EARLY MAN IN BRITISH EAST AFRICA 
21 
rain water charged with carbonic acid gas. Early man in- 
habited these caves and often died there. In course of time 
layers of stalagmite were deposited over his remains, his imple- 
ments, and the bones of the animals he ate, and we often have 
preserved for us a fairly complete record of his life. 
Taking Africa as a whole, limestone is rare and the 
convenient limestone cave does not often exist, and there- 
fore the chances of the preservation of natural museums are 
remote. 
The central portion of Africa was probably much thinner 
populated in early times than South Africa, for where thousands 
of implements have been found there, only dozens have been 
found here. Of course. South Africa has been occupied by 
Europeans much longer than East Africa, and much more 
development has been done, excavation and such like; but 
for all that, one would think that more should have been found. 
It is, however, too early to come to definite conclusions on this 
point. 
Possibly the intense volcanic action which took place in 
the heart of British East Africa, and which continued up to a 
very recent geological period, so terrified early man that he 
rather avoided the area and preferred countries less liable to 
violent eruptions and their attendant discomforts, or again 
it may be possible that the more savage fauna were too numerous 
for him to cope with : little, however, is to be gained by mere 
theorising. The first stone implements in British East Africa 
were discovered by Professor J. W. Gregory in 1892 at Gilgil, 
and were described by him in his delightful work ‘ The Great 
Rift Valley ’ (Murray). 
The writer found a well-worked obsidian arrow T -head some 
years ago a few miles north of Kisumu, many miles from 
any obsidian in situ ; another one of white chalcedony was 
obtained from among the magic stones of a Kikuyu medicine- 
man, and it was said to have come from the Tana Valley. 
Dr. F. Oswald reports having found a number of rude 
scrapers near Karungu, close to the shore of Lake Victoria. 
One of those curious perforated stones, known in South 
Africa as Kwe, was found a few years ago at Mwatate by 
Mr. Skene. 
