Spiral ornament of the best kind is found on the sculptured stone monuments only in Ireland and Scotland.[455] In Wales, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man spiral ornament is extremely rare, and when it does occur it is of debased character. Typical examples of spiral ornament may be seen on the sculptured monuments in Ireland at Kells, Co. Meath; Monasterboice, Co. Louth; Clonmacnois, King’s Co.; and Kilklispeen, Co. Kilkenny; and in Scotland at Nigg, Shandwick, Hilton of Cadboll (now at Invergordon Castle), all in Ross-shire; the Maiden Stone, Aberdeenshire; St. Vigeans, Forfarshire; Meigle and Dunfallandy, Perthshire; and Ardchattan, Argyllshire. [455] Chiefly in the Pictish districts of the north-east of Scotland. [Illustration: Method of connecting spirals] Judging from the evidence afforded by the dated specimens, the best kind of spiral ornament seems to have disappeared entirely from Christian Celtic art after the first quarter of the tenth century. [Illustration: FOUR MEN PLACED STRASTIKA FASHION ON RECUMBENT MONUMENT AT MEIGLE, PERTHSHIRE SCALE ⅛ LINEAR] [Illustration: SPIRAL ORNAMENT ON FRAGMENT OF SCULPTURED STONE FROM TARBET, ROSS-SHIRE; NOW IN THE EDINBURGH MUSEUM] ZOÖMORPHIC DESIGNS Animal forms are used in Celtic art of the Christian period in three different ways, namely, (1) pictorially, (2) symbolically, and (3) decoratively. As cases of the first kind of treatment we have the hunting scenes,[456] battle scenes,[457] men driving in chariots[458] drawn by horses, groups of animals,[459] etc., on the erect cross-slabs of Scotland and on the bases of some of the Irish and Welsh crosses. Although these subjects may have some symbolism behind them, yet all the living creatures represented are treated realistically, and not conventionally. As cases of the second kind of treatment we have the Symbols of the Four Evangelists, which, although consisting of the figures of a man, a lion, a bull, and an eagle, are generally highly conventionalised. Lastly, we have the decorative use of animal forms, where the zoölogical species of the creatures represented becomes of so little importance that it is altogether ignored. The creatures can certainly be divided into beasts, birds, fishes, and reptiles; but the artist has taken such liberties with the shapes of their bodies, limbs, heads, tails, and other details, that he would be a bold man who would say of any one of the beasts whether it was intended for a lion, a tiger, a dog, a wolf, or a bear. The quadruped most in favour with the Christian Celtic artist may, as has been already suggested, have been degraded by successive copying from the Classical lion. Anyway, it has a head something like that of a dog, with pointed ears, an attenuated body, four legs terminating in paws with claws, and a long tail. The head and the paws are never misrepresented for decorative purposes, but the body, limbs, ears, and tail may be extended to any given length or bent in any desired direction.