16 The Dolmen-Mounds of Brittany. [January, 
mention smaller ones, in the Province of Constantine, v7z., 
Roknia, Mazela, Bou-Merzoug, and Djebel-Mehmel. These 
consist of some thousands of megalithic tombs, arranged in 
straight lines, sometimes forming enclosures. All of these 
tombs have evidently been covered originally with tumuli, 
now destroyed by atmospherical agency, and in nearly every 
case the ancient enceinte of the tumulus can be traced. 
General Faidherbe, who explored five apparently intact 
tombs at Mazela, was not successful in finding either pottery 
or implements. At this place the blocks composing the 
cromlechs are of a more regular description than the ruder 
ones of Roknia. At this latter place, however, M. Bour- 
guignat * was more fortunate in his exploration of twenty- 
eight of these monuments, selected at various points of the 
necropolis. The larger tombs here contained one or two 
bodies, whilst the smallest alone contained the remains of 
three persons. Ornaments of bronze and one of silver-gilt 
were found in five of the sepulchres and vases of rude pot- 
tery, placed generally near the head of the skeleton. M. 
Bourguignat assigns these tombs to a period at least 1000 
years betore the Christian era, and he suggests an ingenious 
and novel method of calculating the ages of these structures 
by the layers of innumerable snail-shells found within them. 
At Roknia the monuments are kist-vaens, formed of four up- 
right supports, supporting a cap-stone. At Mazela the 
single cap-stone, in many cases, is supported by dry-walling, 
whilst around them circles of stones, generally laid flat, are 
oftener found than at Roknia. 
At Roknia the tombs are situate eon a crater, where 
hot springs, now extinct, once existed. There is evidence 
that the tombs were built whilst these springs were yet in 
action. The neglect of the Romans and Carthaginians to 
utilise these hot springs, whilst they formed bath establish- 
ments at neighbouring thermal sources, is pointed out as a 
proof that these springs were also extin¢t in the time of the 
Roman occupation, and that, therefore, the construction of 
these tombs was also prior to that period. 
At Bou-Merzoug the late Mr. Christy found flint flakes 
and arrow-heads close to the dolmens, and in the Museums 
of Algiers and Constantine are various stone celts and flint 
knives, found in connection with megalithic tombs, amongst 
which may be cited a diorite celt found by Mr. Dutruge 
close to an enormous monolith, at Kreuchela, near Con- 
stantine. Mr. Papier remarks, with regard to the flint 
* Histoire des Monuments Megalithiques de Roknia pres d’Hammam- 
Neskoutin, par J. R. Bourcuicnat. Paris, 1868. 
