substance, in order that when subjected to heat it might become porous. The frame was then heated until the wax or wood disappeared.
Figs. 43, 44.—Bronze knives from the lake-village of Estavayer, on the Lake of Neufchâtel, one-half of the actual size.
This mode of casting required fewer instruments, and did not, like the other two methods, involve a line of junction, which was a great advantage, because in the absence of steel the projecting ridge thus produced was very difficult to remove, especially when the objects were ornamented. In one case M. Morlot observed on an object of bronze the mark of a finger, evidently resulting from an impression on the soft wax.
Fig. 45.—Razor-knife from Denmark, one-half of the actual size.
Occasionally, again, when the wax was heated carelessly, it burned and left a carbonized film, which of course produced a corresponding mark on the object cast. The use of wax in this manner, though presenting many advantages, does not appear to have been frequent in Great Britain.
In some few cases the interiors of bronze vessels show the marks of the spatula with which the wax was worked.
The evidences of imperfect metallurgical knowledge and appliances are also very interesting; the art of soldering appears to have been unknown. M. Morlot has called attention to a striking instance of this pre-
