"The canoe was discovered lying about 20 feet north of a small artificial island--itself an object of great interest, but now unfortunately overwhelmed by the advance of the iron-stone rubbish at the south-western end of the loch. It was hollowed out of a single tree, and was about 18 feet in length, 3 feet in breadth, and close on 2 feet in depth. It was broadest at the stern, which was square, and tapered towards the bow, and was entire, with the exception of about 2 feet broken off the narrowest end. There were indications that a hole in the bottom had been mended, and some wooden pins were in it which may have been used for this purpose, or for fixing at the side what is described to me as a sort of bracket. In the mud which filled the hollow of the canoe were found a lion-shaped ewer (Fig. 32) and a three-legged pot, both made of bronze, and also a thin plate or piece of metal which cannot now be recovered. "The 'lion' stands 8-1/2 inches from the ground at the highest part, is 8 inches in length and 8-1/2 in girth round the body, and weighs 4 lbs. It is made of a yellowish bronze, and seems to have been used for holding liquid. It bears a striking resemblance, though smaller and less ornamented, to one figured and described at p. 556 of Wilson's _Prehistoric Annals of Scotland_ (edition 1851). It will be observed that the one now shown wants the curious ornament projecting from the breast, though the place where it has been inserted is quite apparent. The bronze pot is 11 inches across the mouth, stands 14 inches high, and weighs 28 lbs. It resembles what are often called Roman camp-kettles. There are indications of its having been ingeniously mended." GENERAL REMARKS. This concludes a brief historical and descriptive sketch of ancient lake-dwellings, as known in Scotland previous to the excavation of the Lochlee Crannog in 1878-9, a full report of which will be found in the next chapter. From this sketch it will be seen that, during the interval between the publication of Dr. Stuart's paper in 1866 and the above date, if we except the occasional notice of the discovery of a new site, comparatively little has been done by way of furthering the systematic exploration of their widely-scattered remains. With the formation, however, of the Ayrshire and Wigtownshire Archæological Association, a new epoch in antiquarian research may be said to have dawned on the south-west of Scotland. One of the features of this Association is the prominence given to _practical explorations_ as a means of investigating the prehistoric remains of the district, the beneficial result of which may be estimated by the fact, that, with a trifling exception, all the discoveries recorded and illustrated in the following pages are due to its inspiration, and have actually appeared, in the first instance, in its publications. These, however, constitute but a small part of the investigations conducted under the guidance and auspices of this most active Association.