670 



THE PLEISTOCENE PERIOD 



Owing co the isolation of Australia, its life was peculiar to itself. 

 The vertebrate fauna consisted of marsupials and monotremes 

 exclusively. In general, they differed specifically from those now 

 living, and were, on the whole, larger. Although glaciers had but 

 slight development in Australia, the effects of the widespread 

 refrigeration of the higher latitudes was doubtless felt. Compara- 

 tively little is known of the Pleistocene life of Africa, but a mod- 

 erate climate in the northern portion seems to be indicated. 



Man in the Glacial Period 1 



In America. Previous to the last decade of the last century, 

 much prehistoric material of human origin had been collected and 

 widely accepted as proof of man's presence 

 in America in glacial times; but later studies 

 have disclosed weaknesses both in the evi- 

 dence and in its interpretation. The result 

 is that man's antiquity in America is a more 

 open question to-day than it was thought to 

 be twenty years ago. 



These prehistoric human relics in America 

 range from the rudest stone chips and flakes 

 to skillfully fashioned and polished handi- 

 work in stone, metal, and bone. Following 

 European precedent, the rougher artefacs 2 

 were classed as paleolithic, and interpreted as 

 indicating the presence of Paleolithic man 

 (and of the Paleolithic or Old Stone age) in 

 America. The more perfectly fashioned 

 artefacs were classed as neolithic, with cor- 

 responding reference to the Neolithic (New 

 Stone) age. Some students properly regard 

 "paleolithic" and "neolithic" as stages of early art, not as chrono- 

 logical "ages," or geologic divisions, though the terms have been 

 much used in the latter sense. 



The relics interpreted as paleoliths consist chiefly of rudely 

 chipped pieces of flint, quartz, argillite, etc. (Fig. 544). The neoliths 



1 See references, p. 676. 



2 The term "artefac" designates any object fashioned by man, in any way 

 or for any purpose, or, incidentally, without purpose. It includes stone chips, 

 broken and rejected material, and various forms of by-products, as well as imple- 

 ments, weapons, ornaments, etc. 



Fig. 544. A typical 

 paleolith from Kent's 

 Cavern, Torquay, Eng- 

 land, seen on the face 

 and edge. (Evans.) 



