Vol 5 - Dumfriesshire & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian ...

40 Transnctio7is.guessed it to be one, and tliinking it miglit be full of coinsemptied out the contents with his knife. Mr Dickie arriving onthe scene, got him to replace the contents, Avhicli appeared to benothing but clay, or rather fine sand. In looking about theynoticed some pieces of bone, and these they also put into theurn. Mr Dickie gave the urn to me, which I now exhibit andpresent to this Society. On visiting the place I ascertained thatit was lying on its side, and was at the depth of four feet and ahalf below the surface. It is of red clay, burnt, unglazed, veryfine in texture, ornamented with three lines—two at its widestpart, with a row of dots between, and one J inch from the top.Between the top line and that next below there are fine diagonalcross-lines. The three lines are clearly cut as if made by a sharpinstrument. From the accompanying drawing, kindly made byMr Robert Barbour, its dimensions will be easily seen. It is 2^inches high, 1^ inches in diameter at the base, and slopes gracefullyto its greatest diameter, which is 3 inches at 1^ from thebase, then gradually contracts to 2^ inches at the top. Thereare two small holes pierced through one side about half an inchapart.I have looked carefully for a lid or covering, and also fora larger urn, but up to the present have not discovered either.On Friday evening Mr Barbour and I visited the place, and ondigging to the depth of 4^- feet we found numerous pieces ofbones, lying on the same level as the urn had been, and within aradius of IJfeet. These bones we collected, also two pieces ofcharcoal, and some of the darker coloured sand witli a piece ofthe skull embedded therein. The fragments of bones are notlarger than an inch and a half, and are evidently portions of ahuman skeleton, and I think a full grown male. However, Ihave these specimens for further examination by experts if desirable.When the greystone was buried, I have ascertained thata hole was dug at the side, and that it was pushed into it, in thedirection from the wall or towards the north. The urn wasfound on the south side of the stone when buried, and we foundthe fragments of bones on the south side of the place where thestone had lain, so we may conclude that the urn and bones werevery close together, and that they were buried in a grave fourand a half feet below the present level of the field, or three feetand a half below the top layer of soil, and that the greystoneoriginally marked the site of this interment. From these particulars,I venture to express the opinion that the urn is an