246 Excavations at Lochrutton Lake-Dwelling. 



buildings and the earthwork gave to the crannog a character 

 different from any which had yet been described. 



lUth December, 1902. 



Chairman — Mr Robert Murray, Vice-President. 



I. — The Toxic Effects of Colchicums on Bees. By Mr 

 Samuel Arnott, Carsethorn. 



In this short paper the author gave the results of a series of 

 observations upon the toxic effect produced upon bees frequenting 

 colchicums in search of honey or pollen. The bees became 

 stupefied and died. 



II. — Account of Excavations at Lochrutton Lake- 

 Dwelling. By Mr James Barbour. F.S.A. (Scot.). 



In a former communication (on page 128) to the Society on 

 this subject I had the privilege of submitting a report describing 

 the exploratory works then overtaken on the island, and the 

 results, and the main inferences, it will be remembered, drawn 

 from the facts disclosed, were: — (i) That the structural charac- 

 teristics of the island are those of an epoch when the craft of 

 carpentry had made some advance, and sharp-edged iron tools, 

 such as the axe, chisel, and boring instruments, had come into 

 use ; and (2) that the island served as a place of human habitation 

 and there had been a mediasval occupation of considerable 

 opulence and prolonged duration. 



I shall proceed first with the further description of 



The Structure of the Island, 



and shall most easily and intelligibly explain the details by refer- 

 ence to the accompanying plan, which, unfortunately, owing to 

 the interruption of its preparation by the flooding of the floor, is 

 incomplete. It does not show all the timbers exposed, but only 

 so much of the work as was actually surveyed. Four trenches, 

 marked A, B, C, and D, cut from the centre of the island to the 

 outer margin, exposed the floor, which consists of logs of wood 

 laid side by side, forming the pavement, and doubtless the parts 



