MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 



83 





over 14 feet, having at one end 2ft. 3 in., and at the other 

 lft. llin. of solid timber ; the inside width is about 2ft., 

 tapering to 16in. : the highest part is just 

 14in., and, inside, 10in. In the thick end 

 a hole is pierced, perhaps for passing a 

 thong or rope of hide through. Many 

 such canoes have been found along the 

 margin of the Clyde about Glasgow, some 

 from " a single oak stem, hollowed out by 

 blunt tools, probably stone axes, aided by 

 the action of fire ; a few cut beautifully 

 smooth, evidently with metallic tools. . . . 

 Those most roughly hewn may be relics 

 of the Stone period ; those more smoothly 

 cut of the Bronze Age."* 



The Ballakaighan canoe rested by the 

 south side of a considerable area — about 

 60 feet by 9 feet, and 5 feet in deepest 

 part — of burnt soil, stones and charcoal. 

 Alongside, south of the canoe, at a lower 

 level, was a row of flat stones resting on 

 the soil and forming the edge of two cists, 

 the smaller of which was uncovered, but 

 the other capped by a slab of hard trap 

 rock, 5ft. 6in. by 2ft. 6in. Beneath this, 

 for a depth of 2 feet, was loose soil with 

 twigs and nuts of hazel ; at the bottom, 

 blue clay with broken quartz on the 

 surface. The smaller cist, also filled with 

 loose soil, was divided from the other by 

 a large flat stone set on edge ; its more 

 southern wall, however, was built of flat 

 stones in four layers, and this was con- 



* Glasgow Archaeological Society, Vol. II., p. 46. 



¥ 



Fig. 



