The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1915-09-03

earshot OF Les Eyzies series OF stations
which taken together furnish data human his
tory practically from Acheulian times to the
present day. These stations begin with the old
obscured shelter Of La Micoque, include the par
TALLY ruined shelters of Upper and Lower Lau
gerie: another ledge shelter that served old-time
brigands a rendezvous and also as a fortress
to defy the English in 1410 still another ledge
marked by ruins of what looks like old
baronial chateau and end up finally with the
more or less well-kept houses OF the modern
peasant. These houses often stand on several
meters of ancient relic-bearing debris and
to cling in infantie sort of way to the over
hanging cliff in spite of its cold, damp nature
Some distance up the Vezere at the Rock of ST
Christopher where the last houses have been re-
moved. there are over four meters of debris
dating from neolithic to present time. and the
adjacent cliff is marked by several series of par
ael holes. cut for the insertion Of ceiling beams
precisely find them in our own Southwest
Some of these holes high up the cliff but
others are below the surface of the accumulated
debris, which is itself below the high water mark
of the river. With all this evidence suggestive
OF continuous occupation. it is not to be wondered
at that some students profess to among the
local inhabitants number OF individuals that
resemble the physical type OF paeoHthic man.
visit to the painted the experience
of lifetime; but while it is adventure bound
to excite more enthusiasm than the examination
Of the shelters it is less instructive and certainly
less convincing 1t is also an undertaking fraught
with some difficulty and disappointment except
Font-de-Gaume The painted and incised repre-
sensations the cave walls seldom so plain
and striking as one might infer from the superb
reproductions in the published reports. and to
make them out the visitor take time In
this effort to decipher he is most ably assisted by
Prof. Emile Cartailhac of Toulouse. who has given
good part of his life to the study of paleolithic
art and who as present guards nearly all the
Pyrenean caverns In Spain and In the Dordogne
country, however. local guides must be taken and
these not always competent. the student
who would profit by his opportunity must prepare
himself beforehand in regard to what ia to be
seen and then insist on being shown, or he may
not see much.
The last be discovered and also the
most beautiful, is the Tue dAudoubert located
on the estate Of Count Begouen, near Sant-Grons
France. This is perhaps the most difficult
to explore But to risk passage in the improvised
boat that the visitor must sail in order to reach
the interior. and to crawl on his stomach along
muddy passages that are really too small for
full-grown man. and finally to receive innum-
cradle bumps on his head from pending stalac-
tites is not too much to pay for the privilege
which. as 1t happened, was accorded the Museums
representative as the first American-to see the
wonders inside. Ordinarily. the natural wonders
of the caverns are more or less dscolored with
mud but here is gallery after gallery of be-
wildering forests of pillars and pendants and
POSTAL a pure white and glittering as II stud.
ded with myriads of diamonds. Here and there
the staactites hang in large sheets like folded
draperies and by placing light behind them the
translucent substance flashes up in colors of
green and too beautiful to be described
No fairy palace was ever more adorned! You are
led along devious passages. stepping again and
again in lakelets OF >invisibly clear water and
when dry footing you are warned to move
circumspectly for fear OF obliterating some an
Client human footprints that family visible
under the thin coat OF stalagmite which covers
the clay floor. Bones and skulls of the giant
cave bear and other animals lie all about. cement
al IN R1n fha
Of the cavern. comes the real object of the Ia