PALEOLITHIC FAMILY 



when things had got as far as this, progress became much 

 more rapid, and soon the whole site of the future cornfield 

 was covered over by a continuous green carpet. Only, every 

 here and there, hard stones and uncompromising trap-rocks 

 remained still protruding from the green covering. 



In another chapter this first covering of the soil will be 

 described at length. 



So far it has been subsoil and underlying rock, but now the 

 roots begin to disintegrate alid work up the subsoil ; the earth- 

 worm has his chance, and forms true soil. On this particular 

 hillside, the water would drain away and there would be no 

 danger of mosses strangling and choking the Blaeberry and 

 the Heather. The worm flourished and multiplied, and the 

 soil became rich and black. Here and there a Sloe or a 

 Rowan, or Poplar, or perhaps Alder and Birch, began to 

 appear. In certain places Whins and Brooms, Brambles 

 and Briers, diversified the hillside. Then a few Scotch firs 

 began to push their way up, through the thickets. At first 

 they were very small and stunted, but as each one formed a 

 dense, deep-going mass of hardy roots, they were able to 

 investigate the riches of the subsoil. Every year the 

 amount of leaf-mould above increased, until the original 

 moss-covering was utterly destroyed and a pine forest (see 

 Chap, xxviii.) occupied Pennell Brae. 



About this time, a paleolithic family may have encamped 

 on the side of the cliff near a little stream which can still be 

 traced. The camp was only a few sticks and branches, with 

 a skin or two for shelter from the north wind. The women 

 lopped down fir branches for firewood, and cut up the young 

 trees. The children set fire to the shrubs on dry days and 

 paths ran here and there through the forest. This would be 

 about 198,000 b.c. 



148 



