O'Reilly — On the Orientation of Some Cromlechs. 593 



is gabled or mitred on its upper end, and thus bears a rough resem- 

 blance to an ordinary type of modern tombstone. The eastern end 

 stone only reaches the level of the ground, and, as stated and shown 

 by the section and plan, is not in contact with the cap. Outside 

 the monument and at the eastern end of it, appear, on the surface 

 ■of the ground, other stones, as marked in the plan, which show 

 s. rectangular arrangement, and seem to point to the existence of a 

 sort of porch or other building ; or, as O'Neill puts it, showing 

 ■" indications of some of them having been, arranged to form two 

 parallel lines of approach to the lower end of the monument." This 

 matter seems worthy of further investigation and comparison with 

 monuments of a similar nature elsewhere, assuming of course that 

 these stones are coeval with the cromlech. At the north-east end 

 of the chamber, there is a large stone, marked J. in the plan, lying 

 in contact with the eastern end of the northern stone. What its 

 signification may be, I do not venture to suggest, but call attention 

 to the direction of its northern face, which is east 24°-25° north, and 

 west 24°-25° south ; that is practically the amount of the southern decli- 

 nation of the Sun at the winter solstice. Moreover, it will be seen by 

 the plan, that this is also approximatively the direction of the southern 

 wall of the chamber. There is thus suggested a possible connexion 

 between the direction of these stones and their utilization for the observa- 

 tion of the setting of the Sun at the winter solstice. In order that such 

 observation should be possible, it were necessary that the an-angement 

 of the chamber would not merely allow of it, but should in some way 

 favour it. Now it can be seen that, owing to the manner in which the 

 stones forming the western end of the chamber are disposed, the sky- 

 line of the neighbouring western extremity of the Glen is visible from 

 under the rim of a lower face of the cap as shown by the interior 

 elevation of the western end of the chamber (the actual growth of 

 timber obstructing the view on the south side). May not therefore 

 the central mitred stone of this western end have served as an index 

 to mark the position of the sun at the time of the winter solstice, for 

 ^n observer looking from the eastern end of the chamber and sitting 

 on, or at the level of the low stone which there closes it in. This was 

 possible when the whole sky-line of the ridge was yet free from timber 

 growth, what remains of it free showing this sufficiently. The direc- 

 tion of the Sun in the winter solstice is marked on the plan, and points 

 to the feasibility of the suggested observation and its connexion with the 

 <3entral western mitred stone. There are other peculiaiities connected 

 with the stones of the southern wall of the chamber which seem 



