DDMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY NATURAL HISTORY & ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY FOUNDED 2()th NOVEMBER, 186-2. TRANSACTIONS JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS 1916-18. 22i0i THIRD SERIES, VOLUME V, »;> ';'; /' EDITORS; R. C. REID AND Mrs G. W. SHIRLEY. DUMFRIEvS Published by the Council of the Society. 1918. — — — Oifice-Bearers, I9l6'l9i8. President. a-JGH S. Gladstone of Capenoch, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire F.R.S.E.. F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., F.S.A.(Scot.). Hon. Vice-Presidents. S. Aknott, F.R.H.S.. Sunnymead, Maxwelltmvn. William Dickie, Merlowood, Maxwelltown. Hev. S DuNLOP, Edinbin-o;]!. G. F. Scott Elliot. F.R.G.S., F.L.S.. Drumwhill. Mossdale. Dr J. W. Martin, Charterhall, Newbridge, Dumfries. Dr J. Maxwell Ross, Duntriine, Maxwelltown. John Rutherkokd of Jardington, Dumfries. Vice-Presidents. Jajies Davidson, F.I.C, F.S.A.(Scot.). Summerville. Maxwelltown. T. A. Halliday, Parkhurst, Edinburgh Road, Dumfries. G. Macleod Stewart, Catherine Street. Dumfries. Alexander Turner, Glen Sorrel, Maxwelltown. Hon. Secretary. G. W. Shirley, Ewart Public Library. Dumfries. Hon. Interim Secretary. James Flett. HiUhead. Bankend Road. Dumfries. Editors of Transactions. R. C. Reid, Mouswald Plate, and Mrs G. W. Shirley. Hon. Treasurer. M. H. M'Kerrow. 43 Buccleuch Street. Dumfries. Hon. Librarian. G. Macleod Stewart. Hon. Departmental Curators. Antiquities James Flett. Coins and Tokens James Davidson, Summerville. Maxwelltown. Natural History—Dr J. W. Martin, Charterhall. Geology Robert Wall\ce, Durham Villa. Herbarium—Miss Hannay, Langlands, and Dr W. Semple, Mile Ash. Members of Council. The President ; Vice-Presidents ; Secretary ; Treasurer ; Librarian ; Departmental Curators; and Miss M. Carlyle Aitken, Messrs J. Thomas Henderson, Bertram M'Gow.\n, J. P. Milligan, John M'Burnie. R. C. Reid, F. W. Michie, Mrs Mathkws and Miss Gordon. — CONTENTS. 1916-17. PACE Ofl&ce-Bearers ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Annual Meeting ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 9 Animal Intelligence—Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart. ... ... l!t The Ruthwell Cross in its Relation to other Monuments of the Early Christian Age— W. G. Collingwood 34 Sheriff Court Book of Dumfries (1537-38)—Sir Philip Hamilton Grierson ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 85 The Provosts of l.influden—R. C. Reid 110 Characteristics of Aljiine Plants—Provost S. Arnott ... ... 110 Halldykes and the Herries Family—David C. Herries ... ... 115 Primitive Marriage—Kev. S. Dunlop ... ... ... ... 124 Crae Lane and its Vegetation—Miss I. Wilson. M.A. ... ... 124 The Etymology of Lane —The Editors ... ... ... ... 127 The Lower Nith in its Relation to Flooding and Navigation Robert Wallace 128 The Early History of the Parish of Keir—Sir Pliilip Hamilton Grierson ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 136 The Lost Stone of Kirkmadrine — Rev. G. P. Robertson ... 136 Note on the Kirkmadrine Stone—W. G. Collingwood ... ... 141 Weather and Nature Notes—J. Rutherford 143 Rainfall Records—Andi'ew Watt 152 Abstract of Accounts (1916) 154 1917-18. Annual Meeting ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 155 Comparative Archaeology, its Aims and Methods—Robert Munro, M.D., F.S.A 156 Some Observations on the Occurrence of Culex Pipiens in 1917 —Rev. James Aiken, M.A. ... ... ... ... ... 183 Carlyle at Craigenputtock—D. A. Wilson, M.A. 187 Some Documents Relating to the Parish of Glencairn^— Sii' 1"^7 Philip Hamilton Grierson ... .. The Peti-ol Motor in Warfare—A. C. Penman .. :^11 Andrew Heron and his Kinsfolk—Lieut. -Col. Bonham Rogers. M.D 211 Weather Notes— J. Rutherford 223 Two Ornithological Notes—R. C. Reid 230 Five Strathclyde and Galloway Charters—Rev. F. W. Ragg. M.A.. F.R.H.S 231 Obituary 26-» Exhibits 266 Purchases ... ... ... ... ... ... ... •-. 26G Presentations ... ... ... ... ... •• . 266 Abstract of Accounts (1917) 27U EDITORIAL NOTE. During the continued absence of iMr G. W. Shirley on active service this volume has been seen through the press by Mr R. C. Reid and Mrs Shirley, who regret that, owing to the difficulties which at present beset all publication, several valu- able papers have had to be held over to the next volume. The Society has to express its obligations to the Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh, Dr Robert Munro, and Mr W. G. Collingwood for the loan of a number of blocks used to illus- trate this volume. The Society is also indebted to the Cumberland and West- morland Antiquarian and Archseological Society for permis- sion to reprint the Rev. F. W. Ragg's paper on " Strathclyde and (ialloway Charters," and for the use of certain type in connection therewith. The Editors will be glad to receive any information that may assist them in compiling a Roll of Honour of the Society. It must be understood that as each contributor has seen the proof of his paper the Society does not hold itself respon- sible for the accuracy of the data gi\en therein. Members working on local Natural History and Archaeo- logical subjects should communicate with the Hon. Interim Secretary. Papers may be submitted at any time, preference being given to original work on local subjects. Enquiries regarding the purchase of Transactions and payment of subscriptions should be made to the Hon. Trea- surer, Mr M. H. M'Kerrow, 43 Buccleuch Street, Dumfries. Exchanges, Presentations, and Exhibits should be sent to the Hon. Interim Secretary, Ewart Public Library, Dum- fries. Proceedings and Transactions OF THE Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History & Antiquarian Society. SESSI03^T i9ie-iv. 17th November, 1916. Annual Meeting. The Annual General Meeting of the Society was held at 7.15 p.m. —Mr G. M'Leod Stewart in the chair. Minutes of previous meeting were read and approved of. Apologies for absence were read from the Hon. President, Mr Hugh Gladstone; Mr Charles Ralston, Mr J. C. R. Macdonald, Mr James Flett, Colonel Thorburn, and Mr R. C Reid. Mr M. H. M'Kerrow, the Hon. Treasurer, reported that he had in hand £4.5 4s yd, which would be exhausted on pay- ment of printing of the Transactions now in the press. Mr G. M'Leod Stewart, Hon. Librarian, gave an exhaus- tive report on the additions to the Library by exchange and by presentation. Mr R. C. Reid, who was editing the volume of Trans- actions for the past session, wrote explaining that the book was in the printers' hands and would be ready shortly. The Interim .Secretary gave a resume of the meetings throughout the past session. It was agreed that the various office-bearers be continued without change for another session, with the addition of Mr J. C. R. Macdonald to the Council. — — 10 AiXNUAL Meeting. Provost Arnott moved that the hour of meeting be now changed to 7.30. This was seconded by ex-Provost Turner and carried. Votes of thanks were accorded to the office-bearers for their services. Animal Intelligence. By Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart. I am afraid that when you have heard what I have to say to you to-night you will complain that I have done no better service than to lead you into a labyrinth and leave you to find your own way out of it. I am far—very far—from claiming to have struck a fresh clue to the delimitation of instinct and reason. All I propose is to review some of the more sug- gestive points in the evidence collected by many careful ob- servers and to indicate the direction in which scientific opinion seems to tend. The problem has resolved itself into three main tranches : 1. Are animals, other than man, born, and do they continue through life unconscious automata? 2. If they are conscious, are their consciousness and in- telligence the physical product of certain chemical and organic changes taking place in the growth of the eggs, embryo, or young creature, and therefore spon- taneous in the sense that muscle, bone, and blood develop by the spontaneous multiplication of cells? 3. Is the conscious intelligence exoteric? In other words, is it the consequence of an external and superior man- date or suggestion, acting upon a suitable physical receptacle ? I, Are animals born, and do they remain unconscious automata? Nobody who has systematically watched the behaviour of the young of birds and other animals is likely long to enter- tain the belief that, even if they are hatched or born as — Animal Intelligence. 11 unconscious automata, they continue so for more than a very brief period—that they are, as it were, delicate and ingenious pieces of clockwork, performing with regularity those func- tions for which they are designed and adapted, so long as they are regularly wound up, i.e., fed. Experience, whereof the effects are manifest in every animal sufficiently highly organised for man to interpret its behaviour, and which may exist in the grades of life so low as to baffle human scrutiny experience, I say, and instruction, whereof very few, if any, vertebrate animals are insusceptible,^ are undoubtedly agents upon animal behaviour predicating a mental process such as could be implanted in no mere machine. To take a very homely illustration : no amount of repeated battering will prevent a humming top bumping itself against furniture and other obstacles when it is set spinning ; but one recognises the effect of experience upon the conduct of animals so low in the scale of life that it is difficult to believe that any sentient creature can be totally devoid of conscious volition. In 1873 -Dr Mobius reported to the Society of Natural Science for Schleswig-Holstein some observations by Herr Amtsberg of Straisund on the behaviour of a large pike. Being confined in an aquarium, this fish wrought such havoc among other fish in the same tank that Herr Amtsberg caused it to be separated from them by a sheet of plate-glass. Thereafter, every time the pike made a dash at one of its neighbours, it received a severe blow on the nose. The pre- datory instinct was so strong that it took three months to convince the pike that every attempt upon the life of these small fish resulted in pain to itself.