Colonsay, Its Plants, Climate, Et Al
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GOLONSAY OSlimatc, Geology, etc Murdoch IVTNeill THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES COLONSAY ITS PLANTS, ETC. COLONSAY ONE OF THE HEBRIDES ITS PLANTS : THEIR LOCAL NAMES AND USES LEGENDS, RUINS, AND PLACE-NAMES- GAELIC NAMES OF BIRDS, FISHES, ETC. CLIMATE, GEOLOGICAL FORMATION, ETC. BY MURDOCH M C NEILL EDINBURGH DAVID DOUGLAS 1910 THIS VOLUME IS IRespectfullE S>efcicatefc TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYAL, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., D.C.L., LL.D., D.L. IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OP HIS GENEROUS ASSISTANCE, WHICH HAS ENABLED THIS VOLUME TO BE COMPLETED AND PUBLISHED DA PREFACE A COLLECTION of the plants of his native island was begun by the writer in 1903, during a period of convalescence, and was continued as a recreation, from time to time, as occasion offered. In 1908 the idea of making use of the material accumulated and arranging it for publication was conceived, and to put it into effect a final endeavour was made that season to have the plant list of the island as complete as the circumstances would permit. In preparing the little volume for the press, the lack of works of reference was found a serious drawback. The following publications were found most helpful : Bentham and Hooker's British Flora ; Withering's English Botany ; Cameron's Gaelic Irish and Names of Plants ; Hogan's Scottish etc. Gaelic Names of Herbs, Plants, Trees, ; Gregory's the its History of West Highlands ; Oransay and Monastery, " F. C. E. M'Xeill by ; Colla Ciotach Mac Ghilleasbuig," by Prof. Mackinnon (Celtic Monthly, Sept. 1903-Jan. 1904); Geikie's Scotland the Scenery of ; Notes on Geology of Colon- say and Oransay, by Prof. Geikie; The Two Earth-Movements W. B. Sketch the of Colonsay, by Wright, B.A., F.G.S. ; of the Inner Prof. Journals of Geology of Hebrides, by Heddle ; 719649 vi PREFACE the Scottish the Meteorological Society ; Address on Climate of the British Isles, by A. Watt, M.A., etc. Among the many friends who have given generous aid, special thanks are due to two gentlemen in particular r Mr Arthur Bennett, F.L.S., who has named or verified nearly all the and Professor of the Colonsay plants ; Mackinnon, Celtic Chair, Edinburgh, a native of Colonsay, who kindly read the proof-sheets and corrected the Gaelic names. Others kindly gave help in a variety of ways. Thus Mr E. B. Bailey, who was engaged for several seasons in the Geological Survey of the island, corrected and amplified the chapter on Geology. In determining doubtful species, assistance was received from the authorities at Kew and the following gentlemen : Kev. W. Moyle Rogers, F.L.S., Bournemouth (Rubi) ; S. Mr W. Barclay, Perth (Rosa) ; Rev. E. Marshall, M.A., Rev. E. F. F.L.S., Taunton (Euphrasia, Betula, etc.) ; Linton, M.A., Salisbury (Mentha, Hieracia, Salix, etc.); Mr Charles T. Druery, F.L.S., Acton (Ferns); the late Rev. W. R. M.A. Bullock Linton, (Hieracia) ; Rev. G. R. Webster, F.L.S. (Chara, Tolypella). For information concerning the plants of the surrounding islands and assistance in other ways, the writer is much indebted to Mr Symers M. MacVicar (flora of Tiree, Eigg, Lismore, etc.), Dr Gilmour (list of the Islay plants), Mr P. Ewing, F.L.S. (Glasgow Catalogue of Native and Estab- lished Plants), Dr M'Neill, Medical Officer of the County of Argyll, and others; and to Mr Donald M'Neill, Lower Kilchattan, and the older inhabitants for information on local matters. PREFACE vii The writer trusts that much of the matter contained in the following pages may be regarded as typical of and applicable in many respects to the Western Islands as a whole. He would gladly have entered into greater detail regarding the old-time industries, place-names, topography, traditions, and folk-lore of Colonsay, but the general reader may be of opinion that enough has been said on these matters in a work primarily intended to treat of the flora of the island. M. M c^. KILORAN, COLONSAY, . December 1909. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGB 1. .' GENERAL DESCRIPTION . .' . 3 2. CLIMATE . ... 45 ' 3. GEOLOGICAL FORMATION . 54 4. WOODS, LOCHS, AND PASTURES . .69 THE FLORA ...... 86 INDEX . 205 COLONSAY ONE OF THE HEBRIDES CHAPTER I GENERAL DESCRIPTION THE islands of Colonsay and Oransay and the neighbouring islands of Islay, Jura, and Scarba, with their islets, constitute the group of the South Inner Hebrides. Colonsay and Oransay were formerly jointly known as Eilean Tarsuinn (or the cross-lying island), so designated, it would seem, from an exaggerated notion of their oblique position with relation to the Sound of Islay. In the Old Statistical Account it is mentioned, but erroneously, that they are named after two saints, Colon and Oran. Colonsay (Gaelic, Colasa) is 9 miles long, and averages 3 in breadth; with Oransay, the length is 12 miles. Situated in lat. 56 5' N., long. 6 15' W., the island is distant by sea from Greenock about 110 miles and from Oban about 38. In striking contrast to the opposite island of Jura, whose Paps rise steeply from the Atlantic to a height of 2571 feet, and the more distant Mull, where Ben Mor attains an altitude of 3169 feet, Colonsay is low-lying; Carnan Eoin, its highest hill, not exceeding 470 feet above sea-level. The channel that separates it from the nearest islands varies in breadth from 8 to 20 miles, widening from south 4 COLONSAY to north. The depth of the channel generally is less than 20 fathoms, but north of the island the sea deepens con- siderably with an irregular bottom. Notwithstanding the low elevation, in clear weather distant views of the other islands and of the mainland can be obtained. Northward, beyond the isles of lona, Tiree, and Coll, the outline of what is thought to be the peak of Ben Heavel (1260 feet) in Barra, 70 miles away, has been observed. The hills of Donegal in Ireland to the south-west, and Goatfell in Arran, 44 miles off, are more frequently seen. In winter the snow-capped Ben Cruachan and other Argyllshire hills, and even Ben Nevis, 60 miles distant, are familiar objects on the horizon in the north-east. On the western side the wide sweep of the Atlantic is broken only by the lonely Du Hirteach lighthouse (15 miles a barren rocks the off) and few ; Skerryvore light flashing into view across the intervening 37 miles of sea only when the sky is very clear. For several hours during low water the smaller island of Uransay is connected with the southern end of Colonsay by a sandy, islet-dotted strand. Oransay (Gaelic, Orasa) is = derived from the Norse (Orjiris-ey ebb-tide island). The name is common in the West, there being some twenty of them between the western shores and islands. Oransay is acres in the its about 2000 extent, and hilly on north ; highest hill, Beinn Orasa, being 308 feet above sea-level. The southern portion is low-lying, with sand-dunes over- grown with Sea Maram, Sea Sedge, and other plants and mosses, which assist in binding the sand. With the excep- tion of some shrubby Willows and Elders, the island is treeless. After his departure from Ireland in 563, St Columba is said to have landed at Oransay, but there is no historical record confirming this tradition. Port-na-h-Iubhraich (Port of the Barge), at lochdar-na-Garbhaird, on the west side of GENERAL DESCRIPTION 5 the Strand, has been suggested as his probable landing-place. According to local tradition, this was also the spot where, at a later date, the galley of a viking chief came ashore. It is related of St Columba that before he left Ireland he made a vow never to settle within sight of his native hills, and dis- covering that he could still see them from the Beinn in Oransay, he moved to lona. The earliest mention that we have of Colonsay is in Adamnan's Life of St Columba, which was written about A.D. 693, i.e. about ninety-six years after the saint's death. The name in Adamnan's Latin is Colosus. In this, the oldest book which can be proved to have been written in Scotland, the author relates an interesting story of one Ere Mocudruidi, who had the hardihood to cross, in a small boat, the stormy strip of ocean that separates Colonsay from lona, with the intention of stealing the seals that St Columba was rearing for his own use. He hid his coracle among the sand-hills in Mull, on the opposite side of the sound, and, in concealment, waited for the fall of night for carrying out his dishonest design. St Columba, perceiving his purpose, sent two of " the brethren to apprehend him. Why dost thou often steal the goods of others, transgressing the divine command ? When thou art in need, come, and then thou shalt receive for the asking all that is necessary," said the saint when the culprit was brought before him; and, lest he should return empty, he caused sheep to be killed for him. Fore- seeing in spirit that the death of the thief was at hand, St Columba ordered Baithene in Tiree to send to him to Colonsay, as a last gift, a fat sheep and six pecks of corn. On the day that the presents arrived Mocudruidi died suddenly, and the gifts were used by the mourners at the funeral feast. The Norwegians held the Western Islands for upwards of 400 years, and although it is nearly 650 years since they lost possession, evidences of their occupation are not wanting in 6 COLONSAY = Colonsay in place-names e.g.