240 Kintail and Glenelg, zvith Notices of the Brocks. [Sess. 



when in a state of dreamy sleep, — there is such a want of 

 coherence and substantiality about them, no two narrations 

 agreeing in the particulars, although the main features of the 

 anecdote may pervade the whole and be not dissimilar ; but 

 this may no doubt be accounted for by their being to a great 

 extent handed down orally, and not in a written form. 



When Pennant visited Glenelg in 1772, a considerable 

 amount of damage had been done to the Tellve and Troddan 

 towers, and he seems to have taken for granted that the other 

 two were entirely demolished, although he repeats all the 

 legends concerning the mythical mother and her four hopeful 

 sons, with the addition that he says the brochs were known 

 as " Caisteal Teilbab," or the Castles of Teilba. Among later 

 writers, Macculloch's description is perhaps the most interest- 

 ing and independent ; but it is scarcely necessary to recapitulate 

 any more of these accounts, as many are evidently transcripts 

 of Gordon or Pennant. It will be more to the purpose to give 

 a rough sketch of what these ancient monuments are like at 

 the present day. 



Passing up Glenbeg, at a distance of a mile or so from 

 Eilan Eeoch House, the first ruin observed is " Caisteal 

 Tellve " ism Plate No. 2), which, along with Troddan, is now 

 preserved by Government under the Ancient Monuments' Act, 

 so that further spoliation on the part of vandals will be at- 

 tended with risk to themselves. Owing to its insecure con- 

 dition, it was found necessary to prop it up with huge beams, 

 and these, while certainly not adding to its picturesqueness, 

 may be the means of conserving the fabric for the gratification 

 of future generations. About a third of the circle is left, and 

 this contains the doorway, which is extremely low, and was 

 so in Gordon's time as well, necessitating his crawling in 

 on hands and knees : now it is even lower, owing to the 

 accumulation of fallen rubbish. Part of the guard-chamber 

 is still in existence, and portions of four galleries remain, but 

 owing to the subsidence of the concentric walls in some parts, 

 entrance is unsafe. Close to what is now the top, though 

 the tower must once have been much higher, is a series of 

 projecting stones, running round like a cornice. At first sight 

 this seems to be accounted for by the binding flags being too 

 long, and jutting out in consequence of the gradual convergence 



