Of the hundreds and hundreds of sepulchral urns of the Bronze Age that have been found in Great Britain no two are exactly the same either in size, form, or decoration. The fertility of imagination exhibited in the production of so many beautiful patterns by combining diagonal straight lines in every conceivable way is really amazing. On examination it will be found that, complicated as the patterns appear to be, the chevron or zigzag is at the base of the whole of them. We use the heraldic terms for the sake of convenience; their meaning will be understood by a reference to Fig. 1. It will be seen that the chevron consists of two straight lines or narrow bars inclined towards each other so as to meet in a point, the form thus produced toeing that of the letter =V=. Now the chevron, or =V=, is capable of being combined in the following ways:— =W=.—Two chevrons, with the points facing in the same direction, placed side by side. =◊=.—Two chevrons, with the points facing in opposite directions, placed with the open sides meeting. =X=.—Two chevrons, with the points facing in opposite directions, placed with the points meeting. By repeating the =W=, =◊=, and =X=, each in a horizontal row, the patterns shown on Fig. 2 are obtained. [Illustration: Fig. 2. (_a_) The Triangle or Chevron Border. (_b_) The Lozenge Border. (_c_) The Saltire Border. (_d_) The Hexagon Border. ] It will be noticed that the same pattern results from repeating a series of =◊=’s in a horizontal line as from repeating a series of =X=’s, so that in order to distinguish the lozenge border from the saltire border, it is necessary to introduce a vertical line between each pair of =X=s. The hexagon border is derived from the lozenge by omitting every other =X=. It is a principle in geometrical ornament that for each pattern composed of lines there is a corresponding pattern in which bars of uniform width are substituted for lines. Another way of stating the same proposition is, that for each pattern composed of geometrical figures (squares or hexagons, for instance) there is a corresponding pattern produced by moving the figures apart in a symmetrical manner so as to leave an equal interspace between them. This principle is illustrated by Fig. 3, where a zigzag bar is substituted for the zigzag line of the triangle or chevron border. [Illustration: Fig. 3. (_a_) Line Chevron Border. (_b_) Bar Chevron Border. (_c_) Surface Pattern, produced by repeating either of the preceding. ] Then, again, another set of patterns may be derived from those composed of lines or plain bars, by shading alternate portions of the design as in chequerwork. Thus on Fig. 4 are shown three different ways of shading the chevron border, and on Fig. 5 the method of shading the patterns on Fig. 3. [Illustration: Fig. 4.] [Illustration: Fig. 5.]