MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION AT PORT ERIN. 59 



PREFACE. 



On a prominent shoulder of the Meayll Hill, overlooking 

 Port Erin Bay and facing Bradda Head, stands one of the 

 most remarkable monuments of antiquity — a circle of 

 stone cists of late Neolithic or early Bronze age, so curious 

 in the arrangement of its parts that it appears to be unique 

 in the British Islands, and is probably only paralleled, but 

 scarcely equalled, by certain burial mounds in Scandinavia. 

 Some twelve years ago, recognising the important 

 nature of this relic of prehistoric times, and struck with 

 the incorrectness or inadequacy of the brief references 

 made to it in archaeological works, we devoted some time 

 and trouble to a systematic examination of the site, and 

 published a pamphlet, in December, 1893, giving an 

 account of our excavations, with illustrative plates. A 

 couple of years later we made an exploration of the ancient 

 hut village that lies in the kk Hollow of Botheration " (Lag 

 ny Boirey) further down the hill : and after the 

 Liverpool meeting of the British Association in 

 September, 1896, we took a party of distinguished 

 archaeologists — Prof. Montelius, Dr. Munro, Prof. Haddon 

 and others — to see the results of our labours. Parts of the 

 excavations were still open, and the curious symmetry in 

 the arrangement of the stones excited considerable 

 interest, and some discussion as to probable age and the 

 relationship to other megalithic monuments elsewhere. 

 The importance of the Manks prehistoric remains in 

 relation to Scandinavian antiquities was obvious during 



