L 



Transactions. 7 



country south of Agricola's forts, withdrew his garrisons, left the 

 inhabitants of the South of Scotland to their fate, built a wall 

 between the Solway and the Tyne, and made a new boundary to 

 the Eoman Empire in Britain. The Springfield Hill Camp, along 

 with the other military stations, would be evacuated at this time 

 and left for nineteen years to ruin and decay. In the year A.D. 

 1.39 LoUius Urbicus, under Antoninus Pius, rolled back the tide 

 of barbarian invasion which had swept over the Lowlands of Scot- 

 land, repressed the lawlessness and anarchy which prevailed, built 

 a wall in the line of Agricola's forts, and re-established the Roman 

 authority in tlie laud as it had existed nearly sixty years before. 

 The likelihood is that our Camp was restored and re-occupied 

 because it was required for the same purposes for which it had 

 been constructed in the days of Agricola, and that the occupation 

 continued till A.D. 210, when the Emperor Severus rebuilt 

 Hadrian's wall and again made it the northern boundary of the 

 Roman province. The legionaries, recalled, marched from Spring- 

 field Hill never more to return for any length of time. It is true 

 that, in the year A.D. 368, in the reign of Valentinian, the country 

 between the two walls was re-conquered by Theodosius, the 

 Roman governor of Britain ; but as the Empire had at this time 

 entered on its decline, it is very improbable he retained possession 

 of his conquest for any length of time. The Romans finally 

 al)andoned Britain about A.D. 448. 



This discussion shews, then, that in all probability the Camp 

 on Springfield Hill was constructed about A.D. 82 as a military 

 post of observation, that it was occupied as such till A.D. 120, 

 that it was abandoned for nineteen years, that it was re-occupied 

 in A.D. 139 and maintained till A.D. 210, when it was finally and 

 for ever abandoned. 



II. Natural History Notes for 1887. By Mr Wm. HASTINGS. 



There is little to note this year in reference to anything 

 unusual among our native birds so far as I have seen. There has 

 been a gi'eat scarcity of the cuckoo this year compared with the 

 two last seasons. I have had only one specimen this year, whereas 

 I used to have a good many both old and young binls. In the 

 Spring I received a nice specimen of a pure white starling. I 

 have had the starling peculiarly marked, but never before saw one 

 pure white. In the month of May I received a fine specimen of 

 the golden eagle (male bird), trapped in Argyleshire, where in 



