62 A Rea—P re-historic Burial-places in Southern India. [No. 2, 
piece was out of place. Tlie contents might therefore be expected to be 
complete. The cracks were sufficiently wide to admit of soil finding its 
way inside along with moisture. This tomb and others I have since 
examined, perfectly corroborate the theory I previously advanced in a 
report to Government, that all such tombs as these seemed to have had 
a lid on the top. I find also on comparing their proportions, that those 
pyriform tombs at Pallavaram are all broken off nearly midway down 
their original depth. This may have been the result of their having 
been placed half their depth in the earth (see PI. X, fig. 4;, the upper 
portion above the ground level being covered with a mound. As the 
mound was washed down, the portion of the tomb above the ground 
level would disappear also. We might account for others remaining 
perfect, with their covers complete, through having—tomb and mound— 
been placed in a hollow depression in the ground. The tumulus 
silting-down would not disperse, but remain and fill up the hollow 
ground. In these burial-places, a considerable silting-down has undoub¬ 
tedly been in progress since the time they were first used; for, 
though they now mostly present a uniformly level appearance, tombs 
at one place may be several feet below the present surface, while at 
others the broken middle circumference of a tomb only appears. This 
would argue irregularity of the ancient surface. The contents of the 
tomb referred to above were four articles and other fragments of glazed 
earthenware (PL XI, figs. 26 to 29), and a large quantity of crumbling 
human bones, all embedded in loose fine-grained earth. 
Fig. 26 is a large bowl-shaped vessel, lOf inches in diameter by 5 
inches deep; black inside, black and red on the exterior; with rim 
mould externally and internally. It is the only one of its class found 
among all the examples I examined. 
Fig. 27 is a conical-shaped vessel, 6 inches in diameter by 6f inches 
deep ; colour, black and red. 
Fig. 28 is cup-shaped, 4f inches in diameter and 5 inches deep; 
black inside, and black and red outside. On the black surface, next the 
rim, is a peculiar attempt at ornament, met with on a few of the articles 
found in this district; I have as yet seen it nowhere else. It seems to 
have been put on in another colour, and this, coming off, has left a dull 
mark on the glazed surface. Some portions of the colour still adhere, 
and it appears of a whitish tinge. The marks are shown as small spots 
or short lines, arranged in groups of seven curved concentric lines, point¬ 
ing diagonally downwards from the rim. (See Plate X, fig. 5.) 
Fig. 29 is a large chatti, 8| inches in diameter and depth ; colour 
red. It is similar to figs. 7 and 22. 
