4 OSBORN, Dowels of some Egyptian Coffins. 



{i.e. dicotyledonous), though softer than the Acacia. A 

 point of some little interest arises from this. The pegs 

 are of a hard wood fitting into holes bored in a softer one. 

 The result of constant opening and shutting of the box 

 has been in one case to enlarge the hole, box No. 259 

 {Fig. i), so that the peg no longer held. Fresh holes were 

 made, so that the inside of this box shows some eight 

 holes bored in it. 



In box No. 255 the wearing away was obviated by 

 the letting in of a strip of Acacia wood over the hole 



Fig. 2. — Box No. 255, the side showing inlet portion of 

 Acacia wood over the hole bored in the cedar wood side. The 

 Acacia has longitudinal shading. 



Inside measurement of side = 23*5 cms. 



Length of strip of Acacia wood = 9 7 cms. 



Fig. reduced \. 



{Fig. 2). Thus the peg would rub upon wood ot equal 

 hardness. 



Box No. 254 is of sycamore, the top strip of wood on 

 the side into which the peg fitted is of Acacia. This 

 would be an improvement on the preceding case, since 

 the piece of wood inlet might tend to slip out. 



Since the boxes are of the same approximate date, 

 the series has additional interest. It may be regarded as 

 a progressive one, the last type of box being a distinct 

 improvement on the first. 



Since the above was written I have had the oppor- 

 tunity of examining the body coffin of Nekht-Ankh. 

 Each half is hewn out of a single log of sycamore wood. 



