DISCOVERY OF PRE-NEOLITHIC MAN 59 
as a pigment. Rounded pebbles, marked with coloured 
hieroglyphics, formed a peculiar and enigmatical part of 
their civilisation. Perhaps they had taken the first steps 
in agriculture ; at least M. Piette found in the Azilian 
stratum traces of wheat husks and stones of cherry' 
and plum. 
In this way M. Piette revealed at Mas d'Azil the long 
records of the closing phases of the Palaeolithic period 
and the opening stages of the next or Neolithic period. 
In the Azilian stratum he found two sepulchres, but the 
human remains discovered by him are insufficient to give 
an accurate picture of the people. So far as our evidence 
goes, it supports the opinion that the Europeans of the 
Azilian civilisation were members of the Mediterranean 
race, and had heads of the river-bed type. Although 
numerous Azilian stations have been discovered in recent 
years, particularly in France, none have revealed the 
peoples of the period, with perhaps one exception. In 
1895, ^^ Anderson^ described the exploration of caves 
situated on the west coast of Scotland near Oban, 
Argyllshire, and the discovery of objects of culture which 
characterise the Azilian period. During the exploration 
certain human remains were found, which have been 
described by Sir William Turner.- The skulls of the 
people thus discovered are clearly those of the river-bed 
type — in no way differing from those of a Neolithic date. 
Unfortunately, the evidence which associates these skulls 
with the objects of Azilian culture is not complete.^ 
We have no reason for supposing that the transition 
from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic period was marked 
by the appearance of a new or higher type of man. 
Indeed, in artistic ability, there must have been a decline, 
for the later Palaeolithic periods have furnished us with 
the most abundant and surprising evidence of a high 
artistic ability. 
Hitherto, so far as we have followed the history of 
' Proceedi7igs Soc. Antiquaries, Scotland, 1895, p. 21 1. 
- Ibid., p. 410. 
2 See Appendix A. 
