PLace NAMES. 57 
is too hazardous, the results too meagre, for properly satisfying the 
spirit of true enquiry. Until the place names of each parish are 
diligently collated, set apart in groups, tabulated, and compared 
with each other, it is useless to frame theories upon racial distribu- 
tion, or even upon the various degrees of rarity revealed by any 
one or any two or three special groups of words. It is with the 
intention of attempting to lay a few stones for the foundation of a 
correct study of our local place names that this necessarily brief 
paper is laid before the Society. 
The first factor of importance, it seems to me, is to gain a 
general idea of the number of place names. It may appear some- 
what startling to hear that, from the six-inch ordnance maps alone, 
it is possible to tabulate over 3300 names. Not different names, 
pray observe, but, to put it in another light, there are in the 
Stewartry, at the very least, three thousand spots, mountain tops, 
hills, ravines, glens, cleuchs, corries, hollows, heights, haughs, 
valleys, banks, rocks, streams, burns, lochs, bays, promontories, 
farm lands and dwellings, &c., &c., each of which has a name. 
This estimate is well within the mark, for in it are not included 
many names, specially interesting too, with which the kindness of 
one or two antiquarian friends has supplied me, nor does it include 
some names which have only recently been made available through 
the publication of the ordnance maps on the 28-inch scale. And 
further, it must be actually a less estimate when we recollect 
that scores of names of fields and small crofts, now only preserved 
on private estate maps, are not comprised in this sum total. This 
number is sub-divided thus :— 
Class I.—Gaelic Names, inclusive of the two sub-classes, 
V1Z. :— 
(a) Names of natural features... ein Oke) 1312 
(b) , buildings... iy) 
Class I]1.—Non-Gaelic Names :— 
(a) Names of natural features ... + 969 0 i506 
(2) om buildings... one soo GO) 
This we further sub-divide into the followimg sub-classes :— 
(c) Gaelic hillnames_... 00 + 642 2 795 
(d) ,, stream names a0 soe, We) 
(e) Non-Gaelic hill names bop + 769 2 gag 
(f) %» stream names ... 200) 
