1884-85-] Edinburgh Naturalists' Field Club. 227 



" Since the use of bows is laid aside," he says, " the propagation of 

 the Yew is likewise qnite forborne ; but the neglect of it is to be 

 deplored, seeing that the barrenest grounds, and coldest of our 

 mountains, might be profitably planted with them." The same 

 state of matters still exists as in the time of Charles 11. , for Yews 

 are seldom planted for their timber, though many of the dwarf and 

 shrubby varieties are grown for ornamental purposes. Some of 

 these varieties are beautiful plants, with bright golden-green foli- 

 age, and very unlike the grim, funereal-looking parent. It may 

 be added that there is a splendid collection of Yews in the Royal 

 Botanic Garden of our city. The " folk-lore " of the Yew, includ- 

 ing the various superstitions connected with it, and the numerous 

 references to it in the poets, though very enticing, is too wide a 

 subject to enter on at present. It is hoped that what has already 

 been said has not been altogether without interest. 



[The Secretary exhibited a piece of wood from the Fortingall Yew ; and 

 the Curator of the Koyal Botanic Garden kindly furnished specimens of the 

 most distinct and striking varieties of the Yew, in iUustration of the above 

 paper.] 



VII.-WHO WERE THE EARLY INHABITANTS OF THE 

 SHELL - MO UNI) NAMED CAISTEAL - NAN - GILLEAN, 

 ON ORONSAY? 



By Mr SYMINGTON GRIEVE. 



{Bead Jan. 29, 1885.) 



It was our good fortune, during the summer of 1881, to discover 

 that a supposed tumulus on the island of Oronsay was in reality 

 an ancient shell-mound. The name of this shell-mound is Caisteal- 

 nan-Gillean, which means " the castle of the servants or gillies," 

 and we have been assured that the deposits found here indicate 

 that they belong to the Iron Age. As this term has rather a 

 wide meaning, it may not be uninteresting if we endeavour to 

 obtain some light as to who were the inhabitants of this place 

 by an examination of the references by the early historians to 

 Celtic Scotland, though the subject differs somewhat from those 

 usually brought under our notice at these meetings. 



We have tried in vain to obtain any thoroughly reliable infor- 

 mation regarding the earliest inhabitants of the Hebrides, or 

 Innisgall, or " Isles of the Strangers." But perhaps the nearest 

 approach that can be attained to the actual truth of history is to 

 bo found in the statements of the Eoman writers, and the Irish 



