164 



The Scottish Naturalist. 



they did not discover, attack, and, no doubt, overcome the town 

 of Davan. 



Regarding this, the learned antiquary and historian, W. F. 

 Skene, LL.D., who collated for his works from nine Latin and 

 Greek editions of Ptolemy, published at different times, writes : — 

 " Further north along the coast, and reaching from the mountain 

 chain of the Munth to the Murray Firth, were the ' Taexali/ 

 who gave their name to the headland now called Kinnaird's 

 Head. Their town Devana is placed by Ptolemy in the Strath of 

 the Dee, near the Pass of Ballater, and close to Loch Davan, 

 where the remains of a native town are still to be seen : and in 

 which the name Devana seems yet to be preserved." He further 

 adds, " All editions (i.e., of Ptolemy) agree in placing Devana in 

 the interior of the country at a distance of at least thirty miles 

 from the coast. Its identity with the seaport of Aberdeen rests 

 upon the authority of Richard Cirencester alone." 



Although this record is short it is a very important and interest- 

 ing link of evidence. Mr. Rhys, Professor of Celtic in Oxford, 

 has published a work entitled " Celtic Britain," in which he also 

 places the ancient Devana on the shores of Loch Kinnord. 

 Professor Rhys is perhaps the greatest living authority on such 

 matters. The numerous vestiges of antiquity to be traced about 

 Kinnord seem not to have been much known until 1877, when 

 the Rev. John G. Michie, of Dinnet, published his " History of 

 Kinnord," which opened up an entirely new line of investigation. 

 It was generally supposed that the Devanha near Aberdeen was 

 that referred to in Roman history ; this, however, was never con- 

 sidered entirely satisfactory, as the native town of that name, 

 alluded to by Ptolemy, was placed at least thirty miles from the 

 coast. The evidence is therefore certainly most conclusive that 

 an ancient town flourished in the valley of Davan and Kinnord, 

 and on the adjacent slopes of the river Dee hundreds of years 

 before and after the beginning of the Christian era. 



TRADITIONS AND HISTORICAL EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE 

 DISTRICT OF KINNORD. 



About the 10th century conflicts in Scotland began to assume 

 more of a national character. The inhabitants of this country 

 found great difficulty in repulsing the invasions of the Danes, 



