208 PREHISTORIC INTERMENT NEAR WALTON-ON-NAZE.
antiquity of the skeleton, there is some risk that it may give trouble in
the near future. It is to be hoped that, if it be iron pyrites, it has not
penetrated far into the interior of the bone.
The relics from the Buried Prehistoric Surface are occasionally im-
pregnated with this troublesome mineral. I have had fragments of
prehistoric pottery which have been damaged by its decomposition,
accompanied by the peculiar acid smell which is only too well known to
every collector of fossils.
My thanks are due to Mr. Miller Christy for his assistance in the first
part of the work, to Mr. Clement Reid, F.R.S., Dr. A. B. Rendle, and Dr.
A. Keith. I append a preliminary report on the anatomical features of
the skeleton by Dr. A. Keith, and also a note on the treatment which I
gave to the bones for their preservation.
[After the reading of the paper, Mr. Miller Christy stated that as he
assisted at the unearthing of the skeleton, he was in a position to confirm
the account which had been given. The speaker referred to the fact of the
greater number of the bones of the skeleton having been found, with the
exception of those of the left foot, which had entirely disappeared. Even
some of the small bones of the ear [the malleus and the incus] had been
recovered from the washings. Considerable difficulties were encountered
in carrying out the work, particularly the fading of the evening light and
the rapid rising of the tide which almost threatened to overwhelm the
site before the work could be completed. These difficulties necessitated
the greatest possible expedition.
He had himself found flakes and scrapers of flint, fragments of primi-
tive pottery, and debris of charcoal, in situ in the section of the ancient
surface which was exposed a few feet above the position of the skeleton.
The speaker also dwelt upon the fact of the body having been apparently
bound round by the tough roots of the sand-grass, which may readily be
obtained in long cords many feet in length. The straight position of the
left leg was a remarkable feature of the interment. It was a puzzle of
which no explanation had yet been forthcoming.]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XIV.
Photographic views of the skull in five different positions. The scale
is about 1/3 natural size, in each instance, on the plane that is nearest to
the camera, but becomes less (owing to photographic perspective) on
the planes that are further away. The photographs are not intended
to be used as the basis of measurements.