294 Sheppard : Neolithic Workshops near Bridlington. 



comparatively slow. In such a situation therefore, it seems 

 highly probable that sites of the implement manufactories 

 might exist. During the past few weeks I have had oppor- 

 tunities of examining the district, and have been successful in 

 finding at least four distinct places where, unquestionably, 

 primitive man made the crude flint weapons and tools with 

 which he hunted and fought. Two or these sites are south of 

 the town, and two north ; one being quite close to the so-called 

 Danes' Dyke, which was probably erected by the same people ; 

 at any rate it is certainly much older than the time of the 

 Danes. 



The positions of these, the earliest of our known workshops, 

 were first recognised by the enormous number of dark-coloured 

 flint boulders, pebbles and splinters, which occurred. Each 

 occupied the top of a slight rise in the ground. A close examina- 

 tion shewed that, whilst a few of the larger pieces of flint were 

 in their natural state, or only slightly chipped, others were in 

 various stages of manufacture, from the split nodule with 

 squared edges, to the small conical cores, chipped all round, 

 which had been thrown away simply because with their primi- 

 tive tools, our early ancestors had been unable to strike any 

 further flakes off. In all directions were the spoilt flakes or 

 ' wasters,' as well as ' flake-knives,' the edges of which are still 

 remarkably sharp. Occasionally a piece of flint was found 

 which had some flaw, or was in other ways unsuitable for making 

 into good implements, and had been discarded after several 

 attempts had been made to put it to good purpose. In some 

 cases it was clear that a large flint nodule had been entirely 

 chipped to the core, as peculiarities in the texture of the flint 

 could be detected in the dozens of pieces around. Of course the 

 best flakes would be made into finished implements and be 

 taken away. In the process many small chippings were made, 

 which by some antiquaries are termed ' pigmy ' flints, and are 

 considered to be evidence of a pigmy race. One of the work- 

 men seems to have had a particular fancy for pink flint, 

 which, though occurring in the drift, is comparatively rarely 

 met with. At one place almost all the flakes found were of this 

 colour, and similarly, an unusual number of large pieces of pink 

 flint were present. This is doubtless accounted for by the fact 

 that boulders of this material are much more irregular in shape 

 and contain more flaws than the black flint, and consequently a 

 greater proportion would be discarded. 



Naturalist.. 



