FISH ENGRAVINGS— MAGICAL CHARMS 27 



with a fish incised on a reindeer antler from Laugerie-Basse, 1 

 evoke the Hvely admiration of de Mortillct and Parkyn. 



Such is their graphic truthfulness and attention to detail 

 that, according to the former writer, the trout which the seals 

 have killed floats, as dead fish do, belly up, and is not only 

 perfectly characterised in general form, but is rendered with 

 the spots on the top of the back dotted quite accurately. 2 

 Not less admirable is the bas-relief of a fish in reindeer horn 

 from Mas d'Azil, or of another pierced by a spear. 3 



The frequent engravings of animals and of fish prompt 

 S. Reinach and others to the interesting surmise that since all 

 or most portray creatures desired for food by hunters and 

 fishermen, they were executed not for amusement, " mais sont 

 les talismans de chasseurs qui craignent de manquer de gibier. 

 L'objet des artistes a 6te d'exercer une attraction magique sur 

 les animaux de la meme espece. Les indigenes de I'Australie 

 Centrale peignent aussi sur les roches ou le sol des figures des 

 animaux dans le but avoue d'en favoriser par la meme raison, 

 qui dans certaines campagnes fait qu'on evite de prononcer le 

 nom du loup." * 



After pointing out that the representations of the Reindeer 

 epoch " offrent un caractere analogue," he continues, " A 

 cette phase tres ancienne d'evolution humaine la religion (au 

 sens moderne de ce mot) n'existe pas encore, mais la magie 



^ E. Cartailhac, Matdriaux pour I'histoire de I'homme, xiii. p. 395. The 

 Magdalenian workmanship on bone was extraordinarily fine. Their bone 

 needles (according to de Mortillet) are much superior to those of the later, 

 even of historical times, down to the Renaissance. The Romans never 

 possessed needles comparable with them. 



- G. de Mortillet, Origines de la Chasse el de la Peche (Paris, 1890), p. 222. 

 Our learned author nods. If the seals had killed the trout, it would not have 

 floated " belly up," but instantly down their bellies. 



3 S. Reinach, Repertoire de I' Art Quaternaire (Paris, 1913), p. 156, which is 

 a complete summary of the various finds in excavations, etc. See p. 88 for 

 a seal, and p. 114 for a fine representation from Laugerie Basse of two fish 

 meeting. 



* Fishermen in Malay, while they are at sea, studiously avoid mentioning 

 the names of birds or beasts : all animals are called " cheweh," a meaningless 

 word, which is believed not to be understood by the creatures (J. G. Frazer, 

 The Golden Bough, second edition, 1900, vol. i. p. 460). So, too, fishermen 

 from some villages on the N.E. coast of Scotland never pronounce, while at sea, 

 under penalty of poor catches, certain words such as " minister," " salmon," 

 " trout," " swine," etc. The first, poor fellow! " que diable allait-il faire dans 

 cette galere ? " is invariably referred to as " the man with the black ' guyte ' " 

 {Ibid., p. 453). 



D 



