May 13, 1880] 



NATURE 



35 



being only 2 inches long, and about the thickness of a 

 crow-quill. 



4. Fig. 7 is a drawing of a neatly-formed needle-like 

 instrument. It is flat on both sides, finely polished, and 

 tapering into points at its extremities. 



5. Two curious implements smoothly pohshed and 

 forked at one end. They are both about jj inches long, 

 and precisely similar to each other in every respect. 



6. A great many small ribs, about 6 or 7 inches in 

 length, and portions of others, were found to have the 

 marks of a sharp cutting instrument by which they were 

 pointed and smoothed along their edges. The use of 

 these implements can only be conjectured. 



7. Lastly, there are several portions of round bones 



which appeared to have been used as handles for knives 

 or such hke instruments. 



1 1 1. — Objects of Horn 

 About forty portions of horn, chiefly of the red-deer, 

 bearing evidence of human workmanship were collected 

 during the excavations. They consist of ham-ners or 

 clubs, pointed tynes, spear-heads, &c. As illustrations 

 of these implements, Figs. 8 and 9 are good representa- 

 tions of a club and a bodkin. The former is 11 inches 

 long, and has about 3 inches of the brow branch of the 

 horn projecting from it, round the root of which there is 

 a groove, as if intended for a string. The markings on 

 the back portion indicate very distinctly that it was used 



Fig. 10.— Wooden Vessel (Scale j). 



for hammering some hard substance ; the latter is 8 inches 

 long, finely polished all over, and pointed at the tip as if 

 with a sharp knife. 



\\'.— Objects of Wood 



A large assortment of wooden implements was found, 

 chiefly in the refuse hsap, and in the portion of debris 

 corresponding to the area of the log pavement. Owing 

 to the softness of the wood and the large amount of 

 moisture contain d in its fibres, most of these relics have 

 already shrunk to less than hilf their original bulk, and 

 become so changed, though they were kept in a solution 

 of alum for several weeks, that I am doubtful of being 

 able to preserve them at all. They consist of bowls, 

 plates, ladles, a mallet, a hoe, clubs, pins, &c., to- 

 gether with many objects entirely new to me, but which 

 apparently had been used for culinary or agricultural 

 purposes. 



Fig. 10 represents a trough cut out of a single block of 

 wood. It was found about half way between the margin 

 of the crannog and the circle of stakes surrounding the 

 log pavement at a depth of 5 feet, amongst decayed brush- 

 wood and chips of wood. 



Canoes. — During the progress of the drainage a canoe, 

 hollowed out of a single oak trunk, was found about 

 100 yards north of the crannog. Its depth in the moss 

 was well ascertained, owing to the fact that, though lying 

 at the bottom of one of the original drains, it presented 

 no obstruction to the flow of water, and consequently was 

 then undisturbed. During the recent drainage all the 

 drains were made a foot deeper, and hence its discovery. It 

 measures 10 feet long, 2 feet 6 inches broad (inside), and 

 I foot 9 inches deep. The bottom is flat, 4 inches thick, 

 and contains nine holes, arranged in two rows and about 

 IS inches apart, with the odd one at the prow. These 

 holes are perfectly round and exactly i inch in diameter, 

 and when the canoe was disinterred they were quite 

 invisible, being all tightly plugged. 



When the original drainage was made, some forty years 

 ago, I understand that two canoes, each of which was 

 about 12 feet long, were found in the bed of the lake on 

 the south-west side of the crannog. 



A double-bladed oak paddle, 4 feet 8 inches long and ji 

 indies broad, and a large oar, together with the blade 



portion of another, were found amongst the debris on the 

 crannog. 



y.— Objects of Metal 

 {a) The chief articles made of iron are the following : — 



1. A gouge, 8 inches long. 



2. A chisel, 10 inches long. Both these tools had re- 

 mains of bone or horn handles containing beautiful green 

 crystals of vivianite. 



3. Two knives. One has a blade 6 inches long, and a 

 pointed portion for being inserted into a handle. It was 

 found on a level with, and close to, the lowest hearth, 

 along with fragments of its handle made of stag's horn. 

 The other, found by a farmer in the debris long after it 

 was thrown out of the trenches, was hafted on a different 



FIb-jl.i (Full s 



plan from the former, the end portion being broad, and 

 riveted to its handle by four iron rivets, which still remain. 



4. Two spear-heads, one prominently ridged, 13 and 

 gi^ inches, with sockets for wooden handles, portions of 

 which still remain in the sockets. 



5. Five daggers. One has portion of a bone handle 

 surrounded b'y'a brass ferrule, and about an inch in front 

 of this the corroded remains of a guard are seen. 



6. A saw in three pieces, two of which were joined 

 when found, and the third was lying a few feet apart. 

 The length of the three portions together is 38 inches, 

 and the average breadth is 3 inches. 



7. A small corroded iron hatchet, with portion of a 

 wooden handle in the socket. 



