1916.] THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD. 399 



smaller animals to reach us. That lowering of the sea-level is 

 made necessary by the fact that the land connections had been 

 severed or the later men of the Paleolithic stage would have 

 reached here, but they reached Alderney and Jersey only. 



An oscillation is therefore indicated, but not proved by 

 positive evidence other than the renewed forest growth and 

 the presence of the Neolithic culture. Such rise must have 

 been ample, probably at least 100 feet, and the evidences are 

 to be found not on land but at the sea bottom. There is one 

 uncertain element, however, and that is the depth of the 

 deeper channels among the islands. We must allow for the 

 possible land connections at low tides. Be that as it. may, and 

 I see no object in going beyond the ascertained facts. The 

 Neolithic men did come over, the forests did grow to a great 

 distance from our present shores after the separation which 

 successfully cut off the later Paleolithic men. 



I therefore formulate a retirement of the sea just before 

 the Neolithic period began. The sea began to rise again, but 

 not until the end of the Neolithic stage and therefore during 

 historic times. This rise destroyed the forests, inundated the 

 lower tracks (where dolmens had been built) and gradually 

 came up to its present level. 



Now we arrive at a very recent change of great interest 

 and referred to already in the quotation from Dr. Marett's 

 paper (see ante). The dolmens, when built, were no doubt 

 placed on land well above the reach of the sea, and these 

 afford very strong evidence of the lower position of the sea- 

 level during the greater part of the occupation of the island 

 by this culture. More, it may be presumed that the true 

 dolmen builders ceased to occupy the island, for when the 

 forest was destroyed it is difficult to conceive that the island 

 would provide food for any but a very small tribe ; we may 

 infer that the land connection lasted as long as the occupation. 

 This does not exclude the possibility of temporary visits by 

 means of boats which we know were in use by Neolithic men. 



We may take it, then, that the pre-Neolithic elevation 

 brought both the forests and the Neolithic men to our shores, 

 the one being dependent on the other. It seems to me that 

 the obverse must also be true — when the submergence of the 

 forests deprived these men of their hunting grounds they 

 retired. Jersey probably received these men before we did 

 and retained them longer. 



The sea gained on our shores and whatever dolmens 

 existed on low levels, as for instance the Herm submerged 

 dolmens came under the action of the waves and were partly 



