342 MAN AS THE COTEMPORARY OF THE MAMMOTH 



roads near Ainignac, in the department of the Upper Garonne, observed that 

 rabbits when pursued took refuge in a hole on the slope of a hill in the vicinity. 

 Into this hole he thrust his arm, and, to his surprise, drew forth, not a rabbit, but 

 one of the long bones of a human skeleton. Proceeding* to dig into the hill, he 

 encountered a large flat stone standing erect and closing a cavit}' into which the 

 rabbits had wrought an entrance. When Bonnemaison had removed the stone, 

 he saw before him a natural cavern Avherein lay not less than 17 human skele- 

 tons. The discovery naturally caused a sensation in the neighborhood, and unfor- 

 tunately the mayor of Aurignac, Dr. Amicl, felt himself bound in duty to have 

 these human remains transfen'cd to the churchyard and again buried. Not the 

 slightest misgiving seems for a moment to have been entertained by this conscien- 

 tious functionary that he was w'resting from science an invaluable treasure. When 

 Lartet visited Aurignac, eight years later, and heard of this interesting discovery, 

 no one, not even the gmve-digger, could jioint out the spot where the skeletons 

 had l)een interred. Thus this rich harvest of ethnological knowledge seems for- 

 ever lost to the antiquary and geologist. 



Lartet nevertheless failed not to visit the cavern, and to institute further 

 researches. The rubbish which for himdred^ or thousands of j'ears had been 

 descending from the summit of the hill had buried the stone by which the mouth 

 of the grotto was closed, and had also covered a small terrace which existed in 

 front of it. These accumulations being removed, the original smiace was again 

 exposed to view, and upon this were found a number of calcareous stones, the 

 remains of an ancient hearth, as well as the bones of many different animal sand 

 objects of human industiy. In the bed of earth which covered the floor of the 

 grotto W'Cre found bones of the cave bear, the aurochs, the horse, the reindeer, 

 &c., which had been neither broken nor gnawed, and, besides these, instruments 

 of flint-stone, a weapon constructed of the antlers of the reindeer Avhich had been 

 sharpened at one end, together with 18 small disks formed of a Avhite shelly sub- 

 stance and perforated through the middle. These last were recognized as being 

 derived from shells of a cockle (Cardhun) which is an inhabitant of the ocean. 



The bones found on the terrace before the grotto had all been fractured, as if 

 to lay bare the enclosed maiTow. Still distinctly to be traced were the notches 

 made by the stone hatchets or knives which had been used to detach the flesh, 

 as well as marks of the teeth of the hyenas which had resorted hither during the 

 night to feast on what remained of the spoils. Even the excrements of these 

 wild animals were still distinguishable. Some of the bones bore traces also of 

 having been submitted to the action of fire. The list of the animals to which 

 the bones pertained was by no means a brief one. Among extinct species were 

 recognized the mammoth, the rhinoceros, the gigantic deer, the great bear and 

 tiger and hyena of the caves; among those still existing, the aurochs, the horse, 

 the ass, the stag, the reindeer, the roe, the wild boar, the Avolf, the fox, the badger, 

 and the polecat. 



The objects of human art and industry found in front of the grotto were very 

 numerous. Sharpened instruments of flint, mostly knives, Avero discovered to the 

 amount of not fewer than a hundred, and, mingled Avith them Avhat appeared 

 to be missiles intended for the sling. The circumstance that these objects 

 were accompanied by cores or nuclei of flint, the material from Avliich they Avere 

 made, Avould seem to indicate that some of them had been manufactured at this 

 spot. Other objects also Avere found in considerable number, Avrought of bone, 

 and especially of the antlers of the reindeer, such as points for arroAvs Avithout 

 barbs, a sliape Avitli Avhich Ave become familiar at a later age ; a bodkin formed 

 of tlie more compact bone of the roedeer and sharply pointed, so as to be Avell 

 suited for piercing the hides of animals in scAvingthem together ; and still another 

 of smaller size, provided Avith a very sharp point, Avliich had probably l)een 

 employed for tattooing. Many flat pieces of reindeer's horn, polished on both 

 sides, closely resemble, according to Steinhauer, of the museum of antiquities at 



