ARTS AND HANDICRAFTS 



3*9 



of attacking, or overcoming, the huge antediluvian animals by 

 throwing stones at them, for at that time he had not con- 

 structed slings (of leather or perhaps the stems of the wild vine), 

 He had to content himself with the capture of younger or 

 smaller animals, or else endeavour to ensnare them in pits. 

 In order to kill with more certainty and afterwards to strip 

 off the hides, man first made use of the small hammer (Fig. 

 143, a and b\ a rude flint, roughly hewn from the flint beds, 



FIG. 143. Carved flints, natural size. (Homes.) a and b, hammers of the type 

 of Chelles and Moustier; c, pointed instrument; d, boring instrument; e, 

 skinning instrument of the type of Solutre. 



and possessing a point and sharp angles. Later, he succeeded 

 by means of bones, reindeer horns, etc., in crushing, or pound- 

 ing, the rough flints into beautiful prism-shaped blades, and 

 still later he laboriously fashioned knives (Fig. 144), spears, 

 lance-heads, etc., with finely finished sharp angles. Some of the 

 specimens resemble blades, others boring instruments, and 

 others again saws, while the smallest of all appear to be arrow- 

 heads (Fig. 143, c, d, e). Darwin considered that to obtain 



