Macalistee, &c. — Bronze-Age Interment near Naas. 357 



one smaller — possibly a female. There are three parietal bones, and two 

 portions of occipital bone, each with the mid-internal occipital protuberance. 

 There are remains of at least two femora recognizable, and of at least two 

 iilnas. From the number of fragments it is probable that the whole of the 

 two skeletons were represented in the series. Almost all the bones are well 

 burnt." 



The crown of one tooth only was found ; Mr. Gr. Sterling, of Dublin, 

 informs us that it is an upper wisdom tooth of abnormal shape, being 

 unusually long and narrow. In the course of his practice as a dentist he has 

 occasionally come across similar examples, but so extreme a specimen as this 

 is very rare. 



A number of bones found at the roots of the large Ash-tree on the 

 opposite side of the standing-stone were examined by Dr. E. F. Scharff, of the 

 National Museum, who reports that they consist of the bones of a large dog 

 of the terrier type, the radius of a large dog of the wolf-hound type, and two 

 small bones of a hare. 



Mr. A. C. Forbes, Chief Forestry Inspector of the Department of 

 Agriculture and Technical Instruction, kindly examined several of the larger 

 fragments of charcoal obtained from the grave. He reports as follows : — 



" The larger fragments of wood consisted of two species, the majority 

 being pieces of slowly grown Oak, probably from the main stem or butt of an 

 old tree, as the annual rings were very narrow, and contained little autumn 

 wood. In addition to the Oak, there were two short pieces of charred twig 

 or small branch aboirt an inch in diameter, and made up of three annual 

 rings. The structure of the wood resembled that of Hazel more closely than 

 the wood of any other common European species, having a small but distinct 

 circular pith, fairly marked rings, fairly large and numerous medullary rays, 

 and vessels arranged in radial lines. Compared with freshly cut specimens of 

 Hazel, the chaiTed wood appeared to have sUghtly larger vessels, and less 

 distract rings, suggestive of badly ripened wood, grown in a damp climate. 

 A number of other fragments of charcoal embedded in clay could not be 

 distinctly identified, but were probably Birch or Hazel." 



5. Conclusions. 



In endeavouring to interpret the details observed, we have to consider 

 the following questions : — 



(1) The relation to one another of («) the cist and its contents, (5) the 

 stone, and (c) the enclosure. 



