ARTIFICIAL ISLAND SE HIGHLAN INTH 7 25 D AREA. II. FURTHER ARTIFICIAE NOTETH N SO L ISLAND HIGHE TH N -SI LAND AREA REVY B . OD.F O BLUNDELL, F.S.A.Scoi. previoun I s years several artificial islands have been describey db me in papers to this Society: thus the Proceedings for the year 1908 contain the description of Eilean Muireach in Loch Ness ; notices of e islande Beaulth th n i sy Firth n Loci , h Bruiach, Loch Moy, Loch Garry, Loch Lundi, Loch Oich, Loch Lochy Locd an , h Trei cone gar - tained in the volume for 1909 ; while that for 1910 includes a notice of the island in Loch nan Eala, Arisaig. At this date, in order to continue and extend the investigation, e Britisth h Association appointe a dCommitte e wit0 hgrana £1 f o t to defray incidental expenses. With a view to ascertaining what islands were thought to be artificial by persons dwelling in the near neighbourhood, this Committee issued a circular, of which 450 copies were sen t e replieoutTh . s were both numerou d interestingan s , thoug somn hi e cases informatio s suppliewa n d whic d alreadha h y been publishe n Di dr Stuart's admirable article publishe y thib d s Society in 1865, or in other occasional papers published since that date. The present paper will, I trust, be found to contain only original information, though som bees eha n incorporate abridgen a n di d form in the Report of the British Association. It seems, however, especially fitting that all the information available should be placed before the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. I may mention that I have generally been glad includo t papee th n rei islands, partlr yo wholly natural, whe artifician na l causeway proved that ta thed yha some time been adapte r habitationfo d . Such causeways seemo t prove the island-dwelling propensities of the inhabitants almost as much as do the completely artificial islands. 7 1 VOL. XLVII. 8 25 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , FEBRUAR , 191310 Y . PERTHSHIRE. Loch Moulin.—Of this and the following examples Mr Hugh Mitchell, F.S.A.Scot., sends very full reports writee H . s: " Loch Moulin, Moy- luine poole plaie th ,th f n,o from whic presene hth t parish get names sit . The loch adjoine e villag s abouth d wa f Moulie easteo td th an n , no 600 yarddraines widewa 0 s t lon40 I d .y abougb lake t 1770eTh . was shallow—probabl t exceedinyno fee g7 r less—wit o t a hpeat y bottom. A crannog or artificial island occupied the centre of the lake. About 132larga 0 e castl buils thin ewa o t s cranno r NeiSi ly gb Campbell of Lochow. The castle has been a ruin since about 1550, but its walls, six feet thick, still stand about 30 feet high. The ground shows that the crannog was formed of small stones from ten to forty Ibs. in weight, probably resting on wood, to prevent them sinking int foundatione peate oth Th . e castlth f eo s see mo res t woon o t d peate lyinth n g.i Ther slopina s ei g causewas i shoret e i th t n ybu o , only about 30 feet in length, and is probably where the boats landed fro e castlemth . Ther weea s e i r earth-housmo e banth kn i e near e lake th e sit f th .eo Ther alss olargea wa e stone circle, whics hwa blasted about eighty years ago for building-stone. There are several standing-stones, remains of circles, and numerous forts in the neigh- bourhood addee . b e e abovstatemen...y th th d o ma e T "n i t Statisticald Ol e th Account, writte 1793n ni , tha t e vestige"th a f o s causeway leading fro e buildin mth e neares th o gt t rising grounda , distance of 110 yards, are quite distinct." This evidently refers to e causewa opposite th f th o d thao yt een t mentione Mitchellr M y db , and establishes the fact of its existence fairly well. Of the larger island on Loch lay Mr Mitchell writes : " The Isle of Loch Tay is wholly formed of stones about 30 to 50 Ibs. in weight. Ther lona s ei g ban gravef ko l abou fee3 t t undee watere th th r d an , islan s beeha d n forme y conveyinb d g stones froe shormth d an e placin ge gravel theth e channe n mTh o . l betwee e islannth d an d AETIFICIAL ISLANDS IN THE HIGHLAND AREA. 259 the shore is 12 feet deep except in one place, where the depth is only 4 feet, and this is causewayed all the way from the shore to the island." Mr Mitchell then gives the later history of the island, and adds regard- ing Loc thay hTa t ther smala s ei l island opposite Fernan anothed an , r near Ardeonaig, whilst in Dr Stuart's paper (Proc. Soc. Ant. of Scot., 1865) mentio mads ni f " smalea o f lo isle y tBa nea e shore th th r n ei Fig . Loc 1 .Island y hTa . Kenmore e S.Eth .n shoro , Locf eo h Tay, withiheae th fee0 df no 10 t of the loch." Regarding these islands Rev. J. B. Mackenzie, for forty years the much-respected minister of Kenmore, writes as follows : Loc n "I thery fulle hTa ear y hal dozea f artificiaf no l islands known to me. I have roughly investigated all of these, sufficiently to satisfy myself that the e artificialyar . f verTheo e y yvaryinar g size, down to simply a cairn of stones only visible at very low lake." Mr Mitchel recena n i l t letter summarise e Loc islandy sth hTa s a s 260 PROCEEDINGS OP THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 10, 1913. follows : " The artificial islands in Loch Tay, so far as I caa ascertain, ar follows ea s : " 1. The Priory Island or ' Y ' of Loch Tay (fig. 1). " 2. Cuigeal-Mairi or Mary's Distaff, about 200 yards west from the Priory Island, whic s submergei h ds normait when t e laka th ,s l i e height markes i t bu , d wit hpolea . "Islan3 Fernan i d n Bay waterw d lo ,seee b whican n ,i n n ca h which is marked by a pole to prevent the steamer or boats striking it. " 4. Eilean nan Breaban, which is quite complete. It is almost wholly formed of stones of from 10 to 40 Ibs. " 5. In Finlarig Bay, to the west of Killin Pier. This island is marke treea y db . " 6. There is also a small island in good preservation on the west side of Acharn Bay. It has no name. ... I hope the above infor- mation will prove of interest." In Loch Tummel Mr Mitchell investigated two islands. Of the larger (fig. 2), which measures 50 yards by 35 yards, he writes : " This island stand aboun si fee 7 tf water o t t ther deea bu , s ei p channel between it and the shore. The island is formed of stones, which • see mo res t treesn o t . What looked like end eth f tree o s s coule db seen below the stones. The stones seem to have been carefully laid— almos f buili s courses—ann a tti d average abou foo1 t t square.e H " also describes a smaller island, 25 feet in diameter, where " the stones placee ar d closely togethe presend ran appearance th t beinf eo g almost built into their present position loce Th h . having rise feeo n ni tw t the last eighty years, has reduced the surface of the island." In Loch Rannoch also Mr Mitchell investigated two islands. Of these he writes : "In the centre of the loch at that part there is a bank of sand 200 feet in length, and about 3 feet below the surface. At the S. end of this bank, and just where the loch deepens, an island s beeha (fig n) 3 forme. f stoneo d s evidently taken fro e shoremth s a , sand-banke stoneo therth n e n s o e. ar Rannoc . e . .par th s f o htwa ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS IN THE HIGHLAND AEEA. 261 old paris f Killiechronanho , whic s mergewa h Fortingaln i d e th t a l Reformation. The church of Killiechronan has disappeared, but e burial-grounth theres di insidd an e ,burial-groun eth dn a ther s ewa ancient burial cairn about 30 feet long by 6 feet high. There are no stone circleRannoce th n si h district t severabu , l single standing- stones." Fig. 2. Loch Tummel Island. LocJi Clunie.—Mr David MacRitchie draws my attention to the very circumstantial account of the island in this loch published as early as 1793 in the Old Statistical Account of Scotland, and supplied s relativebhi y , Rev. W. MacRitchie, parish ministe f thao r t date: " The island itself may be ranked among the antiquities of the parish. It is mostly artificial, if not altogether so. It must have been formed 262 PROCEEDING SE SOCIETYOTH F , FEBRUARY 10, 1913. with great labour, and in some very distant period too, as there is neither record nor tradition with respect to its formation.