62 Transactions. 



vaeu Wtas not reached. This has certainly been the case — e.g., 

 with the white cairn close to CoiTiedhu, half-way between Loch 

 Rinnie Moat and Dairy. Fabulous quantities of stones were 

 carried away, and yet a vast accumulation remains — a grey 

 conical landmark for miles around. In respect of size the cairns 

 vary greatly. I shall take the principal examples in their order. 

 Lagwine Cairn (Carsphairn) heads the list. It is almost exactly 

 circular, and has the enormous diameter of 135 feet. Its present 

 height is 12 ft., but from signs of its having been tampered with, 

 we may be safe in believing its cone-apex originally rose to a 

 greatar height. The rim-stones of a huge cairn on the High 

 Lessons field at Kirrouchtree and those of another close by each 

 encircle a space of 120 ft. diameter. At Cairnholy there are now 

 traceable at least two tniormous cairns ; that farthest away from 

 the farm-house on the Red Brae must have been oval or barrow- 

 shaped. Its diameters are, as near as possible, 120 by 100 feet. 

 Quite close to Cree Bridge is a partially-opened cairn fully 100 ft. 

 across, and even now 14 ft. high. The White Cairn at Corriedhu 

 just mentioned has a clear diameter of 110 ft., with a height of 

 12 ft. Carlochan Round measures 100 ft. across the debris of its 

 multitudinous stones. It occupied a remarkably conspicuous site 

 550 ft. above sea level in the heart of Crossmichael. The large 

 cairn west of Auchenlarie Burn, Anwoth, is slightly oblong-oval, 

 and its diameters are 105 by 100 ft., with a height of fully 12 ft. 

 Diameters of 'J5, 90, and 80 ft. are quite frequent, and thence 

 downwards till we reach such small cairns as that on Culmark 

 Hill, Dairy, 24 ft. wide, and another in the same district almost 

 touching what is called " the old Roman road " at Stranggassel, 

 which measures only 20 ft. across. The smallest of all the cairns 

 I have seen, however, is in Tong'land, not many yards north-east 

 of the big cairn on Upper Lairdmannach. It is a mere site, and 

 its diameter is but 12 ft. It is, perhaps, worthy of note that the 

 smallest stone circle in Galloway — 10 stones, with a diameter of 

 21 ft. — is also hard by. I am aware that in many parts of the 

 Stewartry — e.g.. in Dairy at Carminnow and the Green Dass,* at 

 Drumfern, at Barstobric, at Plascowmoor, at Barchain, &c., and 



* Here I have counted between forty and thirty, chiefly on the south 

 side of the foundation stones of what looks like a line of old wall some 240 

 yards long. 



