ON THE AGE OF STONE CIRCLES. 377 



Standiny Stone XIII. — An area, 20 feet square, was trenched down 

 to the iron-ore layer round this large standing-stone. The stone was not 

 disturbed, and the tussock round it was left untouched. The only thing 

 found here was portion of a radius, probably of ox, in the S.E. corner of 

 the excavation, at a depth of 07 foot. 



Prostrate Stone XIV. — An excavation was made at the S. end of this 

 stone. It was found that a hole had been made only sufficiently large 

 for the base of the stone ; the hole penetrated the layer of bog iron-ore. 

 The depth of the hole below the surface of the plateau (inside) was 

 31 feet ; depth below the depression on the S.S.W. side, I'l foot. Here, 

 again, we found nothing. 



Hole on the N. W. of the Plateau. — Soon after our arrival a small hole 

 or depression, maximum depth 1 foot from the level of the surrounding 

 turf, attracted my attention, but a very hasty survey of the surroundings 

 showed that it was considerably within the line of the true circle of 

 stones, and that probably it did not mark the site from which a monolith 

 had been removed. A rectangular area, 10 by 8 feet, was pegged ofi 

 round this depression and was carefully excavated. The iron-ore floor 

 was reached at 1 '3 foot from the surface in all parts, except where the 

 actual hole occurred. Above the iron and between it and the 05 foot of 

 brown peat was the usual peaty mould. At the iron-ore floor the hole 

 was found to be roughly circular and 3 -5 feet in diameter, from which the 

 sides gradually tapered to almost a point at the bottom ; total depth from 

 the surface of the plateau, 3'1 feet. No relics, or charcoal, or other 

 substances were found ; and the purpose of the little hole was not ascer- 

 tained. 



JExcavations thnmgh the Vallum. 



Two cuttings, each 10 feet wide, were made through the vallum, both 

 near the entrance on the W.S.W. The lower margin of the westerly 

 cutting was about -15 feet from the middle of the entrance, and the 

 excavation was made in continuation of Cutting 2 through the fosse. 

 The upper margin of the S.W. cutting was about 26 feet from the middle 

 of the entrance, and the excavation was made in continuation of 

 Cutting 5 through the supposed position of the fosse in this part of the 

 earthwork. 



Cutting 2. — The old surface line under the rampart could not be very 

 distinctly traced, but its depth from the crest varied from 1'3 to 1*6 foot 

 The rampart was made up to some extent by blocks of granite mixed 

 with black earth 



Cutting 5. — The old surface line was traced with some difficulty at a 

 depth of 1"5 foot below the crest of the rampart. The upper 6 inches, as 

 elsewhere, consisted of peaty turf and black mould, below which the 

 earth, mixed with some granite stones, became of a more ferruginous 

 nature. 



Excavations into tlie Northern Fosie, amd Cuttings made in the endeavour of 

 ascertaining whether a Fosse ever existed in the Southern portion of the Circle. 



Twelve cuttings were made of various dimensions, three being on the 

 N. and W. in places where the original existence of a fosse within the 

 vallum was clearly observable, and nine smaller cuttings made from the 

 W.S.W. to the E.N.E. in positions within the vallum in which a cut ditch 

 would be found if any had existed from the days of the construction 



