FRrazER—On a Perforated Ball of Rock Crystal. 293 
he gives a figure of, measures about 2 inches in diameter. Its le- 
gendary history commences previous to the field of Bannockburn, when 
it was discovered one morning in some clay adhering to the clan’s flag- 
staff ; of course, this presaged victory, and ever after it accompanied 
the chieftains in their battles, and the varying hues of the crystal were 
consulted for augury. On the eve of Sherriffmuir, Nov. 13, 1715, a 
large flaw was noticed init. The cause of the Stuart kings was lost, 
and since that disastrous day the power of Clan Donnachaidt has de- 
clined. Popularly it had ascribed to it the property of curing diseases 
in men and cattle who drank of water into which it had been dipped; 
but, to secure this result, it was indispensable that the chief of the 
elan should operate as dipper. 
No. 9. Clach Dearg, the Ardvoirlich Stone, possessed by the family 
from early times, and traditionally supposed to have come from the 
East. It is set in four intersecting silver bands, with a loop for sus- 
pension similar to one of the specimens in our collection, and those 
bands are alleged to be of Eastern workmanship. Its healing proper- 
ties were always held in high repute, particularly for cattle. The per- 
son who required its assistance was obliged to draw the water himself, 
and bring it into the house in some vessel into which the stone was 
dipped, a bottle was then filled with the water and carried away ; but 
if, through mischance, its bearer entered any house with the water, 
whilst conveying it home, all its virtues were supposed to depart im- 
mediately. 
No. 10. Sir Jas. Simpson describes a crystal which was the pro- 
perty of the Campbells of Glenlyon, a roundish or ovoid ball, about 
14 inches in diameter; this also was protected by a silver mounting. 
To render its medicinal influence effectual, it required to be held in the 
hands of the laird when dipped into water. 
No. 11. The amulet of the Bairds of Auchmeddan, also preserved 
in a silver setting, which has a comparatively modern inscription, claim- 
ing for it a legendary history reaching so far back as 1174. It is not 
acrystal ball, but composed of “‘ Black-coloured flint,”’ and I mention it 
because by an intermarriage with the Bairds it became the property of 
persons of my own clan, the Frasers of Findrack. 
Sir W. Wilde discriminates between the true polished spherical balls 
of rock crystal and sections of such spheres which he also describes: 
these were employed to decorate ancient works of art such as shrines and 
reliquaries, in which the crystal polished disk may vary in size from the 
bulk of a marble to that of a small orange: furthermore, there is a 
third class of crystals, far more numerous than sections of spheres, and 
likewise much employed in early jewellery, namely, rock crystals, cut 
en cabochon, or with the sides laterally compressed, so that they as- 
sume a scaphoid form. Of both forms we possess a rich store in our 
collection. Thus, for example, in the cross of Cong we have a sec- 
tion of a sphere of rock crystal inserted in its centre part. 
There is another good example of polished rock crystal employed 
for the purpose of art decoration, in the form of a section of a sphere, 
