388 



small animals, such as field-mice, &c. The cavity consists 

 of two circular ends, each six feet in diameter, connected to- 

 gether by a rectangular passage fourteen feet nine inches long." 

 Mr. Caulfield sent up to Dr. Todd a specimen of the 

 smaller bones found in this chamber. When found they were 

 in a moist state, and mixed up with something like hair very 

 fine. 



Captain T. A. Larcom presented, on the part of Mr. 

 Learanke, a bronze sword-blade, with an iron spear-head, and 

 some fragments of a baked clay urn, found with a skeleton 

 buried in an erect posture in a tumulus, in the parish of Kil- 

 tale, barony of Lower Deece, County Meath. The fort is 

 called Croghan Erin, and its situation is shown on sheet 37 of 

 the Ordnance Survey of Meath. 



" The tumulus was in the form of a frustrum of a cone, 

 about twenty yards in diameter at the base, and raised above 

 the level of the adjoining land about twelve feet. 



" The excavation was commenced at the level of the base 

 of the tumulus, and carried in with a nearly perpendicular face. 

 About the centre, at the height of seven feet above the level 

 of the base, a large flag was found, with its bed nearly level, 

 and supported at the back by an upright flag, and at the two 

 ends by large round stones. Under the large flag, with the 

 earth packed around it and over it, a human skeleton was dis- 

 covered in a perpendicular position, the skull being imme- 

 diately below the flag, and the lower extremities a little raised 

 over the level of the base of the tumulus. In the vicinity the 

 spear-heads were taken up. 



" When the entire tumulus was removed a pit was sunk 

 under its base, into what appeared to be made earth, it being 

 soft, and differing from the soil adjoining, which was limestone 

 gravel ; in this, about four feet in depth, the urn was found, 

 and unfortunately shivered into numerous pieces by the blow 

 of a spade. Along with the urn was found a thin piece of 



