378 Proceedings of the Eoyal Irish Acadoinj. 



On the under side there is only a very small piece dressed near tlie 

 point. The stem and barhs do not seem to have been fully formed, 

 and all the undi'essed parts show the original faces of the flake fi'om 

 which the implement was formed. "We might, therefore, look on this 

 specimen as an arro-w-head in process of development, and I drew 

 attention to it in the Journal of the Royal historical and Archaeological 

 Association of Ireland^ vol. viii., p. 232. Yet I have no doubt it 

 would be serviceable in its present condition, and if the workman had 

 taken a further series of chips all round from both faces, I imagine 

 it would then have presented an appearance similar to fig. 109, 

 which is also a very perfect and well-chipped arrow-head from 

 Portstewart. Veiy fine and perfect arrow-heads have been found at 

 Dundi'um. Figs. 107 and 110 are two handsome leaf-shaped speci- 

 mens. Pig. 112 is stemmed and barbed, and is also a handsome well- 

 made implement from same place, and fig. 113, an imperfect diamond- 

 shaped arrow-head, is also from the Dundrum sites. There are many 

 examples from this place showing the process of development from the 

 simple flake. An arrow-head from Portstewai't, with indentui-e in base, 

 is shown in flg. 114, jS"o. XIII. The figiures shown on ]^o. XIIL, 

 together with those referred to as previously figured, and also the 

 specimens figiu'ed on PI. XIII. of first report fi'om Bundoran, give a 

 fair idea of the types of arrow-heads found in the sand-bill sites. The 

 leaf-shaped is the most abundant, stemmed and barbed eome next, then 

 the indented, and lastly the diamond-shape. As far as I know, 

 specimens of spear -heads, with polished faces, have not been found in 

 any of the sand-hills, nor were any examples found of the allied kite- 

 shaped variety without polishing. 



The question has been put to me, Were any arrow-heads ever dug 

 out of the black layer ? The coarse badly made implements from 

 Whitepai'k Bay were undoubtedly dug out by myself from the pre- 

 historic surface in connexion with other remains, but in the other 

 sites I cannot call to recollection any instance of an arrow-head having 

 been excavated from an undisturbed piece of old surface. Yet this is 

 not to be considered strange when we take into account the large 

 amount of old sui'face one may sometimes dig without finding anything, 

 and a small aiTow-head would be hard to find even if a spadeful 

 containing it was turned over, whilst fiint aiTow-heads, and other 

 objects, are easily observed, owing to their whitish colour, after the 

 rain and wind have removed the material in which they were imbedded. 

 I suppose the question is meant to show doubt as to aiTow-heads being 

 of the same age as the other objects which have been excavated from 



