166 REPORT— 1876. 



Oh the Laplanders and People of the North of Europe. 

 By H, V, HtriCBOLDT v. d. Hokck. 



The Classijlcation of Arroiu-heads. By W. J. Knowies. 



The author objected to the jiresent classification. One author applies the term 

 triangular to a slightly' indented type of arrow-head, and indented to a more 

 deeply indented type, while another includes under the name triangular both 

 triangular and indented arrow-heads. He .also objected to the term leaf-shape, 

 as stemmed and indented arrow-heads often closely resemble leaves. He suggested 

 that " ovate " for broad and short, and " lanceolate " for the narrow and elongated 

 forms, would be more appropriate type names for the so-called leaf-shape. PIo also 

 objected to arrow-heads with four straight edges but much more elongated at one 

 end than the other being classed as lozenge-shaped. This form has often the edges 

 of the base arched outv/ards and those of the point inclining inwards. He would 

 include such under the name kite-shape, and apply the term lozenge-shaped onlj' to 

 those arrow-heads which had four edges of equal length. He would apply the term 

 triangular only to arrrow-heads having tliree straight edges ; and indented to those 

 which were indented at the base, whether much or little. Those which had a 

 central tang or stem, whether barbed or not, he would, to save confusion, include 

 under the term stemmed. He considers that this arrangement would retain many 

 of the old terms with which we are familiar, and yet considerably improve matters. 

 Our classification would then bo stemmed, indented, triangidar, ovate, lanceolate, 

 lute-shaped, lozenge-shaped ; and if the term leaf-shaped has got too great a hold 

 to be given up he suggests that it could be retained and ovate and lanceolate dropped 

 for the present. 



Additional ReinarJcs on the Find of Prehistoric Olyccls at Purtsteivart. 



By W. J. Knowles. 



The author referred to the objects (arrow-heads, scrapers, &c.) which he had 

 found in pits among sandhills at Portstewart, at the tiufe he brought the matter 

 before the Belfast meeting in 1874, and stated that the most remarkable find since 

 that time had been about a dozen very small heads of serpentine, concave on one 

 side and convex on the other, which probably formed jjart of a necklace that had been 

 lost, or which had been placed in an urn at the time of an interment. They were 

 all found within a few yards of the same spot. He also found one of those stones 

 known as Tilhiiggersteens or oval tool stones ; and from being found with the flict 

 implements, he argued that it belonged to the Stone Age. He also found bones and 

 a portion of deei-horn v.'hich had been deeply cut, and he endeavoured to show, 

 from experiments made by himself on a common beef-bone with a flint flake, that 

 the cutting had been made by flint tools. 



On Bosjes SIcidh. By Dr. Knox. 



On the Origin of Instinct. By Rev. J. M'Caxn, D.D. 



On the Gaelic Inluibitants of Scotland. By Hector MacLean. 



The author gave some of the results of his investigations into the non-Aryan 

 element of the Gaelic tongue, and argued for the existence in Scotland of one or 

 more pre-Keltic races, who were gradually kelticized by the Caledonians and other 

 invaders from the east. 



