184 Ancient Celtic Ecclesiastical Bell. By J. A. Smith 



Mr Jolin Clark, keeper, Traquair : 



" Carnivorous food, and worms, grubs, eggs of game birds. Have known 

 them molest weakly lambs " 



Mr James Ingram, West Dawick, Peebles : 



"Grain, potatoes, turnip bulbs, and eggs." 



Mr W. Ainslie, Stobo Mill : 



" They feed on all kind of agricultural produce. They also prey on eggs 

 and the young of partridge and pheasant." 



Mr William EiddeU, Howford : 



" Principally worms, grubs, &c. ; but as soon as grain begins to ripen they 

 are down upon it, and can destroy a large quantity in a few hours Clover I 

 do not think they taste, but turnips they eat greedily. They take eggs and 

 will pick out the eyes of a weakly lamb." 



I bave quoted pretty largely from the returns on the subject 

 of the food of rooks ; and I do not require to add any remarks 

 on the statements made, further than this (and it is almost un- 

 necessary), that the returns are from observers who on the whole 

 have had the best opportunities of watching the ' ' ways that are 

 strange " of the wary and clever and hardworking rook. I beg 

 to offer my sincere thanks to those who have so kindly furnished 

 me with data for this paper ; and I have also received many 

 valuable hints from the Club's worthy Secretary, Mr Hardy. 



Notice of an Ancient Celtic Ecclesiastical Bell, now pre- 

 served in the Museum, Kelso. By John Alexander 

 Smith, M.D., Sec. Soc. Ant. Scot., &c. 



Throijgh the courtesy of the officials of " The Tweedside Phy- 

 sical and Antiquarian Society " and Dr. Charles Douglas of 

 Kelso, I have now the pleasure of exhibiting from their Museum, 

 at Eelso, this ancient ecclesiastical bell. Many years ago I had 

 seen the bell in the Museum, and intended from time to time to 

 try to get it for exhibition to the Society ; as it seemed to me 

 never to have attracted the attention that it really deserved, and 

 it may be said that it has never been described until now. 



The bell has been formed of a plate of iron about 25 inches in 

 length by 14 inches in breadth at its extremities, and Aths of 

 an inch in thickness, which has been bent or folded on itself in 

 the middle, a semicircular or rounded portion being cut on op- 

 posite sides of the plate, where it is folded ; so as to allow its 

 edges to be turned inwards and overlap each other, and thus 



