THE FOGOTT AT HALLIGEY, TRELOWABEEN. 249 



down between the trench and the upper surface preferred leav- 

 ing a stony ridge in the bottom of the trench to breaking a tool 

 by attempting to level it, and when they had proceeded beyond 

 it and found the ground still more rocky, they discontinued 

 digging in that direction, and ended the trench by constructing 

 a chamber alongside of the rock. "We may suppose that they 

 then covered in their work and regarded that part as finished. 



"We can well understand that at a remote period men were 

 able, with very simple implements and few if any tools of iron, 

 to dig out soft ground, collect great stones, pile them up for 

 walls and roofs in the trenches they had formed, and afterwards 

 conceal all with the earth they had raised. Strength for lifting 

 and shovels of some sort would have been needed, but little else. 

 They might in some instances have been able even to obtain 

 granite stones cloven for their use, and yet not have been in 

 possession themselves of rock-splitting or stone-cutting instru- 

 ments. Thus the Fogou was formed when in all probability 

 iron was very little used. 



Now if we could identify a particular era by the absence or 

 scarcity of iron tools, we might be able to fix upon the date of 

 this Cave, but it is not very easy definitely to do so, without 

 something further to guide us. "When iron has been scarce even in 

 comparatively recent times, rough work has been roughly per- 

 formed. Many wooden shovels merely edged with iron, some of 

 them of no great antiquity, have been found in Cornish tin works, 

 as our museums show. But if the late occurrence of such wooden 

 tools weakens our clue to the date of this structure, it may yet 

 be approximately learnt from its general style, contents, and 

 siuTOundings. We observe the following characteristics : — 



The great care displayed in the selection and placing of 

 suitably shaped unhewn stones. 



The absence of mortar in the building. 



The small square portals and overhanging walls like those 

 in British bee-hive huts. 



The general difficulty of access, specially contrived, with 

 concealment of position. 



The situation within an entrenchment. 



The similarity of the structure to other remains of undoubted 

 antiquity. 



