I
have in my possession _two_ such rings, both of brass. The one, nearly half
an inch broad, and two inches in diameter, is from the Swedish island of
Gothland, and is of more modern make. It is held by the finger and thumb
clasping a small brass ear or handle, to the right of which a slit in the
ring extends nearly one-third of the whole length. A small narrow band of
brass (about one-fifth of the width) runs along the centre of the ring, and
of course covers the slit. This narrow band is movable, and has a hole in
one part through which the rays of the sun can fall. On each side of the
band (to the right of the handle) letters, which stand for the names of the
months, are inscribed on the ring as follows:--
J A S O N D
J M A M F J
[the letters in the lower row inverted]
_Inside_ the ring, opposite to these letters, are the following figures for
the hours:--
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
12
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
[the figures in the upper row inverted, the 12 sideways]
The small brass band was made movable that the ring-click might be properly
_set by the sun_ at stated periods, perhaps once a month.
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