588 Ihe American Naturalist. [June, 
paper was followed by Mr. Boule, who said that it attacked the theory 
of hiatus between the paleolithic and neolithic ages which had been 
heretofore recognized by nearly all prehistoric anthropologists. But he 
declared that there was more to this theory of Judge Piette than had 
been supposed, for it corresponded largely with the discoveries made 
by himself and M. Cartailhac in the Grotte de Reilhac, where they ` 
found objects of human industry which suggested an intermediate 
stage between the two periods and not a hiatus. 
M. Adrien de Mortillet recalled that M. Salmon had already made 
similar discoveries, and that he had given to the first period mentioned 
by Judge Piette the name of Campinienne. But Judge Piette defended 
the nomenclature which he had made. A large discussion took place over 
this subject ; many instances and localities were brought to the attention 
of the congress, and while nothing was permanently decided or 
determined concerning the question at issue, yet the members were 
requested to investigate with particularity and in detail this question 
of the possible hiatus, or whether there was an age of transition inter- 
mediate between the two great ages of stone. M. Cartailhac cited 
M. de Mortillet as having said, in 1874, that the hiatus, instead of 
being a veritable one, was simply our want of knowledge, and he 
continued the discussion by a description of the objects found by him- 
self and M. Boule in their excavations in the Grotte de Reilhac, near 
Gramat, at which I had assisted. 
Dr. Sophus Müller, of Copenhagen, had commenced the methodical 
publication of the types of objects of the age of polished stone in 
Scandinavia. The first part of his work, comprising 270 figures, was 
Presented before the congress. The first epoch of prehistoric man in 
Denmark was that of the shell heaps. The cutting implements common 
to these shell heaps are unknown in the sepultures ; the hatchets were 
chipped and not polished. The second epoch was represented by 
forms more developed, among which were hatchets and chisels with the 
edge polished. A few of these were found in the Danish sepultures, 
which is contrary to that in France. They, or the knowledge to make 
them, were probably brought from the west, where they appeared to the 
author to belong to the civilization of the megalithic monuments. — 
After this epoch came that of megalithic monuments, more recent 
“than those of France; simple dolmens, those with small and single 
chambers, are probably the most ancient. The large chambers and 
the duplication of them are probably the types more recent. The 
earlier and simpler dolmens of the most archaic forms have a certain 
relation to the same monuments in Asia. According to Dr. Müller, the 
