June ^. 1879] 



NATURE 



129 



of the stones may be inferred, as there has been an accu- 

 mulation of peaty soil of about five feet deep.' 



From a careful inspection of the stones the author 

 found the number to be forty-eight. (The driver's remark 

 on being asked the number was that they could not be 

 counted over by different people and made the same.) 

 The highest stone is about 16 feet, and the stones forming 

 the circle are next to the central one in height, varying 

 from about 8 feet to 1 1 feet. The others vary from about 

 7 feet to about 4 feet. 



The longer limb of the cross is composed of two rows 

 of stones placed about 27 feet apart, there being ten 

 stones on the west side and nine on the east side. This 

 is a very distinct feature in the arrangement, as there is 

 thus an avenue leading to the circle. The circle consists 

 of thirteen stones, and the western and eastern cross arms 

 have each a single line of four stones, whilst the southern 

 limb is composed of six stones ; the whole with the central 

 stone and one outside and close to the circle makes forty- 

 eight. The 'general arrangement will be more readily 

 understood from the accompanying plan, which is drawn 

 approximately to scale. From careful observations with 

 a pocket compass, the general bearing of the northern 

 limb was found to be 30° to east of magnetic north ; it 

 was also found that, when a line was projected from the 

 flat side of the endmost southern stone, it cut exactly the 

 end stone of the western side of the northern limb ; the 

 latter stone measures about 11 feet in height. If the 

 compass variation be estimated at 25° west (the latitude 

 is about 58° 12' north), it appears that the main axis of 

 the group lies about 5^ to east of true or polar north. 

 Several of the stones besides the one already mentioned 

 appear to have a directive tendency, notably the one next 

 the circle in the eastern side of the northern limb ; this 

 stone, both from its pointed shape and flat form, leads 

 the eye to the centre of the circle. The whole series, 

 indeed, are arranged with their narrow faces pointing in 

 the line of setting; this is easily noticed, as the stones 

 are generally flat, thin, and slab-like. The circle stones 

 have their broadest faces turned to the centre of the 

 circle. The great stone is situated at or near the centre 

 of the circle; it measures about 16 feet in height, with a 

 breadth at bottom of 5 feet, at middle of 4 feet, and 

 upper part 3 feet 6 inches ; its thickness is i foot ; its 

 flat side faces the east. This stone must weigh about six 

 tons. 



The general dimensions of the group are as follows : — 



Extreme length, 128 yards; length of northern limb, 

 85 yards; diameter of circle, 14 yards (this measurement 

 is in a north and south line ; from east to west the 

 measurements gave 13 yards, so that the figure is slightlv 

 elhptical) ; length of southern limb, 29 yards ; extreme 

 breadth, 44 yards; length of western arm, 13 yards; 

 length of eastern arm, 18 yards. The whole figure roughly 

 resembles the lona cross in outline. In or near the centre 

 of the circle there is a hollow, roughly rectangular on 

 plan, measuring about 7 feet long, the breadth at centre 

 being 6 feet, and at ends 5 feet, narrowing, however, at 

 the eastern end, so as to fonn a kind of channel leading 

 outwards. The sides of this hollow are built of small 

 stones, and four large stones are placed so as to break up 

 the whole into two chambers. The direction of length of 

 this hollow is east and west ; the tall central stone already 

 described being situated near to and facing its western 

 end. It IS said that a stone cover was found upon this 

 hollow when first discovered. The hill upon which the 

 Stones are placed slopes downwards to the north ; the 

 ground on which the cross arms are placed is about level. 



"It U difficult to get reliable data as to the growth of peat-moss, but 

 taking about 2co years lo the foot, a depth of 5 feet would infer a period of 

 about i.coo years since the peat commenced to form. In Black's " Guide " 

 It IS stated that the stones rest on a causewayed base. As there was no 

 trace of this at the lime of the author's visit, seeing that there was a ve'^e- 

 table growth all around, some data as to rale of growth of the peaty =oil 

 might be got, as it is about twenty years since the excavation of the peat 

 1 00k place. I 



Another circle of tall stones still stands about a mile to 

 eastward, from which it appears that the peat has been 

 recently removed. 



From an examination of the stone circles of Arran, the 

 late Dr. Bryce found that stone cists in some cases existed 

 at the centres of the circles, and that the longer lengths 

 of these cists, as also the longer axis of one elliptically- 

 shaped series of stones, were all lying about north and 

 south, or inclining rather to east of north. 



In the Smithsonian Report for 1876 there is a descrip- 

 tion of mounds and lines of stones in Guatemala, the long 

 sides and directions of which were about s" to west of 

 magnetic north ; they vary from 2 feet to 6 feet in height. 

 This would leave, after allowing for the easterly variatior* 

 of the compass there, a probable direction of 5° or 10° to 

 east of true or polar north. A certain similarity, there- 

 fore, appears to exist in the setting out of these groups, 

 with a tendency to a direction east of north. 



The country people called the place Callanish, not 

 Callernish, as sometimes given, the meaning of the former 

 name having been defined as " place of assembly for 

 worship," whilst the latter is given as "bleak headland." * 

 The title Fir Bhreige, or false men, is sometimes given 

 to the group, from the apparent motion of the stones as 

 the spectator changes his position when viewing them 

 from a distance. 



The erection of such circles as that of Callanish has 

 been popularly attributed to the Druids, and according to 

 this theory the Callanish circle would have been a religious 

 meeting-place. Again, it has been supposed that they 

 were tombs of warriors, and may have been erected by 

 the early Norse rovers. Others look upon such groups 

 of stones as places for judicial meetings, which might 

 have been accompanied by religious ceremonies. Fron» 

 some recent scientific investigations at Stonehenge it 

 appears likely that the stones there were erected for astro- 

 nomical purposes. 



The general impression which one gets from standing 

 amongst the Callanish stones is that the long avenue was 

 intended as an approach from the not far distant shore 

 for a large body of people, who would thus converge 

 towards the central circle. W. J. Millar 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



Biela's Comet in 1879. — There have been suggestions 

 as to sweeping ephemerides for the recovery of one or 

 other portion of the disintegrated comet of Biela in the 

 present year. It is not, however, easy to decide in what 

 manner, or rather upon what assumptions, calculation 

 can be brought to bear with the greatest chance of 

 success. We know that in 1852 the observed posi- 

 tions of the two nuclei were such that they could be 

 accurately connected with similar positions at the pre- 

 ceding appearance in 1846, by the application of the per- 

 turbations from known causes in the interim, and it is 

 also certain that neither of the nuclei was in the calcu- 

 lated position at the next return but one in 1866, there 

 having been no chance of finding the comet in 1859, froni 

 proximity of its geocentric track to the sun's place. In 

 1865-6 the comet was diligently sought for in and around 

 the position it should have occupied by the elements of 

 1852, brought up to 1866 by the application of planetary 

 perturbations during the two revolutions, with some of 

 the most powerful instruments in our observatories, in- 

 cluding the refractors at Pulkowa and Copenhagen. 

 D'Arrest, after long search, was convinced that the 

 comet, speaking collectively, could not have passed its 

 perihelion within many days of the time predicted. The 

 conclusion was inevitable that perturbation from some 

 unknown cause must have taken place between 1852 and 

 1866, and that all clue to the future movement of the 

 comet was for the time lost. In 1872 endeavours to find 



» See Smith's "Lewsiana." 



