Archaeological and Historical Collections Relating to Ayrshire & Galloway Volume 7 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1894 Excerpt: ... From the South looking North. from Ihe Eanl looting West. In the strata of red loamy soil, in this hole, the men continued to find bones, large teeth or tusks, also half a jaw-bone with smallish teeth, and a large piece of another jaw with large teeth in it. On questioning the man in charge, he gave it as his opinion, if any further digging was to be done, a couple of shafts might be put down, one on each side, east and west of the central shaft, as the. red loamy soil, in which alone anything was to be found, still extended laterally both ways; whereas, whilst the No. 2 or present centre shaft was full of it, the No. 1 shaft had it only in its south side, and the No. 3 or southernmost shaft only in its northern half. I should say that a very modern-looking iron nail found amongst the rest of the relics was supposed by the workmen to have fallen in from above; also that the bones found in the No. 3 shaft differed from those from the other two shafts, in that they were more solid, darker in colour, and had nearly all been split, for getting at the marrow. Most of the fresherlooking periwinkles and limpets also came out of this shaft. After excavating the third shaft, I ordered the loose earth, which had been previously well turned over and searched, to be filled in again, and work to be stopped until I should get a report on the articles already found, and an opinion as to whether it was worth while proceeding with any more digging in this mound. Operations were resumed on 21st August and continued till the 26th. These results were summarised in the following report by Mr. Andrew D. Page: --" The soil was excavated 8 feet wide from the south side of the third shaft outwards, to the outside of the mound on the south side. A few bones and pieces of flint were ...