ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS IN LOCHS OF HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND. 205 
comes in from many quarters, and the Committee ask to be reappointed 
with the balance of last year’s grant. 
APPENDIX. 
Report from Dom F. Opo Buunpetu, O.S.B. 
The subject of artificial islands was first brought to my notice 
by Mr. Thomas Wallace, F.S.A.Scot., who suggested that Hilean 
Muireach, in Loch Ness, half a mile from Fort Augustus, might prove 
to be one of these islands. A careful examination of it, a few months 
later, proved that Mr. Wallace’s surmise was quite correct, that the 
island stood on a floor of oak beams, and that wooden spars could 
be seen running into the rubble building, with large logs lying round 
the circumference of the island, apparently to keep the rubble from 
slipping down. 
The account of Hilean Muireach was well received by the Society 
of Antiquaries of Scotland, who voted a small. sum to assist in investi- 
gating further examples of these artificial islands. In the following 
summer eight further examples were investigated, of which I shall 
only give the briefest summary. Loch Bruiach is situated about eight 
miles south-west of Beauly, at an elevation of nearly 1,000 feet. The 
district is rich in prehistoric remains, including some hut circles half a 
mile to the east of the loch, a very complete stone circle in the village 
of Bruiach, and two other stone circles a quarter of a mile apart between 
Beaufort Castle and Belladrum. Previous to my visit to the island 
Colonel the Hon. Alastair Fraser had in 1880 cut a section downwards 
and had come upon large oaken beams lying one across the other. His 
investigation was not, however, recorded, as far as I can learn. At 
the time of my visit the woodwork of the island was easily to be seen, 
as also the causeway to the shore. In this example, as also in the 
preceding, large pieces of vitrified material are to be found, the 
existence of which on such islands is difficult to explain. 
In the Beauly Firth two islands were visited. One is now almost 
obliterated by the works in connection with the harbour of Inverness ; 
the other, known as Cairn Dubh, can generally be seen at low tide 
standing out a few feet above the long sandbank upon which it is 
situated. In both these islands, but especially in the latter, numbers 
of oak beams have been found in recent years. 
The two islands in Loch Moy are of the greatest interest. The 
larger, which is about two acres in extent, is no doubt natural. It has, 
however, at different times been so fortified and strengthened as to give 
quite the appearance of being artificial. On the occasion of a second 
visit to this island in June last, I was surprised to find a solid wall 
built up to strengthen the bank. This wall was from five to six feet high 
and was faced with a great accumulation of soil, though as to whether 
this was placed there intentionally, or had accumulated during the 
course of ages, I could not determine. This island was used almost 
down to modern times as the emergency residence of the Chiefs of the 
