MODES OF HANDLING. 15 



eight,* no two of which, were cast in the same mould. 

 They vary in size from an inch to a foot in length and 

 may be divided into three principal classes (figs. 4-6) accord- 

 ing to the manner in which they were handled ; though we 

 must remember that there were many intermediate forms. 

 The first class (figs. 1, 4, 7, 9, 10, and 11) is the simplest in 

 form, and is considered by some antiquaries, as, for instance, 

 by Sir "W. R. Wilde, f to be the oldest, partly because they are 

 " evidently formed on the type of the old stone celts," (conf. 

 figs. 7 and 72) partly because some of them (nearly thirty 

 for instance in the Dublin Museum) are of red, almost un- 

 alloyed, copper, and are " almost the only antique implements 

 of any kind formed out of" this metal, and partly because 

 the copper ones at least are always unornamented. On the 

 other hand, the simplicity of form exhibited by the copper 

 axes, which may be observed in those from other countries 

 as well as from Ireland, is perhaps to be accounted for by 

 the great difficulty of casting copper, so that the founders, 

 when dealing with that metal, would naturally confine them- 

 selves to the simpler forms. There can be little doubt that 

 these simple celts were handled in the manner indicated 

 (fig- 4). 



Evidently, however, the blade would at every blow tend 

 to split the handle in which it was placed. To remedy this 

 defect, a stop or ridge was raised across the celt, and the 

 metal and wood were made to fit into one another (figs. 2 

 and 5). This second form of celt is known as a Paalstab, or 

 Paalstave, and has often a small loop on one side (the sup- 

 posed use of which is indicated in the figure), as well as a 

 wing on each side. 



A still farther improvement consisted (figs. 3, 6, 12) in 

 reversing the position of the metal and the handle, making 



* In the Museum at Edinburgh are more than 100, at Copenhagen 350. 

 f Cat. p. 361. 



