that this shell was placed in the
fort on purpose that we might find it. The fact that it was taken out
of the fort is all that we say about it."

Mr. Millar's opinion of these novel handicraft remains was that they
were the products of a pre-Celtic civilisation. "The articles found,"
he writes, "are strongly indicative of a much earlier period than post-
Roman; they point to an occupation of a tribe in their Stone Age."

"We have no knowledge of the precise position in which the 'queer
things' of Dunbuie were found, with the exception of the limpet shell
showing the carved human face which, according to a recent statement
in the _Journal of the British Archaeological Association_, September,
1901, "was excavated from a crevice in the living rock, over which
tons of debris had rested. When taken out, the incrustations of dirt
prevented any carving from being seen; it was only after being dried
and cleaned that the 'face' appeared, as well as the suspension holes
on each side."

So, this unique piece of art was in the fort before it became a ruin
and otherwise presented evidence of great antiquity; but yet it is
stated in Mr. Millar's report that there was "nothing at all of an
archaic character in this example of shell-carving." {21}

I have nothing to do with statements made in _The Journal of the British
Archaeological Association_ about "_a carved oyster shell_." I stick to
the limpet shell of Mr. Millar, which, to my eyes looks anything but
archaic.

V--HOW I CAME INTO THE CONTROVERSY

Thus far, I was so much to be sympathised with as never to have heard of
the names of Dunbuie and of Mr. Donnelly. In this ignorance I remained
till late in October or early in November 1898. On an afternoon of that
date I was reading the proof sheets, kindly lent to me by Messrs.
Macmillan, of _The Native Tribes of Central Australia_ by Messrs. Spencer
and Gillen, a work, now justly celebrated, which was published early in
1899. I was much interested on finding, in this book, that certain
tribes of Central Australia,--the Arunta "nation" and the
Kaitish,--_paint_ on sacred and other rocks the very same sorts of
archaic designs as Mr. Donnelly found _incised_ at Auchentorlie (of which
I had not then heard). These designs are familiar in many other parts of
Scotland and of the world. They play a great part in the initiations and
magic of Central Australia.