Transactions. 41 



ancient British Cinerary Urn of the later period, that had been 

 buried by the side of the partly-burnt bones. It was customary, 

 however, at that period to place a small vessel like this inside of, 

 or beside, a larger one, but I have found no trace of the larger 

 vessel as yet. I have sent a drawing of the urn and details to 

 Mr Black, of the Antiquarian Museum, Edinburgh, and I have 

 received his reply since coming to this meeting, in which he says 

 — " The urn is one of a type occasionally found in connection 

 with burials of the Bronze age, and never alone, but always in 

 connection with a larger urn of the Cinerary type." . . With 

 regard to the purpose of these vessels, Dr Anderson writes — 

 " The purpose of these tiny vessels has given rise to a variety of 

 conjectures. It has been suggested that they may have been 

 censers or incense cups, or lamps, or salt-cellars or vessels for 

 carrying the sacred lire that was to light the funeral pile, or cups 

 for the strong drink required on the occasion of the funeral feast, 

 or vessels destined to contain the aslies of tlie brain or heart, or 

 for the bones of an infant sacrificed on the death of its mother. 

 All these conjectures are equally probable, inasmuch as tliey are 

 all equally unsupported by evidence." (Proceedings of Society 

 of Antiquaries, vol. xiii. p. 122.) 



Note. — Another stone belonging to the Circle was discovered 

 on making further excavations in the middle of April, 1887, and 

 in close proximity to it were several pieces of bones, similar to 

 those already described. This one is larger than the greystone. 



II. The recent Cup and Ring Mark Discoveries in Kirkcud- 

 brightshire. (Abridged. ) 



By Mr F. R. Coles, Vice-President. 



About twenty-five years ago. Sir James Y. Simpson, when 

 compiling the materials for his work on British Archaic Sculp- 

 turings, described certain marks on rocks and stones in Kirkcud- 

 brightshire. One of these is popularly known as the " Cow 

 Clout Stane," at Kenervie, in the parish of Parton ; the other is 

 at High Auchenlarie, Anwoth, some four miles west of Gatehouse- 

 on-Fleet. The Cow Clout marks occur upon the surface of the 

 natural rock ; those at Auchenlarie are cut upon a slab. At the 

 same time, there were two localities in Dumfriesshire (Holywood 



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