38 The Prehistoric Hunter. 



Armed with their bows, and lances and arrows tipped with 

 flint, and carrying at their sides poignards of reindeer horn, with 

 beautifully carved handles, the men of the caves set out in pursuit 

 of the urus, the wild horse, and the reindeer ; and if such formid- 

 able beasts as the mammoth, the cave-bear, or lion came in their way, 

 they did not hesitate to give them battle. In one of the caves have 

 been found several incisors of the cave-bear and the lion, on which 

 (with flint-flakes) are admirably depicted various denizens of the 

 forest, the stream, and the sea. These teeth are perforated at their 

 roots, and no doubt were once strung in a necklace to adorn some 

 ancient Nimrod, mighty among those who dwelt in caves. 



The bones of the larger animals, like the mammoth and 

 woolly rhinoceros, are rare in the caves. This is easily accounted 

 for. The hunters, after bringing down such large game, would, 

 after the fatigue and excitement of such a great hunt, make a feast 

 on the spot where the huge victim fell, and cutting up the carcass 

 with their flint knives, they would carry what they could to the 

 caves for their wives and little ones. "We can picture to our- 

 selves," says Mr. Dawkins ("Early Man in Britain"), "the camp 

 around the carcass, and the fires kindled not merely to cook the 

 flesh, but to keep away the beasts of prey attracted by the scent of 

 blood. The tribe assembled around, and the dark trunks of the oaks 

 or Scotch firs lighted up by the blaze, with hyenas lurking in the 

 background, are worthy of the brush of a future Rembrandt." 



The Hunter and Fisherman of the Sea-shore and the Fjord. 



The arctic climate in which the men of the river-drift and the 

 cave-dwellers lived slowly gave place to a climate more like that of 

 our own age. During this climatic change, the mammoth, the Irish 

 elk, the great bear and cave-lion disappeared, while the reindeer, 

 musk-ox, chamois and ibex either slowly migrated to arctic regions 

 or moved to alpine heights where they could have the cold suited to 

 their natures. 



Man changed his habits with the change of climate. He appears 

 now as a dweller on the shores of the sea and an inhabitant of huts 

 built on piles driven into the bottom of lakes. Living near and on 

 the water, he becomes an angler as well as hunter. 



