As none of the above problems could be solved without additional excavations, it was clear that, in the interests of science, the work should be resumed. But here occurred a difficulty. As the drainage operations conducted on the farm of Lochlee had now come to a close, and the workmen were removed elsewhere, Mr. Turner gave instructions that no further outlay should be incurred in the investigation of the crannog; and as, moreover, his Grace the late Duke of Portland, in answer to petitions from the Town Council and Philosophical Society of Kilmarnock, had given all the relics to the Corporation of this town, we felt it incumbent on us to restrict applications for more funds to carry on the explorations to the local authorities who had thus, without any expenditure whatever, become the owners of a rare and valuable collection of archæological relics. But the only result of our representation was a grant of £10 from the Philosophical Society; which, however, under the judicious management of Mr. Blackwood, together with a few private contributions kindly given by Messrs. James Blackwood, James Craig, Charles Reid, and Thomas Kennedy, enabled us to bring the work to a tolerably satisfactory conclusion. Upon resuming operations in the month of April we directed the workmen to clear away the soil at the north-west corner, where, it will be remembered, two mortised beams were exposed in the original circular trench. These were then supposed to be part of the well-defined circle running along the north side, but now, however, they were found to be from 8 to 10 feet external to this circle. Upon careful inspection of the wooden structures at the north-east corner, we found that the inner termination of the platform, conterminous with the elaborate mortised beams at the outer trench, was supported by transverse mortised beams similar to those in the general circle--one of which is figured in Fig. 41. There could, indeed, be hardly any doubt that at this corner two circular rows of uprights with their transverses gradually merged into one on the north. Hence it became a very feasible supposition that those mortised beams at the north-west corresponded with the outer ones at the north-east side, and formed part of an outer circle which also merged into the one on the north. But upon extending excavations so as to expose them completely, this supposition was not borne out. They were in a slanting position, about 15 feet apart, and their outer ends on a level with the log pavement. Half-way between them there was another beam lying in a similar position, but it contained no mortised holes. Their lower or outer extremities were jammed against a sort of network of logs, some running along the circumference and others slanting rapidly downwards, while their inner ends were raised about 2 feet and rested on a mass of stones and logs of wood. The outer hole of the beam, marked H on the Plan, contained a portion of an upright,