ON THE AGE OF STONE CIRCLES. 457' 



it had to be cut out in solid lumps with a small spade, the chances of 

 finding relics consequently being very remote. The same remarks apply 

 to the silting at the bottom of the fosse of Section 4, next to be described. 



Section 4 made across the fosse, 3'"-05 in width, and its extension 

 westward to expose the limestone sides and end of the ditch at the N.N.W. 

 Causeway, proved to be the most interesting and productive of all the 

 ditch cuttings. The first ' find ' here was an almost circular greyish-white 

 chert or flint end-scraper, with edge of the usual semicircular form. One 

 of the side-edges exhibits some fine secondary chipping : this edge would 

 .serve admirably as a knife ; the conchoidal fracture side is very smooth, 

 and displays an extremely bold bulb or cone of percussion, surrounding 

 which some radiating ' tearing ' of the surface of the chert is well seen — 

 the result of a single blow. The dorsal ridge running along this scraper is 

 well marked, and is the result of a blow delivered above the divisional line 

 of two adjoining and deep facets of the core from which the scraper was 

 struck : it was found at a depth of 4-3 cm, (28 on plan and section). At 

 29 (plan and section), at a depth of 91 cm., close to the limestone side of 

 the ditch at the S.E. of the section, about two-thirds of an extremely thin 

 and finely chipped flint arrow-head, of a light brownish-grey colour, was 

 found : its greatest width is 21 mm., its greatest thickness 2'7 mm. The base 

 of this delicate implement is of semicircular form, whilst the side-edges of 

 the perfect arrow-head, from the points of greatest width to the tip, appear 

 to have been quite straight ; thus it represents the lozenge-shaped form as 

 regards its upper half, and the leaf -shaped variety in the lower half. On 

 the bottom of the fosse, at a depth of l"i*74 (43 on plan and section), under 

 stiflT clayey mould, was found the most interesting relic that Arbor Low 

 has yielded during these excavations, viz., a barbed and tanged chipped 

 arrow-head, of greyish-white flint or chert,' of extremely symmetrical form 

 and 25 mm. (1 inch) long, a small portion only of the tip being deficient ; 

 greatest width 21 '5 mm., greatest thickness 5 mm. It is finely chipped 

 all over its surface, including barbs and tang, which latter are bevelled on 

 both faces from median ridges to edges. The end of the tang, which is 

 very slightly longer than the barbs, is also bevelled. The section across 

 the arrow-head is bi-convex, but it is considerably flatter on one face than 

 on the other. The cutting edges are slightly convex, owing to the fact 

 that the barbs have an inward curve. Doubtless a good deal of care was 

 expended on its manufacture. 



Not far from this beautiful arrow-head, at a depth of 1™*46 (37 on plan 

 and section), a small rough chert scraper, with semicircular edge, was, 

 found : one edge is bevelled to a sharp chipped cutting-edge, and might 

 have served well as a knife ; the facets bear excellent examples of con- 

 choidal fracture. In clayey mould, close to, at a depth of l">-40 (39 on 

 plan and section), the greater part of a small horn of red deer, with four 

 tines, in an extremely friable condition, was found ; indeed only a portion 

 of one tine could be preserved. At 21 on plan, depth 30 cm., a doubtfully 

 artificial chei-t borer and a probably natural scraper, were found. The 

 relics being so few comparatively, I have been reluctant throughout the 

 excavations, both in 1901 and 1902, to throw away anything that miglit 

 be pronounced by greater experts on stone implements than myself to 

 bear traces of human agency. The surface of chert does not seem to alter 



' My gflass is not of sufficient power to determine whether this'arrow-head is of 

 chert or flint. The same remark applies to some of the other implements. 



