500 



Proeeedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



paratively rare. The change in the position of the loops is, I think, 

 best explained by the influence of the leaf -shaped form. 



The introduction of the new type among a people accustomed to the 

 loop as a mode of attachment would lead naturally to some such com- 

 promise until they had mastered the diiSculty of forming rivet holes 

 in the socket. 



A remarkable specimen of this class is shown in figure 25. The 

 upper portion is restored in the drawing. A similar example is 

 figured in " Horae Ferales," supposed to be from Ireland. It will be 

 observed that the ornament, both as regards the punctulations along 

 the sides of the socket and central ridge, and the rings and chevron 

 at the base of the socket, is identical with that on the 

 rapier-like forms (fi.g. 17). It suggests that, notwith- 

 standing the association of the dotted ornament with the 

 earlier forms, the latter type is to be placed in the transi- 

 tional period. 



m 



28 ■ 



(29) 



30' 



27.— (W. 27). One-third. 28.— (W. 27). One-third. 29.— (W. 30). One-third. 

 30. — Shannon Drainage Works (W. 33). 15J inches 



Spear-heads of Class III. appear to be rather more common in Eng- 

 land than in Ireland. Evans gives the localities of more than thirty 

 specimens. They are, he adds, "occasionally found in Scotland" 

 {I.e. p. 331). 



