Report of Meetings for 1885. By Jas. Hardy. 17 



her Bercaria at Aldtuneburne. (Morton's Teviotdale, page 

 120). 



There are sprinklings of scroggy wood, beneath the shelter of 

 some of the river-side crags, but nowhere did we witness 

 "Sweet Osna's banks by thin-leaved birch o'erhung," 



as sung by Leyden; although " Birks" and " Birkenside," as 

 place-names, are not far to seek in the vicinity. The stream 

 holds rather an irregular course, and though straight at places, 

 there is no lack of " the links of Ousenam water," beside which 

 any " Eattling, Eoaring Willie," could creep out of view, 

 although it were only behind a rush bush in its upper reaches, 

 and be caught "sleeping sound," as that hapless musician was, 

 by " Stobbs and young Falnash," 



" Who follow' d him a' the way," 



for killing, on the Teviot near Hawick, one of his own profession, 

 with whom he had quarrelled and fought a duel.*' 5 



The hills here were once ploughed to the very top, although the 

 ripening crop was sore exposed to shaking winds. If only cultivable 

 the ground was wrought with two oxen and two horses attached 

 to the plough. The ridges are laid down in all directions, where- 

 ever the plough could readiest reach them, and are widest at the 

 ends for the teams turning out, or, as people once believed, that 

 the witches might not shoot the oxen with their flint-tipped 

 arrow bolts, when aimed straightway along the furrows, and by 

 this precaution the evil powers were often deceived. Mr Simson 

 says his father more than forty years ago saw horses and oxen 

 ploughing this land on Bloodylaws, their old farm. There was 

 a shield of leather on the ploughman's shoulders to protect them 

 when the plough was tilted up to gather the ridges. These 

 high-backed ridges, with their deep " ga-furs " [a furrow for a 

 run of water] served to drain the land. There are no true culti- 

 vation terraces here, whatever there may be farther up the hills ; 

 what might be taken for them are the outcrops of the rock on 

 the barer spots. The slope of Bloodylaws Hill descends steep to 

 the water, without any intervening flat ground ; but lower down 

 at the Row there are meadows of some extent. These are ver- 

 dant in spring, but burn in dry weather ; the soil being 

 superficial, overlying a water gravel. They have further the 



# See Appendix to " Lay of the Last Minstrel," note 30. 



