106 Notes on Bowl’s Barrow. 
skulls had been cleft with great violence on the left side. All 
were very dolichocephalous. 
In 1885 a deep trench was cut on the south side of the barrow 
near the highest part. At a depth of about four feet there were 
layers of the black soapy earth; some of them in places nearly a 
foot in thickness, but soon thinning off and disappearing altogether. 
No traces of human handicraft were found, with the exception of a 
small oval pebble of variegated quartzite (mot a Wiltshire stone) 
which had been used at both ends as a hammer (query, was not this 
‘“‘ knapper” used in making the flint implements?) and a small rude 
flint knife. These, and the flint flakes mentioned below, are the 
only relics of man’s art hitherto found in this large and elaborately- 
constructed mound. 
The examination was renewed in June, 1886, by the writer, 
assisted by his brother, the late Mr. Henry Cunnington, whose 
acute powers of observation were of great service during the opera- 
tions, and by whose kindness the conveyance to the barrow was 
daily provided. The work was carried on, by the aid of four men, 
for five days, in the face of much difficulty, the barrow consisting, 
as already stated, mainly of rubble and large stones; a great part of 
which, moreover, had been rendered very loose by the operations of 
former explorers. Mr, Akerman’s opinion, that the opening of such 
barrows “ is at once tedious, irksome, and laborious,” was abundantly 
verified. Deep trenches, reaching to the natural chalk below, were 
dug to the total length of eighty-two feet. 
Much information has been obtained as to the general history 
and conditions of the interments, but no works of art were 
found, except mere flint flakes. These mostly occurred, to the 
number of forty or fifty, on a space on the old turf about two feet 
square, within a few yards from the edge of the barrow, to the S.E. 
They were mostly quite small, and were so close together as to 
suggest that they were struck off on the spot, in the process of 
making some kind of flint implement or weapon. A very small 
quantity of wood ashes was found near these, covering a space of 
about eighteen inches square. On the floor of the barrow were the 
remains of the interments as left by the previous explorers, and 
