Christian Monuments of Wiltshire. 65 



jaws and form a triquetra knot in the triangular space above the 

 heads. The bodies of the beasts are more elaborately ornamented 

 than in any other case that has come under my notice. There are 

 spirals just below the ears and on the thighs. The decoration of 

 the body consists of a mid rib with cross ribs branching out from it 

 and sloping down at an angle at each side from it. The teeth, eyes, 

 ears, claws, and all the other details are shown with remarkable 

 clearness. 



Fragment (J) at Colerne has upon it portions of one or two 

 dragons. The head of one is plainly visible at the top of the stone 

 and its claw in the middle of the left side. The body is ornamented 

 with a mid rib having a pelleted chevron on one side and cross ribs 

 on the other. The interlaced work in the background is formed by 

 the tails of the dragons, which are narrowed down to bands of the 

 same width throughout. 



Upon the fragment at Somerford Keynes are sculptured the heads 

 and necks of two beasts facing each other, their mouths touching 

 and holding a round ball. The outline of the stone corresponds 

 partly with the outline of the beasts, the bodies of which are or- 

 namented front and back. The tufts of hair round the edges are 

 conventionalised by making them end in little spiral curls. The 

 rest of the bodies are covered with Scandinavian decoration like 

 that on the Runic-inscribed slab found in St. Paul's Churchyard, 

 and now in the Guildhall Library. 



Foliageous Ornament. There are only two examples of stones with, 

 foliageous ornament upon them in Wiltshire — at Britford, and on 

 the fragment of a coped stone (D) at Ramsbury. 



The foliage at Britford consists of scrolls branching out on each 

 side of an undulating stem, and having a large leaf in the centre of 

 each scroll. The sculpture is in extraordinarily good preservation 

 and all the details beautifully executed. 



The foliage on the coped stone (D) at Ramsbury consists of two 

 sets of scroll-work, like that at Britford, one on each of the rounded 

 sloping faces of the monument, the scrolls being interlocked with 

 each other where they intersect along the central ridge. 



VOL. XXVII. — NO. LXXIX. F 



