Oct 31, 1878] 



NATURE 



695 



sonally canvassing the members. The gain to the explorers in 

 this way would surely far more than compensate for any fancied 

 loss of independence. 



One word more about American exploration, and it shall be 

 one of unqualified admiration. "When a member of any of the 

 branches of the public service in this country which are concerned 

 with scientific publications contemplates the style in which such 

 publications are prepared and issued in the United States, he 

 finds a spirit of envy rising uppermost within him. Quarto after 

 quarto, atlas after atlas, all published in the most sumptuous 

 style as regards paper, printing, engraving, and chromo-litho- 

 graphy, are poured out from the American national press, yet 

 at such prices as not to place them beyond the reach of 

 all but the rich. The number of copies of these costly 

 works actually distributed gratuitously is almost incredible. 

 They are scattered lavishly over Europe, not merely to public 

 libraries, but even to private students of science whose names 

 are known to few of their own countrymen save those who read 

 their writings in the scientific journals. Such open-handed 

 generosity makes many a recipient of the gifts accept them 

 almost with reluctance when he knows how little we in this 

 country can offer in exchange. It is not that we are idle, or 

 that the results of our labours would not furnish materials for 

 important memoirs. But they manage these things better in the 

 States. Perhaps we may profit by their example some day. 



Arch. Geikie 



Discovery of a Scottish Crannog 



Will you kindly allow me, through the columns of Nature, 

 to draw the attention of archaeologists to a recent discovery of 

 an ancient crannog on the farm of Lochlee, near Tarbolton, 

 Ayrshire. It appears that formerly a considerable portion of 

 what is now arable land, and divided into several fields, was 

 occupied by a loch with mossy banks and bottom, and that 

 about forty years ago its outlet was deepened and its whole area 

 completely drained. When this was done a small mound was 

 observed near the outlet of the lake and about 100 yards from 

 its nearest bank, which, from its artificial appearance and the 

 discovery of two canoes in the bed of the lake, then attracted 

 the curiosity of a few observant people in the neighbourhood, 

 but led to no further result, and soon the whole affair was 

 entirely forgotten. Just now the same locality is being re- 

 drained under the direction of Mr. Turner, factor for the Duke 

 of Portland, and his men, while engaged in cutting the main 

 drain which happened to pass through a small bit of this mound, 

 came upon the peculiar structure of the crannog. Fortunately 

 this came under the cognizance of Mr. James Brown, Tarbolton, 

 who wrote a note to Mr. J. Anderson, Keeper of the Museum 

 of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, drawing his attention 

 to this discovery. This gentleman immediately wrote to R. W. 

 Cochran Patrick, Esq., of Woodside, Secretary of the Archae- 

 ological Society for the counties of Ayr and Wigton, who lost 

 no time in visiting the distinct, and at once recognised the 

 nature and importance of the discovery. Meantime Mr. Turner 

 and myself made several visits to the locality, in the 

 course of which we observed that three rows of closely- 

 set wooden piles, six feet apart, extended from the mound 

 to the mainland — presumably forming the foundation for a 

 wooden gangway. The tops of these piles, except in a very 

 few instances, are below the surface of the soil. At the same 

 time the men dug up a canoe, in a good state of preservation, 

 hollowed out of one log, and tapering rapidly and uniformly at 

 both ends. It was lying about 150 yards from the mound, and 

 the highest portion of it was three feet below the surface. It 

 measures ten feet long, two feet six inches broad, and one foot 

 nine inches deep. It -was then arranged that a careful explora- 

 tion of the mound should be made, and accordingly systematic 

 excavations were begun on Tuesday last, in presence of Messrs. 

 Turner, Patrick, Anderson, Dr. McDonald, Ayr, and myself, 

 and are now being prosecuted with great vigour and success. 

 As a detailed account of whatever discoveries may be made, 

 together with plans, sections, and drawings of the crannog, will 

 be published in the Collections of the Ai-chaeological Society 

 of this county, under the superintendence of its accomplished 

 secretary, Mr. R. W. Cochran Patrick, it is unnecessary for me 

 to give here more than a few remarks, just sufificient to convey 

 to your readers some idea of what has already been done and 

 may yet be expected. Guided by the tops of a few upright 

 piles which just appeared on the surface, a broad trench was 

 dug right round the mound. Some of these piles, all of which 



were formed of young oak trees, were found to terminate in 

 holes in large horizontal beams, while others appeared to 

 be driven into the muddy bottom and surrounded by thick 

 planks of oak, young trees, and brushwood, amongst which 

 beech, birch, and hazel were readily recognised. On the 

 north-east side, and only about one foot below the sur- 

 face, were two series of horizontal beams of oak from five 

 to six feet long, and about five feet apart, each of which 

 had two square- cut holes near its extremities, through 

 which upright piles penetrated and were firmly fixed by wedges 

 of wood. These mortised beams rested on round trees which 

 lay horizontally but pointed in various directions. Conterminous 

 with these beams and running towards the centre, there was a 

 rude and very much decayed platform formed of rough planks 

 and saplings lying on large beams of split oak trees. The oozing 

 of water prevented the complete exposure of the mossy bottom on 

 which this curious structure was reared, but it was ascertained 

 to be from seven to eight feet below the present surface. In 

 all the parts that were examined large stones were found inter- 

 spersed with the woodwork, and the diameter of the foundations 

 of the mound was estimated at about twenty-five yards. A trench 

 was then dug across this circular area, and near the centre we 

 exposed two stony pavements, one lying immediately above 

 the other, the space between being 2^ feet thick. These pave- 

 ments rested on a thick stratum of clay which extended for 

 several feet all round, gradually thinning towards the rim, and, 

 from the abundant remains of ashes, charcoal, and burnt bones, 

 evidently formed fire-places. About two feet below the lower 

 pavement another layer of clay, together with ashes, charcoal, &c., 

 was observed, and though not yet excavated, we concluded that 

 it must have been a third fire-place. Nearly on a level with this 

 was a layer of chips of wood as if cut by an axe, and under- 

 neath this was a layer of turf with the heather part downwards. 

 On pressing the spade still further down it struck a log of wood. 

 The perpendicular height from this log to the top of the upper 

 pavement was seven feet nine inches. AH these fire-places were 

 below the level of the water before the first drainage was made. 

 As it is ascertained that previously there was no island to be seen, 

 the whole island must have sunk very much since its origiiial 

 structure. Round these fireplaces were the remains of a series 

 of seven or eight large piles with their bases cut flat and resting 

 on the floor of the middle pavement or a few inches below it. 

 These upright piles inclosed a somewhat circular area, with a 

 diameter varying from ten to fifteen feet. The articles hitherto 

 discovered in the interior of the mound consist of querns, hammer- 

 stones, bone-chisels, and lance-like objects, a spindle-wheel, 

 wooden implements like clubs or paddles, &c., deer-horns, some 

 cut across and marked with holes and other markings, numerous 

 boars' tusks, and a great assortment of bones and teeth belonging 

 to various kinds of animals. With the exception of 2. singular 

 three-pronged iron instrument found in- the large drain outside 

 the moimd cand a rusty piece of iron shaped like a door-handle, 

 picked up very near the surface of the mound, not the slightest 

 trace of either iron or bronze has been discovered. A piece of 

 red pottery, said by a competent authority to be so-called Samian, 

 found in the same drain and near the same spot as the iron im- 

 plement above alluded to, and the half of a grooved bead of the 

 size of a hazel-nut and covered with a greenish pigment, are the 

 only fragments of pottery as yet brought to light. 

 Kilmarnock, October 21 Robert Munro 



Power of Stupefying Spiders Possessed by Wasps 



Mr. Armit's letter, from Queensland, on this subject 

 (Nature, vol. xviii. p. 642) is, to my mind, of great interest 

 as showing that the habits of insects are the same at the anti- 

 podes as on our side of the globe. I was well aware that the 

 spiders were stupefied (or paralysed) and not killed, and that the 

 use made of them by the wasp was as a nidus for her ovum, and 

 to serve as fresh provisions for her larvae when hatched. Oif 

 course if killed they would be useless for this purpose. We 

 have a wasp of similar habits, but he makes use, in the cases ia 

 which I have watched his operations, of thelarvte of the garden 

 white butterfly, which are rendered passive and helpless, but not 

 killed, in a similar manner. 



I make alternative suggestions for further, and if possible 

 microscopic, examination into the matter. First, are the 

 wounds producing this insensibility inflicted with the sting, or 

 by an ovipositor in the act of inserting the ovum ? Is the egg in 

 the case of the wasp, as with the ichneumon, inserted in the 

 insect to serve by and by as food, or outside it, in the cell ? If 



