2 55°235 212 29°78 1878 56°7 39°2 46°9 90°2 1 89°2 33°685 145 29°92 1879 53°9 363 44 82 5 77 37°206 142 29°88 1880 56°6 39°2 46°9 85 14 71 33°419 155 29°88 1881 544 3371 44°3 83°65 00 85'S 38°893 161 29 85 Mean of 15 years. 555 39°3 468 94 zero. 76°2 39°483 172 29°87 1 Monthly means on average of 15 years :— | Mean Mean Mean of Days it Month. Maximum.| Minimum.| Month. Rainfall. fell. Degrees. | Degrees. | Degrees. Inches. January .. | 424 30°5 34°6 3°950 17 February .. | 45°1 33°5 38°9 3°450 16 March ae CT es a 398 Ae IBN 68 | Apr = .. 56°1 } 368 454 2°103 1L May #24 | 405 49°8 25022 «| 12 June on 707 46°9 56°8 3°103 13 July od bt LEO Oe 50's 59°5 3429 | 15 August... 701 49°7 58°2 3°786 15 September 64° 45°7 53°8 4°252 | 16 October 54° | 39'4 47° 3°864 15 November 46°8 33°5 39°5 3°315 14 December 42°1 30°1 36° 3°538 15 From these tables it appears that the mean annual tempera- ture at Warmanbie during the years specified ranged from 44 deg. in 1879, to 48°5 deg. in 1868, giving a mean of 46°8 deg., which is lower than that of Dumfries by nearly 1 deg., a difference which may be partly explained by the greater elevation of the former place, and by the circumstance that the height of the thermometer above the grass was 3 feet, instead of + feet, as at Dumfries. The barometrical prepare very nearly corresponds with the Dumfries average. The average rainfall is about two and a half inches in excess of that of Dumfries, 39°483 in., as compared with 36°86 in. It is right to bear in mind, however, that the periods compared are different. There is a considerable variation in the annual 132 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. amounts recorded. In 1870 it was as low as 30°181 in., while in 1877 it reached the large total of 55°235 in., and in 1872 53:708 in. It is only what might be expected when we find that these were the years in which the mean barometrical pressure was the lowest, although in point of temperature they were decidedly above the average. In these yeurs the number of rainy days greatly exceeded the average. The mean over the whole period was 172, while in 1872 it was 214, and in 1877 it was 212. In 1872 the excess was chiefly in the month of January, June, July, August, September, and October, indicating a very rainy summer and harvest. In 1877, again, there was a similar excess in Janu- ary, which was repeated in July and August, and in October and November. The warmest years of the period were those of 1868, with an annual mean of 48°5 deg., and 1872, with a mean of of 48-1 deg.; and the coldest occurred in 1879, with a mean of 44 deg., and in 1881—mean, 44:3. The observations do not record any temperature below zero, and only twice—in 1867 and 1881—did the protected thermometer fall to that point. From the table of monthly means it appears that the warmest month was July. it had the highest mean maximum, the highest mean minimum, and also the highest monthly mean, viz., 59°5 deg. The next highest was August, with a mean of 58:2 deg; and the next June, with 56°8 deg. The coldest month was January, with amean of 34°6 dee. ; and the next December, mean, 36 deg. The extreme range of temperature was from 94 deg. in 1876 to Zero in 1867 and again in 1881. The mean annual range was 76-2 deg. The driest month was April, with a mean of 2:103 in., and 11 days on which rain fell; and March and May came next in point of dryness, with 12 and 13 days of rainfall. The wettest month was September, with a mean of 4:252 in.; but January and October did not fall much short, with 16 and 17 days of rainfall. Il.—Report on the Herbarium. By Mr GeorceE F. Scorr- Euiot, B.Sc., F.L.S. During 1894 and part of 1893 and 1895, it has not been pos- sible for me to pay the amount of attention to the increase of the Herbarium which I should have wished. During my absence the work has been, however, most thoroughly carried on by Miss Hannay and her sister, Miss Jane. The total of plants now repre- REPoRT ON THE HERBARIUM. 133 sented (I mean species, not specimens) is about 1375, which form a large proportion of the British flora. In fact, the condition of the Herbarium raises Dumfries to a position only inferior to Edinburgh and Glasgow, though it is possible we have not quite so good a collection as Perth. This matter ought to afford the Society a great deal of gratification. But it is a matter of great regret both to the Misses Hannay and myself that, with material such as scarcely one county town in England possesses, a very slight attempt has been made to use material which has been col- lected. The botanists of the district are still at work, and continue to assist us, but they do not consult the Herbarium habitually and regularly as 1 could have wished. This is, no doubt, largely due to the fact of its existence being unknown to many, but perhaps chiefly to its residing in a private house during winter. It is a matter of regret to me that some means should not be found of placing the Herbarium where it can be admired and advertise itself. On its being thoroughly known will follow two results—first, its use by a greater number, and, second, its receiving additions from strangers visiting the district. The first addition I shall mention is one which may be the to first raise it from a county town collection to one on a much higher level. Mr Wylie, a native of Moffat, now residing at Dur- ban, Natal, wrote to Miss Hannay, and sent by the same mail a parcel of thirty-six Natal ferns, asking for British species in return. After my own little experience, I believe that such exchange could be carried out on an enormous scale, for there is no county in Great Britain whose natives are so generally prevalent through- out the world as Dumfriesshire. It rests, however, with the Society to decide as to whether this idea should be carried out. Besides Mr Wylie’s plants we have thirty-six rare British specimens from London, but without any clear address, so that they have not been acknowledged. Mr P. Gray has sent us a dozen varieties; Mr J. M‘Andrew a very interesting set of eighteen species. Mr A. Somervile has sent us thirty interesting forms, and our local friends, including Miss Hannay, continue to supply us with additions. There are also in the herbarium specimens of mosses, hepatics, fungi, alge, &c., mostly from the county, which are a nucleus for those who will undertake the cryptogamy of Dumfriesshire. Immediately after the Flora had gone to press, I received the 134 Report oN THE HERBARIUM. following varieties from Mr G. Bell, of Lockerbie, who is an extremely acute botanist :— Potentilla procumbens—very rare. Euphorbiadulcis—a new record for the county. Elatize hevandra—a new record, if more specimens will prove the plant as really being this rare species. Serophularia vernalis—A confirmation of an old record of great interest, as showing that the plant has spread from Hoddam Castle to Wamphray. Misses Hannay have given me the following additional locali- ties of rare plants for 1895 and 1896:— Draba verna—walls near Maxwelltown Station, April; Lin- cluden, March, 1896. Arabis Thaliana—abundant on railway banks from Glasgow Road bridge to Maxwelltown Station, May. Cerastium arvense—on railway banks at Maxwelltown Loch, Castle-Douglas Road, near Bridge, April. Bartarea vulgaris—along railway bank, Maxwelltown Sta- tion, May. Alliaria officinalis—roadside, Dalskairth to Drumsleet School, May. Viola palustris—Maxwelltown Loch, abundant, April. Veronica serpyllifolia—In meadows, Maxwelltown Loch, May. Menyanthes trifoliata—Maxwelltown Loch, May Veronica hederifolia—Hedgebank, Dalbeattie Road, April. Chrysosplenium alternifolium—Claden, near White Bridge and Glen, April Prunus padus-—wood above Dalskairth, May. Savifraga granulata—Lincluden, May. Stellaria nemorum— Dalskairth, Lincluden, May. Solanum dulcamara—Garlieston, July. Veronica anagallis —Garlieston, June. Lythrum salicaria—wood below Glencaple, July. Lysimachia vulgaris—Birrenswark, July. Scutellaria galericulata—Birrenswark, July. Epilobium roseum—Birrenswark, July. Geranium pratense—abundant roadsides, Penpont, July. The state of the specimens is most satisfactory, and point to the extreme care and patient labour which the Misses Hannay Tur GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMEs. 135 continue to spend upon it. The thanks of the Society are certainly due to these ladies for their careful guardianship of the collec- tion. 10th April, 1896. Ill.— Zhe Glenkens in the Olden Times. By Mr JAMES Barbour, of Dalry. The Glenkens, or valley of the river Ken, lies in the north of Kirkeudbrightshire, and extends from New-Galloway Railway Station on the south to Ayrshire on the north, and from the river Dee on the west to Dumfriesshire on the east. It is 28 miles from north to south, and 18 miles from east to west. The height - above sea level is about 120 feet at head of Loch Ken and 2688 feet on Corserine, the highest hill in the Glenkens. It is one of the most beautiful valleys in the south of Scotland. Except a Jringe of cultivated land on each side of the Ken it is wholly pastoral—consequently its primitive condition is the more easily ascertained. The parishes of Balmaclellan and Dalry lie on the east side of the Ken, and Kells and Carsphairn on the west side. When the Romans entered Galloway about A.D. 80 they found the country covered with wood except the exposed soilless summits of the rocks and low marshy spots where wood would not grow. ‘The trees in the Glenkens were principally oak, ash, birch, alder, and rowan-tree or mountain ash. There would also be an undergrowth of hazel and thorns, both white and black, in some places, as may be seen now in patches and clumps of old natural wood at Gairloch, Tannoch, Forest, on the banks of Garroch and Knockuarling and Garpol Burns, and at several other places. There had also been thickets of fir trees, an instance of which is seen at the foot of Loch Dungeon, where the water has washed the soil from the roots. Where peats are cut in deep moss the spade goes through numerous branches of birch and hazel with the nuts still retaining their shape. Trunks of large oak trees are found with the wood yet quite hard. Often on the highest hills, where no improvements have been attempted, the roots of large oak trees are yet to be seen. In no part of the south of Scotland can those old relics of bygone ages be traced so well as among the hills of Kells and Minnigaff. Those forests were stocked with wild cattle, horses, the wrus—an animal 136 THE GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. resembling a bull but much larger —deer, swine, wolves, and foxes, besides numerous smaller animals. The wild fowls which are still to be found on the hills, bemg then undisturbed, weve more numerous and more daring than now. LHagles and ptarmigan are now extinct. The rivers and streams abounded with various kinds of fishes ; but few were caught and eaten by the natives. Many reptiles, now exterminated, infested the morasses and woods, and prodigi- ous swarms of insects were yearly generated. The original inhabitants of the Glenkens were a tribe called the Selgovae. Their language was Gaelic, which is said to have been spoken by some of the inhabitants so late as 1688. The great majority of the place-names are Gaelic—Irish Gaelic— which was probably the language spoken by the Scots who came from the north of Ireland and conquered and settled in Galloway about A.D. 410. The original inhabitants were large, robust, and well formed. They excelled in running, wrestling, and swimming, and were very courageous. They wore little or no clothing, but dyed their skins se as to represent figures of beasts. They some- times smeared their bodies with clay, probably as a defence against the bites of insects. Those were fortunate who had the skin of an animal to tie round their shoulders in winter. They retreated in winter into caves and thickets of wood, and in summer they lived in round houses constructed by a circle of stakes being driven into the ground and interwoven with brushwood. The fire was in the middle of the floor, and fires continued to be made on the floor in very many houses until within the last hundred years. The last one was allowed to fall into decay only two years ago, but a beautiful representation of it was painted by your townsman, Mr M‘Lellan Arnott. In common with the ancient inhabitants of Britain, their religion was Druidism. Their sacred places were either in recesses of the woods or at circles of stones, and after the introduction of Christianity churches were in many instances erected at those sacred places. The word cell or kell in Gaelic signifies a retreat or recess, hence the name Kells ; and Clauchan (Dalry), a collection or circle of stones. In connection with the Druids, there is still to be seen on the farm of Lochrenny, in the parish of Dalry, a stone five inches in diameter, with a hole through it, which was used in their marriage as a — —s * i tee EEE THe GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. 137 ceremonies. There are similar druidical stones to be found in Orkney. The only Roman remains to be found in the Glenkens is a portion of the so-called Roman road that led from Ayr to Kirkcud- bright. This line of road can still be easily traced from Dalmel- lington till opposite Dalry Village, where it merges into the present public road to Kirkcudbright. That portion of it from Ayr to Dalmellington was carefully surveyed and examined by Dr Mac- donald, late of Kelvinside College, Glasgow, who found at least some of the characteristics of a Roman road in it. That portion in the Glenkens was in regular use until 1800, when a more level road was made. It is about 15 feet broad, whereas the old native roads are only tracks 6 or 7 feet in width. It has strongly-built culverts, whereas the native roads have only fords over the small streams, and on the whole there seems little doubt it was at least widened and repaired by the Romans. Old roads marked on the Ordnance Maps as Roman can easily be traced on the farm of Altrye, in Dalry, and at Holm of Dalquhairn, in Carsphairn. This line of road evidently came from Dumfries, as it goes through the farm of Shinnelhead, in the parish of Tynron, and enters Dalry parish on the top of Altrye hill at the watershed between the two counties, 1700 feet above sea level. That road joined the old road near Dalmellington, and so led on to Ayr. Dr Macdonald and I examined that road in July, 1894, where marked on the map as a Roman road ; but we found neither kerb stones nor pavement, or anything to indicate that it was Roman. The shepherds called it a Cadger’s road. There are at least three distinct moraines in the Glenkens ; one a little way up the stream that feeds Loch Dungeon, on the Kells Rhynns. The ice has brought the debris down from the highest point of the hills. There is another by the side of a burn that flows past the steading of Holm of Dalquhairn, which has evidently come from Cairnsmore of Carsphairn, 2635 feet. It forms many knolls or hillocks, which are called the “ Alwhanny knowes.” Another moraine is at the foot of the “ Meaul” of Garryhorn, also in Carsphairn, quite close to Woodhead lead mines. It is called by the shepherds ‘“‘ The lumps.” There is a cairn of large stones on the top of the Kells Rhynns called ‘The Carlin’s Cairn,” which has an historical tradition attached to it. It is said that when Robert Bruce was 138 Tur GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. wandering in disguise among the hills of Kells and Minnigaff in 1306, waiting until his friends raised an army to free the country from the troops of Edward I., he came one evening, wet and weary, to the Mill of Polmaddy and asked hospitality for the night, which was readily granted. Next day English soldiers came search- ing for Bruce. The miller’s wife, who was a clever, capable woman and a true patriot, at once suspecting that the stranger would be Bruce, told the soldiers that no man of that name was there, but that he (Bruce) would be gone on to Lochmaben. After the soldiers left, the miller’s wife asked the stranger if he was Bruce. He said he was, but asked to be allowed to remain for a few days longer until he got intelligence of his brother. The miller was zof told who the stranger was, but was instructed to conceal him among the wheels of the mill if any more soldiers came. After two days more soldiers came, when Bruce was hid among the wheels, and again escaped. When he was crowned King of Scotland the miller’s wife gathered together all her friends and neighbours, and had a glorious pic-nic and holiday. They ascended Castlemaddy hill, and on the top built a cairn to com- memorate the success of King Robert. The cairn still stands, and is named “ The Carlin’s Cairn.” There is an excavation on the top of Altrye hill called ‘“ the Whig’s hole.” It is a large hole scooped out of the hill top, capable of holding 100 men, and was much resorted to as a hiding-place during the time of the persecution. The place was so deep that anyone standing in it could not be seen from a dis- tance, but yet had the advantage of seeing an enemy approaching either by the old riding road from Sanquhar or from the valley of the Ken on the other side. The very oldest public work in Galloway, and consequently in the Glenkens, was the “ Deil’s Dyke” or “ Pict’s Wall,” which is described as a vast rampart running through Galloway and Nithsdale. It is supposed to have been erected as the boundary between two tribes. Probably it was built by the Scots after they had gained possession of Galloway, to guard against the incursions of the Picts, whom the Scots had driven to the northward. The foundation of the wall was eight feet broad, and it was eight feet high. It is now only seen at intervals among the hills where no alterations have beenmade. Much of it has been carted away to build dykes, and in several places where I have seen it there was : }. 4 \ 4 4 ia : sha SREP RICE SECS Tur GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. 139 a resemblance to an old sunk fence. The western end of this wall was on the eastern shore of Loch Ryan, near the site of the ancient Roman station of Rorigonium (now Innermessan). It then passed through the northern part of Wigtownshire and entered the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright a few miles to the north of Newton-Stewart. It next passed across the parish of Minni- gaff, and entered the Glenkens on the farm of Garvary, in the parish of Kells, and passed through the farms of Drumbuie, Clendry, Largmore, Dukieston, Knockreoch, Larg-geerie, Barlae, Dalshan- gan, near the old Bridge of Deuch at the “ Tinkler’s lowp;” Mar- skaig, Auchenshinnoch, and Kerroch, in Dalry. It passed through the parishes of Glencairn, Tynron, and Penpont, and was very entire at Southmains, near Sanquhar. From Southmains it passed down the east side of the Nith, and can be traced to the Hightae flow, through the parish of Annan, and ended at the Solway Firth nearly opposite Bowness in Cumberland, where Hadrian’s wall commenced. Another account says that when the Romans with- drew from Britain the northern hordes issued from the woods and mountains and rushed into Valentia plundering the whole country. It was at this time, we have every reason to believe, that the inhabitants of the South of Scotland, with the aid of some foreign residents, raised a wall of protection against those voracious visi- tors. This rampart, called the ‘“‘ Roman Dyke,” the ‘“ Pict’s Wall,” or “ Deil’s Dyke,” seems to have been built of stone in some parts, and in other parts of stone and turf. It had a fosse on one side, and probably a path on the other. The rampart must have been made by a people inhabiting the south side. ‘The remains of this wall have been traced from the shore of Loch Ryan on the west to the north-east boundary of Kirkcudbrightshire. After that it runs into Dumfriesshire, and joins the Britton wall at the Solway Firth. The remains of this old dyke can still be seen at several places in the Glenkens. The next notable event in order of time was the battle between the Northmen, or Danes, and the Scots on Dalarran Holm some time about A.D. 800. The feeble governments of Denmark and Sweden allowed numerous bands of pirates and robbers to infest the northern shores of Britain. In 787 they first appeared on the coasts of England,and some years afterwards visited the shores of Scotland. After landing and plundering along the shores of the Solway, they reached the Glenkens. Those Danes and the natives met on 140 THE GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. a level holm close to the river Ken, two miles south of Dalry, and fully one mile from New Galloway, and there they fought a bloody battle. The Scots were victorious. The Danish sea-king was killed, and was buried where he fell. A tall stone still marks the spot, and stands about 100 yards from the public road. About seventy years ago a little thatched cottage stood beside the stone. I have been in the cottage when a very little boy. One of the lairds of Holme made excavations near the stone, where he found an entire antique sword, which was long preserved in his family. About ninety years ago pieces of rusty armour were frequently turned up by the plough on Dalarran holm. The events next in order of time are the repeated visits of King James IV. through Dalry on his journeys to the shrine of St. Ninian at Whithorn, where his confessors sent him to do penance for his sins. The church at Dalry was dedicated to St. John, and the place at that time was called St. John’s Kirk, and the village St. John’s town. Dalry was the name of the parish, and the name Da/-righ signifies the king’s valley. But in Scottish history the village was named “St. John’s Clauchan.” King James, on his journeys from Edinburgh to Whithorn, rode on horseback along with his attendants, as the roads then were only bridle paths. From details of the king’s expenditure found in his treasurer’s accounts we find that the first mention of his visit to St. John’s Kirk was-in 1491, when he gave 2s to the priest, and paid 5s for being ferried “ower the water” with his retinue. He next passed through to Whithorn in 1497, when he gave 3s 6d to the “ puir folk” and 5s for bemg ferried over the Ken. Again he passed in 1501, and paid 18s for delchair or breakfast and 5s for the ferry. King James passed several times after these dates, but there are no more payments recorded. The ferry mentioned was over a pool in the Ken, still called the * Boat weil,” where a ferry boat plied until 1800, when the bridge was built at Allengibbon. I have seen the boatman’s house stand- ing and inhabited. The materials were carted away thirty years since to make an addition to Waterside farm-house. The road by which the king rode down to the river is still a public road, and is called by the villagers “the water road.” The old kirk was situated low down in the churchyard, and is now converted into a tomb. The present church stands on a bank overlooking the river. The old holy water font is placed by the side of the eee —™”™~—S Tut GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMEs. 141 entrance to the church. ‘The burial place of the Gordons of Lochinvar and Viscounts of Kenmure is in an old tomb which appears to have been at one time joined to the church. The village at one time is said to have beena furlong from the church, but is now built down to a level with it. The old inn of Midtown, wheres the rebellion broke out that resulted in the battle of Rullion Green, in 1666, was at the upper end of the village. The old house has now been taken down, and a new house built in the old courtyard. In 1629 Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar applied to the Scottish Parliament for authority to erect part of his lands with the houses thereon into a Royal Burgh. It was thought St. John’s Clauchan was meant to be the place, but in 1633 the Scottish Parliament granted a charter for the village of Roddings being created a Royal Burgh, as it was more convenient to Kenmure. It was to be called the Burgh of Galloway, now New Galloway, the corpo- ration to consist of a Provost, four Bailies, a Dean of Guild, and twelve Councillors. Its patron died before his design of building the town was fully carried out. A weekly market was, however, established, and a farmers’ club, both of which proved of much benefit to the district for many years. Anannual cattle show was also established then, which has continued till now, and is said to have been the parent of all the cattle shows in Scotland. The Forest of Buchan was a royal hunting forest. About the year 1500 it occupied an immense area, including large tracts of land in the parishes of Kells, Carsphairn, and Minnigaff. From Loch Doon it extended to Loch Dee, Loch Trool, and the river Cree. The farms included in the Forest in the parish of Kells were Garvary, Bush, Forest, Darnaw, Dukieston, Knockreoch, Woodhead, Strangassel, Knocknalling, Stranfasket, Burnhead, Largmore, Drumbuie, and Barskeoch. Much of the land included in this area was bare rocky heath; but there were also in it some rich and well-sheltered pastures, and many beautiful glens, the whole abounding with game. As late as 1684 Symson writes —- “There are very large red deer, and about the mountain tops the ¢armachan or ptarmigan, a bird about the size of a grouse cock. Eagles, both grey and black, also bred there.” The latest eagle seen among the hills was trapped near Loch Dee about 1860. The limits of the forest gradually contracted, and in the 17th century only the part lying in Minnigaff retained the name of the 142 Tur GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMEs. Forest of Buchan. Several farms in Kells, however, bear traces of this forest. An extensive sheep farm still bears the name of Forest, and another The Bush. The remains of old woods are still to be seen at Forest, and on the level mossy pastures numerous trees are found lying about two feet below the surface, many of them quite fresh. Polmaddy Mill, which adjoins these farms, was erected to grind grain to feed the Royal hounds, and Castlemaddy was the place where the hounds were kept. Pol-maddy signifies the durn of the dogs, and Castlemaddy, the strong place of the dogs. This forest was preserved for the exclusive hunting of the Kings of Scotland, and for many years the Earls of Cassilis were rangers, and had charge of it; but in 1628 the then Earl resigned his charge in favour of Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar. Several hunting lodges were kept up in the forest—Huni-ha’, Garvary, Dukieston, and Castlemaddy were favourite places. James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, Queen Mary’s third hus- band, sometimes hunted here. The Queen bestowed an estate on him on the east side of the Ken opposite the forest, and there he built the Castle of Earlston, so called because it was the residence of the Earl. He built it for his hunting lodge, near to a ford where he could cross the Ken. When Queen Mary was deposed Bothwell fled to Orkney and Shetland, and his lands in Galloway were forfeited. In 1586 the estate of Earlston was granted to his nephew, Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell. Upon his for- feiture, in 1593, the estate was granted to Andrew, Lord Ochiltree. The Gordons of Lochinvar acquired the estate of Harlston by charter in 1620, and about 1630 it was bestowed on the second son of the then Viscount Kenmure, who was thus sole proprietor. An addition of the east wing was made by William Gordon and his wife, Mary Hope, in 1655, and a stone built into the wall shews the date and initials ““W.G., M.H., 1655.” The castle itself is still pretty entire, but the offices round the courtyard are in ruins. The site of the castle of Banck or Lagwine, mentioned in old records, is about a quarter of a mile north of Carsphairn Village. It is said to have been destroyed by fire. It was the residence of the family of M‘Adams of Waterhead. John Lowden Macadam, the road improver, was of this family. The very scanty remains of the Castle of Kars or Dundeuch are still to be seen on a level holm by the side of the river Deuch eS THE GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMEs. 143 near its junction with the Ken. It was an important stronghold in the days of Bruce. Afterwards a branch of the family of Gordons of Lochinvar is said to have possessed it. The remains of an old square tower on an island in Lochinvar —the original home of the Gordons when they came from Ber- wickshire in 1297—is still to be seen. Ona clear day, when the loch is calm, a causeway may be seen below the water—one branch leading to the shore on the east, and another leading to the west shore. Barscobe Castle, in the parish of Balmaclellan still stands, and is now inhabited by a ploughman’s family. It was built in 1648 by a M‘Lellan, a relative of the Kirkcudbright M‘Lellans who had an estate in Balmaclellan parish. The wife of the builder of the castle was a Gordon of Shirmers. The remains of the old tower of Shirmers, also in the parish of Balmaclellan, is close to the present farm steading of Shirmers, and near the shore of Loch Ken. It is much crumbled down and covered with ivy. It belonged to a branch of the Gordons of Kenmure, and is supposed to have been destroyed by orders of the Regent Moray after the battle of Langside because the Gordons refused to submit to him. And now we come to the most important castle in the district —the castle of Kenmure. It is said to have been built by Alan, Lord of Galloway, and that Dervorgilla, his daughter, occasionally lived there with her father. Some think that John Baliol, her son, was born there. A castle was originally built on a low mound close by the head of Loch Ken and to the south of the present castle, but about 1300 it was rebuilt on its present romantic and beautiful site. The Gordons of Lochinvar came from Berwickshire in 1297, but at that time lived in the castle at Lochinvar. They acquired Kenmure by charter in 1483, and were created Viscounts of Ken- mure and Lords of Lochinvar in 1630. Another branch of the Berwickshire Gordons acquired lands in the north of Scotland, from which sprang the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon. After the battle of Langside the Regent Moray summoned Sir John Gordon to submit to him, and sent a party of soldiers into the Glenkens to compel him to do so. The officer left his troop at St. John’s Clauchan until he went to Kenmure to get Sir John’s answer ; but he refused to submit—whereupon the soldiers marched to Kenmure 144 THE GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. Castle, and burned and destroyed as much as they could of the castle. They also destroyed the tower of Shirmers, which was the house of one of his friends. The castle still stands, and is inhabited. The portion which was burned and partially thrown down is now repaired. It is beautifully situated on its high and romantic mound, and is approached by a very fine avenue of grand old limes. At one time there seemed to have been a church on the farm of Bogue in Dalry parish, but there is no mention of it in history. The site of the church or chapel can still be seen—also the founda- tion of the fence around the churchyard, which enclosed half an acre, as well as the foundation of the walls of the priest’s house. A stone was found in the dyke beside the place with “ Pope G.” rudely carved on it. The field is still named “ chapel leys,” and the place where the priest’s house stood is named the “ priests’ knowe.” The site is marked on the Ordnance Survey maps. There are three very old bridges still standing and in use in the Glenkens. One is the ‘“ Old Bridge of Ken,” as it is called, built over the Ken on the line of road between Dalry and Cars- phairn on the east side of the Ken. It is six miles from Dalry and four from Carsphairn. It is very narrow, barely allowing one vehicle to pass along ata time. There is also a narrow old bridge over the Garpol Burn at the head of Holme Glen, on the line of what was at one time the high road to Edinburgh. A third old bridge is over Polharrow burn, on the line of the old semi-Roman road from Ayr to Kirkcudbright. It is now widened, and the modern road from Dalry to Carsphairn on the west side of the Ken passes over it. It is said to have been originally built by Quentin M‘Lurg,, a tailor, whose earnings never exceeded 4d per day. In 1695 a bridge was built over the river Dee near Clatter- ingshaws, in the parish of Kells, on the old line of road then in use. The place can yet be distinguished a few hundred yards farther up the stream than the present bridge. Before that time the river was often unfordable in winter, and the inhabitants of the country had applied to the Earl of Galloway, Viscount Ken- mure, and other influential gentlemen to use their endeavours with the Privy Council of Scotland to have money raised to build a bridge, but they failed to obtain an Act. The Synod of Galloway then took the matter up, and ordered a house-to-house collection to be made in every parish within their jurisdiction. As soon asa THE GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMES. 145 sufficient sum was raised, a bridge was built under the superin- tendence of the clergy. The present bridge near the place was built in 1811. STATE OF THE GLENKENS 200 YEARS AGO. At the time of the Revolution of 1688 the country was in a deplorable condition, after thirty years of cruel tyranny and oppression. ‘The houses in general were miserable hovels, built of stone and turf, or stone with clay for mortar. The fire was on the floor, and the house had a small window on each side opposite the fire-place to let out the smoke as well as to give a little light. On whatever side the wind blew the window on that side was stuffed with straw or old rags. The inhabitants kept their cows in winter tied to stakes in the end of their dwelling-houses, and all entered at the same door, and very often there was no partition between the inmates. Many families had no bedsteads, but slept on mattresses of plaited straw, or a bunch of heather laid down on the floor around the fire. The best farm houses had a living place similar to the above, and in addition another house built parallel, with a paved court between, and which house was called ‘“ The Chaumer,” and was kept as a parlour and bedroom for guests. It had a fire-place at each end, with sometimes a small grate and sometimes none, I have frequently been in one of those old houses about 1832. The common living house was dark, dirty, and un- comfortable in the extreme. Very often the wall on one side of the house could not be seen from the other side because of smoke and darkness. The earthen floor was always damp and clammy, anc on a wet day was especially miserable. Wooden dishes were used, and at meals they all ate out of one dish. Each person had his own spoon, which was made from aram’s horn, They had neither knives nor forks, but used their fingers instead. The food of the common people was of the meanest and coarsest kind. Those were reckoned well off who got a sufficient quantity of porridge, brose, and sowens, made of very poor grain, dried on the fire in pots, and ground in querns, with greens or kail boiled in salt and water. They seldom tasted animal food, except the carcases of beasts that died of starvation or disease. It was rare to slaughter any animal for provision in winter. Many sheep died in late autumn and early winter from braxy, or inflammation, and these they salted up, and hung pieces 146 Tar GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMEs. of them from the rafters to dry and be smoked. For drink they put up whey into barrels in summer until it fermented. This they mixed with water, and drank after being kept nearly a year. A very little of this quenched their thirst. Tea was then known, but it cost thirty shillings a pound. The dress of the inhabitants was very rough and homely. The men wore zazlked plaiden or kelt coats made of a mixture of black and white wool in its natural state. Their hose were made of white plaiden sewed together, and they wore rude single-soled shoes. Their Kilmarnock bonnets were either black or blue. None had hats except the lairds. In general neither men nor women wore shoes except in winter, and their children got none until they could go to church. Shirts they scarcely knew, and those used were of coarse woollen, and seldom changed. The women dressed untidily in coarse gowns, shaped in the most un- couth manner. Farmers’ wives wore toys or hoods of coarse linen when they went from home. When young girls went to church, fairs, or markets they wore linen mutches or caps. At home they went bareheaded, and had their hair snooded back on the crowns of their heads with a string used as a garter. Agricultural operations were very awkward and inefficient. Ploughs were heavy, and badly made. Both oxen and horses were generally yoked to one plough, perhaps four oxen and two horses. Where no oxen were used four horses were.yoked. A woman or a boy was employed to walk backward and lead the animals. One man held the stilts of the plough, and another man, called the Gadsman, regulated the depth of the furrow by pressing down or raising up the beam of the plough. Harrows were light and coarsely made. The teeth were of wood hardened by being tied up to the smoky rafters of the dwelling-house, but they required to be often replaced. There were no carts then made. Manure was taken to the fields on cars, or in creels slung over a horse’s back. The women also carried out manure on their backs in creels of a smaller size. Corn and hay were conveyed home in trusses on horses’ backs, and peats in sacks or creels. Heather was often cut on the hills for firme. In spring working horses and oxen became so lean and weak from want of sufficient food that they sometimes fell down in the draught. The land was in crop for four successive years, and after that lay four years fallow. The yield was miserably poor, rte p # % oe i. a ‘ ————— THE GLENKENS IN THE OLDEN TIMEs. 147 and the quality of the grain was bad. In unfavourable seasons the inhabitants were reduced to actual starvation. The price of cattle was very low, as they were generally in such poor condition. In spring, when put to grass they were often so weak that when they lay down they could not rise without assistance, and they frequently fell into bogs and mosses, when neighbours had to be called to help to get them set on firm ground again. After the oat crop appeared above ground in spring cattle and sheep had to be tended during the day, and shut into /o/ds or Zoans at night, for there were no division fences. There was scarcely even a march fence between farms, which was frequently the cause of quarrels and lasting animosities between neighbours. Both men and women, from the hardy way in which they were brought up, were more robust and vigorous than at present, and were not subject to many diseases, but the average duration of life was much shorter. Saddles and bridles had not come into common use. People rode to church or market on dvechams or pillions, while they put halters made of hair rope on the horses’ heads instead of bridles, and put shoes only on their fore feet. Education was at a very low ebb. Few of the common people could read even the Bible, but the precentor in each congre- gation read the Scriptures in the church before the minister ap- peared. The lower classes were very superstitious, and believed in ghosts, fairies, and witches. To preserve their cattle from the effects of witchcraft they put pieces of rowan tree on the walls above the cows’ heads when in the house, and tied smaller pieces among the long hair of their tails when out in the fields. At this time roads were in a wretched condition. They were indeed but bridle tracks, and thee were very few bridges in the district. 148 List or Rarer PLANts. Sth May, 1896. Mr Puiuip Suuttey, Vice-President, in the chair. New Members.—Mr Jonathan E. Blacklock, solicitor; the Count of Serra Largo, Cowhill Towers ; and Mr Adam Skirving, Croys, Dalbeattie. Donations.—The Report of the Marlborough College Natural History Society ; Report of the Milwaukie Public Museum ; the Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia ; the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Mr James Barbour presented a copy of the ground plan of Birrens. On the motion of Mr Lennox, a special vote of thanks was awarded to Mr James Barbour for his distinguished services as representative of this society in the recent excavations at Birrens ; and the thanks of this society were expressed to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland for conducting and paying for the excava- tions. COMMUNICATIONS. 1.—Annotated List of Rarer Plants met with tn North-West Dumfriesshire. By Mv Joun Corrtg, Moniaive. Early in 1891 I was invited by Mr Scott-Elliot to co-operate with a few other members of the Society in the work of collecting material for a new District Flora. The results of work done prior to, and during, 1891-92 were communicated to Mr Elliot at the time, buta few additional records have since been made, and these, together with my earlier records, may now be submitted in the form of ** An annotated list of rarer plants met with in north-west Dumfriesshire.” RANUNCULACE, Aquilegia vulgaris—probably an escape. Jarbruck Wood, Glen- cairn, 374 ft. NYMPHASACE Zi. Nuphar intermedium—Stroanshalloch Loch. 1270 ft. First gathered by Mr Fingland. PAPAVERACEL. Platystemon californicum—recorded 1887. Near Moniaive. Save FILICES. Ceterach officinarum—rare. Recorded for new Dumfriesshire station, where it is plentiful. 220 ft. Polypodium vulgare—common. P. phegopteris—not uncommon. P. dryopteris—not uncommon. Allosorus crispus—not plentiful. Four stations, 700 to 1000 ft. 154 List or Rarer PLANTs. Cystopteris fragilis—rare in Glencairn. New station, Glenjaun Hill, 1400 ft. Polystichum aculeatum—generally distributed. Lastrea, Oreopteris—generally distributed. L. Filix-mas—generally distributed. L. dilatata—generally distributed. Athyrium felix foemina—generally distributed. Asplenium Trichomanes—generally distributed. A. Adiantum nigrum—not common. Minnygrile, 650 ft.; Crechan, 520 ft. A. ruta muraria—not common. ‘Two stations. Scolopendrium vulgare—rare throughout Glencairn. Single speci- mens occasionally met with. Blechnum boreale—generally distributed. Pteris aquilina—generally distributed. THymenophyllum Wilsoni—rare. Recorded for three new stations —Glenjaun, 1000 ft. ; Glencrosh, 700 ft. ; Benbuie, 700 ft. Botrychium lunaria—frequent, 300 to 800 ft. Ophioglossum vulgatum—rare. Recorded for three new stations, from one of which it has now disappeared—Caitloch, 600 ft. ; Dalmakerran (Tynron), 770. LYCOPODIACE. Lycopodium clavatum—not common. Girharrow, Loch Urr, &c. L. Selago—not common. Caitloch, near Holmhead, &e. Selaginella selaginoides—not uncommon. NoteE.—This list is obviously incomplete. Some of the more critical orders and genera are omitted altogether ; others are only partially represented. Carices and Filices, it will be noticed, receive exceptional treatment. All forms known to occur, com- mon as well as uncommon, are included. Il.—Z%e Battle of Dornock. By Mr GerorGe NEILSON (Glasgow). The year 1333 began with peace between England and Scot- land—nominal peace only, for Edward III. was directly or in-- directly aiding the efforts of Edward Balliol towards the Scottish throne, which he had occupied for a part of the previous year. In the early months of 1333 there was truce betwixt the two Tue BattLe oF Dornock. 155 countries. As usual, it was the mutual aggressiveness of the borderers that occasioned a renewal of the war. Whilst Edward III. was preparing his proclamation’ denouncing the Scots for a rupture of the peace, Sir Archibald Douglas on Monday, 22nd March, was making a flying raid* into Gilsland, where he ravaged the lands of Sir Ralf Dacre, lord of Naworth and keeper of Carlisle Castle. Measures of reprisal were promptly taken. On the Wednesday* following, the 24th, Sir Antony Lucy, leading a strong body of English marchmen, entered Scotland. His force is variously stated by the three early historians* who deal with the expedition. The chronicle of Lanercost calls it merely a powerful body ; Hemingburgh states it at 800 men; and Knyghton follows him in giving the same tigure. William of Lochmaben, probably from his name a renegade Scot, was with the Englishmen, who marched twelve miles inland. The new moon had set in®* on the 16th, so that there must have been moonlight all through the night of the 24th and far into the morning. This, of course, enabled them the better to effect their entry and achieve their purpose, which was not war so much as plunder. By next day they had scoured over an area computed at 12 leagues, and with a large booty, consisting of a great many head of cattle, they were with all possible despatch making their way back to bonnie Carlisle. In raids of this kind it is obvious that the sooner the cattle could be got across the firth the better. The course they appar- ently took has a most interesting bearing on the history of the 1 Foedera, 23rd March, 1333. 2 Lanercost Chron., 272; Knyghton in Decem. Scriptores, 2562. 3 The editor of the Lanercost Chronicle misdated it 23rd March. The text says it was on the vigil of the Annunciation. But as the Annun- ciation was 25th March, the vigil was on the 24th. * Lanercost and Knyghton, where above cited. Hemingburgh (Eng. Hist. Soc.), ii,, 307. See also Bower's Scotichronicon, ii., 310. ® For this calculation I am indebted to my friend Mr Arch. A. Young. By Nicholas’s Chronology of History I made out the date of the new moon to have been the 20th, but I am assured the lunar table given in that work is erroneous. Mr Young’s calculation is explicitly confirmed by an amended Lunar Calendar, framed by Mr A. V. Gough of Chilton Thorn Vicarage, Fence Houses, County Durham, which he has with much courtesy put at my service in manuscript. 156 Tue Battie or Dornock. fords. There were three chief historic crossing places—one, the Solway or Sulwath proper, near the junction of Sark and Kirtle ; another from Dornock to Drumburgh; and the third from Annan to Bowness. The second of these fords is known to have been used by the army of Edward I. during its retiral from Scotland in the autumn of 1300. On 30th August Edward was at “ Drunnok.”' On 1st September he was at ‘‘ Drumbou.”” He and his army had probably crossed the day before,’ and the wardrobe accounts con- tain items relative to the destruction of corn at “ Drunnok” and *“ Drumbou” at that time.t It was this ford, available, of course, only at ebb,’ that Sir Antony Lucy made his objective. The reason for his choice is not hard to find. The forayers must have been in parties at considerable distances apart to enable them to cover the area said to have been overrun. The Dornock ford would be a good central meeting place, offering the most con- venient and direct route to England. Had the invaders chosen to make for the eastmost ford of Solway there would have been a grave loss of time; the cattle would have had to be driven five or six miles further; and time was a first consideration. But evenas it was Sir Antony did not succeed in crossing without having to fight. The alarm had reached Lochmaben Castle, then under the command of William of Douglas, afterwards known to history with a chequered fame as the Knight of Liddesdale. He put himself at the head of a detachment of the garrison to the number of about fifty men, spoken of as well armed.® Associated with him were several local knights, Sir Humphrey Boys, Sir Humphrey Jardine (called Sardyne in one edition of one chronicle !),’ and William Carlyle. Another person named as taking special part in the affair was William Barde—-referred to as Warde by one author. These leaders appear all to share the epithet flung at them by the Lanercost chronicler of ‘ solemn malefactors”” what- ever that may mean. Besides the fifty men-at-arms the whole 1 Lib. Quot., Garderob. 172, 175. 2 Ib., 126, 172,198, 200. Drumbou is now Drumburgh. 3 Jb., 165, 173, 174, 196. *7b.,. 126. 5 Statistical Account, Dumfriesshire, 257 & Lanercost Chron., 272. 7 Decem Scrip., 2563. ieee Pe ee oe -— ee 7 i i ee ioe a tt Tur Barrie or Dornock. 157 available force of the country-side, “ the flower of the soldiery of all Annandale,” as Bower! puts it, was mustered under Douglas’s command, Probably there was no great difficulty in divining the road the Englishmen were going to take. At anyrate, when they reached the ford Douglas was there too. A smart engage- ment was the result, fought ‘“‘near the vill of Drunnok at the Sandy wathe.”? It is from the mention of the * wath” that I have been led to draw my inferences regarding the intention of the Englishmen to return into England by it. The battle was fought on Thursday, 25th March, about three o’clock in the afternoon—circa horam nonam. A friend who has been good enough to compute the tides for me calculates that at that time, or a short while before, it was ebb, and the ford passable. The plar of the conductors of the expedition doubtless was to reach the ford at low water. The Scots, however, were at the ford as soon as they : the retiral was intercepted : battle was inevitable. The Scots made a sharp attack. By one account it would seem that they had a particular animosity against the captain of the invading expedition, and “ fell with one accord and with one shout upon the person of Sir Antony.” But as the friar of Carlisle says—he who wrote the chronicle of Lanercost—“ Thanks to God and the stout help of the young men” the two Scottish knights, Boys and Jardine, were slain and 24 men-at-arms with them. Hemingburgh represents that the casualties greatly ex- ceeded this number. He adds William Carlyle to the list of dead, saying that 160 men were slain. Knyghton states the slaughtered Scots at 140. Baird and Douglas were captured with, says Hemingburgh, about 100 others. The rest were put to flight— base flight, of course, the Englishmen called it. On the English side it is recorded that only two esquires fell. These were Thomas of Plumland and John of Ormesby, the latter of whom had long been a thorn in the flesh to the Scots.’ Their bodies, borne to Carlisle on horseback, were honourably buried 1 Bower, ii., 310. ? Juxta villam de Drunnok apud Sandywathe.—Lanercost Chron., 272. > Qui semper ante fuerat stimulus in oculis Scoticorum.—Lanercost Chron., 273. 158 Recent Excavations av BIRRENS. there. The English captain, Sir Antony, was himself badly wounded in the foot, eye, and hand, but after a while he completely re- covered, The official record of the battle closes somewhat dolefully for our side with the letter’ addressed from Pontefract by King Edward III. to Sir Ralf Dacre, constable of Carlisle, commanding that William Douglas and William Barde should be kept sefely ironed and in prison. The Sheriff of Cumberland was at the same time to proclaim that the several captors of Scotsmen should keep their respective prisoners secure. Barde was still a captive three years later. Douglas's exact term of confinement has not been ascertained, but Bower says it endured for two years. The flower of Annandale soldiery had been nipped in its early bloom. And, unfortunately, as Wyntoun notes in his brief record of the event, the misfortune was only the ‘“arles” of more—the earnest of worse things, in especial of the evil day of Halidon? That ilke tyme at Lowchmabane Off Anandyrdale the floure wes tane With off the West Marche men That had thame in till Ingland then. Amang thaim Willame off Dowglas Takyn and had till presowne was. This was bot erlys for to tell Off infortwne that efftyr fell. Bower, above cited, also mistakenly places the engagement at Lochmaben, U1.— Recent Excavations at Birrens—The Intertor Buildings. By James Bargour, F.S.A. The council of this Society having brought under the notice of the council of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland the desir- ableness of having excavations made at Birrens, that body promptly took up the suggestion, and appointed a committee of superintendence, on which the writer represented the local Society, and made other necessary arrangements. Operations were begun on 29th May, 1895, and were carried on for a period of nearly nine months. Important information resulted regarding the structure of the fortifications and the plan of the interior buildings ; and altars, inscribed stones, pottery, and other objects 1 Foedera, 28th March, 1333 ; Batn’s Cal., ili., 1074. 2 Wyntoun’s Cronykil, viii., 27. THE INTERIOR BUILDINGS. 159 of interest were recovered, a full account of all which is contained m Zhe Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, vol. xxxi. -This paper on The Interior Buildings follows, with some alterations, the one by the writer on the same subject contained in the volume above mentioned. The results of the excavations in the interior of the station were somewhat unexpected and remarkable, for the slightly irregular sward covered at a greater or less depth the founda- tions of a whole military town. Long ago all of the buildings above ground had been pulled down and carried away for modern uses, but Nature, as if appreciating the situation, century after century, unceasingly created mould, which, at every fresh spoila- tion, was cast as a protecting covering over the place ; and so remains of considerable extent and interest have been preserved. Great part of the foundations of the buildings remain, and a few fragments of upper walling. At many places, however, the masonry is quite gone, or so disturbed as to be hardly distinguish- able from debris. Two circumstances proved of material assistance in following out the plan. All, or nearly all, the trenches remained open while the survey was in progress. In this way the well-defined lines were serviceable in ascertaining the trend of those less certain. And where no masonry was left, the position in which it had stood was often clearly evidenced by a peculiar method afterwards described, which had been applied in preparing for the reception of the foundations. Many of the division walls were not traced, and all the doors, windows, and other such details are wanting. The outlines of the several buildings, however, have been ascertained, almost to completeness, and the general disposition of the station is fully displayed. On the plan, plate 1A., the walling actually exposed is indi- cated by black tinting, its continuation in the spaces between the openings being marked in diagonal hatching. It has been found that work of two distinct periods exist ; and the secondary, as far as opened, except where it covers the primary, is indicated by square hatching. Secondary work, however, as will after- wards appear, exists to a greater extent than it has been found convenient to indicate on the plan. The diamond hatching shows the position of walls, of which little or no remains exist. The 160 Recent ExcAVATIONS AT BIRRENS. lines, however, are conjectural only to a very limited extent, as in every instance evidence more or less conclusive of the situation occupied was found. The buildings with their intervening streets form a rectan- gular block, measuring 500 feet from north to south, and 300 from east to west; and the interior of the station when complete would extend to about 4 acres. A principal street crosses the station from the east gateway to the west, dividing it into two unequal parts, embracing respec- tively two-fifths and three-fifths of the area. Another leads from the north gateway to the south end, and marks the station longi- tudinally into two equal and almost uniformly arranged divisions. ‘'lhis street is divided at the centre of the station by a building, supposed to be the praetorium (XII. on plate [4.), round which it is carried, one-half on either side. The building in this way stands out separately. No minor streets are found in the southern division, but eavesdrops intervene between the different blocks of buildings. In the north division three subsidiary streets run from the east side to the west ; and eavesdrops alternate with these. The buildings appear to be grouped according to the several purposes they were intended to serve; and those conjectured to be meant for administrative and other more special ends occupy the main street between the east and west gateways. The praetorium is the most prominent, and probably also the most in- teresting. The walls are 2 feet 10 inches thick, strengthened with buttresses. In the south one is the entrance gateway, which shows the seats of the scuntions, and two stone-posts for stopping the gate. This leads into an open court, floored with charac- teristic irregular polygonal pieces of stone fitted together, and provided with a drain all round for carrying off the surface water. At the west side of the court is the public well, 18 feet deep and 4 feet 4 inches diameter, yielding water for the supply of the station. It is built of dressed stones in regular courses, and the bottom is paved with cobbles over a bed of well-tempered clay. On the east and west sides of the court was a narrow apartment, and on the north a verandah, supported on slender pillars of wood or iron, and an arcade of seven bays behind it, had extended across the building from east to west. Remains, partly cn situ, partly in fragments lying on the pavement, prove that square piers, with ee ————eee Tue IntTERIOR BUILDINGS. 161 splayed bases and moulded caps, had separated the bays, and that they were spanned with arches, closed with thin projecting keystones. Passing through the centre bay, which is a little wider than the others, a full width space is reached, and communicating with it at the north end of the building is a series of chambers, five in number. In the floor of the centre one is a pit 5 feet deep, ap- proached by descending steps. The walls are formed of large stone flags set on end, and remains seem to indicate that a parapet, finished with a moulded cope clamped with a continuous bar of iron, rose above the floor. Some grain and a quantity of frag- ments of window glass were found in it. The floor of the chamber west of the central one shows a square sinking about 3 inches deep, in the centre of which some kind of pedestal has stood, and the surrounding pavement is worn with use, mostly at one side. The two flanking chambers of the row also show square blank spaces in the centre of the flag floors. Comparing this building with the corresponding one shown on the plan of Chesters, and named the Forum in Dr Bruce’s Hand-Book to the Roman Wall, it is found that the same number and arrange- ment of chambers obtains in both, and only in one respect is there any material difference. At Chesters the aspect is towards the north ; here it is southwards. The next building eastwards (XIII.) is enclosed by walling 2 feet 6 inches thick, strengthened with buttresses, but no division walls were found, and it and those numbered IX. and X. do not present any particular distinguishing features. No. XIV. is the bath. There is a hypocaust, with pillars for supporting the floor, a furnace door, air duct, flue, and drains, and a well for the supply of water. The well is four feet square at the bottom and 12 feet deep, and it widens out somewhat at the top, becoming nearly circular on plan. The walls are rudely built of undressed stones over a square oak frame. The remains of an oak ladder, chips of pottery, and some shoe leather were found in it. Nos. XI. and XV. are peculiar. The narrow form, the great thickness of the walls (3 feet 8 inches), and the numerous heavy buttresses exhibited, leave little room for doubt that the buildings were spanned by vaulted stone roofs. The floors were raised on walls, with air ducts between them. A quantity of calcined wheat 162 Recent Excavations AT BIRRENS. was found in No. XI., and the buildings probabiy served the pur- pose of food stores. The opposite frontage is wholly occupied by two large build- ines, numbered respectively IV. and VIII. on the plan. The latter is peculiar, inasmuch as it exhibits partition walls separating the area into house-like apartments. Unfortunately, owing to the lines being incomplete and the want of indications of doorways, the con- nection of the several spaces is not clear. The former (IV.), judging by its dimensions and general character, would appear to have been one of the most important buildings in the station. The only exterior wall of which substantial remains exist is the front one. It is of superior workmanship, 2 feet 10 inches thick, and buttressed. There were fifteen heavy buttresses towards the street, each showing a projecting base, finished with splayed and neatly hewn top course (plate IIIA.) ; a thick wall, crossing it from north to south, divided the building in the centre ; and the floor was raised high above the ground, and supported on walls form- ing intervening ducts for the distribution of air, possibly heated, soot being found in them. , The west end of the building recedes a little from the line of the north and south street, forming a sort of square, just in front of the praetorium. In this recess there is a stone plat, measuring 5 feet each way, and raised a step above the level of the street. At one place it is much worn, as if by the movement of the feet—the mark, it may be, where the sentinel in charge of the standard stood. Other buildings in the station may be classed in three groups. One embraces the large blocks I., II., and III. in the south-east area, stretching between the longitudinal street and the east ram- part. So far as has been discovered, these were undivided. Being separated only by eavesdrops 2 feet 6 inches in width, the door- ways would, it may be presumed, be in the end walls, and what- ever light there was would probably be admitted at the roof. Another group consists of corresponding buildings V., VI., and VII. in the south-west space. They are differentiated by longi- tudinal division walls, one in each. All the buildings in the north part of the camp, XVI. to XXIX., comprise the third group. The northmost, east and west of the longitudinal street, appear in some respects to be exceptional, but the others exhibit uniformity. These are very narrow as compared with the buildings in other THe IntTerIok BUILDINGS. 163 parts of the camp, being only 16 feet wide with a length of 136 feet. Each is divided into several apartments; and the cross walls, so far as exposed, indicate much similarity of division. The several blocks are ranged in pairs, back to back, with inter- vening eavesdrops, and so as to front the streets. In regard to the condition of the walling, while, as previously mentioned, the masonry is entirely gone at some places, generally the footings, consisting of one or two courses of stones, remain, much of the work being in fair condition, although in part dis- turbed and broken. . i AS \ 7 \ “Up Mi) / St} ae 2 eT inh LZ OMAN MM 1)» ——" VX > 2 1 ai EO 28 a a cer al Xe = =~ fe SG SESSA NADTA TDN AN aah Adi thn In tii : yu ll 1 ca ry i 1 7 N dtsscfredt AP heck 35 iit Hl hi Ae TN i] ile la) it DTM pe aN ih HIN 1) i ‘il ul i " vain a LEE: it ii Hii ant ‘\ — Aan Ht vi i | ie ae fn ii pa a = WHA, Secondary === Scale of Feet Deo Walling actuolly uncovered... Continuction belween the part® opened... Where the walling i» wholly removed. -..-...- RN WALL BZ Z tT a Wy, Mii il i ei Ha in Hg i aia ing 4 ZIM 5 Aver Heli scene a sella ay — I, ‘icomanaiKi iN TULA HH BTU EA ia nn Ht TU i ec at CETUS MK sith TT He LU en es Mt Ar \S Th [ nT Mt ‘ \ ce . WEDGE ond Dircn aa = : a $ ESS SS eee tre of Farm Road 7 ; Gai ip ( Mer WateR 1x~ oe. “y oe ee Fa. x Kerb i ' ae i. 1 UH c™.> Ys ~ = ao _ Src 9 WH O.e 20.2 ~ S ww we Ualoway Delt E Piare Ia = = £ iBiRRENS ROMAN STATION. DUMFRIESSHIRE. 3) 1g o E « SSieer kK 5.3, a 5,8 a | ° 3 E =; S = - aie Datum 146°98 feet above Sea a = } = = 0 1 Fees| | ae Eats 3 Lonerrupinan SEcTIon or Station, A,B,S.T. Seale U jue ee ee N Datum 14698 beststthe pee aa 9 | East Building ei Sk: = ; or Station U,V, Z SECTION THRO OVEN. ie Cross SECTION : F sucnian M: N. Srcrion K, Te SecrionorKers PuanorE, Section or. at D. Enlarged , « J Enlarged Enlarged a & ae 3 __jsfeet a Pran HJ. | _— iz Ci ee a riom of wade growsa SEcTIon HJ. iy aa see ; o _& alt Puan C,D,E. Bee oe _ 3 5 a eH" ae | H 3 Qa ee i Ston: tia ae | ¥ feces eee ee S| tee : . i } j Src Tron O,P. Section FG. Seummee Cc. D. as = ™ E Kerb | Datum 196-98. _ i >: a = Warezerot A Bone, Edie é SECTION A, B. ee Hou 20 29 40 sp feet ast a T t T [Scr OREERER COTE | Scale. Ee Silt SSS Red earth S22 aaa ReaEeS Se A $$$ $$$ c *SUOLDADIA PUG Suoyoad yo DjPDS b x a “3 1Big “AU PNIGATIO gE ao ¢Loac@ ony S$1I¥M ao Nortomd ‘ei ‘Sig a omer ee | *TX’ONIg1n & ‘SO SHANNON TSSEMALHON LY DAUTIYY SO MOILWAM LT of a AG GaIHS SHIMIWNG ‘NOILVIC NYWOV SNauaIg seer or rier 7 > - - “re : : “teh | EE vr leo — j + SUOYOADIA PUD suoyoas qe DIES — SSS ne ‘2 i 2 34 “A PNIaAIOg =A Peete rNowT + SomBULE agro STS wo #EOO ONY PIIVM to NoTLoS Shs f is) POONA et AO SAMMI TASMHIHON LY DAITIN So MOLLWARIAT 44 |PEHOUD “i Big VT TaaIR ISMN] tl oi 8 Lz TaVv] TVIIMC.LET}] 10 ONITINOT,] eS Re “Gens SAlMAdWOAQ NOMVIG NYWWOY SNaeale Corner & the Present Parish. Cjuurch Built 1829-4. Section at North-east Angle of the Kenmure Aisle showing part Of a window of StJohns Church stell or Sitis. ee Se ee Heavy Foundations met Chit awaa fora = ore this line, 7 C7ching and Agge for a2Burial Place O7T530 > SL SSE SEAL AE Scale 4s” of un lnrch to the foot KENMURE BURIAL AISLE. GROUND PLAN. KENMURE BuRIAL AISLE FROM THE S.W. : ¢ ‘ ' ~ ‘ = ' ' : Fy F ] : dog ot ” 7 , ' ‘ r ' ¢ i A - i . -_ ’ . < : ‘ ; : ae . sae . 7 -+ . : : awe fs 7 a7, é : » ob r oes ear or : ‘ , Pay ee - en ue! . 7 , ’ 7 7? 7. a a ee a = 4 : 7 sale © hele a. 7 ‘ * ee . be 7 7 7 7 re 7 _ 7 £ oer a 7 i ‘ = ” Ss 7 me t + af 5 7 ? i 7 : 7 - ‘tn md ima as r = - ¥ £ cs . ao 3 hte . 4 ' i, 14 | prt Snes TA . 2 - Ts, : . ; cs F 7 - a * - : o sf . . 1 a ete? —e - : Foot 7 iD al 74 « ra a nee 7 a toe + ae . . a * . 7 bd - ag ea “se “a A : . hoe one s. - eS See 4 = : ' + -74