THE FOSSIL MAN. 355 



in the south of France. By their labors and those of the numerous band 

 of explorers who have followed in their footsteps in the same country, 

 and by the discoveries of M. Dumont in the valley of the Meuse in 

 Belgium, we have been enabled to gain some definite knowledge in 

 regard to " the fossil man," his manner of life, his implements and 

 weapons, and even his artistic capabilities. 



The " classic ground," however, for the student of prehistoric sci- 

 ence must ever be the Somme Valley, from Abbeville to Amiens. From 

 its Quaternary gravels came those rude flint implements with which 

 Boucher de Perthes succeeded at last in silencing the cavils of the 

 incredulous, and establishing the coexistence of man with extinct spe- 

 cies of animals. St. Acheul, an old abbey close to Amiens, has given 

 the name to these objects, which are the most ancient type of man's 

 workmanship hitherto met with, for in its vicinity they have been 

 found in greater quantities than in any other locality. When first 

 discovered they were called by the workmen " cats' tongues," from 

 their shape and roughness. In outline, form, and general appearance 

 they are perfectly characteristic, and they differ entirely from all other 

 stone implements which have ever been discovered under different 

 conditions. No one who is at all familiar with the subject can possi- 

 bly confound one of these palceolithic axes, as they are called, roughly 

 chipped and unground, with one of the neolithic or polished-stone 

 times. These latter are found in large numbers, and substantially re- 

 sembling each other all the world over, and are mainly relied upon to 

 prove that everywhere man has at some time lived in a stage of cul- 

 ture, in which he had not attained to the knowledge of the use of 

 metals. The palaeolithic weapons, however, or the St. Acheul axes, 

 are of much rarer occurrence. But, if a collection of specimens from 

 various localities, including our own country, be placed 6ide by side, 

 their resemblance to each other will be found to be most striking. At 

 St. Acheul I had the satisfaction of seeing dug out in my own pres- 

 ence, from gravel-pits now more than a quarter of a mile from the 

 river, and one hundred feet or more above its present level, and in a 

 spot overtopped by no higher ground from which anything could pos- 

 sibly have been washed down, two such implements. These, though 

 unfortunately broken, are yet as convincing, from their excellence of 

 workmanship, as if they were still perfect. In this case there was no 

 possibility of deception, through their having been buried beforehand, 

 for me to see them dug out, since I came to the spot unannounced. 

 The workmen at this place know well the value of such objects, and 

 have the habit of fabricating them for sale. If, however, one of their 

 forgeries be placed bv the side of a genuine object, there will be found 

 to exist certain infallible tests by which to discriminate between them, 

 so that there need be no mistake. Freshly broken flint presents a 

 peculiar dull and raw surface, entirely unlike the glossy, varnished 

 appearance of objects which have undergone a long exposure to atmos- 



