365 



I. 



This cairn is 64| yards to the east of F, 53 yards S. "W. of L, and is 

 21 yards in diameter. The apex of the cairn itself has disappeared, leav- 

 ing from four to five feet only in height of the original structure, want- 

 ing the slabs by which the interior chambers had been covered. These 

 crypts had become filled up with small stones, by the removal of the 

 roof. Directly over the chambers a thick crop of luxuriant nettles 

 flourished, and struck their roots down into the interstices of some of 

 the laminated flagstones forming the chambers. During the progress of 

 clearing out the interior, T. had thus the mortification of seeing portions 

 of some of the engraved stones crumble down, forced out by these nettle 

 roots, before I was able to make any record of the devices on them. 

 The direction of the entrance is due east. The passage alone is eight 

 feet six inches long, and four feet six inches wide ; and the distance 

 from the commencement of the passage to the back of the opposite 

 chamber is twenty-two feet ; the diameter across the chambers north 

 and south measures thirteen feet. The interior arrangement consists of 

 seven compartments, marked a, b, c, d, e, /, and g, formed by flagstones 

 standing out towards the centre of the structure. The breadth of a is 

 two feet eight inches ; of b, three feet six inches ; of c, three feet seven 

 inches ; of d, three feet eight inches ; of e, three feet seven inches at 

 rear, narrowing considerably towards the entrance ; of /, three feet ten 

 inches ; of g, two feet eight inches. 



On each of the floors of a, b, d, and e, rested a square flag, about 

 two square feet in area, and two inches thick. A quantity of charred 

 bones was found on each of these flags ; but in such a crushed state, 

 from the falling in of the stones upon them, that it would be difficult 

 to determine to what portion of the frame they belonged. On lifting 

 up the flag on which the bones had been placed in each of these four 

 compartments, I found immediately underneath, a layer, about four 

 inches in depth, of dry small stones, the surface portion of the layer 

 broken very fine, from a quarter of an inch to an inch in size, and 

 having some fragments of charred bones scattered on top, the lower 

 portion of the layer consisting of larger stones. 



In compartment a, which exactly faces the east, and on the surface 

 of these finely broken stones, I found two stone ornaments — a bead and 

 a pendant.. The bead lay about the centre of the space, covered by the 

 flag ; and the pendant under, but close to the extremity of the flag, on 

 the right hand side, and near the back of the compartment. The bead 

 has been highly polished, and its being narrower on one side than on 

 the other will show that it was intended to be worn in a circular form. 

 I conjecture that both are portions of a necklace, such as has been 

 found in 1864 by M. L. Galles in the tumulus of Tumiac, in Mor- 

 bihan. The greatest diameter of the bead is three-quarters of an inch ; 



are now a puzzle, may have been instruments of female industry, perhaps for weaving, 

 &c., used in remote times. 



E. I. A. PEOC. VOL. IX. 3 c 



