THE RISE OF MAN. 



to man. The invention of pottery, for instance, appar- 

 ently came about by attempts to heat liquid food in drink- 

 ing vessels, such as skulls and gourds. When exposed 

 to heat the vessels began to burn, and to protect them 

 against the fire they were covered on the outside with clay. 

 There can be no doubt that for a long time vessels to be 

 used for cooking were such clay-covered skulls and gourds, 

 for great numbers of them have been found in various 



REINDEER BONES MADE INTO IMPLEMENTS. 



From the Musee du Jardin des Plantes, Paris. ( Weltall und 



Menschhett, II, 271.) 



districts which testify to this fact. That the skull or 

 gourd was not an essential part of the cooking vessel was 

 perhaps, as we say, accidentally discovered, i. e., not by 

 forethought or reflection through a process of reasoning, 

 but simply through the actual experience that the gourd 

 within the clay rotted away or wore off, while the clay 

 cover not only remained serviceable but proved superior 

 to other vessels that still contained their gourds. And 



