348 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



flakes, and some as whole pebbles. The usual split pebbles of other 

 Tiard rock were also found at this place. In another pit we found not only- 

 dog- whelk broken up as we had found it at other places, but also some 

 broken cockles, with whole cockles, periwinkles, and limpets all mixed 

 up together, 



MoLFiN, CouNTT Donegal. 



This was the name given by the fishermen to a place about half-an- 

 hour's walk from Carnveagh. Here we found a large pit in the centre 

 of which was a mound about 70 paces in length, and nearly as much in 

 breadth. At the top it showed a small piece of the old surface or blacK 

 layer, and from this the mound sloped down to the bottom of the sand- 

 pit, giving the mass the appearance of a cone. The sloping sides were 

 strewn with broken and split pebbles and shells of oyster, mussel, 

 limpet and cockle, also with teeth and split bones of cow and sheep, or 

 goat. We got one fine hammerstone. 



Having found the dog- whelk, which is not considered an edible 

 shell, in so many places, and so mixed up with other shells as if they 

 had all been used in the same way, we asked the fishermen who 

 rowed us from place to place, if they knew or had ever heard of anyone 

 using the dog-whelk for any purpose, and they said they never knew or 

 heard of the inhabitants using it for food, bait, or any other purpose 

 whatever, but about twenty years ago a French vessel was dismasted 

 and was obliged to put into Inishman, another neighbouring island, and 

 the sailors of this vessel selected the dog whelk by preference for eating. 

 " They would not," they said " eat any other kind." Knowing of the 

 broken condition in which the dog-whelk is usually found in the sand- 

 hills, we asked the men if they knew whether the French sailors broke 

 the shells in order to extract the animals, but as to this they could not 

 inform us. 



Balltness, County Donegal. 



On continuing our journey northwards we visited Ballyness Bay. 

 I have already reported on this site, but Mr. Coffey had not previously 

 seen it. Nothing requiring special mention was found on the first 

 day, but two days later Mr. and Mrs. Coffey, Miss Edith Oldham, and 

 Miss Edwards returned to Ballyness Bay from Dunfanaghy. I was 

 not able to accompany them, but Miss Oldham in a letter informing 

 me of the results of their day's exploration says : — " "We spent yester- 

 day on the sandhills at Ballyness. "We did not find anything till quite 



