174 Reviews — Reliqum Aquitanicce, 



what is still more to the purpose, they have already sold 14,000 copies ! 

 "We congratulate hoth the author and the Society on such good success 

 attending their efforts for the promotion of a love of Natural Science 

 among their fellow-men. When will 20,000 copies of an English 

 geological book (even at 4^d.) be printed ? and when will 14,000 

 be sold ? 



IV. — Eeliqtji^ Aquitanic^ ; being Contributions to the Archaeo- 

 logy and Paleeontology of Perigord, and the adjoining Pro- 

 vinces of Southern France. By Edouard Laktet and Henky 

 Christy. Edited by Professor T. Etjpert Jones, F.G.S. Part 

 X. February, 1870. 4to. Six Plates. London : H. Bailliere. 



IF the original announcement be adhered to, namely, to complete 

 this great work in twenty parts, the remaining author, and the 

 editor have now arrived at the half of their travail. The last num- 

 ber appeared in September, 1869, and we noticed it in our October 

 number. Vol. VI. p. 463. Part I. appeared in December, 18G5, so 

 that we may look forward to the completion of this exhaustive 

 memoir on Pre-historic antiquities in 1874, or thereabout. If the 

 future ten parts prove as rich as those already issued, it will, as a 

 publication on this branch of archasology, be unrivalled; but we 

 think we must have seen the largest half of these fine illustrations 

 already. 



The present part contains a plate of engraved stones, on which, 

 as upon the bones, already noticed in earlier parts of the work, 

 there are figures apparently of the Horse and Eeindeer. Such 

 stones, with engraved figures of animals, were very rare in 1863, 

 when the authors obtained those now figured. But since then some 

 have been found at other stations of the same Eeindeer Period, 

 especially at Bnmiquel. The pieces of sandstone figured in Plate 

 XXX. have evidently served for grinding and polishing ; the deep 

 grooves upon the face of several of them would indicate that they 

 had been used in the preparation of bone implements. Two excel- 

 lent plates of Flint flakes, more or less dressed into shape, are 

 followed by two of Bone implements and ornaments. 



Some of the bone needles figured are three inches in length, the 

 smallest is seven-eighth of an inch long ; they appear to have been 

 sharpened on the pieces of sandstone, already mentioned, whenever 

 they were blunted, which we think must have been often, when used 

 for sewing skins. 



In M. Lartet's admirable article " On the Employment of Sewing- 

 needles in Ancient Times," in the present number of the " Eeli- 

 quiae," he says (p. 138) — " All tends to make us admit that, like the 

 Laplanders and Esquimaux of the present day, the ancient Cave- 

 folk of Perigord must have used the tendons of the Eeindeer in 

 sewing their clothes that were made of skins ; and as the needles of 

 these primitive times vary considerably in form and dimensions, 

 it may well be assumed that they also knew at that time how to 

 split the tendons, and to make them into threads of different degrees of 

 fbieness, so that they could be used for different kinds of needlework." 



