596 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— H. 



excavations was the extreme rarity of fourth-century pottery within the interior area 

 adjoining the defences, as contrasted with its comparative abundance in the centre 

 of the fortress. This raises the question of the size of the garrison in the late period 

 and of the quartering of the troops, and has a bearing upon the general problem of 

 the conditions of military service in the Later Empire. 



Wednesday, September 12. 



Prof. T. H. Bryce. — A Survey of the so-called Monastic Settlement at 

 Eileach an Naoimh. 



Rev. Canon J. A. MacCulloch, D.D. — The Picts : Actual and Traditional. 



The Picts, their origin, their racial affinities, their customs, their language have 

 for long been a problem, the solution of which can never be quite certain. Many 

 things said of the Picts by classical and by early mediaeval writers need not be regarded 

 as authentic. Their later history cannot be quite clearly deciphered from existing 

 documents. 



Four main theories have been entertained regarding the Picts : ( 1 ) they were a 

 pre-Celtic people, conquered by the incoming Goidelic Celts, adopting their language, 

 yet also modifying it as well as their customs ; (2) they were a ' Gothic ' or Scandi- 

 navian people ; (3) they were akin to the Scots from Ireland, and like them, spoke 

 Gaelic, thus belonging to the GoideHc branch of the Celtic stock ; (4) they were a 

 Celtic people, whose Celtic speech was that of the so-called ' P ' Celts, but with 

 dialectic differences from Gaulish and Brythonic, yet resembling these rather than 

 Irish or Scots Gaelic. 



On the whole the fourth theory is now generally accepted, though opinions difier 

 regarding the time of the arrival of the Picts in Britain. The actual people called 

 ' Picts ' must have given their name to other tribes, whether akin to them in race and 

 language or not, for the name ' Pictavia ' was applied to the region north of the 

 Forth. The pressure of the Dalriadic Scots upon the Picts and the impact of the 

 Viking conquests had important effects upon the Picts. They ceased to be called 

 by that name, and Gaelic gradually took the place of Pictish speech. 



A consideration of Pictish customs shows that these were not necessarily non- 

 Celtic or non-Aryan. The brief notices of Pictish religion are vague, but do not 

 suggest a cult or belief different from that of the Celtic people. 



Though the name ' Picts ' ceased to be applied to an actual people, who must 

 still have had many descendants in the population of Scotland, especially north of 

 the Forth, it survived in tradition and folk-belief. But now ' Pichts,' ' Pechts ' or 

 ' Peghs ' was applied to a legendary people, more or less supernatural, of small stature 

 and enormous strength. There is no ground for believing that the Picts were a 

 people of short stature or that a dwarf race ever occupied Scotland. How is this 

 tradition to be explained ? Two theories are possible : ( 1 ) the name, ceasing to be 

 applied to an actual people, lingered in folk memory and collected to itself floating 

 legends of all kinds, especially regarding the origin of megalithic remains and large 

 buildings ; (2) such words as ' Picht,' ' Pegh,' may have been originally native names 

 for a mythic dwarf or elfin folk, and, being akin to the name of an actual people, 

 became eventually confused with it. 



Rev. J. M. McPherson. — Primitive Beliefs in the North-east of Scotland, 



In the north-east of Scotland belief in the Black Art has not wholly died out, but 

 the beliefs and customs which are considered here are mainly relics of ancient nature 

 worship. 



(1) Ihe fire festivals occupied an honoured place in popular celebration. 



Halloween. — Till recently the Hallow Fires blazed on the hill-tops. Two distinc- 

 tive celebrations appeared in the Aberdeenshire Highlands. Down to about the 

 middle of the nineteenth century the Braemar Highlanders made the circuit of the 

 fields with lighted torches to ward off evil spirits, and to ensure fertility in the coming 

 year. 



The Hallow Fire was designed to ' bum the witch.' As Dr. Walter Gregor tells, 

 lads going from house to house collecting material for the fire proffered their request 



