156 Annual Meeting 



of Ballintoy, who in turn sold it to a cadet of the old Fifeshire 

 family of Traill of Blebo in Fife, the present owners. Colonel 

 Traill's grandfather conceived the idea of draining the lake by 

 cutting a deep channel from it to the river Bush. In cutting 

 this trench a considerable number of relics were found, including 

 a large oak corracle, mediaeval pottery, a beautiful chain of silver 

 filagree beads, and near the castle a number of coins of the 15th 

 and 16th centuries. A few of these relics remain at Ballylough, 

 but the exact site of the crannog is uncertain. The site of the 

 old lake and its immediate surroundings are so overgrown with 

 trees and brambles that it is difficult to get any clear view of the 

 general contour. So far as tradition relates, the corracle and 

 pottery were found at a spot where there is no apparent evidence 

 of a crannog having existed, and so far as can be seen, on what 

 was near the edge of the lake. There is a circular entrenched 

 group of trees known as "the decoy plantation," which would 

 have been surrounded by the lake, and which has, taken in con- 

 junction with the surroundings, every appearance of a crannog, 

 and it is most probable that it is here that the crannog site 

 remains undisturbed. However, it is all so overgrown with trees 

 and undergrowth that its investigation seems practically im- 

 possible. 



Sir Charles Brett referred in sympathetic terms to the 

 accident that had befallen the recently-appointed President of 

 the Society, Mr. Henry Riddell, M.I.Mech.E., but rejoiced to say 

 that he was rapidly returning to his normal health and vigour. 

 He regretted that circumstances over which the Section had no 

 control had prevented any important investigations being carried 

 out during the year, but referred with pleasure to the increase in 

 the membership of the Section, to within a very few of 100 

 members, and of the satisfactory state of the funds. He hoped 

 that during the coming year the Archaeological Section would 

 continue to give a good account of itself. 



Canon Carmody made an eloquent appeal to the meeting on 

 behalf of the investigation and preservation of the Celtic 



