1 1 o PREHISTORIC E UR OPE. 



that therefore it may belong to a much later date than the 

 Palaeolithic refuse-heaps at H H. Another objection to this 

 sepulchral cavity with its contents being of Palaeolithic Age is 

 the character of the human remains and relics. " The form of 

 the urn," as Mr. Dawkins says, "is remarkably like some of 

 those which have been obtained from the Neolithic pile-dwell- 

 ings of Switzerland, and therefore may possibly imply that the 

 interment is of that age." The skulls also " seem to be of the 

 same general order as the broad skulls from the Neolithic caves 

 and tombs of France, and from the round barrows of Great 

 Britain, as well as those from the Neolithic tombs of Borreby 

 and Moen in Scandinavia." 



From the foregoing descriptions of English and Belgian 

 caves, the reader will gather a fair notion of the kind of 

 evidence that Palaeolithic cavern-deposits usually supply. A 

 description of the cave-accumulations of France, Switzerland, 

 and Germany would, in large measure, be a repetition of the 

 same tale. It is not necessary for my purpose to do more than 

 merely indicate the general gist of the evidence, and this may 

 be done very briefly. The caves and rock-shelters which we 

 have already passed in review contain, as we have seen, relics 

 pertaining to different stages of the Palaeolithic Period. The 

 same holds true with the caves of France and other countries. 

 French archaeologists, indeed, have classified their caverns 

 according to what they conceive is the relative antiquity of 

 the relics and remains which they contain. In the oldest series 

 are included those caves which have yielded remains of the 

 cave-bear in greatest plenty, and in which the human relics of 

 rudest form and finish occur ; while the newer series comprises 

 those caverns in which remains of the reindeer are most abun- 

 dant, and where the human implements evince the greatest skill 

 and perfection of workmanship. Among the former come such 

 caves as that of Vallieres (Loir-et-Cher), discovered by M. de 

 Vibraye, which contains bones of rhinoceros, hyasna, megaceros, 

 urus, horse, etc., along with flint implements of the rudest 

 types. Another example is that of the Grotte des Fees at 



