IOO [Proc. B.N.F.C, 



On 1 6th December Mr. W. J. Knowles read a paper "On 

 Prehistoric Remains at Portstewart." 



The remains in question were found among sandhills in the 

 neighbourhood of Portstewart, and consisted of about 600 manu- 

 factured flint implements (arrow-heads, scrapers, &c), several 

 manufactured bone articles, pottery, pierced stones (netweights, 

 &c), " Tilhuggersteens," hammer-stones, portions of rough and 

 polished stone celts, querns, grain-rubbers, beads, &c, with bones 

 of man, dog, the ox, horse, sheep, deer, pig, &c, and edible shells 

 of various species. The author had found these while exploring 

 the sandhills during the past four or five years. They were found 

 chiefly in pits among the sandhills, accompanied with great quan- 

 tities of flint flakes, cores, &c. Some of the articles were found 

 lying exposed on the bottom of the pits, and others were procured 

 by excavation from blackened layers appearing on the sides of the 

 pits. Those blackened layers represent the ancient surface, and 

 the thickness of the sand that has accumulated over them amounts 

 to from 10 to 30 feet. At Portrush and Castlerock, places a few 

 miles distant from Portstewart, pits of a similar nature are found, 

 from which the author procured flakes, cores, bones, &c. The 

 author's attention was first directed to the place by Mr. Campbell 

 Leetch, of Cullybackey, who while strolling among the sandhills 

 sat down to rest, and on casting his eyes about him, discovered 

 an arrow-head among some flint flakes. 



On 13th January Mr. Mann Harbison read a paper " On the 

 Origin of Eskers."* 



Beneath the vegetable soil of many of our fields there is a mass 

 of clay, mixed with stones of various sizes, more or less rounded, 

 but not at all occurring in regular layers. The superficial accu- 

 mulation has been usually termed in Scotland " Till," a word in 

 common use in Ulster also, but is now generally called by geolo- 



* By a special resolution of the Club this paper is published in extenso. 



