FLINT KNIVES. 15 



Uncler these skeletons and weapons was another deposit, 

 from four to six feet, tlien a layer of black earth, with 

 burnt sticks, and little Stores of grain of dlfferent kinds, 

 curious glass beads, and fragments of potteiy of an exceed- 

 ingly early period. He conceived that the burnt remaina 

 were to be attributed to the time of Ostorius, who probably 

 destroyed the place, but did not occupy it. A deposit of 

 rubble then took i^lace, and when Ceaulin overran the 

 country, a fierce conflict most probably took place, in 

 W'hich the Britons were defeated, and some of the killed 

 were left in the places where he had found the skeletons. 

 He had also found the bones of animals now extinct. 



The Eev. F. Bkown enquired whether Mr. Warre 

 thought the flint knives were of the same date as the 

 extinct animals ? 



The Eev. F. Warre said he thought they were not. 

 He had no doubt they were used by the early inhabitants 

 of the country, but he had seen so much of the power of 

 water in carrying things down from the surface by drift, 

 that he was inclined to think they were washed down in 

 that way. 



Lord Talbot de Malahide said he had a very curious 

 flint knife in his possession which was found in the bed of 

 a river in Ireland, and there was a piece of moss wrajjped 

 around it as a handle. It was remarkable that it should 

 have been so perfectly preserved, but he saw no reason to 

 suppose it was of so early a date as had been ascribed to 

 these implements. He had also two flint arrow-heads 

 which were found on the field of Marathon, and were 

 probably used on the side of the Persians at the battle of 

 Marathon. 



In the course of some further conversation, the Kev. F. 

 Warre expressed the opinion that the foi'tifications at 



