400 Meetings of Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, by J. Hardy. 



tokens of early cultivation, and the soil appears suitable enough. 

 Here also are a small fort, with, a hut-circle in its corner ; two 

 conspicuous tombs ; and several large hut circles. Owing to the 

 rankness of the ferns no more could be seen. Several deep-cut 

 wall-protected British track ways pass obliquely down the hill- 

 sides to Akeld. Standrop hill, it may be mentioned, is a gather- 

 ing spot in autumn for the hill black-birds or ring-ouzels ; and 

 woodcocks in their autumnal peregrinations, choose it as one of 

 their landing places. At present we hear the songs of the lark 

 and pipit ; the call of the grouse ; the hoarse voice of the carrion 

 crow, and the feeble repetitions of the cuckoo's failing note. Far 

 off, up the glen, the short song of the wheatear breaks the deep 

 silence of the great hill-sides ; an effort harsh but not unpleasant. 

 It mingles with the rush of the little mountain streamlet, heard 

 thus far up, and the voice of the breeze ruffling the fern-clad 

 hollows ; cheering sounds often enjoyed here on other days — 

 which our company would now gladly hail ; but they are silent 

 on this hottest of all days. 



The steep descent to Gleedcleugh is through great expanses of 

 dwarf bilberry, now enlivened with the blossoms of the heath- 

 pea (Lathyrus macrorhizus). Although there are green strips of 

 bogs entering it, the sides of Gleedcleugh burn are too dry to be 

 productive of rare plants. Aspiclium Adiantum-nigrum, and A. 

 TricTiomanes grow among its sun-beat, grasshopper-haunted 

 rocks ; and Polystichum aculeatum may be found in Akeld wood. 

 The derivation of the name Gleedcleugh, or Gleeclscleugh, 

 formed a subject of discussion ; the most obvious, that it was 

 gleed or crooked, being as likely as one more recondite. -Dr 

 Embleton favours me with this bit of learning, not being satis- 

 fied with my interpretation. " I recollect the hot walk we had 

 slanting up the side of Gledescleugh, and have often thought of 

 the derivation that it might be possible to find for that name. 

 I suppose now that it is rather from gled-e a burning, fire, red- 

 hot coal, gleed ; e. g. gledstede, a fire-place ; glede-cleugh, the fire- 

 cleugh, either from beacon-fire, or fire-worship ; than from glida, 

 glyda, a glede or kite ; but not unlikely from glid, slippery, for 

 its sides in dry weather are certain to be found slippery by any 

 one going straight up, and then you know that, in the valley of 

 the Breamish, we have the " glidders," from glydering or glyder- 

 ung, and glidan, to glide, slip, slide. This derivation seems to be 

 the most reasonable." 



