494 James, Carter — On a Bos primigenius Jdlled ivlth a Celt. 



whicli it has been applied in this instance. The greater portion of 

 the fragment lies within the cavity of the sknll, rather more than 

 half an inch projecting from it. The transverse fracture is evidently 

 an old one — the broken end being patinated equally with that of any 

 other portion of the celt ; and it is reasonable to infer that it was 

 produced by the violence employed in killing this huge animal. 



Neolithic Flint Celt, found imbedded in the frontal bone of the skull of Bos primi- 

 geniuSy from the Cambridgeshire Fens (reduced one-third nat. size). Fig. 1. The 

 broad surface. Fig. 2. The profile. Fig. 3. The end view. 



On inspecting the wound in the skull, in order to ascertain the 

 probable manner in which it had been produced, it is evident that it 

 is precisely such as would have been made by the flint implement 

 which is implanted in it : its edges are irregularly splintered and 

 depressed, and in contour at the upper and outer part it corresponds 

 accurately with that of the celt ; unfortunately the skull had been 

 broken across at the level of the upper margin of the orbits in such 

 a way as to interfere with the fractured opening, and a portion of 

 bone has fallen away, a natural separation having taken place at the 

 mid-frontal suture, so that it cannot now be ascertained whether the 

 lower portion of the opening corresponded in outline with that of 

 the celt, as does the upper part. It is, however, clearly manifest 

 from the characters of the wound, that the flint could not have been 

 placed in its present position — either by accident or design — after 

 the facial bones had been broken away from the rest of the skull. 

 Moreover, the supposition that the fracture was produced during the 

 life of the animal, or, at least, whilst the skull was yet fresh and 

 retained its animal matter, is confirmed by the fact that the small 

 fragments of bone which were detached from the edges of the 

 wound did not fall away, as they would have done in a dried skull, 



