266 Report of Meetings. By James Hardy. 



tually starved the English out. The French fort was ordered to 

 be destroyed iu 1551, but the house was to remain the property 

 of Hepburn of Waughton. The oldest part of the present house 

 was erected by the Hepburns in 1584. The members of the 

 Club were cordially invited to view the older portions of the 

 house, which are the entrance hall, the library, and a sitting- 

 room adjacent. An old door, studded with iron bolt heads, placed 

 in a turret stair, was brought from Saltcoats. The sculptured 

 stones affixed to the outside of the walls as ornaments appear as 

 if they had also come from another mansion. The numerous 

 large antlers of red-deer, suspended as trophies of the chase in 

 the entrance hall, are from Hungary. During repairs and alter- 

 ations about the place three human skeletons had been dug up ; 

 two of them in the entrance hall, one on each side. There are 

 some very large sycamores on the outskirts of the house ; a 

 slender tall cypress near the principal walk, and some other good 

 ornamental trees, have attained good heights. The moats have 

 been planted up with small conifers and flower knots. There 

 are bedded-out flowers and grass in front. Although close on 

 the public road, the house is quite secluded. 



In the bank at Peffer Mouth, the East and Mid-Lothian coal 

 strata crop out, and are very distinctly seen. In the marsh 

 between the bed of the Peff'er and the open sands stands the 

 King's Kist, a singular square piece of rock. 



The soil and long grass on the links having become thoroughly 

 saturated with moisture, it was resolved to give up an attempt 

 to proceed farther in this direction. Blysmus rufus, TrifoUum 

 fragiferum, and Carex distans were gathered west of the Peffer. 

 The birds seen on the shore on the previous week were curlews, 

 ring dotterels, black -headed gulls, lapwings, sea-pipits, wheat- 

 ears, greenfinches, pied wagtails, and redshanks, the last 

 appearing to have nested in the marshes. To-day a flock of 

 starlings were the only birds visible. 



Before leaving Aberlady the church and churchyard were 

 looked into, which were kindly shewn by the Eev. J. Hart, the 

 parish minister. The embattled church-tower and two northern 

 aisles, with fine undamaged windows, are old. The rest of the 

 church had undergone an 18th century renovation. This is 

 about to be removed, and the church restored to the primitive 

 model. The church, besides an inscription to a gallant warrior 

 of the house of Wemyss, and one of the ministers, contains a 



