Vol. 54.] IMPLEMENTS FEOM THE PLATEAU-GKAVELS. 293 



unstratified drift above. Hence the main question turned upon the 

 evidence of the ' Eoliths,' in which sceptics could not see any trace 

 of human work. 



I was at first led to accept the ' Eoliths ' as artificial, as I knew 

 of no natural flints of the same shape and character. But a more 

 detailed study of specimens, most kindly lent or given to me by 

 Mr. Harrison, caused me to recant my belief in the human origin 

 of the ' Eolithic ' chipping. My reasons were stated in a short 

 paper in ' Natural Science ' ^ ; they are mainly based upon the facts 

 that the chipping is of different dates, even in the same specimen, 

 and that it was produced after the specimens were embedded in the 

 plateau-gravel. 



Since that paper was published Mr. Harrison has kindly sent me 

 some further specimens which advance the question an important 

 stage. I am very grateful to him for his permission to describe 

 some of these specimens. They prove two propositions : — 



1st. That man lived on the Kent plateaa before or during the 

 deposition of the plateau-gravels. 



2nd. That the ' Eolithic ' chipping is not the work of man. 



The first proposition is established by the specimens bearing the 

 numbers, in Mr. Harrison's catalogue, 545, 551, 760, 784, 792 

 (Jan. 2nd, 1898), for they are, in my opinion, unquestionably 

 Palaeolithic implements. 



No. 551 (fig. 1) is a good example of a pointed, spear-shaped 

 implement ; the flakes struck from it were long and thin, and cut 

 the edge obliquely. The specimen is in excellent preservation, and 

 only slightly rolled, exhibiting, however, traces of crushed chipping, 

 and some frost-flakes of later date. No. 760 (fig. 2) is also a good 

 implement, and is of the oval type. No. 545, from South Ash, is 

 another oval implement, but it has been very much worn and rolled, 

 although retaining evidence of Palaeolithic work. No. 792, found at 

 West Yoke, on the first day of the present year, shows distinct 

 Palaeolithic work, with sundry chippings of the edge, frost-flakes of 

 different dates, and is slightly damaged by a modern blow. A flake, 

 dated by Mr. Harrison Jan. 2nd, 1898, looks like a fragment of an 

 oval implement : he says of it, ' I send a bulbous flake ; compare 

 side working with the work on plateau-specimens.' The com- 

 parison has been made ; the style of the chipping seems to be 

 identical in each. 



Mr. Harrison also speaks of a deep-stained, much worn Palaeolith 

 (No. 712) found at South Ash, with traces of the ' old style ' of 

 chipping on the edge. This, and another larger example (No. 689) 

 from West Yoke, with ' old old ' markings on one edge, are now in 

 the museum at Nice. 



The specimens were not found, in situ, in the gravels ; but they 

 present evidence which appears to me conclusive that they were 

 derived from the plateau-gravels. The flints of this deposit have 

 very distinctive characters : they are of a deep brown colour ; they 



1 ' The Authenticity of Plateau-Man,' Nat. Sci. vol. xi (1897) pp. 327-333. 



