154 



Field Meetings. 



boiling lake in miniature with great big fat trout careering madly 

 along the surface, and keenly competing with one another in their 

 eagerness to satisfy their natural voracity. To witness such a 

 sight was enough to break the heart of an angler, especially when 

 he was vetoed from ti'ying his skill on such beauties. There are 

 about sixty tanks in all, containing trout of different varieties, 

 including the Californian species, some of which spawned last 

 season, and American ti-out, the latter of which Mr Armistead 

 was the first to introduce into this country. There are also char 

 and grayling and other fish, from all of which Mr Armistead 

 pi'ocures his own ova when the season for spawning comes round. 

 The young fish, which are sent out when about a year old, are 

 transported in glass bottles, packed in wooden boxes, and the 

 season for sending them out begins now and continues during the 

 winter. When foreign orders are received eggs are always sent 

 carefully packed in moss. Apart from the danger of tumbling 

 into the deep tanks which intersect the ground in every direction, 

 there is a perfect network of wires over the little farm, all of 

 which are connected with spring and alarm guns, and the moment 

 a wire is touched, a nest of hornets would be buzzing around the 

 marauder's ears that he would fain have left asleep. 



Proceeding next to Newabbey, the visitors surveyed the architec- 

 tural features of the fine old ruin and puzzled over the fragmentary 

 inscription which has been interpreted to mean that the Lady 

 Devorgilla founded the abbey in the year 1284. Its Latin is not 

 free from obscurity, the word which is assumed to stand for 

 "fundatrix" appearing to be literally "fuoatrix." The visitors 

 had been very kindly invited by Miss Copland of CoUie.ston to 

 take tea at Abbey House ; and here they had an opportunity of 

 inspecting a family heirloom with a romantic story. This is a 

 silver quaich or loving-cup which was " hanselled " at the marri- 

 ao-e of John Copland of CoUieston and Agnes Hairstens of Craigs 

 on the 30th of January, 1654. It is a little basin standing two 

 inches and a quarter high, and measuring six inches and seven- 

 eighths in diameter at the brim. It is enriched with a dainty 

 floral pattern. There are two little ilat handles, on the u])per 

 side of which are carved the initials of the pair whose espousals 

 it commemorates — " I. C." (the i being used for j in the old 

 lettering) and "A. H.;" and on the under side of one of the 

 handles the date of the marriage is engraved. This unique 



