272 COM'PAiRlI'SOiN OP THE TASlMANiLAN THONATTA. 



Verworn, I have a very instructive collection of speci- 

 mens from the following industries : — 



Upper 

 Palaeolithic 



Stage. 



Ivower 

 Palaeolithic 



Stasre. 



Archaeolithic 

 Stage. 



Solutreen 



Mousterien 



Acheuleen 



Chelleen 



Mesvinien 



Mafflien 



Reutelien 



Cantalien 



Fagnien 



Tertiary 



As the Tasmanian tronatta represents the purest 

 archaeolithic stage, we see that only the last five indus- 

 tries would come in for comparison. But the archaeo- 

 lithic implement had a tough life; it was never quite dis- 

 carded. We find archaeolithes among all the palaeo- 

 lithic industries; in the Flenusien, as Dr. Rutot has shown, 

 neolithic implements of the highest type were used simul- 

 taneously with archaeolithes of the crudest form. The 

 use of the archaeolithe continued even to the metalliferous 

 period. In Baluchistan I found archaeolithic knives side 

 by side with well-finished arrow heads and celts of palaeo- 

 lithic type, and a fine celt probably of copper. There can 

 be no doubt that the archaeolithic implement is much 

 quicker produced than a palaeolithic or a neolithic one. 

 From this point of view it is quite intelligible why 

 archaeolithic implements were still in use even when the 

 stone industry had reached its highest perfection, and 

 even in the earlier days of the metalliferous age. As 

 already pointed out, the archaeolithic implement could 

 not be perfected without losing its character, and we see. 

 therefore, that the youngest archaeolithe is undistinguish- 

 able in form from the oldest one. 



The oldest human industry was discovered by Dr. 

 Rutot at Boncelles, in Belgium. The specimens he sent 

 me from this locality are of a very crude type ; yet it would 

 be possible to find a match for each of them among the 

 more primitive tronattas. A large number still retain the 

 original crust, and it appears that in many cases a natural 

 fragment was used without being previously split off a 

 parent block. Others are, without doubt, flakes that were 

 detached from a larger block, and a fine bulb of percus- 



