﻿426 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  by 
  a 
  particular 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  face. 
  The 
  flaking 
  hammer 
  is 
  made 
  

   of 
  steel, 
  weighs 
  about 
  a 
  pound, 
  is 
  square 
  in 
  section, 
  and 
  tapers 
  

   toward 
  the 
  two 
  ends. 
  

  

  3. 
  Knapping. 
  — 
  Before 
  the 
  " 
  knapper 
  " 
  is 
  a 
  wooden 
  block 
  into 
  

   which 
  an 
  iron 
  stake 
  or 
  chisel 
  is 
  let 
  in 
  and 
  padded 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  with 
  

   leather 
  to 
  insure 
  a 
  rebound 
  from 
  the 
  hammer 
  stroke. 
  The 
  flake 
  is 
  

   taken 
  in 
  the 
  left 
  hand 
  and 
  held 
  on 
  the 
  stake 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  chisellike 
  

   hammer 
  is 
  cut 
  into 
  the 
  required 
  sizes 
  and 
  trimmed. 
  

  

  Eight 
  different 
  sizes 
  of 
  gunflints 
  are 
  made, 
  their 
  names 
  and 
  

   dimensions 
  being 
  as 
  follows: 
  Long 
  Dane 
  (for 
  the 
  lengthy 
  Arab 
  

   gun), 
  If 
  inches 
  by 
  1 
  inch; 
  fowling, 
  If 
  inches 
  square; 
  musket, 
  

   If 
  by 
  1£ 
  inches; 
  carbine, 
  1\ 
  inches 
  by 
  1 
  inch; 
  horse 
  pistol, 
  1 
  inch 
  

   square; 
  single 
  (for 
  single-barreled 
  gun) 
  and 
  rifle, 
  seven-eighths 
  of 
  

   an 
  inch 
  square; 
  and 
  pocket 
  pistol, 
  five-eighths 
  by 
  one-half 
  of 
  an 
  

   inch. 
  

  

  Gunflints 
  are 
  still 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  tribes 
  of 
  central 
  and 
  western 
  Africa, 
  

   the 
  Congo 
  and 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  and 
  the 
  Arabs 
  around 
  the 
  Mediterranean, 
  

   all 
  of 
  whom 
  are 
  precluded 
  — 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  lies 
  within 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  

   European 
  Governments 
  to 
  enforce 
  the 
  prohibition 
  — 
  from 
  acquiring 
  

   modern 
  firearms, 
  such 
  as 
  breech-loading 
  rifles 
  and 
  sporting 
  guns. 
  

   Factories 
  exist 
  at 
  Birmingham 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  which 
  turn 
  out 
  nothing 
  

   but 
  flintlock 
  and 
  small 
  arms, 
  and 
  Brandon 
  provides 
  the 
  flints, 
  the 
  

   average 
  output 
  being 
  150,000 
  a 
  week. 
  

  

  Tinder-box 
  flints 
  (strike-a-lights) 
  are 
  likewise 
  still 
  made 
  for 
  ex- 
  

   port. 
  The 
  Italian 
  and 
  Spanish 
  peasantry 
  prefer 
  the 
  tinder-box 
  to 
  

   any 
  other 
  means 
  of 
  obtaining 
  light. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  humid 
  

   African 
  forests 
  where 
  matches 
  prove 
  unreliable. 
  During 
  the 
  South 
  

   African 
  War 
  14,000 
  tinder 
  boxes, 
  provided 
  with 
  the 
  best 
  Brandon 
  

   strike-a-lights, 
  were 
  issued 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  troops. 
  

  

  By 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  scrapers 
  of 
  prehistoric 
  times 
  with 
  old 
  strike-a- 
  

   lights, 
  of 
  these 
  with 
  modern 
  ones 
  and 
  with 
  old 
  English 
  gunflints, 
  

   an 
  almost 
  unbroken 
  succession 
  from 
  the 
  Neolithic 
  period 
  may 
  be 
  

   traced 
  for 
  the 
  Brandon 
  industry. 
  Also 
  the 
  tools 
  have 
  not 
  much 
  

   altered 
  since 
  Neolithic 
  times, 
  if 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  perforated 
  Neolithic 
  

   hammers 
  are 
  compared, 
  save 
  that 
  iron 
  or 
  steel 
  has 
  superseded 
  stone 
  

   in 
  the 
  hammers 
  and 
  horn 
  in 
  the 
  picks, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  

   during 
  the 
  exploration 
  of 
  " 
  Grimes 
  Graves 
  " 
  there 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   covered 
  passage 
  of 
  a 
  sand 
  mound 
  which 
  had 
  apparently 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  

   flint 
  working 
  in 
  Neolithic 
  times 
  a 
  pickax 
  formed 
  of 
  flint 
  fastened 
  in 
  

   a 
  stag's 
  antler. 
  

  

  FRANCE. 
  

  

  From 
  France, 
  the 
  classic 
  reservoir 
  of 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  Stone 
  

   Age, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  collection 
  representing 
  the 
  several 
  

   stages 
  of 
  the 
  Stone 
  Age 
  period 
  and 
  various 
  stations, 
  caves, 
  and 
  

  

  