Stone Age of South Africa. 299 



— the crescent variety — has hitherto been recorded from South 

 Africa. For reasons given in a previous paragraph, I do not propose 

 at present to bring forward any conclusions based on them, pre- 

 ferring, in the present state of our knowledge, to allow them to 

 speak for themselves. 



In addition to the above, I obtained fragments of pottery and a 

 number of ostrich eggshell beads, as well as spherical and cylindrical 

 glass beads. These last, though much discoloured, through long 

 exposure to the weather, probably have no connection with the imple- 

 ments, there benig all sorts of other modern debris associated with 

 them in places. At the present time there are a number of natives 

 living in huts on part of the old site. 



Palaeolithic Types and Advanced Group from the Mouth of 



THE Hart River. 



On the left bank of the Hart River, at the drift near its junction 

 with the Vaal, numerous shafts have been sunk down to, and tunnels 

 driven along, the diamond-bearing layer at the base of the upper 

 terrace. The deposit consists of well-rounded boulders in a matrix 

 of much rolled river gravel. I saw many of the large, characteristic 

 Palaeolithic flakes among the heaps of excavated stones. They were 

 in the same water- worn condition as the rest of the constituents of 

 the deposit. On one heap I also picked up two of the typical 

 Palaeolithic implements, but these are not so much worn and may 

 possibly not belong to the deposit. 



Just west of the mouth of the Hart River, I obtained a typical 

 Palaeolithic implement, and saw many of the large, characteristic 

 flakes ift situ, in the lower terrace, which here consists of a thin 

 stratum of gravelly detritus lying at the foot of a cliff of tufaceous 

 limestone, and overlaid partly by alluvium, and partly by a talus of 

 the tufa. 



On top of the cliff, and some little distance back from the 

 river, I obtained a large number of minute scrapers, mostly of 

 coloured chert, similar to those from Taaibosch Spruit, some very nice 

 "pigmies," like those from Riverton, several ostrich eggshell beads, 

 a circular stone with flat sides and edge, a cylindrical glass bead, 

 and some pieces of pottery. 



Advanced Group from Rockshelters in the Asbestos Hills. 



During my recent trek through Griqualand West, I crossed the 

 Asbestos Hills tv/ice, on the outward journey by Kranzfontein, and 

 on the return by Griquatown. At both points I noticed many rock- 

 shelters, all of which were no doubt inhabited at one time or other. 

 In all that I examined, quite fresh and sharp spalls of the local 

 jasper were abundant, while a careful search brought to light a 

 number of minute flake tools, fragments of pottery, and ostrich 

 eggshell beads. 



On the farm Kranzfontein the rockshelters occurred in thf' 

 precipitous sides of a winding kloof. I examined two of them. 



