,,highland ,,targets    ,,and ,,other   
,,shields4        ,,by ,,james          
,,drummond1    ,r4,s4,a41 ,f4,s4,a4     
,,scot4        ,edinburgh3    ,,printed 
,,by ,,neill ,,and ,,company4    #ahgc4 
7#aj47    ,read before the ,society of  
,antiquaries of ,scotland1 ,april #ahga4
    ,the ,,fifty ,,copies now printed   
for private circulation contain         
additional  matter1 with different and  
more numerous illustrations4            
,there is a class of ,scottish          
antiquities to which hitherto           
comparatively  little attention has been
 paid by the archologist4 ,i mean the   
warlike  weapons1 offensive and         
defensive1 of our ,highland forefathers1
 many of  which were used down to a     
comparatively recent period4 ,of these  
weapons  much ignorance seems to prevail
 even among the ,highlanders themselves1
 who  almost invariably answer inquiries
 as to their age1 that they had no doubt
  they had been used from time          
immemorial4    ,in ,england1 and on the 

,continent1 much interest has been taken
 in the  study of arms and armour4 ,on  
the ,continent1 the books are endless2  
in  ,england there are the works of     
,meyrick1 ,grose1 and ,skelton1 with    
,boutell's  8,monumental ,brasses and   
,slabs10 and others of a kindred nature1
 all  showing how much instruction may  
be gained by such inquiries when        
followed  out in a proper spirit4 ,in   
,scotland1 we certainly have ,m#8,ian's 
8,highlanders10 and the 8,costume of the
 ,clans0 by ,john and ,charles ,sobieski
  ,stuart1 both admirable works1 but    
treating more of dress than of the      
armour and weapons1 which1 though       
alluded to1 can scarcely be said to be  
illustrated1 and without delineation    
they are almost valueless1 as so  much1 
in these weapons1 depends upon the      
ornamental detail for character4    ,at 
present ,i wish to call attention only  
to one of these ,highland weapons1  the 
,targaid or ,target4 ,no weapon of war  
has1 at different periods and  among    

different nations1 assumed so many forms
 as the shield4 ,it was  square1 oblong1
 and kite-shaped4 ,the brass mounting of
 one of the last  form1 which was found 
under #f feet of moss on the hill of    
,benibreae1 in  ,lochaber1 with other   
brass ornaments for a shield or armour1 
shown in the  accompanying woodcuts1 has
 been deposited in our ,museum by ,cluny
  ,macpherson1 ,castle ,cluny4 ,the     
shield assumed a variety of other forms1
 it  was triangular1 crescent1 and      
fiddle-shaped1 concave and convex2 it   
was  hollow and fluted1 also oval and   
circular1 varying in size from being    
large enough to protect the whole body  
to the small medival hand shield1  which
 was no larger than the iron or bronze  
boss of the ,scandinavian or            
,anglo-,saxon shield4 ,during the #aeth 
and #afth century1 a sort of tilting    
shield was introduced2 it was made to   
fit the shoulder1 sometimes covering    
the chin also1 and was screwed to the   
armour4 ,i have one of these1 which  is 

cross-barred lozenge-ways1 and between  
the spaces is elaborately  engraved4    
,illustration3 ,elongated ,bent ,plate  
of ,thin ,brass1 #be inches long1 and   
,circular ,plate1 #ac inches diameter1  
with ,boss of ,thin ,brass1 #h inches   
long1 found at ,benibreae4    ,the      
circular and oval forms seem to have    
been the most common and the most       
continuous in their use1 and it is with 
these we have at present to do4  ,the   
round shield was an early ,greek1       
,etruscan1 and ,roman form1 it was also 
used by the ,assyrian1 ,mexican1 and    
,indian nations1 and is still used by   
many of the savage tribes of ,africa4   
,on the ,trajan column1 both the ,romans
  and ,dacians1 again1 have them nearly 
all of an oval form1 while on the       
,roman sculptured stone found near      
,carriden1#a ,linlithgowshire1 the      
ancient ,britons have them of an        
oblong-square1 with a boss in the       
centre1  while the ,roman soldier's is  
of an oval shape4 ,with one of this     

form1  convex and radiating from the    
central umbo1 a ,roman soldier is armed 
on a  bas-relief found at ,housesteads1 
,northumberland#b4 ,the ,scandinavian   
and  ,british shield of bronze was      
circular1 and was chased or struck up in
 the  metal itself1 generally having a  
large boss in the centre1 with a series 
of concentric circles1 between which the
 space was filled up with rows of  small
 nail-head-like studs4 ,those found at  
,yetholm1#c and now in our  ,museum1 are
 beautiful specimens of this class4     
,they have also been found  in ,ireland1
 and one very similar to these last1 but
 with fewer circles1  was this year got 
in ,lough ,gur1 ,county ,limerick4      
,occasionally there are  more large     
bosses than the central one1 these again
 surrounded by smaller  studs in rows4  
,of this variety there are good         
specimens in the ,british and           
,copenhagen ,museums4 ,underneath the   
central boss is the handle4             
,illustration3 ,handle and ,studs of    

,bronze ,shields4    ,on many of the    
early sculptured stones in the          
north-eastern counties of  ,scotland1   
such shields are represented1 but       
whether of bronze or wood it  is        
impossible to say4 ,on a stone at       
,benvie1 a figure on horseback has a    
shield having a central boss with a     
series of concentric circles1 and       
figures on the cross near ,dupplin      
,castle have the same2 these may be of  
bronze1 such as the ,yetholm specimens1 
while1 on a fragment from ,dull1        
,perthshire1 now in the ,museum1 figures
 are represented having shields with  a 
large central and four smaller bosses4  
,a figure is represented on the ,st     
,andrew's sarcophagus carrying a shield 
of an oval form1 which has the  narrow  
ends hollowed out1 and a large central  
boss4 ,on the ,irish crosses  such      
shields are also figured4 ,on one of    
these in the street of ,kells1  county  
,meath1 a battle is represented1 the    
combatants on one side having  simple   

round shields and swords1 while the     
others are armed with spears  and       
shields having an enormous spike or     
pointed boss1 of which there is  also   
one on a fragment at ,jarrow1 ,durham4  
,the shields of the chiefs1  sculptured 
on their tombstones in the ,west        
,highlands1 seem invariably of a        
triangular form1 and on one slab alone1 
at ,kilmory1 ,knapdale1 does the  shield
 seem circular4 ,i should suppose1      
however1 that the wooden shield  was    
more common than the bronze one1 from   
the immense number of bosses  which have
 been found all over the country1 the   
wood having rotted away1  leaving the   
bosses which are of iron or bronze4 ,the
 iron specimens had  often a bronze rim2
 occasionally they were plated with     
silver1 and in some  rare cases overlaid
 with a thin plating of gold4           
,illustration3 ,fragment of ,dull       
,cross4    ,illustration3 ,sarcophagus  
at ,st ,andrew's4    ,illustration3     
,west ,highland ,chief4    ,during the  

excavations in the peat mosses of       
,thorsbjerg and ,nydam1 in  ,south      
,jutland or ,slesvig1 under the sanction
 of the ,danish government1 and         
conducted by ,conrad ,engelhardt1       
between the years #aheh and #ahfc1      
remains  of wooden shields were found in
 great abundance1 these being thin      
boards  varying in breadth from #c to #i
 inches1 the average thickness  to  of  
an  inch4 ,although hundreds of these   
were found1 only three complete shields 
could be made up4 ,the diameter seems to
 have been from #bb to #dd inches2 in   
the centre was the opening across which 
the handle was placed1 over this        
opening was fixed the metal boss or     
umbo2 on one piece only was found the   
remains of leather1 the outer rim seems 
to have been protected by an  edging of 
bronze4 ,occasionally the shields were  
highly ornamental1 from  having thin    
plates of bronze1 cut into a sort of    
heraldic-looking pattern1  riveted to   
them4    ,numerous iron and bronze      

bosses have been found in ,anglo-,saxon 
graves1  and to judge from the length of
 the rivets to attach these1 the shields
  were -inch thick1 in this respect     
resembling the ,scandinavian specimens4 
,one was found in ,yorkshire in a       
perfect state1 having a bronze boss and 
a  metal rim4 ,we are told of a king of 
the ,goths in the year #eec1 the        
supposed age of these ,scandinavian and 
,anglo-,saxon shields1 who1 standing  in
 the front of his band of warriors1     
received so many of the ,roman  javelins
 in his shield1 which thus became so    
heavy that he was unable to  hold it up1
 and was killed while his attendant was 
changing it for  another4 ,from this it 
would seem that the shield must1        
sometimes at least1  have been of       
stronger material than those found in   
,england or ,slesvig4    ,illustration3 
,wooden ,shield1 found in               
,blair-,drummond ,moss4    ,the reading 
of this incident suggested to me that   
there was in our ,museum  the pieces of 

some circular object1 very much decayed1
 and called in the  old catalogue a     
wooden wheel1 but1 from the loose way in
 which the pieces  were put together1 it
 was difficult to say what it had been4 
,on examining  it1 ,mr ,anderson and ,i 
were certain it could not have been a   
wheel1 seeing  that when it was         
carefully put together it was oval4 ,i  
was now confirmed  in my conjecture that
 it had been a shield1 there being      
enough to show  that the centre had been
 hollowed out for the handle1 which1    
being raised  on the outside1 would form
 the boss4 ,it1 and part of another1    
were found  in ,blair-,drummond ,moss1  
and presented to the ,museum by the late
 ,henry ,home  ,drummond1 ,esq4 ,the    
fragments of another were found in the  
same moss in  #ahca3 and1 somewhere near
 it1 a mortar or hand-mill1 fashioned   
from the  section of an oak2 8there were
 also some flint arrow heads40          
,fortunately  for comparison1 a perfect 
specimen has been found since in        

,ireland1 in the  parish of ,kiltubride1
 county ,leitrim2 it is #bf inches long 
by #ba inches  broad1 and half an inch  
thick4 ,besides the boss1 which is      
perfect and #c  inches high1 there are  
seven slightly raised concentric        
circles1 the whole  carved out of one   
piece of wood1 in this respect differing
 from the  ,blair-,drummond one1 which  
is composed of three pieces most        
ingeniously put  together by two        
mortises through the whole breadth1 into
 which are put two  pieces of wood about
 #b inches broad and half an inch thick1
 these not only  holding it together but
 preventing warping1 while the centre is
 a solid  piece of wood hollowed out for
 the hand1 and is #g inches in diameter1
 the  two edges gradually bevelled up to
 make them join firmly4 ,the shield is  
#b  feet long1 #a foot #g inches broad1 
and at the thickest part #a inch1 and   
gradually thinning towards the outer    
edge1 where it is about #a inch4 ,from  
this it will be seen that such a weapon 

in the hands of a powerful man who      
could use it would be an admirable      
defence1 as in the case of the king of  
the ,goths4 ,certainly shields of wood1 
half an inch thick1 such as those  found
 in ,jutland and ,england 7and the same 
may be said of the ,irish one71  would  
have been quite useless against the     
,roman javelins2 and even ,mr           
,engelhardt was puzzled how they could  
have been kept together to be           
effective1 seeing he only found in one  
piece out of the hundreds any trace  of 
dowelling4    ,illustration3 ,section of
 ,wooden ,shield4    ,there can be no   
doubt that the ,highland target is the  
traditional  continuation of these early
 bronze and wooden shields1 which       
evidently  were the successors of the   
,cetra1 or small round shield made from 
the skin  of some animal1 and mentioned 
by ,tacitus as having been used by the  
,britons and also by the ,mauritanians1 
who1 he says1 made it of elephants'     
skin4 ,these must have resembled the    

shields used by some of the ,african    
tribes and ,north ,american ,indians at 
the present day4 ,they are almost       
invariably made of wood and covered with
 leather1 the instances to the          
contrary1 when they have been made of   
iron or steel1 being the mere whims  of 
individuals4 ,one such is represented in
 the portrait of the ,hon4 ,james       
,campbell1 son of ,john ,lord ,glenorchy
 7#agjh72 another1 having a formidable  
spike1 is in my own possession1#d and   
resembles one ,i have seen1 said to     
have been used by an ,earl of ,marr1 but
 there is nothing whatever of  ,highland
 character about them1 being simply the 
iron or steel target  formerly used in  
other ,european countries1 which were   
occasionally  embossed and engraved in a
 most elaborate manner4 ,one of these1  
of ,italian  workmanship1 is preserved  
in our ,museum1 having on it a classical
 subject  in high relief1 of the best   
style of this art during the #afth      
century4 ,a  curious ,dutch shield of   

iron1 belonging to ,mr ,charles ,lees1  
,r4,s4,a41#d is  convex and covered with
 large bosses1 some round and some of   
triangular  form4 ,it looks like a      
pageant shield4    ,the leather of the  
,highland shield is very generally      
embossed with ,celtic  ornamentation1--a
 sort of repouss work1 in the form of   
the twisted  interlacing ribbon pattern1
 with scroll leafage filling up odd     
corners of  the design1 and now and then
 rude attempts at animals4#e ,on one    
belonging  to ,sir ,j4 ,noel ,paton     
there is a galley1 a fish1 and a        
nondescript kind of  animal2 and among  
those in the ,museum is one with birds  
and grotesque  animals surrounding its  
outer margin1 sometimes initials and a  
date1 the  whole design divided by      
concentric circles of brass nails and   
bosses1 the  latter often engraved2 in  
this style of ornament they resemble the
 early  bronze shields1 with their      
bosses and smaller studs2 sometimes they
 are  bound by a brass or steel rim4    

,illustration3 ,boss4    ,illustration3 
,boss4    ,occasionally the shield was  
converted into a formidable weapon of   
offence  by having a strong and long    
pike screwed into the centre4 ,this can 
easily  be understood when the manner of
 fighting adopted by the ,highlanders is
  considered4 ,on approaching the enemy1
 8after discharging their pieces1  they 
threw them away1 as was their custom1   
drew their broadswords10 raised  their  
targets1 and rushed forward before the  
smoke had cleared away1  generally      
scattering their opponents by the fury  
and impetuosity of their  attack1 as was
 the case at ,killiecrankie1            
,prestonpans1 and other  engagements4   
,in the coat of arms granted to         
,m#8,pherson of ,clunie in #afgb1  and  
emblazoned upon the green banner of the 
clan1 the supporters are two            
,highlanders dressed as they fought at  
the ,battle of the ,shirts--each is     
armed with a shield having this long    
spike4 ,rae also tells us1 in his       

history of the ,rebellion in #agae1 that
 the ,laird of ,luss joined the         
,highland host followed by 8forty or    
fifty stately fellows1 in their hose    
and belted plaids1 armed each of them   
with a well-fixed gun on their          
shoulders1 a strong handsome target1    
with a sharp-pointed steel of about     
half an ell in length screwed into the  
navel of it10 c4 ,these targets         
generally have so much similarity in    
design1 that we cannot help thinking    
they must have been made at one place in
 great quantities4 ,in the  specimens   
figured by ,skelton1 ,logan1 and ,dr    
,stuart1 this likeness is very          
apparent4    ,the question naturally    
suggests itself1 ,where were these made8
 ,as a rule1  not in the ,highlands2 my 
own opinion being that1 for the ,west   
,highlands1  at all events1 they were   
made in ,glasgow4 ,in confirmation of   
this opinion1  my friend the late       
,joseph ,robertson told me that1 in the 
,,ms4 account of  one of ,queen ,mary's 

masques1 ,highlanders are mentioned as  
appearing in  their native dress of     
skins1 and having ,glasgow targets4 ,mr 
,dickson was  kind enough to make search
 for this1 but did not succeed in       
finding it1  although he also thinks he 
saw it somewhere taken notice of4       
,nothing is more difficult than to      
assign dates to ,highland weapons of    
almost any sort1 from the retention of  
forms and styles of ornamentation  of a 
very early1 down to a comparatively     
recent period1 unless the weapon  bears 
undoubted evidence of antiquity4 ,now   
and then a date is found upon  ,highland
 ,targets1 and by comparison of design  
and workmanship a date may  be given to 
others of similar manufacture4          
,sometimes again1 when the  history of a
 particular target is known1 it may be  
of no value whatever in  determining the
 date of others which may have been used
 at the same time2  such a one is at    
,cluny ,castle1 said to have been the   
property of ,prince  ,charles ,edward1  

but unfortunately it is of ,french      
manufacture1 and has  nothing whatever  
of ,celtic character about it2 instead  
of the usual  decorations1 it has       
patches of silver chasing in the form of
 warlike  weapons and emblems1 while at 
the centre1 in the place of a boss1 is a
  chasing in relief of the ,medusa's    
head4 ,in the armoury at ,warwick       
,castle  was a rival shield of similar  
design1 also said to have been used by  
the  ,prince4 ,this was unfortunately   
destroyed during the fire at the castle 
in  #ahga4    ,the same difficulty as to
 date is experienced with ,scandinavian 
weapons of  various sorts1 and is well  
illustrated in a quaint kind of         
powder-horns1  very antique in design1  
on which are carved a series of the     
heroes of  antiquity1 each armed with a 
circular shield1 which at first sight   
looks  very like the ,highland target2  
but on examination it has a large       
central  boss1 with a series of studs   
between it and the rim1 not unlike      

bronze  specimens in the ,museum at     
,copenhagen1 like these also in having  
only one  handle4 ,i have two           
powder-horns of this kind1 on one of    
which the date is  only #agci2 while on 
the other1 which is evidently of an     
earlier period1  there seems a fringe of
 some kind round the outer rim of all   
the shields4    ,in the quaint account  
of the ,duke of ,somerset's 8,expedicion
 into  ,scotlande0 in #aedg1 8,set out  
by way of ,diarie1 by ,w4 ,patten10     
there is  notice taken of the           
8,targetts0 used by some of the ,scots  
at the disastrous  battle of ,pinkie4   
8,nye this place of onset1 whear the    
,scottes1 at their  runynge awey1 had   
let fall their weapons 7as ,i sayd7     
thear found we1  bysyde their common    
maner of armour1 certyn nice            
instrumentes for war 7as  we thought74  
,and they wear1 nue boordes endes cut   
of1 being about a foot  in breadth1 and 
half a yarde in leangth2 hauyng on the  
insyde1 handels  made very cunnynly of  

ii cordes endes3 ,these a ,gods name    
wear their  targetts again the shot of  
our small artillerie1 for they wear not 
able to  hold out a canon4 ,and with    
these1 found we great rattels1 swellyng 
bygger  than the belly of a pottell pot1
 coouered with old parchement or dooble 
papers1 small stones put in them to make
 noys1 and set vpon the end of a  staff 
of more then twoo els long1 and this was
 their fyne deuyse to fray  our horses  
when our horsmen shoulde cum at them3   
,howbeeit bycaus the  ryders wear no    
babyes1 nor their horses no colts1 they 
coold neyther  duddle the tone nor fray 
the toother3 so that this pollecye was  
as witles  as their pour forcedes40 ,the
 above must not be looked upon as the   
ordinary  military shield1 but rather as
 an extemporised makeshift to answer the
  same purpose1 by the irregular troops 
got together so hurriedly and with  so  
much difficulty by the governor1 the    
,earl of ,arran1 who had recourse  to   
the desperate measure of sending the    

,fiery ,cross through the country to    
raise the army4 ,this old ,celtic and   
,scandinavian custom was1 even by these 
nations1 only used in cases of eminent  
peril2 but when this ,cross1 the3--     
8,dread messenger of fate and fear1     
,stretched onward in its fleet career1  
,the fisherman forsook the strand1      
,the swarthy smith took dirk and brand2 
,with changed cheer1 the mower blithe   
,left in the half-cut swathe the scythe2
    ,the herds without a keeper stray'd1
    ,the plough was in mid-furrow staid1
    ,the falc'ner tossed his hawk away1 
,the hunter left the stag at bay2       
,prompt at the signal of alarms1        
,each son of ,alpine rushed to arms40#f 
,and so it was on this occasion2 the    
summons was at once obeyed1 and a       
motley1 undisciplined1 and poorly-armed 
crowd were assembled1 but               
unfortunately1 not like the             
,highlanders1 who were accustomed to the
 almost  daily use of their weapons4 ,i 
have given the whole paragraph from     

,patten's  diary1 as it clearly shows   
that both the 8,targetts and ,rattells10
 from the  primitive nature of their    
construction1 had been hastily made up1 
and were  not 8their common maner of    
armour40 ,something of the same sort may
 be  alluded to in a description of the 
armour of the ,highlanders to be found  
in the ,wodrow ,,mss4 under date #afgh1 
where they are mentioned as carrying    
8targets and shields of the most odde   
and antique forme40 ,the shields  here  
referred to may have been like the 8nue 
boordes endes cut of10 c41  and used by 
the poorer clansmen4    ,illustration3  
,handles and ,arm straps of ,highland   
,targets4    ,of late years1 from the   
great scarcity of genuine targets1      
imitation ones  have been much          
manufactured for the purpose of making  
up ,highland  trophies1 but these have  
entirely failed in the embossing of the 
leather  and engraving of the studs1    
where that has been attempted4 ,this    
scarcity  has been caused by the severe 

manner in which the disarming acts of   
#agdf  were enforced2 and ,boswell1     
describing in #aggc the armour at       
,dunvegan  ,castle1 says--8,there is    
hardly a target now to be found in the  
,highlands4  ,after the disarming act   
they made them serve as covers to their 
butter-milk barrels40 ,by this means1 no
 doubt1 a number would be  preserved4   
,in other places1 again1 where the      
target was a fine one1 and  cared for by
 the family1 the embossed leather cover1
 the really valuable  part1 seems to    
have been taken off and rolled up1 in   
which state it would  easily be         
concealed4 ,this appears to have been   
the case with the one to  which ,i would
 specially call attention4#g ,it was    
brought from the island  of ,skye many  
years ago1 and is not only different    
from the ordinary  specimens in beauty  
and symmetry of design1 which is worked 
out in a  different and more artistic   
manner1 but is also peculiar from having
  embossed at its centre the heraldic   

cognisance of the ,lord of the ,isles1  
of which ,nesbit says1 8,the ,macdonalds
 of the ,isles carried1 as in our old   
books1 a double-headed eagle displayed40
 ,its diameter is one foot eight        
inches1 which is the average size of the
 ,highland target4 ,it must not be      
thought that leather and leather-covered
 targets were peculiar to the           
,highlands in medival times2 they were  
common in most ,european countries2     
,spain1 in particular1 was famous for   
them1 and it may not be improbable  that
 this was made in that country for one  
of the ,macdonald chiefs1 there  having 
been a great traffic between the ,west  
,highlands and ,spain1 hides  being     
exchanged for armour of all sorts1      
swords in particular4 ,spencer  also    
speaks1 in his 8,view of the ,state of  
,ireland10 #aehf1 of the ,northern      
,irish1 especially of the ,scots1 as    
having round leather targets1 often     
coloured in rude fashion4 ,in this      
respect they differ from those of our   

,highlanders1 as ,i am not aware of     
theirs ever having been painted1        
although the open work of the brass     
ornamentation was frequently filled in  
with leather or cloth of a bright       
colour4 ,at the present day shields of  
buffalo hide or other strong leather are
 in use among many of the oriental      
nations2 they are circular and almost   
invariably convex1 the edges turned  up 
towards the front1 and are often most   
gorgeously emblazoned in gold and       
colour1 having bosses of brass1 silver1 
or even gold4 ,in the ,society's        
,museum are several fine specimens2 one 
of these has an elaborate pattern  in   
relief upon it1 painted in purple and   
gold1 while another has an  ornamental  
design painted upon it in green and     
gold4 ,among the native  tribes of      
,africa they are also used1 being       
generally made from the skin of  the    
rhinoceros1 and by the ,kaffirs of an   
oval shape1 and so large that  they act 
as a protection for the whole body2     

while the ,fans use them of  many forms 
manufactured from elephant skin4 ,the   
,nubians sometimes make  them of        
crocodile's skin1 to which they attach  
much value4 ,the shield of  the         
,abyssinian is convex1 and made of      
buffalo hide with bosses of silver  or  
brass4 ,among some of the ,north        
,american ,indians they are also common4
  ,the ,highland target differs from    
those of the early ,britons and         
,scandinavians in having one or two     
arm-straps1 and occasionally an         
arm-piece of leather1 as well as a      
handle2 the very early shields of       
bronze or wood1 only having a handle    
below the central boss4 ,the back of    
these targets is almost invariably      
covered with deer skin1 below which is  
stuffing of some sort to deaden the     
effect of a blow upon the arm4 ,on the  
,trajan column all the shields seem to  
have the double arrangement1 while  the 
,greeks used an arm-piece and a handle  
towards the rim4    ,illustration       

,i4    ,,the ,,macdonald ,,target4      
,this ,target is covered with strong    
black leather1 the ,celtic ornamentation
  on it1 which is highly artistic in    
character1 being embossed in delicate   
relief1 with the spaces around the      
pattern carefully and closely etched    
with a sharp point in a sort of endless 
cross-hatching1 thus producing a  dim   
flattened surface1 and giving value to  
the raised design1 which almost         
entirely covers the surface1 leaving no 
space for any of the brass  decorations 
so common on ,highland targets4 ,in the 
centre is the double  headed eagle of   
the ,macdonalds ,lords of the ,isles4   
,illustration3 ,,the ,,macdonald        
,,target4 ,,in ,,the ,,possession ,,of  
,,mr ,,drummond1  ,r4,s4,a4             
,,ii4    ,,highland ,,targets4      ,the
 two first are in the ,museum of the    
,society of ,antiquaries4 ,the one is   
of an early type and is bound with      
brass4 ,on the outer circle of the      
design is stamped a series of rude      

attempts at birds4 ,it originally has   
had a spike4 ,the same class of         
ornamentation having been in use with   
little variation from an early period1  
it is no easy matter to affix dates  to 
,highland and ,scandinavian weapons of  
any sort1 in such a specimen as  this1  
however1 age is unmistakeable4 ,the     
second is of a pattern not  unusual1    
with mountings of large bosses and      
triangular decorations of  brass4 ,the  
third is of chaste and symmetrical      
design1 and the last is  curious1 from  
having worked upon it initials and a    
date as part of the  pattern--,d4       
,m#8,l4 #agbc4    ,illustration3        
,,highland ,,targets4          ,,iii4   
,,highland ,,targets4      ,the first is
 elaborate and uncommon in the design   
upon the leather1 and is  more than     
usually rich in the variety of its brass
 decoration1 it has  originally had a   
large central boss4 ,this fine specimen 
was the family  target of the ,campbells
 of ,jura1 and now belongs to ,mr       

,gourlay ,steell1  ,r4,s4,a4 ,the others
 are very good illustrations of the     
ordinary class of ,old  ,highland       
targets4    ,illustration3 ,,highland   
,,targets4          ,,iv4    ,,bronze   
,,shields4      ,the large shield is one
 of two found in #ahcg1 during          
drain-making  operations near ,yetholm1 
they are nearly similar in size and     
pattern4  ,shortly after they were      
found1 the gentleman to whom they       
belonged  exhibited them at a meeting of
 the ,society of ,antiquaries2 but after
 his  death1 they seem to have been so  
little cared for1 that they were thrown 
into a garret with other lumber1 of the 
antiquarian kind1 and when the          
establishment was broken up1 were bought
 with the rest as a speculative  lot of 
,chinese curiosities for a few          
shillings2 but the purchaser            
fortunately offered them for sale at the
 ,museum4 ,this is a good  illustration 
how many valuables of this kind go      
amissing or find their way  to the      

melting-pot4 ,since then another was    
turned up in ,yetholm ,bog by a         
ploughman4 ,such shields have been found
 in ,england and ,wales as well as in   
,scotland4 ,in ,ireland they are more   
rare1 and among these few the plate     
represents one lately got in ,lough     
,gur1 ,county ,limerick4                
,illustration3 ,,scottish ,,and ,,irish 
,,bronze ,,shields4          ,v4        
,,various ,,shields ,,for ,,comparison4 
,the first is a shield of crocodile's   
skin from ,nubia1 when made of this     
material they were very highly prized by
 the natives1 and consequently not      
often met with in collections4 ,this    
specimen is in the ,antiquarian ,museum4
  ,they were oftener made from          
hippopotamus skin4 ,the next is oriental
 and of  buffalo hide1 and below it is a
 ,dutch or ,german shield of iron on a  
strong  framework of wood1 the iron     
covering having a series of triangular  
studs  struck up on its surface1 while a
 number of circular pointed ones are    

rivetted on it1 surrounding the large   
central boss4 ,the other is a steel  or 
iron shield of a class sometimes shewn  
in ,scotland as ,highland1 but in       
reality the same as were used in other  
,european countries4    ,illustration3  
,circular ,shields4          ,,vi4      
,,roman ,,legionary ,,sculptured        
,,stone4      ,this splendid slab was   
found in #ahfh on a rocky promontory    
within ten  yards of the sea1 close by  
the harbour of ,bridgeness1             
,linlithgowshire1 it  was face down1 and
 covered by about two feet of soil4 ,it 
is divided into  three panels1 the      
centre one being an inscription         
dedicatory to their  emperor by the     
second legion on the completion of a    
portion of the wall of  ,antoninus1     
about ,a4,d4 #aej4 ,the panel to the    
right of the inscription has  sculptured
 on it a ,roman soldier1 having a       
rounded shield with boss1  galloping    
over some of the natives1 who have      
oblong square shields with  circular    

bosses4 ,on the other is a group by an  
altar4 ,this interesting  relic was     
presented to the ,antiquarian ,museum by
 ,harry ,cadell1 of ,grange1  ,esquire4 
,illustration          ,,footnotes3     
#a ,plate ,,vi4    #b ,museum of the    
,antiquaries4    #c ,plate ,,iv4    #d  
,plate ,v4    #e ,plates ,,ii41 ,,iii4  
#f ,lady of the ,lake4    #g ,plate ,i4