42 Reports & Proceedings — Geological Society of London — ■ 



in general of a lighter ochreous patination than the other parts of the 

 nodule. It was noteworthy that some of the deeply patinated 

 palaeoliths had a subsequent or rechipped edge with exactly similar 

 characteristics in regard to patina and angle of chipping as the eoliths 

 with which they were associated. It had heen said that palaeoliths 

 did not occur beneath the humus, but the speaker had had excavations 

 made at levels of 450 and 520 feet ahove O.D. At the lower level 

 he had found numerous eoliths and a rolled Palaeolithic flake at 

 a depth of 4 ft. 6 in. ; at a further depth of 2 feet he found 

 unrolled unochreous eoliths. At the higher level he had detected 

 a much rolled Palaeolithic implement in conjunction with numerous 

 eoliths. He considered, therefore, that the contemporaneity of 

 eoliths and palaeoliths was beyond doubt. 



Mere crudity of the fabrication of an implement could not be 

 regarded as an indication of pre- Palaeolithic antiquity: for, if that 

 were allowed, many rudely fashioned implements, found associated 

 with the higher forms in the drifts of our river-valleys and on the 

 surface with polished tools, would have to be regarded as of greater 

 antiquity than the finished examples, whereas there was good evidence 

 to the contrary. This claim to a pre- Palaeolithic antiquity for 

 implements of crude workmanship could not be upheld when with 

 them were found Palaeolithic implements of Chellean and Acheulian 

 types, in precisely the same mineral condition and showing a like 

 amount of abrasion. 



Mr. Reginald A. Smith referred to the type series of flints from 

 the excavations carried out in 1912 on behalf of the Geological 

 Survey and the British Museum. The official account was about to be 

 published by the Society of Antiquaries {Archceologla, vol. Ixiv), and 

 dealt with the 100 ft. terrace gravels at Milton Street, Swanscombe, 

 long known as a most prolific site. The 35 ft. section of Pleistocene 

 deposits contained three bands of gravel, separated by two bands of 

 loam. The lowest gravel, resting on Thanet Sand, contained a large 

 number of struck flakes, unrolled and without secondary chipping, 

 but no implements in the ordinary sense of the term, though some 

 chipped cylindrical nodules might be regarded as of Strepy type. The 

 Chellean types occurred abundantly in the middle gravel, especially 

 in its lower section, the industry higher in the same bed showing an 

 approach to Acheulian forms ; but though the latter had been found 

 from time to time in the pit and in the vicinity, no results were 

 obtained during the excavations. Subsequently Mr. Dewey had 

 acquired a series of unrolled Acheulian implements, mostly twisted 

 ovates, from a bed corresponding to the Upper Grravel, in an adjoining 

 pit. Hence the whole series, generally known as the Drift, seemed 

 to be represented in the 100 ft. terrace-gravels^ as was also the case 

 in the Somme Valley. This did not preclude the possibility of 

 Drift forms occurring in gravels at higher or lower horizons ; and 

 recent discoveries on the North Downs and other sites in the South- 

 East of England suggested that some of the beds mapped as Plateau 

 Gravel were laid down or re-arranged in the period named after 

 St. Acheul. 



A discussion on the above-mentioned exhibits then followed. 



