Place Names. 57 



is too hazardous, the results too meagre, for properly satisfymg' the 

 spirit of true enquiry. Until the place names of each parish are 

 dilig-ently collated, set apart in groups, tabulated, and compared 

 with each other, it is useless to frame theories upon racial distribu- 

 tion, or even upon the various degrees of rarity revealed by any 

 one or any two or three special groups of words. It is with the 

 iutention of attempting to lay a few stones for the foundation of a 

 correct study of our local place names that this necessarily brief 

 paper is laid before the Society. 



The first factor of importance, it seems to me, is to gain a 

 general idea of the number of place names. It may appear some- 

 Avhat startling to hear that, from the six-inch ordnance maps alone, 

 it is possible to tabulate over 3300 names. Not different names, 

 pray observe, but, to put it in another light, there are in the 

 Stewartry, at the very least, three thousand spots, mountain tops, 

 hills, ravines, glens, cleuchs, corries, hollows, heights, haughs, 

 valleys, banks, rocks, streams, burns, lochs, bays, promontories, 

 farm lands and dwellings, &c., &c., each of which has a name. 

 This estimate is well within the mark, for in it are not included 

 many names, specially interesting too, with which the kindness of 

 one or two antiquarian friends has supplied me, nor does it include 

 some names which have only recently been made available through 

 the publication of the ordnance maps on the 25-iuch scale. .Vnd 

 further, it must be actually a less estimate when we recollect 

 that scores of names of fields and small crofts, now only preserved 

 on private estate maps, are not comprised in this sum total. This 

 number is sub-divided thus : — ■ 



Class I. — Gaelic iVa)iiet>, inclusive of the two sub-classes, 

 viz. : — 



(«) Names of natural features... ' ... 785 ) i..,., 



(/>) „ buildings... ... ... 527 ) 



Class 11. — Non-Gaelic Names : — 



(rt) Names of natural features .. . ... 96'J ) i ^ap 



^ ^ - loOG 



(b) ,, buildings... ,.. ... 537 ) 



This we further sub-divide into the following- sub-classes : — 



(c) Gaelic hill names ... ... ... G42 |^ _„- 



(d) ,. stream names ... ... 143 j 



(e) Non-Gaelic hill names ... ... 7G9 | f,^,, 



(/) „ stream names ... ... 200 I 



