48 Transactions. 



cairns or tumuli have from time to time been removed. The 

 contents of these are very similar, viz., fragments of bones, 

 stone hammers, celts, urns, etc., and in some cases the personal 

 ornaments of the ancient inhabitants of the district during 

 this early period. The antiquities of this period are not so 

 numerous as those of the succeeding ones, the reason for which 

 may be, that the inhabitants were not so numerous at this 

 time, and these implements being of stone when found were 

 thrown aside as of no value ; such was the case with the stone 

 hammer ISTo. 1, which was discovered lying upon a stone 

 dyke on the farm of Whitehall, parish of Kirkmahoe. Upon 

 inquiry, it was ascertained that some years before a cairn had 

 been removed from the field in which it was found, and I 

 have no doubt of its being found in the cairn, and laid upon 

 the dyke merely as a curious stone.* 



No. 2 was found on removing a cairn on the farm of 

 Lands, parish of Tynron. 



No. 3 was foimd on removing a cairn in the parish of 

 Penpont. 



No. 4 was found last month by some railway surfacemen, 

 while removing the remains of a large cairn in a field near 

 Auldgirth Bridge, parish of Kirkmahoe. 



No. 8 is a flint celt found last year, along with some bones, 

 in a cairn, in the parish of Keir. The stone celts were un- 

 questionably weapons of war ; of which the followLng may be 

 regarded as sufficient proof. Upon the removal of a large 

 cakn on the moor of Glenquicken, Kirkcudbrightshire, the 

 workmen came upon a stone-coffin of rude workmanship, and, 

 on removing the lid, they found the skeleton of a man. The 

 smaller bones crumbled to dust on exposure to the air, but 

 the larger bones, being more compact, were taken out, when 

 it was discovered that one of the arms had been almost 



* Nos. 1 to 4 and 6 to 8 are in the collection of Dr. Grierson, Thornhill. 

 Nos. 5, 9, and 10 in Mr. Gibson's collection. No. 12 in the possession of James 

 Heron, Esq., Duncow. 



