The Stone Ages of South Africa. 145 



come to is, therefore, that the slanting cuts have been produced by 

 cutting stone implements, in helping to fashion this horn core into a 

 club. Moreover, these clubs are, especially Cut 1 of Fig. 202, semi- 

 fossilised, much heavier than those of recently killed animals, and 

 their appearance is that of bone implements patinated, smoothed 

 and hardened by long usage, whereas all the bone remains were 

 either greatly bleached or had become very light. Many, especially 

 those of the elephant and hippopotamus — these were mostly lying 

 on or near the floor — were greatly decayed, some of the molars of 

 the elephant especially. 



Incredible indeed was the quantity of animal remains. Most, if 

 not the whole, of the South African ferce naturce were represented in 

 these fissures. There lay together the bone remains of elephant, 

 rhinoceros, hippopotamus ; those of the southern whale and seal, of 

 the lion, leopard, and smaller cats ; of the jackal, otter, and Viver- 

 ridae ; of the porcupine and other large and small rodents. Among 

 antelopes are the eland, koodoo, bontebok — and bushbuck and the 

 hartebeeste ; the bush pig is also represented, and together with all 

 the remains are also to be found the buffalo, the ox, and the fat- 

 tailed sheep. 



The extreme abundance of animal remains seems to imply an 

 alternate occupation of the shelter by man and beast. This accumu- 

 lation of bone debris has a parallel in Europe. In a Mousterian 

 cave of the Hte. Saone, in France (Echinoz la Moline), there were 

 found remains of no less than eight hundred cavern bears (Ursus 

 spelceus). In another " station " relics of some six thousand horses 

 were counted. In the first case it is doubtful if these terrible beasts 

 had been laid low by primitive man ; in the second they certainly 

 had. 



In the dens of the hyaena not only whole skeletons of this animal 

 are found, but its presence or occupation is revealed by its fossilised 

 coproliths, as well as by the characteristic teeth-marks left on the 

 bones it gnawed or cracked, characteristics already mentioned- 

 Dens are also found in Europe where, doubtless, beast and hunter 

 have replaced each other ; the first occupier was the hyaena, the 

 second the bear, the third man. It becomes thus interesting to 

 compare the result of the investigations of the Hawston cave and 

 see if they fit or not with the authenticated conclusions arrived at in 

 Europe. 



The human skulls are found near the entrance of the fissures which 

 are themselves separated from the large, open-mouthed chamber ; 

 there also are found a few human bones, under the accumulation of 



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