499 
ow 
down between them. The interior of the chambers so formed 
were filled with bones, and black moory earth, and the heap of 
bones was raised up in some places within a foot of the surface. 
It was generally found that the remains of each species of 
animal were placed in separate divisions, with but little 
intermixture with any other; and the antiquities, &c., were 
found along with them, without any order or regularity, but 
for the most part near the bottom.” 
The most numerous class of bones were those of oxen, 
and of these Mr. Wilde exhibited the heads of several 
varieties, in a state of great perfection. Some of these were 
identical with those which formed the subject of Mr. Ball’s 
communication to the Academy, in January, 1839,and which 
were discovered in the bogs of Westmeath, Tyrone, and 
Longford ; others bore a strong resemblance to them. 
There were other specimens of these oxen which, although 
of rather diminutive size, equalled, as to beauty of head and 
horn, the modern improved breed of the English short- 
horned Durham, and the middle horned Devon and Ayre- 
shire,—being distinguished by the peculiarities of the head, 
and in particular of the slug or core on which the horn is 
moulded, and which had remained quite perfect, although 
the cuticular horn had been destroyed. 
A fourth variety was that which has been denominated 
the true Irish cattle,—the long-horned, or crumple-horned, 
the improved large breed of which still exists in some 
of the midland counties of Ireland, particularly Roscom- 
mon. In this variety there is a very remarkable pro- 
jection of the upper portion of the frontal bone between the 
horns, which latter turned downwards, and alittle backwards, 
somewhat in the manner of the Craven or Lancashire stock. 
There were also several heads of the polled or hornless 
variety, called in this country mhaol, exhibiting some slight 
differences as to the fineness of their heads, but in general 
resembling the Galloway and Angus breeds. 
