424 



Some of the most remarkable remains found in this in- 

 cloBure were those of a very large and powerful dog, appa- 

 rently belonging to an animal of the grey-hound tribe, but of 

 enormous size — the heads measuring, in the dry bone, nearly 

 eleven inches in length, and principally characterized by the 

 great extent and magnitude of the occipital crest, and the 

 projecting muzzle. Mr. Wilde stated it as his opinion, that 

 we had now, for the first time, an opportunity of judging of 

 the form and characters of the dogs denominated Irish 

 wolf dogs, to which breed he considered these heads to have 

 belonged. There were also several foxes, but no wolves. 

 With these remains were mixed up the shells of limpids and 

 buccinums ; and a few bones of birds ; some portions of 

 burned bones, and large quantities of hazel nuts. Most of 

 the bones of the larger ruminants were unbroken ; and up- 

 wards of 150 cart-loads of bones have been already dug out 

 of this inclosure, and have been forwarded to Scotland for 

 manure, none of them being in a fossil state. 



Nearly in the centre of the heap, and within two feet of 

 the surface, were discovered two human skeletons, lying at 

 length, and without any surrounding wood or stone work, &c. 

 The superstitions of the people who were employed in making 

 the excavation, led them to re-deposit 'them in the neigh- 

 bourhood, and they cannot now be obtained ; but Mr. Wilde 

 produced some of the vertebrae, and the frontal bone of one of 

 these bodies, and remarked upon the similarity of the latter 

 to other heads found in ancient Irish monuments, and in par- 

 ticular its striking analogy to those found in the Cromleigh 

 recently opened in the Phcenix-park. 



The antiquities found in this place may be divided into 

 the warlike, the culinary, and the ornamental. They con- 

 sisted of iron swords of different lengths, with straight edges 

 and angular points, and bearing a resemblance to the ancient 

 Roman swords. Very many knives were found, of different 

 shapes and sizes, with iron spear, javelin, and dagger blades, 



