96 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



the majority are not known further than that they have been found in Ireland. 

 But, from the known localities, they seem, like the copper celts, to have been 

 found in all parts of the island ; and local distinctions of type, if they existed, 

 are not now possible. 



Of the 49 mentioned, 20 have localities, as follows : — Antrim 1, Cavan 3, 

 Eoscommon 2, Galway 8, Meath 1, King's County 1, Queen's County 1, Clare 1, 

 Limerick 1, Cork 1. Seven of those from G-alway represent a single find, 

 which gives that county an undue proportion. In addition to these may be 

 mentioned : — 6 in the Day Collection — Fermanagh 1, King's County 1, 

 and Cork 4 ; 1 from County Wexford is in the British Museum, and 1 

 from County Donegal is in the Evans Collection.^ 



Types. 



Arranged in series. No. 1, Plate I., appears to be the earliest. It is small 

 (5f inches), quite plain, without mid-rib, blunt-rounded at point, and has 

 four rivet-holes. The figures in the plates are reduced to \ full size (linear), 

 and, in addition to a current number, that in Wilde's Catalogue, or the 

 Eegister reference since 1862, the date of the publication of the Catalogue, 

 is given in all cases. 



The developed, longer, and somewhat curved, more pointed but still 

 blunt-rounded blades have almost always three rivets, often with large, well- 

 rounded heads. The small, straighter blades, which seem to pertain more to 

 the type of jSTo. 1, often have , on the contrary, four rivets, though they are 

 also known with three, and the rivet-heads are not a marked feature. For 

 these reasons, I am inclined to regard the short, straight blades, mostly with 

 four rivets, as the earliest type. Some of the blades show, however, rather 

 advanced casting, and such are probably well on in the period. 



Numbers 2, 3, 4 illustrate these short, straight blades. They run to 

 about 9 or 10 inches in length; and, allowing nearly 2 inches for the handle- 

 plate, the blade will have projected some 7 to 8 inches from the shaft. 



Numbers 5 to 7 represent some short, straight blades of about the same 

 size, with three rivets. The butt is rounded off, as is usual with examples for 

 three rivets ; but No. 5 retains the square butt. No. 6 was found in a bog 

 at Laragh, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. It is not in tlie collection, 

 but lately was in the possession of Mr. E. Gore-Mason, who sent it to the 

 Museum. 



No. 7 is a broad, straight blade with three rivets, found near Mallow, 

 County Cork. It has been analysed. 



^ Scythe-shaped blade from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, " Bronze Implements," p. 263. 



