8 



Recent Excavations at Stonehenge. 



exceptions, all of diabase more or less porphyritic. Two are 

 porphyrite (formerly known as felstone or hornstone). Two are 

 argillaceous sandstone. 



Mr. William Cunnington, F.G.S., in a valuable paper, "Stonehenge 

 Notes," 1 records the discovery of two stumps of " bluestones " now 

 covered by the turf. One of these lies in the inner horseshoe 

 between Nos. 61 and 62, and 9 feet distant from the latter. It is 

 diabase. The other is in the inner circle between Nos. 32 and 33, 

 10 feet from the former, and consists of a soft calcareous altered 

 tuff, afterwards designated for the sake of brevity " fissile rock." 



The altar stone is of micaceous sandstone. 



All these rocks, excepting the sarsens, are foreign to the locality, 

 but I am informed by my friend, Professor Judd, that there is no 

 reason why they should not have been found on the plain in the 

 vicinity of Stonehenge, having been transported there as glacial 

 drift. 



All the rocks were represented in the chippings which were 

 found in the excavations. 



The Excavations. 



The excavations were begun on the south-west side of the leaning 

 stone, by opening up the ground in three sections, I., II., III. as 

 shown on the plan (Fig. 2.) 



Section I. was first excavated, then Section III., and lastly 

 Section II. As each was completed it was partially filled with 

 concrete before the next was proceeded with. The concrete was 

 put in in such a manner that its front face formed a perpendicular 

 wall against which the stone would rest when set up. 



This procedure was necessary, as it would have been unsafe to 

 have exposed and left unsupported the whole of the base of the 

 monolith at one time. 



In Section III. an oak log was driven into the chalk and em- 

 bedded in the concrete wall opposite the lowest point of the base 

 to prevent any slipping of the stone when it was being raised. 



1 Wilts Arch. Mag., xxi. 141—149. 



