I 



I 



Peakl FisiiiNu. 99 



coruer of High Street and the short and narrow street known as 

 Union Street, the Council Chambers of the time behig- on the 

 opposite side of the latter street. 



Another ancient inscribed stone on the wall of the same 

 summer-house (fig. 2) was probably also taken from the town of 

 Dumfries. 



III. — Fearl Fishing in the South- JFest of Scotland. 

 By Mr JAMES S. THOMSON. 



The ignorance existing upon this subject was brought home 

 to me by the following letter in the Scotsman : — 



" In the ' Lord of the Isles ' there is a beautiful description of 

 Edith of Lorn in the hands of her maids preparing for her wedding 

 with Lord Konald. The pearls with which she was adorned came 

 from Loch Eyan. 



' These strings of pearl fair Bertha wound, 

 That bleached Loch Ryan's depths within. 

 Seemed dusky still on Edith's skin.' 



All the books at my command speak of British pearls as being found 

 in fresh water mussels, and make no reference to the arms of the sea. 

 Is there a Loch Eyan on the mainland, or did Sir Walter know of 

 something on the subject that is thus far hid from specialists V 



To this letter there was no answer. I set about trying to 

 learn the localities where these jjearls were found. Although 

 well acquainted with the fresh water pearl, I knew little of their 

 habitat. Although found in streams, I concluded that the natural 

 locality for their growth was the lochs, of which there are so many 

 in Galloway. In quest of this information, I first visited Carling- 

 wark, near Castle-Douglas, where I was told they were in thou- 

 sands, and formed the opinion that they were bred there, and 

 although destitute of pearls, or nearly so, Avhen in the loch, the 

 hardships of the river and accidents caused the formation of the 

 pearl. But on reaching the loch I could find no trace of them, not 

 even an empty shell ; but, on the other hand, the loch was ci'owded 

 with the common (Anadanta C>/gnea) Swan Mussel, numbers of 

 which were to be seen on the banks of the water. These have 

 sometimes a few small pearls, but are of no value for setting. In 

 Loch Ken, Loch Skerrow, and the chain of lochs around Dairy (the 

 " Eaider" country) Mr Millroy assures me that he never heard of 

 any being found, and he himself never saw any; and all with whom 



