414 



DISCOVERY OF A CIST. 



4. — Thus is accounted for, the fact that the tombs had 

 been emptied, the stones disturbed and moved, all before the 

 formation of the mound, the horizontal layering and the clean 

 section of the horizontal layers. 



The gravel, which has disappeared from under the beach 

 on the East side, is at present in situ in the wells on the South 

 and West sides ; hence it may be inferred that the storm waves 

 beat in from the N.W. and W., in other words through 

 Grande Havre — where they met those reflected from the Folie 

 hill — and rushed up the dolmen hill. 



5. — There is a valuable item of evidence which must not 

 be lost sight of. 



The urn has been emptied as described, and was found 

 to contain clay-mould. Between the clay and the inner 

 surface of the urn we found a network of fibrous root. 



We have tried to get the roots named but so far without 

 success ; the roots are fibrous and have all the characteristics 

 of ivy. When the plant grew in the pot or urn there must 

 have been clay or soil, the urn must have been in contact 

 with air and moisture, hence the growth occurred before the 

 deposit of the clay of the mound. 



The excavations were carried out from first to last under 

 the superintendence of Lt.-Col. T. W. M. de Guerin, the 

 President of the Guernsey Society of Natural Science and 

 Local Research, who interested himself specially with the 

 account of the pottery and flint implements ; of the late Rev. 

 G. E. Lee, M.A., Rector of St. Peter-Port, and local Secretary 

 of the Society of Antiquaries, whose sudden and much 

 regretted death during the time of the excavations deprived 

 the Society of a most valued worker in every matter archaeo- 

 logical and also of the report on this discovery which he was 

 preparing at the time of his death ; of Mr. A. Collenette, 

 F.C.S., who is responsible for the geological account and 

 conclusions ; of Mr. S. C. Curtis, who undertook the measure- 

 ments and general account ; and of Mr. A. Le Tissier, of St. 

 Magloire, who supervised the actual excavation. He had 

 interested himself previously in the local antiquities, and it 

 was felt that nothing of any interest would be missed by him. 



Mr. S. Falla, of the Vale, was the one to originally call 

 attention to the stones first described, and Mr. J. S. Hocart 

 reported the fact. to the Society. 



