oblige me by a written statement of whatever information he could supply on the subject. The following is his reply:-- "KILMAURS, _January 15th, 1881_. "DEAR SIR,--I have much pleasure in replying to yours received this morning. "About five years ago, when engaged in levelling the large drain that passes Buiston crannog, I passed over the very spot, but being utterly ignorant on the subject I noticed nothing peculiar. When passing through the stackyard on my way home I noticed the old beams, but on being told that they were from some old house I thought no more of the matter. The subject had so completely escaped my memory that even when I had seen the Lochlee beams they failed to recall what had formerly arrested my attention at Buiston. My scepticism at Lochlee arose from the fact that I failed to trace the shape and construction of the crannog as detailed in _Chambers's Encyclopædia_, which was the only authority then at my disposal. "I never heard anything more of the Buiston crannog till the week of the discovery. Talking with one of the farmers in my own house, the conversation turned on furniture, when bog-oak was mentioned. He remarked that there was as much lying in Buiston stackyard as would stock the parish. At once I remembered what I had formerly seen, and though the recollection was hazy, on afterthought I felt almost sure that I had noticed mortised holes, and that _the beams were identical with those I had seen at Lochlee_. Next day, as soon as I had closed the school I went up to the farm. Mr. Hay was inclined to pooh-pooh the matter, and said that the place was 'juist a timmer house ane o' the auld Earls had put up to shoot deuks.' Going out to the stackyard I found that the ricks had been built on the old timber, which made excellent 'bottoms.' I looked about for an odd bit, and did eventually get a splinter, but not sufficient for identification. After getting rid of the old man, his youngest son and I set to work at the bottom of one of the ricks, and pulled one of the beams so far out as enabled me to saw off the mortised joint. This I sent to the _Standard_ office, where you saw it on the Saturday morning following. I then went down to the site of the crannog, but it had become so dark that I had to feel my way. I eventually kicked against something which seemed to be an upright sticking through the soil. I went up next morning early, and when I had seen the three uprights afterwards pointed out to you, and the mortised beams stuck in the side of the drain, I no longer had any doubts. I therefore at once wrote to Mr. Cochran-Patrick, and penned a cautious intimation for the _Standard_, which the editor accepted on trust from me. You know the rest.--Yours truly, "D. MʽNAUGHT. "DR. MUNRO."