BIOLOGY OF MAN 1175 



recent and less gifted work by Bushmen in South Africa, and indeed 

 other people's elsewhere, suggests a combination of magical, mystical, 

 and practical purpose, not without parallels from modem hunting 

 types in western civilisations also; though into these we need not 

 go; enough that we have here to recognise evidence of high artistic 

 quality in this remote and early civilisation. This discovery of 

 course stirred up fresh research, and finer cavern galleries have since 

 been found, as notably at Altamira, in the Spanish Pyrenees, of 

 which illustrations have been published. French archaeologists were 

 by this time far too advanced to repeat the neglect of Boucher de 

 Perthes' fundamental discoveries; so M. Peyrony was duly honoured, 

 and set free to concentrate on further research, and to form the 

 admirable museum which now occupies the old chateau of the 

 village under its ahri sous roche. But as at heart a teacher still, 

 he has now accepted our overtures towards an archaeological Vaca- 

 tion School, open to British and other foreign visitors, and followed 

 by the training of some of its best students towards investigation 

 in their own countries. 



Return, however, to the Aurignacians, better known as the Cro- 

 Magnon people, from the first discovery of their fine skulls in what 

 is now the innyard of the Les Eyzies hotel. Better skeletons however 

 next turned up elsewhere in Dordogne, and also at Mentone, etc;, 

 so evidencing a fairly wide, and hinting at a probably much wider, 

 distribution of this extraordinarily fine and gifted people. 



The next phase of them, or their near kindred, is termed the 

 Solutrien. It shows good handling of flint, with its own minor 

 peculiarities in certain implements, but has yielded only one very 

 marked novelty so far, that of well-made bone sewing-needles, 

 bigger than our darning-needles, but otherwise of the same type. 

 The fine arts continued, but without any distinctive progress. 



Cold began to increase after what doubtless had been an inter- 

 glacial period; in fact until the climate of Lapland is demonstrated 

 from its flora and fauna; for besides more reindeer than ever, and 

 the return or increase of mammoth and rhinoceros, we find the 

 lemming, the chamois, etc., and even the arctic white bear. The 

 great carnivores of warmer climates have naturally now vanished 

 so the Magdaleniens — still essentially of Cro-Magnon type — ^now 

 occupy their caverns in peace. Their flint-work of course goes on, 

 and in variety; but they are now more than ever productive in 

 horn, bone and ivory, and adorn their implements and weapons, 

 and what are guessed as symbols of authority {batons de commande- 

 ment) with fresh originality and skill. In fact palaeolithic art now 

 attains its climax, alike for personal and domestic adornment, and 

 also as mural decoration in the caverns. A complete sculptor's 

 studio has lately been discovered, with works finished and in progress. 

 Very interesting also is the discovery of what appear like the begin- 



