Field Meetings. 93 



face, but tunnelled, large stone pillars being left, as in coal mines, 

 for the support of the roof. Eesuming the journey, the party 

 breasted the Barndennoch hill, and commanded as they looked 

 backward a magnificent prospect bounded by the massive Lowther 

 hills, and with the stream in mid-distance shewing here and 

 there like links of liquid silver. Joining the Dumfries and 

 Moniaive Road at Dunscore Free Church, a smart run brought 

 them once more to the streets of Dumfries at half-past ten. 



It may be mentioned as illustrative of the ecclesiasticism of 

 the Scottish character, that no fewer than fourteen churches were 

 passed in course of the journey outside of Dumfries. On the way 

 to Thornhill there were, first, ITolywood Parish Church ; then the 

 Free Church and the Established Church of Closeburn ; and at 

 Thornhill itself, the Parish Church of Morton, the Evangelical 

 Union Church (now allied with the Congregational Union), and 

 the United Presbyterian Church ; and on its outskirts, the Free 

 Church at Virginhall and the United Presbyterian Church at 

 Burnhead. In Penpont village we have the Established Church 

 and the Reformed Presbyterian. The latter is one of twelve 

 congregations in Scotland of the "auld licht" branch of the 

 Cameronians (five of which are without ministers), who still main- 

 tain a strict protest against " the Erastian Revolution Settlement" 

 by refusing to take any oath of allegiance to (Government or to 

 vote in parliamentary elections. A little distance further on is 

 Scarbridge Church, a congregation of the larger body of Reformed 

 Presbyterians, who have merged their identity in the Free 

 Church. Then we have the Parish Church of Tynron; and on 

 the homeward drive, Keir Parish Church and the Free Church of 

 Dunscore. 



Second Field Meeting— July 1. 



The following Report of the Meeting is taken from the Dum- 

 fries and Galloway Standard of 5th July, 1899 : 



The second Field Meeting of the Dumfries Natural History 

 and A.ntiquarian Society for the session was arranged for Saturday 

 last, and the program was to go to Moffat by train and thence 

 drive to Birkhill in order to visit Loch Skene and the Grey Mare's 

 Tail. The excursion was a peculiarly attractive one, both for the 



