
880 The American Naturalist. [October, 
stones into their original places, so that we saw them under more 
favorable auspices than earlier travelers. - 
With our old white Breton horse and ricketty cart, and youth- 
ful Breton presiding over the reins, we again drove through Carnac, 
past Mont Saint Michel, and turning sharply north at the salt 
vats, drove through a delightful lane shaded by chestnuts and 
oaks, with walls of turf overgrown by the gorse, leading to an 
old chateau, buried from sight by a thick wood. It was just the 
day for exploring alignments. The same blessed sun which for 
so many ages had shown upon these same stones while being 
planted by throngs of Neolithic workmen, perhaps under the 
inspiration of their priestly leaders,—the same sun shone brightly 
under the menhirs rising from the gay purple heather which 
clothed the undulating plain. M. Gaillard had wisely conducted 
us to the easternmost point, and was now to lead us for three or 
four miles westward, so that we could review, one after the other, 
beginning with the thirteen alignments of Kerlescan, and ending — 
with those of Ménec. | 
There are at Kerlescan thirteen rows or alignments, comprising 
262 menhirs, and extending westward about 1,000 feet. At the 
western end is a cromlech now restored, which, instead of being 
semi-circular, is somewhat square, inclosing a space about three 
hundred feet in diameter. We then visited the interesting 
elliptical mound inclosing the dolmen of Kerlescan, lying just 
north of the middle of the group of menhirs, which is exceptional 
and indeed unique in Brittany from having been surrounded by 
an elliptical cromlech or circle of menhirs, some of which were 
six or seven feet high, and placed a few feet apart, not touching 
each other as in those of the alignment. Then retracing our 
steps, picking our way back through masses of the prickly, for- 
bidding gorse, which bore an occasional yellow pea-like flower, 
we examined the cromlech, and, taking to our cart, drove on to 
the next series of alignments, the larger one of Kermario. 
The avenues of Kermario consist of 855 menhirs planted in ten 
rows, extending over the undulating heath for nearly a mile, or, 
to be exact, 4,037 feet. The standing stones are impressive for 
their size and height, some of them being twelve feet high. 



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