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A N C I E N T CALEDONIAN SKULL.
TBOM STONE CIST, LESMURDIE, BANFFSHIRE.
(REGION or THE VACOMAGI, LEMP. PTOLEM^I, A.B. l20.)
Cranimn from Lesmurdie Cist.—Quarter-size.
THE accidental openiiig of stone cists containing skeletons and urns, at Lesmurdie in Banffshire,
on the borders of the county of Aberdeen, had occurred many years before the late Mr. Alexander
Robertson, of Elgia, F.G.S., visited the spot; when he learned that another discovery of this
kind had recently taken place (Cist 0.). To this circumstance we owe the excavations made
by Mr. Robertson and Captain Stewart in 1851, which resulted in their finding three fresh cists
(A. B. and D.) of this group, each of which contained a vase; though the presence of the cists was
not indicated ay any superficial eminences, cairns or barrows. Besides these vases, the skull
now offered to the notice of the reader, and some other antiquities were obtained from the
second cist (B.) opened by them. AU the relics were presented to the Museum of the Society
of Antiquaries of Scotland, and the Council of this body has in a very enlightened spii-it allowed
their free use for our work*.
It will probably be most convenient to describe from Mr. Robertson's paper, and pretty
much in his own terms, the appearances observed on opening Cist B, in which the cranium now
represented was discovered. This Cist B. was intermediate in size between A. the smallest and D.
the largest. It was about feet from the surface of the ground, and lay nearly N.N.E. by
S.S.W. Its lid was composed of two massive pieces of mica-slate. Eour slabs of mica-slate
* " Notes of the discovery of Stone Cists at Lesmurdie, remains." By Alexander Robertson, Esq., Elgin, F.G.S. &c.
Banffshire, containing primitive Urns, &c., along with human Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, i. 20.5.
16. (I)