106 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The Ballagorry Cairn (fig. 17), Maughold, consisted 

 of a circle of massive stones, 10 yards in diameter, on the 

 north-east side of which was an oblong platform about 

 4 feet high. On its south-east side was a line about 38 feet 

 long of three or more cists, in which were found remains 

 of a skull and other human bones, and a good deal of 

 broken pottery ; at either side was a line of larger stones 

 set on end. The largest piece of pottery must have been 

 part of an urn (food-vessel), about 7 inches diameter at 

 the mouth. About 1825, when a sketch was taken by Dr. 

 Oswald for the "Vestigia antiquiora " (Manks Soc, Vol. 

 V., p. 66), the monument was surrounded by a rough 

 walling of large stones. The covering consisted chiefly of 

 quarried stones laid flat over each other, about 4 feet high, 

 and an incomplete circle stood at the western end. The 

 length from east to west of the remains is 105 feet, breadth 

 at west end 50 feet, at east end 40 feet. The western part, 

 including the circle, is 70 feet long, the east portion 35 

 feet, and lower than the other. There are also traces of a 

 cross wall (a). The arc of the semi-circle is 70 feet, and 

 the distance between the outer stones 32 feet. Oswald, 

 1860, had seen the platforms, the stones of which were 

 used in building a new house. The circle remained 

 untouched, its diameter being 10 yards — the circumfer- 

 ence of the whole ruin is 90 yards. The largest stones 

 are 10 feet high, and between the two central ones is an 

 opening into the first cist 20 inches wide. In this cist, 

 10 feet long and 5ft. 6in. wide, with side stones leaning 

 towards each other at the top, we found black carbonaceous 

 and grey unctuous earth, with fragments of charcoal. 

 Under the side stones were pieces of human bone — 

 portions of a skull with the suture open, upper jaw bone, 

 with teeth regular and sound, evidently of a young person, 

 and other fragments ; also pieces of at least two urns. 



