610 HUMAN JAW AND FLINT-IMPLEMENTS 



the residue, chiefly of alumina and oxide of iron, and of oxide 

 of manganese, in variable quantities in different portions of 

 the matrix ; and that it contained no humus or other organic 

 constituent. The matters analyzed consisted of the ' black 

 seam ' proper ; of the same derived from the black flinty 

 gravel ; and of portions of the black covering of the jaw and 

 of matter extracted from the hollow tooth. They were all 

 shown to be made up of the same constituents, although in 

 different proportions, and they are regarded as being of the 

 same nature. 



M. de Quatrefages exhibited to the Conference a flake-like 

 fragment, of a white, hard, and solid substance, extracted by 

 him from the matrix of the ' couche noire,' and remaining 

 micoloured. He contended that as this body was unstained, 

 the absence of staining in the suspected haches might in a 

 similar manner be accounted for. The precise nature of the 

 body in question was not ascertained ; it was first regarded 

 as being probably a portion of a tooth, and then, when exa- 

 mined by the Conference, as possibly portion of a shell (?). 

 Hairs, coloured and uncoloured, were also disengaged from 

 specimens of the ' couche noire.' They were regarded as 

 being of Rodents or of Bats, but there is good reason to 

 suspect, according to Mr. Busk, that their presence was 

 purely accidental. 



The general results yielded by the examination of the 

 haches and accompanying circumstances, apart from the 

 gisement, were differently regarded by the different sides. 

 M. Milne -Edwards, President of the Conference, in his com- 

 munication made to the Academy of Sciences on May 18th, 

 puts the case thus : — 



' Tous les membres de la reunion ont ete d'accord pour admettre que 

 dans beaiicoup de cas, a raison de l'existence de certains caracteres qui 

 semblent ne pouvoir etre imprimes que par le temps, on peut, par la 

 seule inspection d'une hache en silex, constater son authenticite, c'est- 

 a-dire son origine ancienne. Mais les avis ont ete partages au sujet 

 des bases d'un jugement legitime en sens contraire. 



1 MM. Falconer, Prestwich, Carpenter etBusk pensaient que l'absence 

 de tout signe evident de vetuste et l'existence de certaines particularites 

 dans la forme ou dans les fractures de ces haches etaient des preuves 

 irrecusables de leur fabrication recente. Ces savants se consideraient, 

 par consequent, comme fondes a nier l'authenticite des haches dont la 

 surface ne presentait ni patine hi incrustations, dont les aretes etaient 

 tres-vives et dont la forme s'eloignait plus ou moms de celle des haches 

 reconnues vraies. Puis, faisant l'application de ces principes aux 

 haches tirees des diverses couches du terrain de transport de Moulin- 

 Quignon ou d'autres lieux, ils admettaient l'authenticite des unes, 

 tandis qu'ils declaraient fausses beaucoup d'autres, notamment toutes 

 relies provenant de la couche noire ou M. de Perthes avait trouve la 

 machoire humaine. 



