3'J PROCKKDINUS OF THK ANATOMICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL 



STKUtTrKK OF THK ClSTS. 



The Durris cists may be taken as examples showing the structural 

 characters of these short cists. Notes of these cists were taken by 

 Mr. James Smith, Crathes, at the time of their discovery, and we are 

 indebted to him for the following particulars. 



Three cists were unearthed in a natural mound ; the cists lay 

 with their long axes from east to west. 



Cist No. 1 was built of four large Hat stones and completely 

 covered over with a fifth. The cist was nearly full of fine sand, and 

 in this was found parts of a skeleton and an urn. The urn was found 

 in the north-east corner of the cist and was full of fine sand. Amongst 

 the fine sand in the cist were found pieces of charred wood. 



Cist No. '2 (Plate I.) had its sides formed of five flat stones instead 

 of four, the western end of the cist being formed by two stones meet- 

 ing at an angle. The length of the cist measured to the apex of the 

 angle was 58 inches, the width of the broad end was 28 inches and at 

 the base of the angle 17 inches, while the depth of the cist was 24 

 inches. 



The cist contained, besides parts of bones, fragments of two 

 urns, one at the apex of the cist and the other at the south-east 

 corner. There were also found in the cist fragments of charred 

 wood. 



Cist No. 3 was oblong and measured 30^ inches long, 2l inches 

 wide and 24 inches deep. Besides fragments of bones the cist con- 

 tained some charred wood and an urn. 



The other cists so far as recorded had much the same structural 

 features. 



POTTERY. 



There are records of urns having been present in eight out of 

 thirteen cists. There may have been fragments of urns in some of the 

 cists, but there are no records of such. 



Seven urns have been measured and photographed. The two 

 urns from the Durris cists are preserved at Durris House, and we 



