194 THE SCARCITY OF WELL MADE FLINT 



instance of the seal, and the wild ox, are in his opinion 

 sufficient evidence that the shell-mound builders must have 

 had weapons more useful and destructive than any which 

 Prof. Worsaae will concede to them ; moreover, he considers 

 that many of the cuts which are so common on the bones 

 found in the shell-heaps must have been made by polished 

 implements, and are too smooth to be the marks of flint 

 flakes, according to the suggestion of Professor Worsaae. 

 Finally, Professor Steenstrup, though not attributing so 

 much weight as Professor Worsaae to the absence of the 

 ruder implements from the tumuli, even if this had been 

 the case, disputes the fact on the ground that these imple- 

 ments would not until recently have been recognised and 

 collected, and that they have, in fact, been found whenever 

 they were looked for. 



After having carefully considered the evidence on both 

 sides, I find myself, as might naturally be expected, unable 

 altogether to agree with either. 



The small rude axes seem to me even less well adapted to the 

 purpose suggested by Prof. Steenstrup, than for those which 

 have generally been attributed to them. There are, no doubt, 

 some which could never have been used for cutting, but these 

 may have been failures, owing to some want of skill on the 

 part of the manufacturer, or some flaw in the flint itself. 

 Others appear to me, as to Prof. Worsaae, serviceable, though 

 rude ; and well adapted for some purpose (possibly for oyster 

 dredging or chopping wood), which required a strong, rather 

 than a sharp edge. They also very closely resemble in 

 form some of the adzes used by the South Sea Islanders, 

 one of which is figured for comparison (see pp. 72, 73). 

 They seem to me, however, as to Prof. Steenstrup, to differ 

 in character from the well-made and generally polished 

 axes, and not to be ruder implements of the same type. 

 Although the carefully formed knives, axes, lance-heads, etc., 



