404 THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD. 



so slow. But on the coasts of Normandy and Brittany the 

 indications are even greater, and I think shows that the 

 apparent steadiness of the level is more due to slowness of 

 rate than actual arrest. 



Our archaeologists will some day, no doubt, be able to 

 bridge the hiatus between the last geological subsidence and 

 the commencement of Guernsey history. They will probably 

 find traces of Phoenician times, for no doubt we were visited 

 by those bold navigators on their journeys to Cornwall. Of 

 the Romans too we are guiltily in ignorance. Of the inhabi- 

 tants of post Roman times we also know nothing. Yet, no 

 doubt, these all came to our shores. 



Of our great-grandfathers we unfortunately know too 

 much. We know that for the sake of their ease they destroyed 

 all of the Neolithic culture we would value most now. They 

 built their houses and separated their properties with the 

 dolmen stones, and left us the remainder, not because they 

 valued them, but because they were not visible to them at 

 the time. 



I have to acknowledge that I have given no date for the 

 sand dunes. That omission is intentional. They are largely 

 mixed up with both pre and post-Neolithic times and require 

 more - study before differentiation. I believe that these 

 deposits will later on be made to yield valuable evidence now 

 wanting. 



It is worthy of remark, however, that the sand dunes on 

 L'Ancresse are of unequal dates. Some of the sand, as for 

 instance that lying between the clay pockets near " Nid 

 d'Herbe," seem to me to belong to the dry arid peiiod of the 

 Mousterian times or possibly the steppe period of the post- 

 glacial elevation, while some are decidedly pre-Neolithic and 

 old. Some also differ by being later than the dolmens for 

 such dolmens as remain on the Common have been covered 

 (See photo No. 15). This dolmen may be resting on the 

 25 feet beach for the beach deposit has been moved. Here 

 was found by Mr. F. Lukis a beautiful celt which was 

 probably preserved, by the covering, from the ravages of time. 

 It is still a question whether this dolmen was reached by the 

 last subsidence or not. I think it is probable that the sea did 

 not cover the whole of the Common, but it did parts without 

 doubt. 



While referring to the last inundation I may draw atten- 

 tion to the fact that the last remaining portion of the Marais 

 at Bordeaux Harbour has only just been filled in, and I secured 

 a photograph (No. 1 6) of the last piece of water to disappear. 



