Tue WEATHER OF 1905. 103 
stations at Lochmaben and Ericstane, the rainfall for the year was 
slightly in excess of that of 1902; and Dr Hugh Robert Mill, in 
his preliminary communication to the “Times’’ the other day, 
indicated that, while last year was certainly a dry year, we had to 
go back to 1889 to get a year in which there was less rainfall. 
With reference to the reputation for heavy rainfalls in the west 
of Scotland, it was noticeable that the increase in the rainfall last 
year was recorded not in the west, but in the east of Scotland— 
Aberdeenshire and at stations south of the Moray Firth. There 
the rainfall was somewhat in excess of the normal. Taking the 
British Isles altogether, the average loss for the year would be 
about five and one-tenth inches. That represented a consider- 
able reduction in the rainfall, and it explained why it had 
happened that so many towns had experienced a deficiency in 
their water supply. There had been numerous complaints of 
such deficiencies in this district, all largely due to the low rainfall. 
Dr Ross mentioned that from reports sent to him from such 
stations as Castle Milk, Lochmaben, Ericstane, and Ewes, he 
gathered that the average rainfall for Dumfriesshire was about 39 
inches for the year. At Cargen it was lower than it had been 
for a number of years, being 34 inches. The rainfall there was 
always greater than it was at Dumfries, because of the situation 
of the place. 
EXCAVATIONS AT HoLtywoop. By Dr J. W. Martin. 
Dr Martin related the results of certain excavations in con- 
nection with the extension of the churchyard at Holywood. 
These, he said, revealed the presence of a very solid and lasting 
building, which there could be no doubt was nothing less than 
the ancient walls of the old abbey of Holywood. A great stone 
wall of masonry had been encountered beneath the surface, 
running east and west, and extending from the roadway about 45 
feet. The wall was made up of large freestone blocks in front, 
large whinstone blocks behind, with a solid packing of lime and 
masonry. The breadth of the whole was about six feet, and 
at one part as much as 7 feet 3 inches ; while the height was about 
5 feet 6 inches. A number of curious moulded stones had also 
been found. Dr Martin supplemented his description of the 
ruins by the production of a number of human bones found on 
