[From Manx Note Book vol 2, 1886]

TREENS AND QUARTERLANDS. -Were the Treens or the Quarterlands the older divisions? I used to consider the Treens the earlier,but as a number of these have names that are distinctly Norse, e.g. "Sertfield," "Sleckby," "Sulby," &c., it would seem otherwise, unless indeed the older names were lost, and had others substituted for them during the Norwegian period. K.

NICKEL MEDAL, (V01. I, P. 36.)-I have a nickel medal, evidently of the same kind as that previously referred to in THE MANX NOTE BOOK. On the obverse it bears the " trie cassyn " encircled by the motto "We stand firm to each other." On the reverse, in the centre is inscribed, "Sir R. Black, L. Privy Seal to the Knights of Laxey, Augt 14, 1749," surrounded by "In Love and Friendship." It appears probable that these medals were struck for some social club that existed in Laxey, all record of which has passed away, as the query propounded in your first number has not yet received an answer. J. H. C.

GENERAL CUSTINE, (VOI. I., P. 73.)-Touching your note in No. 2, as to Train's allusion to Castine, though I never could find, in any book, any support for the claim that Custine was a native of the Isle of Mann. yet an old Kirk Lonan woman, who died here many years ago, who was illiterate, spoke only Manx, and who knew the local traditions, was quite familiar with the fact that there was a "General Costain," who was a Kirk Lonan man, that he was of Ballaneale, and that he was married to a woman named "Quilleash. " She spoke of it as a thing well understood and undoubted in her youth, and she would be most unlikely to have derived her information from books.

W. S. KERRUISH, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.

FLINTS AT PORT ST. MARY.-In "THE NOTE BOOK," of July last, I described a find of flints at Port St. Mary. I now purpose giving a more detailed description of the principal flakes and implements. A few months ago, I paid two short visits to the locality, and found it just as I left it in 1882. In these two last visits alone, I succeeded in unearthing 800 small flakes, splinters, and fragments, as well as 19 nuclei, or flint cores, 14 large rudely worked flints of uncertain charader, several sorts of flint scrapers, and other implements. From their abundance I am inclined to believe that they mark the site of an ancient settlement, and the presence of shells (mostly limpets) and animals points to the same conclusion. Mr. John Evans, F.R.S., says-"Flakes and "splinters of flints frequently occur in and around ancient "encampments and settlements,. "* Being desirous of learning the true nature of these flints, I sent the principal ones to Professor Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S. He very kindly examined and noted the most curious among them, and also gave me his opinion as to their relative age. The following is what Professor Dawkins says-', The refuse heap and flakes at Port St. Mary may be of almost any age Neolithic, Bronze, or even Prehistoric, or Historic Iron." It is impossible to fix it without further evidence than that of the flirits themselves. They are, however, probably of Neolithic or Bronze age." I am unfortunately unable to spare time or money in properly excavating the few feet of ground in which the flints occur; otherwise it should be done at once. I think, however, that it is the duty of our local Antiquarian Society to make further exhaustive investigation to ascertain, if possible, the exad relative age of this ancient refuse heap,-as well as to secure to our future museum, any relics that may yet remain. Doubtless, if a little energy we e to be shewn in this matter ' and research carried out on some systematic plan, remains of a more important character than have yet come to light, might be found. In all my own "rooting" (mostly done with a large nail!) I have not disturbed more than four square feet of earth, but even in that small space, I have been rewarded by finding several thousands of flint flakes, and implements. I would venture to suggest if any further investigations are initiated, that special attention be directed to the presence among the flints of other relics-such as shells, animal remains, pottery, or, possibly, ornaments. I have found many pieces of quartz along with the flints-one of which appears to have been fashioned, but it is so rude that further evidence is necessary on this point. In conclusion, I would indicate that the flints are all of the flake type, i.e., that although many of them bear unmistakeable signs of having been worn by use, few exhibit any marks of secondary chipping, and even in the latter case to no great extent. In my former communication I stated that the flints from Port St. Mary were evidently far more ancient than the Neolithic arrow-head, which I found in oneof the Mull Hills. I was led to believe so by the fact that Professor Worsaae classes the Danish "Kjolskenmoddings " between the Drift and Neolithic ages. It is interesting to find that the same thing occurs in the Isle of Mann as in Denmark, i.e., the presence on the coast of rudely worked flakes in large numbers, while in the tumuli implements are found of a much more perfect character. Sir John Lubbock⁺ considers that the Danish shellmounds belong to the early Neolithic age, and the same may be so in regard to the refuse at Port St. Mary. Something might be done in the Isle of Mann to furnish additional data on this question. Our Island is very well adapted for this study, as tumuli abound, and I have no doubt that if searched for in likely places, many more coast finds would be discovered.

FREDERICK SWINNERTON.

"Ancient Stone Implements of Great Britain," P. 257.
+ "Prehistoric Times," 4th Ed., P. 248.
[see also booklet by F.S.]

THE THREE LEGS SYMBOL.-At a meeting of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society held on the 8th of February, their President, the Rev. G. F. Browne, B.D., in the course of a communication upon , Some Early Sculptured Stones and Symbols in Ledsham Church, Yorkshire, "remarked that on a stone in the apsidal wall, at the point where it leaves the wall of the nave, is an almost perished incised symbol, which had escaped the keen eyes of the restorers, formed of a capital S three times. repeated, the head of each hooking into the tail of another, forming a sort of triangle, with curved sides of 4 inches. It is startling and suggestive to find this symbol, cognate with the three legs of Mann and of Greek shields, and found in Hibernian and "Pictish " work, in a Yorkshire Church on the borders of the ancient kingdom of Elmete.

THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF THE ISLE OF MANN ACCORDING TO PTOLEMY.-WE extract the following from an able pamphlet on Ptolerny's Geography of the British Isles, written by Mr. Henry Bradley, and recently published by the Society of Antiquaries:-"He places on the sixty-second parallel Ebuda, another Ebuda, and Ricina; and a little further north is Maleus. These five islands are collectively called by him the Ebudae. A little south of these is Monaceda. The two Ebudae proper may be identified with Islay and Jura, the close mutual proximity of which may account for their being bracketed together under a common name. Ricina, from its name and its position near to Fair Head seems to be Rathlin (Irish Rechra, genitive Rechrann.) Malcus-the position and the name again concurring appear to be Mull. There is some uncertainty as to the reading of Monaceda. Some editions have Monarina; and Mr Skene, on the evidence of the coincidence of name, identifies the island with Arran. It seems, however, probable that both Monoeada and Monarina are corruptions of Monapia. This name, which is given by Pliny as that of an island in the Irish Sea, is the legitimate phonetic ancestors of Manaw, the Welsh name of the Isle of Mann.

It is more likely that Ptolemy should have omitted to mention Arran than that he should have overlooked the Isle of Mann, and the situation of "Monawda '' agrees better with the latter than with the former. Ptolemy's Mona, placed by him near the Wexford coast, is certainly not the Isle of Mann, but Anglesey."

MANX CARVALS. -Would it not be very desirable to preserve some of the old Manx Carvals, which are mouldering away in MSS. books by printing them in THE MANX NOTE BOOK?

MANNINAGH.

[We would gladly carry out the idea of our correspondent if it were practicable, but the carvals are for the most part much too long for our space, many of them extending to 400 lines or more. We are glad, however, to observe that the good work ot preserving them has been undertaken by the "Mona's Herald," and we understand that the proprietors of that newspaper intend to re-publish them in book form.-ED.]

MANX RHYME ABOUT THE CUCKOO.
YN COOAG.

TA'N Cooag veg veen,
As t'ee yeean veg feer bwaagh,
T'ee ry clashtyn sy keylljyn,
As ayns lhecanneeyn traagh,
T'ee cheet mysh laa boaldyn,
Son three mccaghyn dy hraa,
Agh ta'n chied sheeig dy hraagh,
Chur ersooyl ec-t'ad gra.

The Cuckoo, that dear
Little beautiful bird,
In the woods and the meadows
Her sweet voice is heard;
She comes late in April
Or early in May,
But goes at the sight of the first rick of hay.

W. J. CAIN.

INSULAR LOCALITIES MENTIONED IN OLD DOCUMENTS AND HISTORIANS.-Can any of your readers identify any of the following places? In the Charter of the Bishopric of Mann, dated A.D. 1505, printed at pp. 27-31 of Vol. IX. of Manx Society's publications, we find mentioned "the Church of St. Crove", "the lands of Cullufly," "of Fotyfdeyn," and a twelfth of the land of St. Columbe, which is called Here." The Parish Church of Arbory is, I believe, dedicated to St. Colombee. Chaloner speaks of "Chering Cross where the rare grotto is," and Blundell of the " Cawnely River in Kirk Kirkly."

STUDENT.