FISH ENGRAVINGS—MAGICAL CHARMS 27 
with a fish incised on a reindeer antler from Laugerie-Basse,! 
evoke the lively admiration of de Mortillet and Parkyn. 
Such is their graphic truthfulness and attention to detail 
that, according to the former writer, the trout which the seals 
have killed floats, as dead fish do, belly up, and is not only 
perfectly characterised in general form, but is rendered with 
the spots on the top of the back dotted quite accurately.? 
Not less admirable is the bas-relief of a fish in reindeer horn 
from. Mas d’Azil, or of another pierced by a spear. 
The frequent engravings of animals and of fish prompt 
S. Reinach and others to the interesting surmise that since all 
or most portray creatures desired for food by hunters and 
fishermen, they were executed not for amusement, ‘‘ mais sont 
les talismans de chasseurs qui craignent de manquer de gibier. 
L’objet des artistes a été d’exercer une attraction magique sur 
les animaux de la‘méme espece. Les indigenes de ]’Australie 
Centrale peignent aussi sur les roches ou le sol des figures des 
animaux dans le but avoué d’en favoriser par la méme raison, 
qui dans certaines campagnes fait qu’on évite de prononcer le 
nom du loup.”’ 4 
After pointing out that the representations of the Reindeer 
epoch “ offrent un caractére analogue,’ he continues, “‘ A 
cette phase trés ancienne d’evolution humaine la religion (au 
sens moderne de ce mot) n’existe pas encore, mais la magie 
1 f. Cartailhac, Matériaux pour Uhistoive de Vhomme, xiii. Pp. 395. The 
Magdalenian workmanship on bone was extraordinarily fine. Their bone 
needles (according to de Mortillet) are much superior to those of the later, 
even of historical times, down to the Renaissance. The Rome's never 
possessed needles comparable with them. : 
2 G, de Mortillet, Ovigines de la Chasse et de la Péche (Paris, 1890), p. 222. 
Our learned author nods. If the seals had filled the trout, it would not have 
floated ‘‘ belly up,” but instantly down their bellies. 
3S. Reinach, Répertoire de t’Art Quaternaive (Paris, 1913), p. 156, which is 
a complete summary of the various finds in excavations, etc. See p. 88 for 
a seal, and p. 114 for a fine representation from Laugerie Basse of two fish 
meeting. 
4 Fishermen in Malay, while they ave at sea, studiously avoid mentioning 
the names of birds or beasts: all animals are called ‘‘ cheweh,” a meaningléss 
word, which is believed not to be understood by the creatures (J. G. Fraze', 
The Golden Bough, second edition, 1900, vol. i. p. 460). So, too, fishermen 
from some villages on the N.E. coast of Scotland never pronounce, while at sea, 
under penalty of poor catches, certain words such as “ minister,’ “ salmon,” 
“trout,” “swine,” etc. The first, poor fellow! ‘‘ que diable allait-il faire dans 
cette galére ? ”’ is invariably referred to as “the man with the black ‘guyte’”’ 
(Ibid., p. 453). 
D 
