DIFFERENCES IN THE STONE AGE. 445 



with the flat side upwards. The South Sea Islanders afford, 

 indeed, wonderful instances of what can be accomplished with 

 stone implements. Their houses are large and often well 

 built, and their canoes have excited the wonder of all who 

 have seen them. 



Although, then, the use of stone as the principal material 

 of implements and weapons may be regarded as charac- 

 terising an early stage in the development of civilisation, still 

 it is evident that this stage is itself susceptible of much sub- 

 division. The Mincopie or the Australian, for instance, is 

 not to be compared for an instant with the semi- civilised 

 native of the Society Islands. So also in the ancient Stone 

 age of Europe, we find evidences of great difference. The 

 savage inhabitants of the South French caves had, according 

 to MM. Christy and Lartet, no domestic animals, and no know- 

 ledge of pottery or agriculture. The shell-mound builders 

 of Denmark had the dog ; the Swiss Lake- dwellers also pos- 

 sessed this animal, together with the ox, sheep, and pig, 

 perhaps even the horse ; they had a certain knowledge of 

 agriculture, and were acquainted with the art of weaving. 

 Thus, then, even when we have satisfied ourselves that any 

 given remains belong to the Stone age, we are still but on 

 the threshold of our enquiry. 



Travellers and naturalists have varied a good deal in 

 opinion as to the race of savages which is entitled to the 

 unenviable reputation of being the lowest in the scale of 

 civilisation. Cook, Darwin, Fitzroy, and Wallis were de- 

 cidedly in favor, if I may so say, of the Fuegian ; Burchell 

 maintained that the Bushmen are the lowest ; D'Urville voted 

 for the Australians and Tasmanians ; Dampier thought the 

 Australians " the miserablest people in the world ; " Forster 

 said that the people of Mallicollo " bordered the nearest upon 

 the tribe of monkeys ; " Owen inclines to the Andamaners ; 

 others have supported the North American Root-diggers; 



