BEEHIVE HOUSES. 57 



markings peculiar to Roman workmanship." The so-called 

 Picts' houses, which are so common in the north of Scotland, 

 are but slightly, and often not at all, sunk beneath the sur- 

 face, though, being covered with earth, they are scarcely 

 distinguishable externally from the larger tumuli : but on 

 digging into the green mound, it is found to cover a series of 

 large chambers, built generally with stones of considerable 

 size and converging towards the centre, where an opening 

 appears to have been left for light and ventilation. These 

 differ little from many of the subterranean weems, excepting 

 that they are erected on the natural surface of the soil, and 

 have been buried by means of an artificial mound heaped 

 over them. It may seem improbable that a people living in 

 such rude dwellings should possess a knowledge of metal- 

 lurgy, but the Kaffirs and other existing African tribes pre- 

 sent us with a similar case. 



Group of Beehive Houses. Scotland. 



From these we pass naturally to the beehive houses, which 

 are constructed of dry, thick walls in the form indicated 

 by the name.* No doubt many of these are very ancient, 

 and some probably date from the Age of Stone; but on 

 the other hand they also come down to the present day, 

 and fig. 78 represents a group in Long Island, on the shore 

 of Loch Resort, which was inhabited down to the year 1823. 



* See Capt. Thomas on Beehive also Petrie, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot- 

 Houses, Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scotland, land, vol. vii. p. 201. 

 vol. iii. p. 133 ; vol. vii. p. 153. See 



