98 GOSSIP ON ANTIQUITY OF MAN. 



were no human bones on the outside of the grotto, and of the 

 various species of animals there were extinct and li-s'ing species — 

 among the former — ursus spelaeus, feHs spelsa, and hyena spelaea, 

 carnivora, — elephas primigenius, rhinoceros tichorinus, megaceros 

 Hibemicus, herhivora; and of the latter — badger, polecat, Avildcat, 

 wolf, and fox, carnivora, — and the pig, stag, roebuck, reindeer, and 

 aurochs, herbirora.. 



This is a short summary of the history of the Aurignac relics. 

 It is, to say the least, a singular instance of human remains, not 

 enveloped in a preserving matrix, remaining for so long a period 

 undecomposed. If we give them the age assumed for them by 

 Sir Charles Lyell, they may have lain there hundreds of thousands 

 of years, a long time for traditions or customs of burial to have 

 been retained whict descended to Abraham. But if we allow 

 that the extinct mammalia may have peopled this region between 

 the creation and the deluge, the fact of cave burial and the post- 

 diluvian custom or tradition will be much more intelligible. The 

 fossilization of the young bones in process of growth, is another 

 marvel. And almost equally so, after the sensation excited by the 

 discovery, is the total oblivion that fell upon the Aurignac sexton, 

 of the spot where the remains were re-interred. 



The onlv arood reason I can discover for attributinar so srreat an 

 age to these human remains, is their association with those of many 

 extinct animals, which are known to have existed and roamed the 

 earth long ages previous to the period assigned for the creation of 

 man. If, however, these extinctions came down to the date of the 

 Adamic chronology, and I believe that most of them did so, equally 

 with those which are still Hving species, this reason would not 

 apply — for we might expect to find them here, the natural enemies 

 and the food of man. We might then suppose this cave to be a 

 bui'ial place of some small emigrant tribe of antediluvians, who in 

 a few generations after the first man, had found their way to this 

 region from the centre of the race, and had hunted, and lived and 

 feasted upon the animals of the chase, such as the remains are 

 described to be. Against this supposition is the stated fact, that 

 )io cJiaiige in the physical configuration of the district, such as a 

 fiood would have made, has taken place since the grotto was a place 

 of sepulture. But if the Xoachian deluge were a partial one, 



