Mr. Wakeman, to whose writings I have already referred, writes as follows: "It would appear that, in some instances at least, their spike-like tops were anciently mortised into holes cut for their reception in beams of oak, which were laid horizontally. Just one such beam we found undisturbed, resting on the vertical spike _in situ_. A respectable elderly man, named Coulter, who resides not far from the lough (Ballydoolough) informed me that he well recollected to have seen many of these horizontal timbers resting upon the stakes or piles. They were hardly ever uncovered, but were distinctly visible a few inches below the surface of the water. This I believe to be a feature in the construction of crannogs but seldom remarked."[6] As indications of the social economy and industries of the occupiers of these crannogs, there were found many articles made of stone, bone, wood, bronze, and iron, such as swords, knives, spears, javelins, dagger-blades, sharpening-stones, querns, beads, pins, brooches, combs, horse-trappings, shears, chains, axes, pots, bowls, etc., and within the last few years, according to Mr. Wakeman,[7] many fragments of pottery, of a similar character to the fictile ware used for mortuary purposes in the prehistoric and pagan period, have also been found on some of them. Many of these relics were deposited in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, but it is to be regretted that, owing partly to the system of classification now adopted in this Museum, by which articles are grouped together on the principle of resemblance, few of them can be identified or separated from the general collection, so that, except some articles thrown loosely into a drawer, and labelled as having been found in the crannogs of Dunshaughlin, Ballinderry, and Strokestown, no special or representative collection of crannog-remains now exists in Ireland. Several ancient canoes are well preserved in the lower portion of the Museum. Some have square-cut sterns, others have both ends pointed, some have cross bands, like ribs, left in the solid oak at regular intervals, as if to strengthen the sides of the vessel, while others are uniformly scooped out without any raised ridges. They vary much in size and shape. The largest is thus referred to in the small handbook to the Museum:-- "Down the centre of the room extends the largest known canoe, formed of a single tree. The remains measure 42 feet in length, and the canoe was probably 45 feet long, by from 4 to 5 feet wide, in its original state. It was recovered from the bottom of Loch Owel, in West Meath, and cut into eight sections for purposes of transport. There is a curious arrangement of apertures in the bottom, apparently to receive the ends of uprights supporting an elevating deck."