Natural History and Antiquarian Society. 5 



Mr. Maxwell, Breoch, mentioned that he had found Pyrola 

 secunda at the head of the Long Wood. 



Dr. Gilchrist had gathered Allosorus crispus on the road to 

 Craig's Qiiany, a habitat which was quite unnatural to it as a 

 sub-alpine plant. 



The Secretary reported that he had received a communi- 

 cation from Mr. Stratherne regarding the second paper on the 

 list, but that the paper itself had not yet come to hand. 



Mr. Gibson exhibited an ancient British cinerary urn, 

 found on the other side of the border, and remarked that the 

 shape and style of the ornaments corresponded with several 

 found in Dumfriesshire, portions of some of which were laid 

 on the table, and that it appeared to him to belong to the 

 second of the three classes mentioned by Wilson, viz., the 

 hand-shaped urn, with rude and imperfect attempts at decora- 

 tion. It was found in a tumulus on the farm of Shancastle 

 in the parish of Stapleton, and, like one found lately in the 

 parish of Irongray, the bones seem to have been gathered 

 together on a flat stone, and the urn inverted over them. 



Dr. Gilchrist exhibited urns of the same type found in 

 Perthshire. 



Dr. Grierson, Thornhill, brought under the notice of the 

 Society the investigations at present being carried on at the 

 Tibbers Castle, Drumlanrig, under the superintendence of Mr. 

 Gilchrist Clarke. He observed that the early history of the 

 castle was very imperfectly known, probably it might have 

 been the old baronial residence of the family, but at all events 

 its origin was very remote. For many years only mounds of 

 debris indicating its site had been visible ; latterly, the Duke 

 of Buccleuch had given orders to lay bare these mounds ; the 

 result had been that the ground-plan of the castle, which was 

 of greater extent than had been anticipated, was now com- 



