38 PAPERS, ETC. 



who constructed these works, because such monuments 

 become to us a means of tracing the spread of a particular 

 race over the surface of the earth, and give us a clue to 

 their degree of civilization, and in a certain extent to 

 their habits ; and serve to shew the connection between 

 various races which have succeeded each other. 



Il; seems that the most primitive form of Celtic grave 

 which we find is the simple trench, of three or four 

 feet in length by two in width, and a few inches deep, with 

 occasionally a rüde floor of flat stones or pebbles, on which 

 the remains were laid, and covered with a layer of light 

 clay, or, as invariably occurs in the Channel Islands, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Luids' statement, " a layer of three or 

 four inches in thickness of limpet-shells only, the whole 

 being concealed with a large rüde block of granite. Coarse 

 pottery, clay sind stone beads, flint arrow-points, and a 

 few flakes, generally accompany the remains." Next to 

 these may be classed cists, which are small enclosures 

 formed of erect or recumbent stones placed in contact, 

 and covered by one, or rarely two, large flat stones. 

 These have been found attached to the sides of cromlechs, 

 or grouped together, or detached. The mode of interment 

 was by first removing the cap-stone and lowering the Con- 

 tents into the interior ; and we have an instance of this 

 kind recorded by Mr. Skinner, in a barrow which he 

 opened in this county, to which I shall hereafter allude. 

 Successive layers occur in these, which are separated by 

 flat stones ; two or three layers may be found in one eist, 

 the cap-stone being replaced after each interment. In 

 Guernsey, Mr. Lukis states that complete skeletons have 

 been taken from the cists, and also stone celts, retaining 

 the most beautiful polish. Ilis idea is, that in process of 



