418 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The very few that remained of these stones had dry, coarse, crumbling- 

 mortar between and around them, which was a proof that it belonged 

 to more recent times than the cairn itself. There was no standing 

 wall left, and even its outline at base was destroyed. 



"While removing the debris from the interior, behind the niche in 

 the door-way, and on the floor of the northern gallery, and close to its 

 entrance, was found a large stone, measuring in its widest part across 

 16 inches. In the centre is a round hole, 3 inches deep and 1^ in 

 diameter. The stone itself is of the hard, granular variety of trap or 

 greenstone. Tsb marks of dressing are discernible on its edges or sur- 

 faces, and the rhomboid shape is that not unco mm on to stones of this 

 class. I do not hold myself responsible for anything I might suggest 

 as to the supposed use of this, or any other of the stone objects disco- 

 vered. Being found in that part of the gallery, near to its entrance, 

 as well as a very rotten piece of wood taken out of the hole and thrown 

 away, it might give one the idea that it was a spud-stone. It could 

 not have been a portion of a quern ; possibly it may have served for a 

 rude sundial. But I am no authority, and on these stones I wish to 

 elicit rather than impart information. All material having been re- 

 moved from the floor of the interior, about the north-eastern steps, we 

 came upon a quantity of ashes and turf-mould, under which, on the 

 8th day of March, 1877, was found a slab of sandstone, checkered into 

 thirty-six squares, which I forwarded to the Academy the following 

 evening. The lines on its flat surface have been drawn with accuracy, 

 the four sides, eachnearly 6 inches, delineating almost a complete square. 

 The cross lines, forming the small squares, though not quite all the 

 same size, differ but little in proportion. While clearing at this 

 northern side we found nothing of any importance till we came to the 

 south-east part. Here, taking a line from the left-hand jamb of the 

 interior of the door to the base of the double flight of steps in the 

 south-west, we came upon the following within this space : — The upper 

 strata contained only the old socket of a plough, an iron ring, and 

 some defaced coins, all turned up on the 31st of May. "We next came 

 on a large heap of turf-mould and ashes: close to the entrance of 

 southern gallery, near to which, and buried in the lowest part of this, 

 was found a smooth, flattened, sugar-loaf-shaped stone, with well- 

 cut base, 10 inches long, 15 round base, 14 round centre, and 10 round 

 the top. 



A bead also was dug up. and at a little distance in front of the 

 south-eastern steps some bones were found lying on the floor covered 

 with flags. TJiey were so much decayed that they, as well as the 

 teeth, when touched, nearly all crumbled into dust. These were the 

 only bones found out of the midden, which we will come to speak of 

 presently, and are the ones marked as belonging to the goat, or sheep, 

 and bird. Near to this tor were found wrought and unwrought sling- 

 stones and stone objects, which I regard as warriors' clubs. A dark, 

 flat, heart-shaped stone, with almost obliterated notches in its edge, 

 and several stone discs, were also got here. Close to the founda- 



