DIFFERENCES IN THE STONE AGE. 549 



pottery or agriculture. The shell-mound builders of Denmark 

 had the dog ; the Swiss Lake-dwellers also possessed this 

 animal, together with the ox, sheep, and pig, perhaps even 

 the horse ; they had a certain knowledge of agriculture, and 

 were acquainted with the art of weaving. Thus, then, even 

 when we have satisfied ourselves that any given remains 

 belong to the Stone Age. we are still but on the threshold of 



o o * 



our inquiry. 



Travellers and naturalists have varied a good deal in 

 opinion as to the race of savages which is entitled to the 

 unenviable reputation of being the lowest in the scale of 

 civilization. Cook, Darwin, Fitzroy, and Wallis, were deci- 

 dedly in favour, if I may so say, of the Fuegian ; Burchell 

 maintained that the Bushmen are the lowest ; D'Urville voted 

 for the Australians and Tasmanians ; Dampier thought the 

 Australians " the miserablest people in the world ; " Forster 

 said that the people of Mallicollo " bordered the nearest upon 

 the tribe of monkeys ;" Owen inclines to the Andamaners ; 

 others have supported the North American Eoot-diggers ; and 

 one French writer even insinuates that monkeys are more 

 human than Laplanders. 



The civilization, moreover, of the Stone Age differs, not only 

 in degree, but also in kind, varying according to the climate, 

 vegetation, food, etc., from which it becomes evident at least 

 to all those who believe in the unity of the human race that 

 the present habits of savage races are not to be regarded as 

 representing exactly those which characterized the first men, 

 but as depending also on external conditions, influenced indeed 

 to a certain extent by national character, which, however, is 

 after all but the result of the external conditions which have 

 acted on previous generations. 



If we take a few of the things which are most generally 

 useful in savage life, and at the same time most easily 

 obtainable, such, for instance, as bows and arrows, slings, 



