356 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



wrote : " The two pieces of coarse pottery may have been parts of a cinerary 

 urn, but, as they are plain, one can say nothing definite about them." He 

 also stated that in Aberdeenshire burials somewhat similar to the one 

 at Fumess are found under or near standing pillar-stones, and that these 

 interments probably belong to the thii-d period of the Bronze Age.' 



Near the pillar-stone, on the opposite side from the cist, a small bronze 

 ring was found (fig. 4). It is of the type generally called harness-rings, and 

 may be of Iron Age date. It is in any case probably later than the contents 

 of the grave. A much-worn Irish haLfpenny of George III was also found 

 in the enclosm-e. Its date appears to be 1801; but it is so much worn that 

 it is impossible to be certain of this. A piece of slag (fig. 9) "was found 

 in the black layer pre^"iously mentioned, but its presence appears to be 

 accidental. 



All the objects in the cist were found mixed up, and in some cases stuck 

 in lumps.of comminuted bone debris, and it was quite impossible to determine 

 their original position in the cist or relation to one another. The date of the 

 burial is difficult to determine, as the pottery fragments are so smaU and 

 unornamented. Stone wrist-guards or bracers are usually found associated 

 with interments belonging to the early Bronze Age ; and it is rather sur- 

 prising to find one in a cremated burial. The bead or toggle does not show 

 any veiy definite characteristics, and the flint knife or arrow-head belongs 

 to a somewhat colourless type met with in Bronze-age burials. 



Therefore, while the interment undoubtedly belongs to the Bronze Age, 

 we hesitate for the present to date it more precisely. Interments in earth- 

 works have been found in England, of which the well-known example called 

 Arbor Low, in Derbyshire, may be mentioned.^ In this case the fosse is 

 within the vallum, and there is a stone circle within the enclosure. An 

 interment was discovered near the centre of this ring. The earth-work of 

 this monument was considered to be of late Xeolithic date, and not intended 

 for habitation. The use of it as a place of sepulture was thought to be later 

 than the period of its construction. 



Mr. T. HaUissy, of the Geological Survey of Ireland, kindly examined the 

 stone objects, and states the bead or toggle to be composed of ferruginous 

 shale, the bracer of trachyte. 



Professor Alexander Macalister, of Cambridge, kindly examined the bones 

 found in the cist, and reports as follows : — 



" There are the remains of at least two skeletons, one a fairly large male> 



' See Eeport on Stone Cireles in Aberdeenshire, Proc. See. of Antiqs. of Scotland, 1901-2, 

 p. 488. (The stones standing alone appear to be the remains of stone circles.) 

 - Arehaeologia, toI. Iviii, p. 461. 



