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Proceedings of the Royal Society 
in no other loch in the island except Lower Kildonan. But they 
went further than this, and I found in the course of my inquiries a 
very persistent and ever-recurring legend, that only in one other 
loch in Scotland were these curiosities to be found, most of my 
informants adding that that other loch was in Orkney. Mr Angus 
MacLennan, for example, Lady Gordon Cathcart’s factor in South 
Uist, writes — “ I understand the same kind of balls are to be found 
in some other one loch only in Scotland.” 
Mr Banald MacDonald, her Ladyship’s factor at Cluny Castle, 
says, in reply to a question — “ I did hear that similar balls were 
found in a certain place in Orkney, but I am sorry that my infor- 
mation is of a very general and indefinite character.” 
Mr MacLean of Milton writes — “ I believe they are not to be 
found in any loch in Scotland. I heard some gentlemen, a good 
many years ago, make the remark that they were found in one loch 
in Orkney, but whether that statement was correct or not, I have 
no proof of it.” 
And Mr Campbell, the oldest Boman Catholic priest in the 
island, writes — “ I heard only of one other loch in which these balls 
were found, but the locality in which it is situated I cannot re- 
member now.” 
I followed up the hint as to Orkney, and communicated with Mr 
J. W. Cursiter of Kirkwall, who is a Fellow of the Society of Anti- 
quaries, and a well-known authority on Orcadian matters. He 
asserts positively that no such balls have been found in the Orkney 
Islands, and I have not been able to ascertain that they are abso- 
lutely known to occur in any other loch in Scotland. 
[Postscript. — Since reading this paper, I have had the pleasure 
of seeing Mr Cursiter at Kirkwall, and although he is certain that 
there is no record of these balls having been met with in Orkney, 
we were interested to find Cladophora glomerata included in a pub- 
lished list of the algae known to occur in the Islands.] 
Description of Plate. 
Fig. 1. Fresh lake-ball, showing the growing ends of the filaments protruding. 
Fig. 2. Fresh lake-ball in section, the cavity being partially filled with a 
spherical ball composed of the remains of the decayed interior. 
Fig. 3. Dried ball of smaller size. 
Fig. 4. A few of the filaments, x 100°. 
Figs. 5 and 6. Filaments seen under high power, x 400°. 
