28 Mr. H. C. Collyer on the 
varied greatly during the human period; the northern part of 
Sweden is rising now at the rate of 25 ft. in a century, so that 
it must have been under water at a comparatively recent period, 
and that may account for the fact that Stone Age monuments 
are found only in the extreme south of that country. If the 
level of the land in South-western Europe were 1000 ft. higher 
than it is at present, the Continent would extend beyond the 
present coast of Ireland, but the Mediterranean basin would be 
represented by large and deep lakes, which would prevent people 
in Africa from migrating northwards, but extensive plains to the 
west and north-west, covered with forests and teeming with 
game, would probably tempt them to move in that direction. 
On the island of Lanec, in the Morbihan Sea, is a large stone 
circle, half of which stands on land, and the completion of the 
circle can be seen under water at low tide; a model of the 
island, with the circle, is in the museum at Vannes. This is 
conclusive proof that the level of the land has sunk considerably 
since the erection of the stones. 
There can be no question that a continuous lowering of the 
level of the land went on along the coast of Western Europe for 
ages; the latest instance seems to have occurred shortly after 
the break up of the Roman Empire in the fifth century. The 
numerous Celtic legends on the subject all point in the same 
direction, and seem to have a foundation in fact. In Brittany, 
there is the legend of the City of Is submerged by a sudden 
inroad of the sea. In Cornwall, King Arthur’s Land of 
Lyonnesse is said to have stretched out beyond Mount’s Bay; 
and in Wales there are several legends of the sea suddenly 
swallowing up Cardigan Bay. Again, there is the historical 
account of the first irruption of the sea into Holland, which 
drowned great part of the Batavian people about that time. 
Therefore, during the Stone Age, and at the time of the erec- 
tion of many of these monuments, the land may have extended 
much farther to the westward than it does now, even if Britain 
was not then joined to the Continent, which it may have been. 
The period of submergence must have extended over a very long 
time. Ireland, it is generally considered, was separated from 
Britain before Britain was separated from the Continent, and 
the latter event was probably a gradual one. 
It is customary to term these rude stone monuments ‘‘ Druidi- 
eal.’’ This name is unwarranted, there being no evidence to 
connect them with the Druids, who are described as the priests 
of the Celtic tribes of Gaul and Britain at the time of their 
subjugation by the Romans, and who worshipped in groves of 
trees; but these monuments date from a time far earlier than 
that, and are considered to be the work of a race who preceded 
the Celts, to whom the name Iberian is generally given, and are 
