358 Descr'iptim of’ a Copper Battle-Acce found in Ratho Bog. 
fixed by a string, or some other means, into the cleft at the end 
of the handle, like the Steinbartes of Shetland. 
The representation of it which is given in Plate VlII. Fig. 14* 
is reduced to about one-third of its real size. 
Among the great number of ancient axes in the Museum of 
the Society of Scottish Antiquaries, there are very few which re- 
semble the present one in shape and structure ; and there is not 
one of them which consists of copper, all of them being made of 
a kind of bronze or bell-metal. 
Out of five of these axes which have a resemblance to the 
one found in Ratho Bog, three were found in Scotland. The 
first, which was discovered at Wauchton in East Lothian, was 
presented to the Society by Mr George Rennie of Wauchton, 
without any description. Another, of less size, was presented by 
Mr Graham of Gartmore ; and the third, of intermediate mag-i 
nitude, was found in one of the fields where the battle of Largs 
was fought. It has several deep spherical hollows in it, appa- 
rently produced by the action of some corroding material. 
The other two axes were found in Ireland. They were pre- 
sented to the Society by the Reverend Edward Ledwich, Vicar 
of Aghaboe, and are described and represented in the Collector- 
nea de Rebus Hihernicis, No. xiii. 
Although all these have a general likeness to the copper one, 
yet they differ from it in many particulars. They all taper 
much more rapidly, and their smaller ends are all less than 
inch in breadth, being only two-thirds of that of the copper 
axe, although their lengths vary from 5 to 7^ inches. 
The axe discovered in the bog at Ratho possesses a peculiar 
interest, from the depth at which it was found. It must have 
been deposited along with the blue clay, prior to the formation 
of the superincumbent stratum of sand ; and must have existed 
before the diluvial operations by which that stratum was formed. 
This opinion of its antiquity is strongly confirmed by the pecu- 
liarity of its shape, and the nature of its composition. 
Edinbuhgh, I 
February 18S^. j 
D. B. 
