ETHNOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. 



375 



Mr. Gordon had discovered little more than 

 the fact of certain refuse heaps consisting 

 mainly of shells, and further that in these the 

 shells of the periwinkle and oyster, and next 

 those of the muscle and cockle, appeared to 

 predominate. The two observers in their later 

 visit found'in the Loch of the Clans, ahout five 

 miles from Nairn, a small "crannoge" of 

 stones bound together with beams of wood; 

 and close to this they picked up a bone awl. 



They then visited the shell-mounds at Ben- 

 net Hill, near Burghead, on the coast of Elgin ; 

 afterward proceeding in the direction of Find- 

 horn, and about the old margins of Loch Spy- 

 nie. The shells were often to a good degree 

 of different species in the different mounds, 

 the periwinkle, oyster, and muscle being gen- 

 erally most abundant; while in some of the 

 heaps appeared also numerous fragments of 

 bones of the ox, sheep, and pig. No pottery 

 or stone implements were found in any of 

 them, though in and near some of them were 

 picked up one or more fragments of flint. 

 From one mound, near Burghead, they obtained 

 two positive implements of bone, awl-shaped, 

 and a third splinter of doubtful character. At 

 another, between Burghead and Findhorn, they 

 found a fragment of a bronze ring. In some 

 of the mounds marks of fire were abundant, 

 even where there appeared not a single bone 

 or sherd. The absence of pottery and imple- 

 ments, so common in Danish " middens," and 

 in the Swiss Lakes, is not a little puzzling. 

 True, flint is absent from the north of Scot- 

 land, but not less is it so from Switzerland 

 It is conjectured, however, that the Scotch 

 mounds may yet be found to belong to the 

 metallic period. 



In fact, in a shell-mound on the "Brigzes" 

 Farm, near the old Loch Spynie, a bronze pin 

 had been found by a laborer ; and a Dr. Tay- 

 lor had discovered two small pieces of pottery, 

 colored red on one side and black on the other. 

 The bronze pin was four and a half inches in 

 length, and rather thick in proportion; the 

 head was small and rounded, but flattened on 

 the sides, each of which was marked by two 

 diagonal grooves crossing each other at about 

 a right angle. Below the head was a second 

 enlargement, of less size; and below this 

 again, four equidistant rows of five small 

 notches each one row on each side of the pin. 

 This pin is said to resemble those found in the 

 Irish crannoges, and in street-cuttings in Dub- 

 lin, and which are believed to be of an age of 

 about 1,T)00 years; i. e., of the date of A.D. 

 800-900. 



Lacustrine Habitations in Wigtonshire, Scot- 

 land. An account of explorations of these 

 was presented before the British Association, 

 by Lord Lovaine. 



Dowalton Loch, in which the habitations are 

 found, was an irregular sheet of water, about 

 two miles long by a half mile broad, situ- 

 ated in "Wigtonshire, on the western coast of 

 Scotland, and at the end of a narrow valley 



five miles in extent, occupied by a moss, whose 

 waters flow in part into the loch and in part 

 into the sea. Sir William Maxwell, of Mon- 

 reith, had, at his own expense, nearly drained 

 the bed of the loch ; and this had, when visit- 

 ed (August, 1863), the appearance of an im- 

 mense sheet of mud, surrounded by a succes- 

 sion of beaches at different elevations. It con- 

 tained a few small islets. 



One of these, being reached over forty yards 

 of the mud, was found to be elevated above 

 the latter about five and a half feet. On each 

 side of it were patches of stone, not touching 

 it; and on its northern side, surrounded by 

 piles driven into the mass, lay a canoe twenty- 

 four feet long. Stones were scattered over the 

 surface of the islet, and teeth, apparently of 

 swine and oxen, were found. A trench being 

 cut around the islet, ashes were turned up, in 

 which were teeth and burnt bones. There 

 were found, also, a piece of a fine yellow earth- 

 enware armlet ; a large broken earthenware 

 bead, striped blue and white ; and a small metal 

 ornament, apparently gilt. Two other pieces 

 of a similar armlet were found on the surface. 



On cutting down into the structure, it prov- 

 ed to be wholly artificial, resting on the soft 

 bottom of the loch, and composed of layers of 

 brushwood, branches and stems of trees, min- 

 gled with large stones, while at bottom of all, 

 in this and the other islets examined, was a 

 bed of fern about a foot thick. ' The mass 

 was joined together by poles and stakes of 

 oak and willow, some driven two and a half 

 feet into the bottom. The islet was surround- 

 ed also by great numbers of these, and by 

 masses of stone. In some of the islets the 

 stakes were found roughly hewn, and even 

 mortised ; and in a few holes had been bored. 

 The leaves and nuts brought up from the low- 

 er layers were still in appearance fresh and 

 perfectly distinct. Great quantities of teeth 

 and bones were found upon and within the 

 structures ; but no tool or weapon of any sort 

 came to light. The first islet examined was 

 thirty-eight yards in circumference : the larg- 

 est was thirty-six yards across, and about one 

 hundred yards round. Upon this also a canoe 

 was found, eighteen and a half feet long, and 

 in an extremely decayed state. 



The structures would appear to have been 

 raised by successive stages, as the waters of the 

 loch had increased. The quantities of bones 

 and teeth, and of the stakes formed, conveyed 

 to, and used in and about the structures, 

 would alike indicate a considerable population. 

 Upon the rocky eminences which rose at cer- 

 tain points in the loch, no structures had been 

 raised ; probably they were founded upon the 

 mud as being thus least accessible. 



Prof. Wilson remarked that Mr. Joseph 

 Robinson, of Edinburgh, had collected infor- 

 mation showing that a large number of lacus- 

 trine habitations existed in that part of Great 

 Britain. He thought the implements of bronze 

 and metal generally belonged to a period much 



