
1891.] Among the Prehistoric Monuments of Brittany. 873 
also a fine series from the tumulus of Mané-er-H’roék at Lock- 
mariaquer, comprising besides six jadeite axes ninety-two of 
fibrolite, which is a dark variety of serpentine. The pottery 
of the mound was represented, and among them were seen the 
rude, unfinished earthenware, precursors of our bowls, tumblers, 
and cups and saucers. Some of the “ green turquoise” heads 
were cylindrical, perforated, and exactly resembled in shape and 
color a jade bead we had obtained at Cholula, from a Mexican 
Indian. The jadeite implements were illustrated by unworked 
specimens of jadefrom Thibet, and of jade nephite from Siberia, 
as well as saussurite from the valley of the Saas. 
Reluctantly leaving this quaint and attractive town, we took 
the evening train for Plouharnel Carnac, reaching the Hotel du 
Commerce, kept by the two daughters of M. Félix Gaillard, to 
whom we took a card of introduction from Professor Topinard, 
and from whom we received every kind of attention and aid, the 
learned archeologist freely giving us the benefit of his many years’ 
exploration of neolithic menhirs and dolmens, as well as Gaulish 
burial-places. Part of the hotel is devoted to a very rich local 
museum, crowded with stone implements, ornaments, and articles 
in bronze and gold, pottery, including funeral lamps with holes 
for the wick, and three graves removed with their contents from 
Quiberon, the whole illustrated by stone implements from North 
America and New Caledonia, with objects from the Swiss palafitts, 
or pile dwellings, which M. Gaillard told us are of the same age 
as the dolmens of France. 
And now, before we actually visit these strange memorials of 
past neolithic occupation, let us explain the meaning of the Celtic 
names applied to them. The megalithic monuments are rude 
monoliths of the granite of the Breton coast, called menhirs, from 
two Bretoh or Celtic words, men, a stone, and zr, long; they are 
also called peu/vans. The menhirs are arranged in groups of 
from nine to thirteen rows, each row being called an alignment. 
The tomb-like structures called dolmens are so named from 
men, a stone, and dol, table. They consist of a few large, broad, 
flat stones set up on edge so as to inclose a more or less oblong 
space; the larger ones are about six feet high, and covered over 

