182 COMPARATIVE ARCHXOLOGY. 
One (8 discs), found in digging close to the church tower of St. 
Vigeans, Forfarshire (Ibid., vol. xvi., p. 176). 
A greenish stone ball of serpentine, associated with an iron spear- 
head, was found in structures underneath the ruins of St. 
Tredwell’s Chapel, Papa Westray, Orkney (Ibid., vol. xvii., 
p. 137). 
One (4 discs), found on the top of Ben Tharsom, Ardross, Ross-shire 
_ (Ibid., vol. xxxvii., p. 470). 
One (6 discs), found on the rock close to the inside of the wall of 
Dunadd Fort, Argyllshire, on its south side, and about 12 
inches beneath the surface (Plate II., No. 12). In this fort was 
a small circular disc of greenish slate ‘‘ having the word nomine 
incised across the centre in letters somewhat resembling Irish 
minuscules.’’ Also a large assortment of other relics, which 
may be dated as belonging to the sixth century. (Jbid., vol. 
XESLE., DP. lke) ; 
A stone ball broken nearly in half, with thirteen complete round 
knobs remaining, was found at the Bridge of Earn, at a depth 
of 9 feet (Ibid., vol. xlv., p. 315).* 
Of the remaining balls most are without a history, being 
incidentally found in the beds of rivers, peat mosses, cultivated 
fields, etc.- The specimen from the clay and gravel beneath 
the Moss of Cree, in Galloway, suggests a considerable anti- 
quity, as this locality has yielded the remains of a great forest, 
several heads of the Urus, deer horns of great size, canoes, 
stone and bronze celts, and a so-called Roman battle-axe 
(Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., vol. v., pp. 20-29). Some of the 
ornamented balls, and nearly all the smooth polished speci- 
mens, as shown by the tabulated list, were associated with 
pre-historic burials; while a few were, unequivocally, within 
the precincts of some early Christian churches. The contents 
of the Skaill underground dwelling, as Professor Boyd 
Dawkins has shown, bring the chronological range of the balls 
down to early Christian times—a fact which is also suggested 
by the relics associated with the specimen found in the fort 
of Dunadd. For these reasons I am inclined to believe that 
the Scottish stone balls were used as a badge of distinction 
in the performance of judicial and religious ceremonies, some- 
The ‘‘ finds” in the above list to which no reference is given 
are all described in Dr Smith’s paper to the Scottish Antiquaries 
(Proc., vol. xi., pp. 29-62). 
pis dbainsie 
