ANCIENT REMAINS IN ARRAN. 215 



the circle No. 2, already found, like No. 3, to have a central 

 cist, had also one removed from its centre. The result 

 shewed that it was so; a very perfect cist was found N. of 

 the centre, at 37 inches from the surface; but no object 

 whatever was in it, neither urn, bone, nor arrow-head, nor 

 did it appear to have been ever disturbed; indeed, it is cer- 

 tain it could not have been. The conclusion seems warranted 

 that it had been prepared as the others for a place of sepul- 

 ture, but never used. It was of about the same size as the 

 others, and like them lay nearly N. and S. To the south of 

 the centre there was no trace of a cist, and it seems there- 

 fore improbable that the practice was to form a series round 

 the central one. 



Satisfied thus far with the result of the inquiry as regarded 

 the circles of upright stones, I was anxious to determine 

 whether a like arrangement existed in the case of the circles 

 of granite blocks. The cist at the centre appeared to indi- 

 cate the purpose for which the circumference was reared : and 

 if the central cist exist within the granite circles, the purpose 

 will seem to be the same for both. An imperfect cist had 

 been found in one two granite circles remained to be 

 examined. The larger of these two, the most eastern of the 

 group, No. 1 on the plan, was tried at the centre, and along 

 a radius, but without success. Nothing was found, although 

 the usual depth was reached. In the other granite circle, 

 No. 4, we were more successful ; a beautifully perfect cist was 

 found, 40 inches below the centre, of the usual dimensions, 

 and lying as before, nearly N. and S., or almost exactly 

 N.N.E. and S.S.W. It .contained an urn in fragments, 

 some bone fragments under the urn, three rude arrow-heads, 

 and a small bronze pin, much decayed. This last object 

 added immensely to the interest of the inquiry; while 

 the central cist shews a like purpose in both structures 

 granite blocks and pillared slabs, alike disposed in reference 

 to a central place of sepulture. 



An excavation at the imperfect circle No. 8, high on the 



