106 
du Conseil’ (a bronze axe was found underneath it) gives 
with a dolmen situated near Camaret the direction of 
the sunrise on June 21. 
“| have just spoken of the lines perpendicular to the 
solstitial one ; there exists more especially in the complex | 
G G 
Fic. 5.—Alignment at Lagatjar, G G’. 
monuments another particularity which merits attention. 
Between two monuments, M and N, on a solstitial line, 
sometimes other menhirs are noticed, the line joining 
them being inclined 12° to the solstitial line, always 
towards the east.” 
I must call particular attention to this important 
observation of Lieut. Devoir, for it gives us the amplitude 
24° N., the direction of sunrise at the beginning of the 
May and August years. It shows, moreover, that, as at Le 
Ménec according to M. Gaillard, the solstitial and May- 
August directions were both provided for at the monu- 
ments in the neighbourhood of Brest so carefully studied 
by Lieut. Devoir. 
-- DOLMEN 
I 
NATURE 
Fic. 6.—Alignments at Lagatjar, showing the pierre du Conseil and the | 
direction of the dolmen. From the pierre du Conseil the dolmen 
marks the sunrise place at the summer solstice, and the avenue | 
GG’ WH’ the sunset place on the same day. 
Fic. 
I think I have already stated that there is evidence at | 
Stonehenge that the sunrise at the beginning of the 
May and August years was observed, so that in this we 
have another point common to the British and Breton 
monuments. 
NO. 170C, VOL. 66] 
| May 29, 1902, 
Lieut. Devoir points out the wonderful regularity of 
form and the fine polish of many of the menhirs. The 
one at Kerloas (11 metres high)heads the list in point | 
of size; others in the island of Melon (7 metres), at Ker- 
gadion ( 8 metres and ro metres), Kerenneur, Kervaon and _ 
Kermabion follow suit. He considers 
them to have been erected at the time 
of the highest civilisation of the 
Megalithic peoples. It will be of 
interest to inquire whether they are 
generally associated with solstitial 
alignments. Healso states that these 
regularly formed menhirs do not exist 
at Carnac, or in the region of Pont 
PAbbe, so rich in other remains. It 
may be, then, that in these localities 
the May-August worship predomin- 
ated, and that the index menhirs of — 
M. Gaillard which do not form part | 
of the alignments were erected sub- 
sequently. ' 
THE YEARLY FESTIVALS IN EGYPT. ~ 
The vague year in Egyptian chrono- 
logy makes it a very difficult matter — 
to determine the exact Gregorian 
dates for the ancient Egyptian Festi-— 
vals, but, fortunately, there is another _ 
way of getting at them. 
Mr. Roland Mitchell, when com- 
piling his valuable “ Egyptian Calen-~ 
dar” (Luzac and Co., 1900), found that the Koptic 
Calendar really presents to us the old Egyptian year, 
“which has been in use for thousands of years and has — 
survived all the revolutions.” 
Of the many festivals included in the Calendar, the © 
great Tanta fair, which is also a Mohammedan feast, 
‘is the most important of all held in Egypt. Religion, ; 
commerce and pleasure offer combined attractions.” As — 
many as 600,000 or 700,000 often attend this great fair. — 
. Mitchell holds that it is “‘no doubt the survival of 
one of the ancient Egyptian national festivals.” 
S.W. solstitial alignment. 
sunrise May-August, 
Menhirs 1, 2, 
sunset 
7-—Menhirs m, n, on N.E.- 
on May-August years sienwient 
November. February. 
" 
It is held so as to end on a Friday, and in 1901 the 
Friday was August 9! fn 
This naturally suggests that we should look for a feast 
