24 Mr. H. C. Collyer on the 
sculptured, and on the under side of the roof-stone is a figure, 
of which I give a sketch about full size, as it is not possible to 
photograph it. This is mentioned by Sir John Evans in his 
work on ‘‘ Stone Implements,” but he gives no illustration. He 
says that it is ‘‘ The outline of a celt in its handle, carved on 
the under side of the roof-stone of a dolmen known as ‘ La 
Table des Marchands,’ near Locmariaker, Brittany. The end 
of the handle seems . . . to be curved back beyond the socket 
for the blade, which, however, it does not touch; at the other 
end of the handle there is a loop iike a sword-guard for the 
insertion of the hand. There is some little difficulty in deter- 
mining the exact form of this incised carving, as the lines are 
shallow, and the light does not fall on them.” 
You see that, in addition to the details just described, there is 
an ornamental scroll at the top; this seems to represent the 
feathers or lock of hair so often used by savages to decorate 
their weapons; so we have here a representation of a stone axe 
in its handle. Many of the incised carvings seem to be more or 
less crude drawings of stone axes, as will be noticed in some of 
the accompanying photographs, and were intended either as a 
symbol of rank of the person buried, or as a charm. Stone 
axes are still used as a symbol of authority in the South Pacific 
(specimen shown) and in Egypt; amongst the jewellery found 
recently with the mummy of a princess of the early Empire was 
an axe of pure gold, mounted in a wooden handle, which could 
only have been a sign of rank. Some of the Pharaohs are 
represented with somewhat similar axes in their hands. 
The name ‘‘ Table of the Merchants’’ is suggestive, as the 
classic authors tell us that the method of trading adopted between 
the Phenicians and savage tribes was for the tribe to put the 
goods they had to barter on a flat rock and go away; the traders 
would then put what they thought a fair exchange and leave it; 
if the tribe were satisfied, they took the goods offered and left 
their own; if not, they took their own goods away, leaving those 
offered, and the deal was over for that day. The photograph 
shows that when the ground was higher this would have been 
just the sort of stone suitable for the purpose. 
The supporting stone at the end of this dolmen, which faces 
the entrance, has its surface decorated with sculptures in slight 
relief (as shown in the two photographs). These sculptures 
were evidently done before the cap-stone was put in its place, 
and many of the carvings in other dolmens show evidence of the 
same kind. 
A dolmen near Plouharmel, called Mané Lud, has some 
curious carvings on the stones supporting the central chamber, 
of which I was able to secure a photograph; the markings on 
the edge of one very much resemble Ogham inscriptions, others 
