STONE IMPLEMENTS, ETC., IN THE DORSET MUSEUM. 33 



described. One, like the things just noted, is of Kimmeridge 

 shale. It was found at Smallmouth, Weymouth, and was 

 presented by Mr. Cunnington. But the larger one, which 

 I will describe, is of chalk. It was found at Jordan Hill, 

 Weymouth. It is a fragment of a disc, which, when entire, was 

 about nine inches across, and is fully three and a-half inches 

 thick. It was pierced by a central hole, three and a-half inches or 

 so in least diameter, but expanding a little towards each surface. 

 This may have been caused by friction, for the surface of the 

 opening is very smooth. On the periphery, between this opening 

 and the outer edge, are five superficial holes and parts of two 

 others. They are ranged irregularly in two ranks. Now these 

 carefully made, round-based holes, are of varying and seemingly 

 graduated depths. The shallowest is a quarter of an inch deep, 

 the deepest one inch and a quarter. The puzzle is to decide what 

 was the use of these holes, which, probably, are only a few of many 

 which the entire disc contained. The other fragment, much 

 smaller and made of shale, is in design apparently identical with 

 the chalk disc. I have sent slight drawings of these curious relics 

 to Mr. Franks, of the British Museum, and to General Pitt- 

 Rivers, to both of whom the contrivance is quite new. Mr. 

 Franks confesses entire inability to explain it, but says that the 

 holes remind him of the curious " cup markings" found on rocks 

 and stones. General Pitt-Rivers, misled, I am certain, by my 

 imperfect drawing, conjectures that the block of chalk may have 

 been used for the rest of the upper end of a "bow-drill," by the 

 friction of which the superficial holes mi 6 ht be produced. Again, 

 Mr. Smith, of East Street, Weymouth, who presented the chalk 

 fargment, thinks that the graduated holes were for casting lead 

 weights. Now it seems to me quite fatal to all these suggestions 

 that they do not in the slightest degree account for the large 

 central opening. And other objections there are. To my own eye, 

 if I may venture an opinion, the contrivance looks as if just 

 possibly it may have been for a game. The disc may have been 

 placed on a smooth board, in the midst of which was fixed a round 



