The Early Coinage of Scotland. 289 



There is another variety with similar obverse to above, but the 

 reverse reading: — 



WA/LTE/R ONF/RES 



The above sterlings are from the " Brussels Hoard." I am 



indebted to Mr A. H. Baldwin, numismatist, London, for the 



loan of two of the coins reproduced. Figs. 1, 3, and 4 are 



unpublished varieties. For the reproductions I am obliged to 

 Mr A. Coldwell, A.R.C.O., Dumfries. 



Gleanings from the Vernacular. By Dr Alexander 

 Chalmers, M.A., Crocketford. 



I venture with considerable diffidence, and with a very 

 acute sense of shortcoming, to bring before you my little sheaf 

 of East Galloway gleanings. Possibly the list could have been 

 much fuller. Possibly phrases as well as words should have been 

 included. But it has really been difficult to see where to draw 

 the line. Words which I thought rare because they occurred but 

 seldom in my personal experience turn out to be (apparently) 

 quite common with certain groups of people. "Grossky," e.g., 

 I took to be a unique specimen, possibly imported by the person 

 whom I heard use it ; I learn, however, that it is quite well under- 

 stood and used by graziers. Per contra: words occurring so 

 commonly in the district as " basque ' ' and " lown, ' ' I thought it 

 quite unnecessary to make note of ; yet I am informed from 

 several sources that these words are — to my informants at any- 

 rate — quite unknown. 



The only touchstone by which one can gauge the right of a 

 word to .special note appears to be its presence or absence in 

 Jamieson, or — as I believe we should now say— in Warrack and 

 Grant, and for the most part I have been guided by this rule. 

 A few words which Jamieson notes have been introduced here, 

 because I think they are really rare in Galloway; though I hesi- 

 tate to say so definitely, for I do not pretend to anything like a 

 complete knowledge of the various phases of the vernacular as 

 spoken by all sorts and conditions of men and women in the 

 district. Probably it would have been wiser to draw up an 

 extended list of words used in Galloway speech apart altogether 

 from their appearance in Jamieson, say, as a supplement to 



