[Illustration: Fig 31.--Canoe found in Loch Arthur.] LOCH LOTUS, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE. During the summer of 1874, a canoe (Fig. 31) was discovered in Loch Arthur, or Lotus Loch, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in the vicinity of a small artificial island which is thus described by Rev. James Gillespie (_Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot._ vol. xi. p. 21): "When fully exposed to view by the trench which was dug around it, the canoe was seen to be of great size, ornately finished, and in a fair state of preservation. It had been hollowed out of the trunk of an oak, which must have been a patriarch of the forest, the extreme length of the canoe being 45 feet, and the breadth at the stern 5 feet. The boat gradually tapers from the stern to the prow, which ends in a remarkable prolongation resembling the outstretched neck and head of an animal. When excavated this portion of the canoe was entire. At the neck of the figure-head, there is a circular hole about 5 inches in diameter from side to side. At the prow a small flight of steps has been carved in the solid oak from the top to the bottom of the canoe. The stern is square, and formed of a separate piece of wood, inserted in a groove about an inch and a half from the extremity of the canoe. The stern-board board when found was in a fragmentary condition, so that it is impossible to say whether it consisted of one or several planks. "Along the starboard side (which when found was in good preservation except near the stern), there could be traced seven holes about 3 inches in diameter. The three front holes were nearly perfect, but at the stern the side was so broken that only the lower parts of the holes could be observed. They are about 5 feet apart, and the front hole is about that distance from the prow--the last being about 7 feet from the stern. There are three holes pierced through the bottom at irregular intervals. "In connection with the discovery of this canoe, it is worthy of remark, that on the opposite side of the lake, between three and four hundred yards from the spot where the canoe was found, there is a small circular island which is evidently artificial. It is about 100 feet in diameter, and is approached by a stone causeway about 30 yards long, which was laid bare last summer by the lowness of the lake. The artificial nature of the island may be seen by the remains of the oaken piles driven in in rows, with horizontal beams between, which can still be traced in the water round the north-east and south sides. The lines of two small enclosures can be followed on the south side of the island. "No excavations have yet been made on the island, but ashes and other signs of fire were found many years ago." CRANNOG IN THE LOCH OF KILBIRNIE, AYRSHIRE.