CHAP. vii. FLINT IMPLEMENTS IN VALLEY OF THE SOMME. 117 



fractured flints. I also remarked, during each of my three 

 visits to Amiens, that there were some extensive gravel-pits, 

 such as those of Montiers and St. Roch, agreeing in their 

 geological character with those of St. Acheul, and only a mile 

 or two distant, where the workmen, although familiar with 

 the forms, and knowing the marketable value of the articles 

 above described, assured me that they had never been able 

 to find a single implement. 



Fig. 12 Fig. 13 



Dendrites on surfaces of flint hatchets in the drift of St. Acheul, near Amiens. 



Fig. 11, a Natural size. Fig. 12, b Natural size. c Magnified. 



Fig. 13, d Natural size, e Magnified. 



Respecting the authenticity of the tools as works of 

 art, Professor Ramsay, than whom no one could be a more 

 competent judge, observes : ' For more than twenty years, 

 like others of my craft, I have daily handled stones, whether 

 fashioned by nature or art ; and the flint hatchets of Amiens 

 and Abbeville seem to me as clearly works of art as any 

 Sheffield whittle.'* 



Mr. Evans classifies the implements under three heads, 

 two of which, the spear heads and the oval or almond-shaped 

 kinds, have already been described. The third form, fig. 14, 

 consists of flakes, apparently intended for knives or some 

 of the smaller ones for arrow heads. 



In regard to their origin, Mr. Evans observes that there 

 is a uniformity of shape, a correctness of outline, and a 

 sharpness about the cutting edges and points, which cannot 

 be due to anything but design. f 



Of these knives and flakes, I obtained several specimens 



* Athenaeum, July 16, 1859. f Archseologica, voL xxxviii. 



