Coffey — Spear-heacU of the Bronze Age found in Ireland. 499 



socket." The spear-heads, he adds, "were also more readily 

 and furbished when the socket was left as a plain tube " (p. 3 



I do not think these explanations can be sustained. 

 As regards the first, the loops on the socket are rarely 

 found to be injured ; and as regards the second, when 

 the loops were moved up, a greater portion of the socket 

 must have been covered by the cording which attached it 

 to the shaft, and polishing would, therefore, hardly have 

 been facilitated. Moreover, if the polishing of the socket 

 was rendered easier, that of the blade would have been 

 interfered with to some extent by the projections of the 

 loops at the base. 



polished 



27). 



(23; 



(24) 



23. — Knig-htstown, Meath. One-half. 

 25.— (W. 18 



(25) 



24. — One-half. 

 262 inches. 



(26; 



25. — One-fourth. 



But a glance at the numerical summaries given in the succeeding 

 pages will make it apparent that utility did not determine the change 

 in the position of the loops. Had it been so, we should have expected 

 that the improved form would have superseded the older type, and 

 have left us a larger number of representatives. On the contrary, 

 spear-heads with loops connecting the blade with the socket are com- 



