A NEOLITHIC FLOOR.
251
party of its members to inspect his discoveries, and he freely
placed all the facts at the Club's disposal.
This visit took place on the 15th October last, and it proved
to be of such interest that it was thought that a general account
of what had been seen would be acceptable to the Essex Field
Club.
This account, so far as I am concerned, must, however,
be regarded merely as preliminary, and with a view to making
these discoveries more widely known, so that others having
leisure and opportunity may pursue the investigations further.
Mr. Rand, with a true scientific instinct, cordially invites assis-
tance from anyone who may be interested, and has no desire to
keep either the localities secret, or their investigation to himself.
HAMBOROUGH HILL.
In the first case, I will deal with the site of Ham-
borough Hill, which is a ridge capped with gravels and Bagshot
Sands, about a mile north of Rayleigh. (Plan Fig. i.)
The whole of the top soil on a portion of this site is being
dug out and removed by Mr. Rand, for use in his green-houses,
and during this process a large number of flint-flakes and
implements have been found (See Plate XV.). The implements
are of the small description made from flakes, and comprise
those known as scrapers, arrow-heads, borers, knives, gravers, etc.
Many of these are very small and delicate, while some show on
their upper surface a series of transverse flakings which have,
at first sight, very much the appearance of elaborate secondary
working. A closer inspection, however, shows that such work
could not have been produced after the flake had been struck
off.
Owing to the discovery elsewhere of clusters of similar flakes
on a working floor, it has been possible to replace some of them,
and by this means it becomes quite clear how this simulation
to secondary working, which is often a very delicate ripple
surface, came about. The method employed by the makers of
this type of object was first to prepare the block of flint selected
for operations by working off inequalities and producing an even
surface by finely flaking it all over. After this was done the
larger flakes were struck off, the more suitable being further
manipulated for special purposes Many of these flakes, simply