PREHISTORIC INTERMENT NEAR WALTON-ON-NAZE. 199
bones, with the pocket fern trowel I usually carry on these expeditions,
I almost at once felt the form of a skull. Although we had no other
implement than the fern trowel, we at once set to work in earnest to dig
away the soft buttery clay, and throw it out with our hands, until we had
exposed the whole skeleton to view.
I had not taken my camera with me, but fortunately Mr. Miller Christy
was able to supply this want, with a small Kodak. We were anxious to
obtain photographs of the skeleton before the bones were in any way
disturbed. The chief difficulty now was to deal with the water which
filled the hole we had dug. We therefore parted in opposite directions
going in search of old tin cans, to serve to bail out the water. It seemed
that never before had a sea beach been so free from these usually super-
abundant additions, now so much to be desired ! At length I succeeded
in finding a small much damaged tin, while a hail from my companion
announced the discovery of a veritable prize. I also found the wicker-
work lid of a hamper, which very materially assisted in carrying away
the smaller bones.
Even then our difficulties were not at an end. It was not possible to
thoroughly bail out the water without disturbing the position of the
bones. My fellow worker suggested digging another hole beside the
original one, into which the water might drain. Although it was now
getting late, and the light was fading fast, we succeeded in getting this
done in time to take several photographs, which turned out more success-
fully than we anticipated, considering the unfavourable conditions under
which they were taken.
The bones were of the same colour as the clay in which they were
embedded, and so presented difficulties from the point of view of photo-
graphic contrast. We accordingly took some hand-bills of the Walton
steam-boat excursions, a bundle of which we found conveniently on the
beach, and placed them behind the bones in order to throw them into
relief. This may not have been commendable from an artistic point of
view, but it has made the skeleton visible on the photographs, which would
scarcely have been the case without some such device.
We had to deal with this discovery somewhat hurriedly. We should
have liked much more time at our disposal. But unfortunately we were
both obliged to return to London on the next day, and it was certainly
advisable to deal with it at the moment, in the best way we could, rather
than leave it for any considerable time, partially exposed on a site swept
twice a day by the open sea.
The interment was at a depth of about ten feet below the
present salting surface. It had only just been exposed by the
erosion of sea, at the foot of the low cliff which is formed of tidal
silt. The grave was originally dug to a depth of about two feet
six inches from the line of the Buried Prehistoric Surface, which
was the natural surface of the ground at the time the grave was
made. The skull, and many of the other bones of the skeleton,
are covered with a network of markings caused by the rootlets
of plants. The marsh clay in which the interment was found is