Transactions. 



93 



I 



Knamelleil Bridle-Bit from 

 Bineiiswaik. 



dragonesque work and inlaid 

 with niello and silver. It has 

 six sockets, three on each side, in 

 wiiich at one time were probably 

 precious stones or settings of 

 enamel. It was formerly in the 

 collection of the late Charles 

 Kirkpatrick Sharpe, and was pur- 

 chased for the Museum at the 

 sale of his collection in ls,")l. It 

 has also been fig-ured.' 



BEIDLE-BIT. 

 The bronze bridle-bit here 

 descril)ed was presented to the 

 National Collection in 1785 by 

 Dr Robert Clapperton. The 

 mouth -piece of the bit is in one 

 piece, and measures only 3;^ 

 inches in length, while the cheek 

 rings are 2ii inches in greatest 

 length, by 2^ inches across. The 

 outer part of each ring is con- 

 siderably worn by use, and a 

 narrow strip of metal has been 

 neatly riveted on the under or 

 inner side to strengthen them. 

 The other loops have also been 

 strengthened by thin plates of 

 metal being wrapped round them. 

 It will be observed that the 

 ornamental design of each outer 

 ring differs considerably. The 

 decoration of the plates within 

 the rings has consisted of 

 c/iamp/eve enamel of different 

 colours, alternating in alternative 

 rows in the triangular and oval 

 spaces, of which the red only 



' Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Vol. xii., p. 164 

 Scotlund in Early Christian Times, First Series, p. 225. 



