DUMFRIESSHIRE & GALLOWAY 



Scientific, Natural History, and 

 Antiquarian Society. 



FIELD MEETINGS, 1881. 



Rerwick. — 1th May, 1881. 



The first field meeting of the Summer Session, 1881, was lield 

 to-day under very favourable auspices. A large party left Dum- 

 fries by the 8.32 morning train for Dalbeattie, their number being 

 increased by the way, and further augmented by a contingent 

 from Castle-Douglas, who joined them at Dalbeattie. The granite 

 workshops of Messrs D. H. & J. Newall were inspected, and also 

 the paper-mill of Mr John Forsyth ; and thereafter the company 

 drove oif by 'bus in the direction of Rerwick. Various objects of 

 interest were observed in the course of the drive. A glimpse was 

 obtained of the ruin of Buittle old Castle once the residence of 

 the Baliols, and a place of great strength ; and attention was 

 called to rocky projections on the summit of a hill above 

 Kirkennan, which form a configuration somewhat resembling a 

 lion's head, and are so designated by the people of the place. A 

 halt was made at the end of the road leading to Orchardton Tower, 

 to which the party proceeded on foot, and the various character- 

 istics of which were pointed out by Captain Wilson. The walls 

 are of great thickness — 5J feet ; and an intromural cork-screw 

 stair conducts to the battlements. Only one floor now remains. 

 On the top of the wall a bed of the lesser periwinkle (Vinca 

 minor) was in full flower, and other portions of the battlements 

 were carpeted with mosses and Sedum Anglicum. Lower down, 

 both inside and outside of the tower, grew numerous plants of the 

 Scale Fern (Ceterach officinarum) — a rare species in Scotland, 

 whose only known habitat in the Stewartry is Orchardton Tower. 

 Before the party left, Captain Wilson presented the Society mth 

 a pair of antlers of what was considered to be the old Ii-ish Elk, 

 found, along with the entire skeleton of the animal, at the mouth 



