168 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The saucer-shaped vessel, also from the Blasket Islands, formerly described 

 as a paten, fig. 4 b, in Mr. Armstrong's paper, weighs 205 grammes, and its 

 specific gi'a\ity is 2'73. Extracted with ether it yielded 0'39 gramme of a 

 brown gi-ease. This corresponds to 0-19 per cent, of the weight of the vessel — 

 a much larger proportion than the other vessels yielded. The grease has no 

 definite melting-point; it more nearly approaches an oily consistence at 

 ordinary temperatru-es than the gi'ease from the other vessel from the same 

 place. The gi-ease is completely soluble in alcohol ; it is easily saponified ; and 

 it yields a uiLxture of fatty acids semifluid at ordinary temperatures. This 

 grease is sufficiently different fi'om that obtained from the so-called chalice 

 to suggest that the two vessels were not associated in iise. 



The Dowtli vessel (fig. No. 9, Plate xxi., of Mr. Armstrong's paper) weighs 

 1456 grammes, and its specific giavity is 2-.33. Ether extracted from it a 

 brown, greasy substance, weigliing 007 gramme, or rather less than 0005 per 

 cent, of the weight of the vessel. The giease is of about the same colour and 

 consistence as that obtained from the Bally betagli lamp. It has no definite 

 melting-point, burns witli a smoky flame, dissolves in alcoliol ; and the solution 

 behaves like a mLxture of fatty acids. 



There is one feature common to all these stone vessels — tliey all contain a 

 brown, gieasy substance, which I Ijelieve to be a mixture cliicfly of fatty acids. 

 It is manifestly not a constituent of any rock occuning in Ireland. The 

 presence of this grease is at once accounted for if we suppose the vessels to 

 have been used for burning some kind of fatty matter, as we know similar 

 vessels to Ije used at the present time in various parts of the world. One can 

 scarcely hesitate to adopt the \iew that the vessels are lamps of a primitive 

 type, though not necessai-ily of any great antiquity. 



