330 DESCRIPTION. 



form is very irregular, — a mere curve in fact, hollowed 

 out of the rock, and always facing to the south-west or 

 noi'th-west, but uever to the north-east. 



Such of the " Grytor " as have not been disturbed 

 are usually filled to the brim with boulder-stones, soil, 

 &c. Not unfrequeutly, indeed, one sees rank grass, 

 bushes, and even trees growing as in a flower-pot, vegeta- 

 tion being facilitated by the moisture contained in them. 

 The diagram to the extreme left of figure 1 shows the 

 "Gryta" whilst in this state ; the several "Grytor" to 

 the right of it, after they have been cleared from refuse ; 

 and the figure to the extreme right the relative propor- 

 tions between a man and the " Gryta." 



" I have excavated very many ' Grytor,' " says my 

 talented friend Mr. Alexander Keiller, of Gothenburg, to 

 whom I am indclited for the accompanying drawings, 

 as also for many others in my former works, " and shall 

 endeavour to give a general description of their con- 

 tents: — Take, for instance, a 'Gryta' 6 feet in diameter 

 at the mouth, and 8 feet deep. The sod and earth (com- 

 monly from 12 to 18 inches in depth) being removed, 

 the tops of large boulder-stones now present themselves, 

 compactly embedded in gravel and sand ; so hard, in 

 fact, is the mass that there is the greatest difficulty in 

 removing any part of it. AVhen the gravel is so far got 

 rid of that the boulder-stones become exposed, I blast 

 the latter with gunpowder. Should the stones be egg- 

 shaped, then the thicker end is constantly downwards.* 

 The stones of the first tier are almost invarialjly the 

 largest (there are exceptions, however, to this rule, inas- 

 much as I have found near the bottom of a ' Gryta ' 



* " If the hopper of a mill be observed when grinding beans, it will be 

 seen that the vibratory motion will arrange all the beans with their heaviest 

 ends downwards ; and the like is the Cii.se with the stones ui question." 



