The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-03-02
THE FLINT IMPLEMENTS OF AN
TIQUETY.
THEORIES OF FIGUIER.


tologist i, undoubtedly the flint Ratchet,
which he waves with increasing triumph
in the face of The general reader THESE
hatchels and the flint kniyes-fonDd IN
vast numbers IN ancil Mt burial places
90 not, it must he confessed. at dFst slght
much resemble hatchets and knives; IN
deed, it was commended that one OF the
old world emporlums Was nothing more
than rubbish heap on Il SPOT where there
had bee n a manuiactory of Il nts for guns :;
but it is certain that they were the SUBJ
stifutes for weapons and instruments ne
fore metal were discovered. To the argu-
ment that such implements could never
Lave been produced without metallic ham
mers. Mr.. Evans, an English geologlst,
Offered a curious ami convincing rrtuta-
ton. He took pebble and fixed it In a
wooden hammer; having thus manufac-
fur. d a stone hammer, he made use OF 1t
to chip Amt little by little, until he sue
ceeded in producing an oval ha'chet SIM
liar to the ancient one before HIM. HIS
scientific opponents were convinced, ana
obliged to content themselves with the
sarcasm that this gentleman has borne
after his tlm2.
Even lllF re IeLldT kAipCe Gu'AA Cho OH
cieEt caverns are the rock shelters which
have been identified as thedwelllng-placas
OF primI i've man. In various parts or
France many specimens OF these early set
m ts-oue can scarcely call them
rerreats--have cen discovered; mere
Sheltering places under some overriding
ing rock. Sheds, perhaps, were butt
there. all traces of W hich have long since
persisted, but man has left more enduring
traces Of his presence. On the left bank
J of the river Ave yron, or instance, under
the overilanglhg nrnws of the rocks OF
Bruniuuel, was discovered q tirehearth or
the pre- historic period, as we'll as a host
of Objects the study of which has furnish
ed mary data concerning this epoch OF
humanity. The area covered by this
she liter is two hundred and ninety eight
square yards. The bones OF the horse
though these are comparatively rare-oi
the OK, of the urus, the elk, the lbex and
the channels, are found there, all showing
sigus OF the action of fire. Many pounds
weight OF the half roasted bones OF the
water rat prove that that now disposed
delcacy formed feature in the prlml-
tive no,1u Fish bones are ais" found 10
great quantities; aud even the skeletons
of fish, rudcly traced upon fragments OF
bone and horn. Renders horn was, IN
in that Stage Of mans existence, all chat
iron is to us Their arms, their nipple
MT ntS, their ornaments, were all made or
this substance and thei tavorite dainty
was TIE marrow of the long bones, which
they extracted by fracture without
spoons. We are sorry to say that these
ancestors of ours labor under the suSpic-
ion of cannabalism On certain chill,
dren's b,nes of these epachs found IN
Scotland, Professor Owen has recognized
the trace OF human teeth human finger.
Joints have been detected among the re
mains in the epoch of the great bear and
mammoth, and also (later) IN that of the
reindeer. lE cave IN Northern Italy
was found the small shinbone of a child
which had been carefully cleansed and
cmptied To satisfy the inor0inate prime
val taste for marrow. Not The least trace
OF dogs having gnawed any relics OF y
feast OF this epoch has been discovered !;
hence 1T has been declared that these AMI
mails bad not yet been reduced to sta.e
of domesticity.
1t Is also proved that men wore clothes.
been found with certain cuts at their base
which evidently could have only been
produced in fiaying the animal. Nay,
these dandles were not content with the
mere skins; flint scrapers are everywhere
met with, which they used for scraping
the hair off and bodki1s and stillettoes
made of flint and bone-exactly the same
as are now used by the Experimentation
sewing the different pieces together.
Certain reindeer bones also give evidence
that the slnewy fihres of that animal were
for thread. No metal, however, was yet
known; beside the Ratchet and the flint
knife there was no weapon. The orna
ments were made out Of the tooth of a
wolf, or the bony part of ~ hare's ear. In
some places were great emporlums or
manufactures OF flint weapons. In the
cave of Chaleux were found nearly TWEEN
ty Thousand fiints chlpped into hatchets,
daggers, knives, scrapers, scratchers, and
Bpearheads Whistles have been also
folnd made from the first joint of the
reindeer. 1--WE ourselves" says Monsieur
Figuier, have had the pleasure of verl
flying the fact that these primitive whis-
ties act very we'll" Perhaps the last
person that blew it had eaten mastodon,
or his own mother, ten thousand years
ago! He had certainly eaten dog; bones
of this animal, broken by the hand of
man, and boring marks of having been
cut with a knife, place that fact beyond
question.
"Space, or rather the want Of it, will
not permit US to extract more marrow
from this beautiful book. Else We should
like to give our readers peep at the La
custrine dwellings OF Switzerland. of
which Monsieur Figuier paints an inter
esting picture 1t is not altogether from