R. J. Ussher—Caves and Kitchen-midden at Carrigagower. 5138 
blackened, though they exhibited no appearance of dendrites. In 
some instances they appeared to have been burned, and charcoal was 
very frequently found adhering to them and in their interstices. 
Numbers of sea-shells occurred through the accumulation. Seven 
species of these were noted, the most common being limpet and 
periwinkle. Many shells of the common garden-snail also occurred. 
With the above were found several articles of human use. Sharpen- 
ing-stones of different sizes, flat circular pebbles, hammer-stones, 
flint-flakes artificially chipped, a fragment of wheel-made pottery, 
two iron knives of an antique form, an iron chisel, and a large flat- 
headed iron nail, some slag anda piece of jet (?). A portion of a jet 
bracelet had previously been found in the same brown surface-earth 
‘ close to this spot. J.J. Smyth, Hsq., to whose kind assistance we 
are much indebted, found in a recess, close to the above spot, a por- 
tion of the upper stone of a quern imbedded in earth. Near the 
centre of the quarry, a portion of a cave remains that has been 
partly quarried away. In this was discovered, with bones of deer 
and ox, part of another stone, very similar to the above portion of a 
quern, with a flat surface and a circular hole in it, though not in a 
direction exactly perpendicular to the surface. In the surface of an 
adjoining field a deeply indented arrow-head of flint was found some 
time since, and labourers employed on the spot say that triangular 
chipped flints have frequently been met with there. The surface- 
earth around the quarry contains many bones of ox, goat, and pig, 
showing that the spot had been the site of some human habitation 
for a considerable lapse of time. 
Further explorations in this cavern have been postponed, but will 
be resumed presently. 
The following is an Extract from a Report by Robert Day, Esq., 
F.S.A., on the Implements found at Carrigagower, Co. Cork. 
The iron objects are peculiarly interesting, as examples of very 
early domestic articles—comprising a chisel and two knives. The 
larger of these has a portion of the wooden haft still adhering to it, 
and the turn-up on the handle part, designed for securing it effec- 
tually, occurs on a larger knife in my collection which was found at 
Larne, Co. Antrim. These objects lack the peculiar blue or cobalt 
patina that is so frequently found on iron tools from Irish crannogs. 
The oblong stone with polished sides is a burnisher or whetstone, 
upon which probably the knives were sharpened. The broken 
stone may either have been a hone stone or a chisel-shaped celt. If 
it was found in the same deposit as the iron objects, I should say it 
was another polisher, as it is not probable that a chisel of the ad- 
vanced iron type would be found in conjunction with one of stone. 
Two of the natural pebbles are hammer-stones, and the third, with 
its ground and partly polished face, is one of a type commonly met 
with in the North of Ireland. In this the central depression is 
barely defined, but in others it is much more fully developed, so 
. that I have long come to the conclusion that, while serving some 
purpose (perhaps for grinding the broken points of arrow-heads), 
they were made to pay a double debt, and served as amulets! I 
DECADE Il.—VOL. VII.—NO. XI. 33 
