ON THE AGE OF STONE CIRCLES, 373 
Both Fernacre and Stannon Circles have an outlying stone near to ; 
the former on the E., the latter on the N.N.E. The former, as viewed 
from the centre of the circle, does not form an exact alignment with the 
summit of Brown Willy, and the use of the latter has not been ascer- 
tained. 
Another point to be noticed in this group of circles is that none of the 
circles can be seen from the others, with the exception of the Trippet 
Stones, which, viewed from the Stripple Stones, stands out grandly along 
the sky-line ; but the Stripple Stones are not well seen from the Trippets. 
All the circles are highly placed above sea-level. The Trippet Stones 
are the lowest, about 799 feet, whilst the Fernacre Circle is the highest, 
about 925 feet above mean sea-level. The Leaze Cirele, about 815 feet ; 
Stannon Circle, about 835 feet ; and the Stripple Stones, about 915 feet. 
In diameter, Fernacre is the largest circle in Cornwall ; allowing for 
irregularities, it averages 145 feet. The Stripple Stones come next with 
a diameter of 1465 feet. Of the others in the group, the diameters are as 
follows : Stannon, 138 feet ; Trippet Stones, 108 feet; and the Leaze 
Circle, 81 feet. These have been estimated with every attention to 
accuracy. Mr. Tregelles gives the diameters as 146, 145, 138, 103, and 
80 feet respectively. 
Hxploration of the ‘ Red Hills’ of the Hast Coast Salt Marshes.— 
Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor R. MELDOLA 
(Chairman), Mr. F. W. Rupuer (Secretary), Mr. C. H. Reap, 
and Mr. T. V. Houmes. (Drawn up by the Secretary.) 
As the Committee were appointed without any grant, they have not been 
able to undertake any active work in the field. It happened, however, 
that all the members of this Committee were also members of the ‘ Red 
Hills Exploration Committee,’ which, at the suggestion of Mr. I. Chalkley 
Gould, had been appointed jointly by the Essex Archeological Society 
and the Essex Field Club. This Committee carried out last autumn 
some important investigations in certain ‘red hills’ in the parish of 
Langenhoe, in N.E. Essex, where permission to dig had been obtained 
by Dr. H. Laver of Colchester, who acted as director of the excavations. 
Three mounds were systematically examined, under the careful superin- 
tendence of Mr. Francis W. Reader, whilst a cursory examination was 
made of several neighbouring hills. These mounds yielded numerous 
fragments of the coarse red pottery so common in the ‘ Red Hills,’ with 
a few of the characteristic objects of red ware known as wedges and 
T -pieces, such as were exhibited at the last meeting of the British Asso- 
ciation. Fragments of a finer dark-coloured pottery were also found, 
and one mound yielded a portion of a large bowl believed to be of Late 
Celtic age. The other objects exhumed included fragments of hard 
vitrified slag and animal bones, with antlers of the red deer. The site of 
all the ‘ red hills’ in the districts of Langenhoe, Wigborough, and Mersea 
have been accurately laid down by Mr. W. H. Dalton on the 6-inch 
maps kindly supplied by the Director of the Ordnance Survey. 
The Joint-Committee have issued an interim report, in which they 
express the opinion that the work is not yet sufficiently advanced to justif, 
any definite conclusion as to the origin and uses of the ‘red hills.’ 
Further exploration is therefore to be undertaken, and in order to assist 
in this work your Committee ask to be reappointed, with a grant of 101. 
