28 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XXII. 



in different places are seen furrows and other well- 

 defined traces of cultivated land ; yet no account 

 exists of the destruction of these fields by the inroad 

 of the sand; 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 tre- 

 mendous 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. 



