200 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
few bone needles or borers, two. good hammers, and a certain 
number of blades, points, and scrapers. One waterworn pebble of 
micaceous gneiss has plainly been used as a rubber, both ends being 
much worn. But the conclusion is forced upon one, either that the 
cave-dwellers were very indifferent workmen, or that they were 
lacking in that quality so valuable to archeologists, of leaving their 
tools about. 
On comparing the results of my digging with those achieved by 
the Doctors Sarasin, I find a general similarity, except in the case of 
the talus already mentioned. The identifiable animal remains were 
more numerous in their excavations in the Bintenna. It appeared 
to me that bones were surprisingly scarce in the Beligal-ge, those of 
the larger animals, such as deer and pig, being entirely wanting, 
while the enormous number of water-snail shells proved that my 
cave-dwellers were satisfied with the humblest fare. The imple- 
ments of quartz, crystal, and chert were neither more nor less rude 
in the one case than in the other. A distinguished archzologist in 
England has favoured me with the following remarks: “ The 
Veddas—if it be they who made them—must have been a very 
degraded people, worse than the most degraded we find about here 
of any period, except perhaps one lot who seem to have come for a 
short time in a short interglacial period.” These scathing sentences 
are absolutely justified by the roughness of the specimens—good 
palzeolithic work is as far superior to them as it is inferior to good 
neolithic work. The immense numbers of chips, cores, and refuse 
prove that the makers had abundant practice. The Doctors 
Sarasin note with justice the intractability of quartz as compared 
with flint. But the same plea cannot be admitted in the case of 
chert, and the chert implements recovered so far from caves are as 
rude as those of quartz and crystal. It is notable that a far higher 
level of workmanship and design is attained by implements found 
on hill-tops, and on the evidence before us I am inclined to believe 
that the cave-dwellers represent the oldest and rudest type, while 
their descendants, armed with improved weapons and disdaining the 
wretched fare of their ancestors, forsook the caves and led an ampler 
and freer life on the hills, following the game in their seasonal 
migrations. 
Of animal remains discovered, the most important were the snails 
already mentioned, which seem to have formed their principal food 
supply. In addition, a fair number was found of the non-edible 
Helia (Acavus) phenix, described by the Doctors Sarasin as the 
‘ Hobelschnecke,” or Plane-snail, used for smoothing wood, of 
which specimens are to be seen in the Museum. Bones of the follow- 
ing animals have been identified by Dr. Pearson: Madras langur 
(Semnopithecus priamus) and mouse deer (Tragulus meminna). 
On the other hand, the list of things which one would have liked 
to find, but did not, would fill several pages. 
