258 Mr. Alexander J. Hogg on the 
form the neolithic class, of which the National Collection con- 
tains so splendid and valuable a series. In this country then 
there are the two generally accepted divisions of that great 
stretch of prehistoric time known as the Stone age. 
In France this epoch has been divided into two periods—the 
archeolithic and the neolithic; the first comprising all from the 
age of the mammoth to that of the reindeer, when implements 
were sometimes finely chipped ; and the second only dating from 
the time when implements were sometimes ground or polished. 
The age of stone was succeeded by the so-called age of Bronze, 
but implements of that metal must have always been very costly 
in comparison with those of stone; and it is probable that flint 
implements and arms were in general use until the introduction 
of iron, for bronze tools, as well as weapons, are excessively rare, 
although that metal is much less liable to decomposition than 
iron. In this country celts were occasionally made of tin, and 
in America weapons are found of native unsmelted copper merely 
hammered into the shapes required. In fact, stone implements 
and arms continued to be made through the whole period usually 
spoken of as the Bronze age, and until the discovery.of the 
method of working iron supplied implements of the new metal 
so rapidly and cheaply that it was more easy to procure iron 
wares by barter than to manufacture them of stone; but this of 
course applies only to the implements of the finest make. 
The Bronze age was therefore concomitant with that of Stone, 
and we know that the use of stone weapons continued far into 
the Iron age ; for it is matter of history that many of the Saxon 
soldiers who fought with the Norman invaders at the battle of 
Hastings were armed with spears headed with flint. 
In the same manner the subdivisions of the Stone age also run 
one into the other, many forms of implements being common to 
all periods; but there are certain general characters by which 
each of the subdivisions may be recognized, and brought into 
regular chronological sequence. 
What is really remarkable is that tools of the same forms were 
in use throughout the immense length of time from the eolithic 
(I had almost said eocene) period down to the latest neolithic 
times, showing that the wants of the many races that rose and 
died out during those thousands of years were practically un- 
changed. The forms of the implements continue, but the 
diminution in their size and weight show that the latest races 
inhabiting this country were veritable pigmies compared with the 
men of the eolithic age. This is well instanced by a comparison 
between the implements of the puny neoliths of the Shirley 
Hills and those of the eolithic people which are found on the 
elevated plateau of the chalk, or in the most ancient valley 
gravels. 
