182 FIELD NOTES FOR THE YEAR. 



evidently the change was accomplished suddenly. In many 

 parts of this sandy region there are distinct marks of rushing 

 waters ; ridges of both sand and shingle are cast up in a 

 manner which could only have been effected by some 

 tremendous rush of water ; and strange pyramids of stones 

 also are heaped up in several places, to all appearance by the 

 same agency. 



Few remains of antiquity have ever been found here ; 

 indeed, it is rarely these sands are trodden by any foot save 

 that of some poacher in search of rabbits. I have, however, 

 seen a most curious bracelet-like ornament which was found 

 here. It is made of fine bronze, in the shape of a snake, 

 which, it has been supposed, had a head at each extremity, 

 formed of some precious stone : these, however, are lost, the 

 fastenings having corroded. In shape this relic appeared to 

 me to resemble one of the bands which bound together the 

 fasces carried by a Eoman lictor. On further examination it 

 has, I believe, been ascertained that the bronze must have 

 encircled some ornament or weapon of wood, which has 

 rotted away, leaving nothing but the more durable metal. 



It has twice happened to me to find human skeletons, or 

 rather the remains of skeletons, lying on the sand, laid bare 

 by some drifting wind, or half disinterred by the subterraneous 

 proceedings of the rabbits. In both cases the remains were 

 evidently of great antiquity, but had been preserved by the 

 dry sand. 



Those curiously carved pieces of flint called elf-arrows are 

 not uncommon in some parts of the sand-hills. 



On one part of the sands, whicli forms a peninsula at low 

 water, but an island when it is high, I perhaps discover two 

 or three seals lying. Clumsy-looking as they are, at the 

 slightest alarm they scuffle off with great rapidity into the 

 water. Once there they feel secure, and rising at a short 

 distance from the shore, they take a good look at the intruder 

 on their domain. Ugly and misshapen as a seal appears on 

 land, he is when in the water by no means an unsightly- 

 looking animal ; and he floats and dives with a quiet rapidity 

 which appears marvellous to the looker-on. You see a seal's 

 head appear above the water; and you sit down half 

 concealed, with ready rifle, to wait his reappearance. In a 

 minute or two you are suddenly startled by its rising quietly 

 in quite a different direction ; and after gazing intently at 

 you for a few moments with its dark, mild-looking eyes, the 



