THE ROCK SHELTER NO 1 OF THE CIME-DES-LAC S OF THE MONT-BEGO REGION, VALLEE-DES-MERVEILLES, TENDE, ALPES-MARITIMES - REMARKS

The ''miniature paintings'' of rock shelter No. 1 of the Cime des Lacs of the Mont Bego region, descri bed in a Note to the Academie des Sci ences and which represent, according to E. Masson, circular motifs, a an animal head and a little figure, correspond in reality to little th alli of a green alga, belonging to the species ''Trentepohlia diffract a'', which have accumulated large quantities of carotenoids and have a cquired, as a result, a reddish-orange colour. The calcite film, which according to E. Masson partially covers the ''paintings'' and the ''e ngravings'' is, in reality, a fracture surface made up of slightly-met amorphosed white arkose rich in albite, sericite and quartz. Neither p aintings nor engravings are to be found on the smooth walls at the bac k of the cavity and in the actual state of discoveries, no observation nor any archaeological finds allow it to be said that this is a ''sac red cave''.