8 Recent Excavations at Stonehenge. 
exceptions, all of diabase more or less porphyritic. Two are 
porphyrite (formerly known as felstone or hornstone). Two are 
~ argillaceous sandstone. 
Mr. William Cunnington, F.G.S., in a valuable paper, “Stonehenge 
Notes,” ! records the discovery of two stumps of “ bluestones” now 
covered by the turf. One of these lies in the inner horseshoe 
between Nos. 61 and 62, and 9 feet distant from the latter. It is 
diabase.. The other is in the inner circle between Nos. 32 and 33, 
10 feet from the former, and consists of a soft calcareous altered 
tuff, afterwards designated for the sake of brevity “ fissile rock.” 
The altar stone is of micaceous sandstone. 
All these rocks, excepting the sarsens, are foreign to the locality, 
but I am informed by my friend, Professor Judd, that there is no 
reason why they should not have been found on the plain in the 
vicinity of Stonehenge, having been transported there as glacial 
drift. 
All the rocks were represented in the chippings which were 
found in the excavations. 
THE «EXCAVATIONS. 
The excavations were begun on the south-west side of the leaning 
stone, by opening up the ground in three sections, I., II., III. as 
shown on the plan (Fig. 2.) 
Section I. was first excavated, then Section III., and lastly 
Section II. As each was completed it was partially filled with 
concrete before the next was proceeded with. The concrete was 
put in in such a manner that its front face formed a perpendicular 
wall against which the stone would rest when set up. 
This procedure was necessary, as it would have been unsafe to 
have exposed and left unsupported the whole of the base of the 
monolith at one time. 
In Section III. an oak log was driven into the chalk and em- 
bedded in the concrete wall opposite the lowest point of the base 
to prevent any slipping of the stone when it was being raised. 
1 Wilts Arch. Mag., xxi. 141—149. , 
