REPORTS ON EXCURSIONS. 259 



and only escaped by jumping over the old sea-cliff, about 30 feet 

 high. His horse was killed, but he got safely off, and swam 

 across the Gareloch to Cairndhu Point. The spot is still known 

 as " Wallace's Leap," and, if any one doubts the story, he can go 

 and see it ! 



About a mile from the Castle is the Heronry, but time did 

 not permit of its being visited. 



It is well known that Sir Walter Scott, in the Heart of 

 Midlothian, called Rosneath an island, and has often been 

 laughed at for doing so ; but Joseph Irving and other writers 

 state that in common parlance it is described as "the island." 

 The parish up till 1643 included a large part of the present 

 parish of Row, and was called "the parochin within and without 

 the isle." The lands of Mamore, Mambeg, and Fernicarry 

 passed in 1545 from Colquhoun of Luss to James Campbell of 

 Ardkinglass. who sold them in 1568 to the Earl of Argyll. In 

 the protocol relating to the latter transactions it is written, 

 "and that becaus the said earl seized the said James and his 

 heirs male in the lands of Litilros, .... in the lands of 

 Mekill Rois, and lands of Portkill .... lying in the island 

 of Roisneth, with the office of bailiary of the whole island of 

 Roisneth." Therefore, instead of Sir Walter showing ignorance, 

 he may have shown local knowledge exceeding that of his critics ! 



The spelling of the place-name varies, as was the custom in 

 olden days. In this protocol it is " Roisneth ; " in the Register of 

 Passelet (Paisley) it is "Neueth," "Neyt," "Rosneth," and 

 " Rusnith ; " and in the Cartulariam de Levenax it is " Reynt " 

 and " Rosneth." But it is never " Roseneath," which is quite 

 modern and evidently erroneous. The first syllable has nothing 

 to do with roses, but is the Gaelic "Ross," a point; and the 

 name may mean "the bare or unwooded promontory," or "the 

 promontory of the Virgin," or "the promontory of the sanctuary," 

 from the tradition that there was an early church situated here 

 dedicated to the Virgin. 



Ben Vorlich (Dumbartonshire), 18th July, 1908. — Report by 



Mr. John R. Lee. This was a joint-excursion with the 



Vndersonian Naturalists' Society, and was attended by a party 



of six. Owing to the unforeseen and unavoidable absence of the 



K 



