British Urns found at Hoprig. By Jas. Hardy. 135 



down and polished on one side, and scratched lengthways as if it 

 had been used as a " frizzle" for obtaining light when struck 

 with, or by stricking on, a flint. (Plate VI. Fig. IV.) I have 

 not seen it mentioned that red hematite has been previously met 

 with associated with flints. It is usually a ball of iron pyrites 

 that occurs in this juxtaposition. These balls of red hematite 

 occur in situ at Bilsdean in the Calciferous Sandstone, and at 

 Greenheugh in the Old Red Sandstone ; and they are distributed 

 throughout the Drift. They are are commonly called ''thunder- 

 bolts," and are believed to be such. The Figure is somewhat 

 less than the original. The flints had been obtained by barter. 

 Two of them of a darker grey are of the nature of flakes or cores : 

 Fig. I. which shews the upper and lower surface is broken on 

 the edges, but not dressed ; Fig. III. is a flake with undressed 

 edges. Fig. II. (two views) is of a paler grey, and is carefully 

 dressed on the broadest end, and formed into a scraper for 

 polishing hides : the original white chalky covering is still 

 attached to the convex surface. The FJints are figured of the 

 natural size. All the three have been subjected to fire. A notion 

 of another world not unlike the present, had been entertained in 

 the community of which the deceased was a member. 



A few feet behind this a cavernous pit (Plate I. fig. 3, 4.) was 

 come upon surrounded with a supporting wall of boulder stones, 

 similar in character to those surrounding the great urn, Plate II. 

 These stones were a necessity to prevent the sand from slipping 

 inwards. The hollow was '6 feet by 4 feet 2 inches in diameter, 

 and 2 feet 8 inches deep. The sand and soil in the interior were 

 mixed with wood charcoal and burnt bones, but there was nothing 

 else to indicate its object. A ponderous sandstone slab lay at 

 the bottom, which must have entailed much labour to convey to 

 the place. It was left undisturbed, being taken for a bottom 

 stone, when I visited the spot on April 15th. 



I returned on the 18th when Eev. Mr Hunter joined us. A 

 now digging was made on the south side, where much black 

 earth was conspicuous, and very soon this was seen to be mingled 

 with an accumulation of burnt bones and wood charcoal. From 

 among the relics of mortality I picked up a considerable number 

 of fragments of a medium sized urn, which from being blackened 

 in the interior, had been used for burial purposes ; and both 

 ashes and charcoal as well as bones still adhered to portions of 

 it. (Plate I. fig. 5. Plate V.) In going deeper, the deposit wa§ 



