4i6 



NATURE 



[Sept. 13, 1S77 



washed by the same heavy tempestuous rains. Along by 

 far the larger part of the immensely-extended coast-line 

 of these islands no raised beach could have been formed, 

 or, if formed, could have remained until now. So rapid 

 is the retreat even of the solid cliffs, that both there and 

 in Caithness a Pict's house may now and then be found, 

 from which the outer walls on the seaward side have dis- 

 appeared, together with the solid ground on which they 

 stood, while the surge is ever breaking at the base of the 

 cliff below. Even into the sheltered inlets the same ver- 

 tical sea-cliffs often run, so that the possible localities for 

 the formation and preservation of raised beaches are 

 comparatively few in number. A more diligent search 

 among these fev/ resting-places may yet reveal the exist- 

 ence of some fragments of marine terraces in Orkney. 

 In the meantime the want of raised beaches in Caithness! 

 where, to judge from the proximity of those in Suther- 

 land, they probably at one time existed, should put us 

 on our guard against a too hasty and sweeping inference 

 from their absence in Orkney. 



With regard to Shetland, however, the case is far 

 stronger. Rocks of many varied kinds form the islands 

 of that group running out into ridges and chains of islets, 

 and inclosing innumerable 7'i>c's and land-locked inlets. 

 Nowhere could there be a more admirable surface for the 

 formation and conservation of raised-beaches. The 

 absence of these deposits cannot therefore be accounted 

 for except, as I am constrained to believe, on the sup- 

 position that they never existed there at all. That inter- 

 rupted elevation of the land, to the pauses in which the 

 raised-beaches point, seems to have lessened towards the 

 north. It is still traceable by means of these terraces on 

 the northern shores of the mainland. Evidence of it has 

 not been detected in Orkney, though as I have said, this 

 may not show that it did not affect these neighbouring 

 islands. But when we recede to the far Shetlands, all 

 trace of the former lower level of the land ceases — at 

 least it is not preserved in lines of raised beach. 



Arch. Geikie 



PENNINGTON'S "BARROWS Oh 

 DERB YSHIRE " 

 Noics on the Barrows and Bone-Caves of Derby sliirc. 

 With an Account of a Descent into Eliien Hole. By 

 Rooke Pennington, B.A., LL.B., F.G.S. (London : 

 Macmillan and Co., 1877.) 



MR. PENNINGTON has done good service to 

 science by publishing his " Notes." The objects 

 he describes belong to the pateolithic, the neolithic, and 

 the bronze ages of Britain and Western Europe generally ; 

 but, following Prof. Boyd Dawkins, the author includes 

 the entire period between the close of the paleolithic 

 age and the earlier part of the iron age under the 

 comprehensive name of the prehistoric ages. Moreover, 

 to bring the eras of the archreologist into correlation with 

 those of the biologist, he reminds the reader that during 

 the prehistoric ages, " the animals living in Europe were 

 generally speaking the same as those which live there 

 now," whilst pakvolithic man was accompanied by the 

 mammoth, and many other extinct forms. 



The author's prehistoric researches were conducted 

 partly in caverns, but mainly in barrows. The latter, 



usually heaps of stone and turf, were either of an oblong 

 form, or, much more frequently, " round heaps, like a 

 basin or saucer turned upside down." 



The circular barrows appear to have been in some 

 cases nearly fifty feet in diameter, and fully five feet high 

 at the centre. That on Abney Moor was surrounded with 

 a rampart of earth fifty feet in exterior diameter, and 

 having on it ten upright equidistant stones about three 

 feet high, whilst the inclosed mound measured but twenty 

 feet across. Almost all the barrows appear to have 

 yielded human bones, and in some instances more or less 

 complete skeletons, some of which occupied stone cists, 

 whilst others did not. The body of a young man, about 

 seventeen years of age, had the skull protected with four 

 stones, one being a cap stone, whilst large pieces of 

 limestone were piled irregularly round the rest of the 

 skeleton. All the bodies found entire were in a con- 

 tracted position, and there seems to have been a tendency 

 to place them on the left side, facing north or north- 

 westerly. Two or more skeletons were found in some 

 cases in the same barrow, and two were met with in the 

 same cist in a barrow on Gautriss Hill, in Siggett 

 barrow the skeleton of a child was found very near the 

 feet of that of an adult. Some of the barrows contained 

 evidence of cremation ; thus, in the centre of that on 

 Abney Moor was a large flat piece of sandstone, on 

 which human bones, accompanied by flint flakes, a chert 

 flakcj beads of jet and of amber, and a good arrow head, 

 had been carefully deposited. There was satisfactory 

 evidence that the funeral fire had been lighted on the 

 spot. 



Relics of water-rat, horse, red deer, roe deer. Bos 

 longifrons, goat, hog, and dog were also found in the 

 barrows, and, with the exception of the first only, com- 

 mingled with the human remains. In a cist in Oxlow 

 barrow part of a boar's tusk had been placed with the 

 human skeleton. The horse, roe deer, goat, and dog 

 appear to have been the least prevalent forms. On the 

 other hand, when speaking of water-rats, the author says, 

 " I never explored either a burial mound or a cave with- 

 out finding plenty of them;" and in one instance he says 

 " Rats came out by spadefuls." 



Of articles made or selected by man the barrows 

 yielded a cut antler, quartzite and other "foreign" 

 pebbles, chipped flints, pottery, chert flakes, beads of jet 

 and of amber, holed stone hammers, bone pins, arrow 

 heads, and bronze rings and celts. 



The prehistoric caves and " rock shelters " situate in 

 Cave Dale, Hartle Dale, and Creswell Crags, contained, 

 with the exception of roe-deer only, remains of all the 

 barrow animals, and of wolf, fox, shrew, badger, cat, hare, 

 rabbit, duck, and fowl, in addition. They also yielded 

 flint flakes, a holed sandstone hammer, charcoal, pottery, 

 some of which was Roman, a cut stag's horn, a bone 

 comb, pieces of jet, a celt and some ornaments in bronze, 

 a few iron articles, and a coin of Hadrian. 



When speculating on his discoveries the author remarks 

 of the skeleton of the youth supposed to be about seven- 

 teen, that the people who buried him must have been 

 " actuated by some other feelings of respect than those 

 springing simply from personal valour or wisdom. This 

 boy must have been of some rank ; possibly the eldest 

 son of the chief. The rudiments of government and of 



