﻿Rost 
  ro-carindte 
  Flint 
  Implements 
  and 
  Allied 
  Forms. 
  34] 
  

  

  have 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  a 
  disappearance 
  or 
  " 
  transference 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  plane, 
  

   similar 
  to 
  that 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Moir 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  transitional 
  specimens.* 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Moir 
  supposes 
  that, 
  in 
  his 
  transitional 
  series, 
  the 
  ventral 
  plane 
  of 
  a 
  

   possible 
  rostro-carinate 
  has 
  been 
  chipped 
  away 
  by 
  flaking 
  from 
  both 
  sides, 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  convert 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  cutting 
  ridge, 
  forming 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  completed 
  

   platessiform 
  implement. 
  

  

  That 
  may 
  be 
  so 
  in 
  some 
  instances. 
  We 
  must 
  not 
  expect 
  that 
  the 
  

   successive 
  steps 
  in 
  human 
  workmanship, 
  aiming 
  at 
  the 
  realisation 
  of 
  a 
  

   desired 
  form 
  — 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  in 
  the 
  supersession 
  of 
  the 
  rostro-carinate 
  

   by 
  the 
  platessiform 
  type 
  — 
  will 
  be 
  invariably 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  though 
  they 
  were 
  

   controlled 
  by 
  a 
  morphological 
  inherent 
  quality. 
  Primitive 
  man 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   producing 
  a 
  useful 
  flattened 
  leaf-shaped 
  implement, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  by 
  

   symmetrical 
  trimming 
  down 
  of 
  the 
  dorso-lateral 
  mass 
  of 
  a 
  possible 
  rostro- 
  

   carinate, 
  leaving 
  the 
  ventral 
  plane 
  intact. 
  This 
  Mr. 
  Moir 
  has 
  recognised, 
  

   and 
  applied 
  to 
  it 
  the 
  name 
  suggested 
  by 
  me, 
  viz., 
  " 
  batiform." 
  Further, 
  it 
  

   appears 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  early 
  flint-workers, 
  when 
  not 
  desiring 
  to 
  combine 
  the 
  

   " 
  planing 
  " 
  and 
  flattening 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  rostro-oarinate 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  

   its 
  point 
  and 
  carina, 
  often 
  got 
  rid 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  ventral 
  plane," 
  not 
  by 
  first 
  making 
  

   it 
  and 
  then 
  chipping 
  it 
  away 
  on 
  both 
  sides, 
  but 
  by 
  so 
  chipping 
  the 
  flint, 
  

   from 
  the 
  first, 
  as 
  to 
  dislocate 
  or 
  " 
  transpose 
  " 
  the 
  " 
  ventral 
  plane," 
  and 
  throw 
  

   it 
  up, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  to 
  form 
  part 
  of 
  either 
  the 
  right 
  or 
  the 
  left 
  lateral 
  areas. 
  

  

  This, 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  me, 
  is 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  uncinate 
  

   rostro-carinates 
  from 
  the 
  Oise 
  and 
  from 
  Burnham 
  Beeches. 
  What 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  developed 
  as 
  a 
  flat 
  ventral 
  plane 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  dorsal 
  plane 
  in 
  

   the 
  making 
  of 
  a 
  typical 
  rostro-carinate 
  is, 
  in 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  specimens, 
  given 
  

   an 
  upward 
  tilt 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  " 
  run 
  into 
  " 
  (or 
  one 
  may 
  say 
  is 
  " 
  flaked 
  into 
  ") 
  

   the 
  left 
  lateral 
  region. 
  Probably 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  attempt 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  

   handling 
  of 
  the 
  flint 
  at 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  a 
  ventral 
  plane. 
  After 
  all, 
  this 
  is, 
  

   perhaps, 
  a 
  mere 
  question 
  of 
  descriptive 
  terms. 
  I 
  doubt 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

   to 
  interpret 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  man's 
  ingenuity 
  in 
  luanufacture 
  — 
  even 
  that 
  of 
  

   Palceolithic 
  man 
  — 
  by 
  laws 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  morphology 
  of 
  living 
  organisms. 
  

   The 
  main 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  evidence 
  of 
  what 
  blows 
  were 
  struck, 
  and 
  

   what 
  shapes 
  were 
  thereby 
  produced 
  — 
  and 
  we 
  employ 
  comparisons 
  with 
  

   organic 
  shapes 
  to 
  describe, 
  but 
  not 
  to 
  explain, 
  them. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  had 
  any 
  real 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  mechanical 
  needs 
  and 
  urgent 
  require- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  primitive 
  man, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  opportunities 
  of 
  those 
  

   whose 
  work 
  we 
  discover, 
  we 
  might, 
  instead 
  of 
  vague 
  suppositions, 
  offer 
  

   plausible 
  suggestions 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  to 
  him 
  of 
  the 
  shapes 
  of 
  those 
  imple- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  his 
  which 
  we 
  dig 
  up. 
  I 
  am 
  strongly 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  very 
  large 
  

  

  * 
  ' 
  Phil. 
  Trans.,' 
  B, 
  1920. 
  

   VOL. 
  XCI. 
  — 
  B. 
  2 
  D 
  

  

  