152 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



As the material for studying ancient Irish osteology is still lamentably 

 scanty, I purchased the contents of both cists from the farmer, and have now 

 the pleasure of handing them over to the custody of the Academy. The 

 farmer at first expressed his intention of removing the cists out of the way of 

 his tillage, but after a little persuasion he at least promised to consider the 

 possibility of filling them in, leaving the side stones in position, and removing 

 the cover-slabs only. 



The following are Professor Dixon's notes on the bones : — 



A — A young adult male. Shull brachycephalic; length, 180; breadth, 150; 



cranial index, 81'8. All the sutures open. Parietal and frontal eminences 



prominent. A distinctly pentagonal outline presented by the skull when 



viewed from behind. The mastoid processes, which contained large air-cells, 



Fig. 2. — Fooil-vessel in CUl A. 



Fig. 



-Food-vessel in Cist B. 



are broken off. The muscular ridges of the occipital region and the temporal 

 lines are not very well marked. The supraciliary ridges are moderate in 

 development, and the supra-orbital triangle in the region of the zygomatic 

 process of the frontal bone is well marked and ilat. The lower part of the 

 frontal region is nearly vertical, and the glabella is not marked. The fi-agment 

 of the right maxilla contains the two right bicuspids and the first and second 

 molars. The third molar has fallen out ; judging from the socket, it must 

 have been small in size with undivided root. The bone near the anterior 

 nasal opening is missing. MoMdiblc—V oovly developed; the ramus is 

 rather small and narrow from the front backwards. The mandibular 

 notch is deep. The basal part of the jaw is not well developed. On both 

 sides the second premolar has been lost during life. The first on each side 

 has fallen out and is missing, and the third molars have not erupted. 



