422 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



These decorations were principally employed in plastic art, and usually 

 for the decoration of pottery. Graphic representation of this decora- 

 tion shows it to have been similar to that of the Paleolithic period. 

 Yet the likeness is more apparent than real. In Paleolithic times the 

 decoration was, as we have seen, principally by representations of 

 objects taken from nature. The geometric designs were used, and it 

 was therefore correct to show them. Their omission would have been 

 improper. lUit they were used on few specimens, and on these but 

 spariugl}'. Harpoons and points of bone were the principal objects of 

 such decoration. Turning back to plates 13, 14, and 15, we will see by 

 these harpoons and points how slight was the opj^ortunity of the paleo- 

 lithic artist, and we know in how few instances he embraced it. His 

 decorations consisted principally of short marks arranged in jiarallels 

 and repeated so as to make a iileasing effect. 



Not so, however, in Neolithic times. The designs, still geometric, 

 were more complete, were larger, more extended, had greater continu- 

 ity, and, as before remarked, were used a thousandfold more than in 

 Paleolithic times. 



Plates 19 and 20 contain representations of geometric decoration. 

 They are all from western Europe, were taken from actual specimens, 

 and can be identified with the originals. The most of these undoubt- 

 edly belong to the Neolithic age, though some may be related to the 

 Bronze age. This is a matter of no consequence, for the Bronze age 

 was but the continuation of the Neolithic age. They are both believed 

 to have been the same race of people throughout western Europe. 

 Some of these decorations were used indiscriminately during both 

 ages. 



Flint Chipping. ^ 



This art was begun in the Paleolithic and continued throughout the 

 Neolithic period. The fundamental distinction was that in the Neo- 

 lithic period, after the preparation of flint implements by chipping or 

 battering and pecking, most of them were finished by the secondary 

 lirocess of grinding, and in many cases, polishing. This distinction 

 between these two periods in the art of flint or stone working has not 

 been appreciated by some of our American anthropologists, and has 

 been the foundation of great errors. 



LONG FLAKES ' OR BLADES AND LIVRES DU BEItRRE OF GRAND 



PRESSIGNY, FRANCE. 



Plate 21 represents one of these livres du beurre. By its side is one 

 of the flakes (Cat. No. 130657, U.S.N. M.), side view, and next to it 

 is another flake represented edge view. If this were an archaeological 

 paper instead of being one on fine art, these objects would be fully 

 described, but we are only concerned with the delicate art liandiwork 

 of striking off the flakes. This was done with a stone hammer, and 



See footnote, p. 355. 



