THE PALANTHROPIC AGE 51 



indeed we know this to be the fact from its continuing 

 in the forests of Germany till the Roman times. 



This cave may serve as an example of the manner 

 in which the men of the palanthropic age make their 

 appearance. Let it be observed also that this is only 

 one instance selected from many giving similar tes- 

 timony, and that Dupont adduces evidence to show 

 that there may have been a contemporary plain- 

 dwelling people, of whom less is known than of the 

 troglodytes. Let it also be noted that there are other 

 caves in Belgium, to which we shall return later, which 

 show how the neocosmic men contemporary with the 

 present fauna succeeded the men of the mammoth 

 age. 



We may now inquire as to the physical characters 

 of the men of this period. It may be stated in 

 answer to this question that two races of men are 

 known in the palanthropic age, both somewhat 

 different from any existing peoples, and known re- 

 spectively as the Canstadt and Cro-magnon races. 

 As the latter is the most important and best known, 

 we may take it first, though the former may locally 

 at least have been the older. 



The valley of the little river Vezere, a tributary of 

 the Dordogne, in the south of France, abounding in 

 overhanging rock-shelters, seems to have been a 

 favourite abode of the men of the mammoth and 

 reindeer age. The rock-shelter of Cro-magnon ex- 

 plored by Lartet is one of these, and that of Laugerie 

 Basse is on the opposite side of the same stream. 



D 2 



