The discovery of these interesting stones by Mr. Benjamin Harrison on the high plateau of Kent, as long ago as 1885, their endorsement by Sir Joseph Prestwich, and the controversy about them which has since ensued, are, no doubt, known to all.

An eolith, in the strict sense of the word, is usually understood to be a flattish piece of flint, naturally fractured as to its plane surfaces, but chipped or hacked around its edges, in a direction more or less approaching a right angle to those surfaces. In some cases the piece of flint is not flat, and the chipping may then have been applied in a rather different manner. It should be noted that sarsens and other stones were used, as well as flint.

Not a few persons are dissatisfied with the word “eolith.” It bears an awkward resemblance to “neolith.” Moreover, it has begged the question, before exhaustive evidence has been forthcoming, of the position in prehistoric time of this particular series of chipped flints.

Even supposing that the eoliths ought to be placed (as has been taken for granted by some) before the Palaeolithic industry, our present knowledge would not be sufficient to enable us to assert, without fear of contradiction, that these are man's first efforts in chipping flints.

For many years the post-glacial age of palæolithic man in this country was generally accepted, though it was denied by some, especially by Prof. James Geikie and Mr. S. B. J. Skertchly. The latter based his views upon the distribution of the superficial deposits on the western borders of Norfolk and Suffolk, of which more anon.

Of recent years, the work of various continental geologists has shewn that palæolithic man lived in western Europe before the latest glacial episode, and it seems very unlikely therefore, that the same was not the case in our own country. We determined, therefore, to open some sections in the well-known locality of High Lodge, Mildenhall, in order to try to obtain evidence upon this point. We would wish to record our cordial thanks to Sir Henry Bunbury, upon whose estates the High Lodge deposits are found, for giving us permission to make excavations, and affording us every facility during the operations. We also took advantage of a recently opened exposure at Warren Hill, to note the section exposed at that place.

In giving an account of the humanly-fashioned flints found during the excavations at High Lodge, it is proposed to deal with those discovered in exposing section A, and to proceed to describe the specimens recovered in the other diggings, which will be dealt with in their alphabetical order.

Section A. A small twisted, ovate palæolithic implement, flatter on one face than on the other, and referable, it seems, to Late Acheulean times, was found associated with the thin seam of gravel occurring under the turf at section A. This specimen, which exhibits only small signs of abrasion, is of a yellowish colour, except where areas of hardness in the flint have resisted the agent of discolouration. These areas are either of a dark coffee shade, or coloured a light brown. The specimen measures in greatest length ins.; in greatest width 2 ins.; and greatest thickness ins.

Though little flint-work was found in our excavations, the High Lodge industries are well established, and rest upon a large quantity of implements, chiefly in the Sturge collection now at the British Museum. The specimens shewn at the meeting by Mr. S. G. Fenton (who claims to be the first discoverer of the site) and Mr. G. F. Lawrence were thoroughly representative and very welcome; but the following are all from the national collection, which includes the fine series formerly in the possession of Canon Green well. Of the mass of material now available very little has been published, and the only illustrations appear to be the three in Sir John Evans' book (Figs. 425, 426, 426A). Dr. Sturge recognised the two main divisions (Proceedings, i., 69–72), and the following illustrated specimens are from the brick-earth series only–lower in position but later in date than the hand-axes that abound on the site. In any choice of this kind the tendency must be to give greater prominence to exceptional pieces, either the rarest or the best worked; and an effort has been made to counteract these by including specimens typical of the main groups.

I have been asked to explain the circumstances under which certain flint implements of the Le Moustier period were found near the trenches at Coigneux. And this with special reference to geological strata. Between the 1st April and the 14th August, 1918, Coigneux, a small village about 16 miles S.W. of Arras, lay some 6 miles behind the British front line. At the commencement of the German offensive in 1918 the ground on three sides of the village was hastily prepared for defence, and a triple line of trenches with many branches (known as the “Red Line”) was constructed. At first these trenches were only about 4 feet deep, but in June and July some of them were further excavated to a total depth of 6 feet. They were never manned by the infantry, and the parapets of the trenches were never disturbed. As officer in charge of the 42nd Division Observers, I lived in the neighbourhood of Coigneux from the middle of April till the middle of August, 1918. I had, therefore ample opportunity in the intervals of military duty to inspect the excavations, especially during the period of their extension. I had already searched for flint implements in different parts of France. And in June 1918, a kind suggestion from Reginald A. Smith, Esq., F.S.A., made me pay special attention to this excavated ground.

The excavations which, with the flint implements and other relics discovered, it is the purpose of this paper to describe, commenced towards the end of February, 1919, and continued until July, 1920. The money to pay for the wages of the excavator, Baxter, was most generously supplied by the Trustees of the Percy Sladen Memorial Fund, and I wish to record my thanks for their invaluable help.

I have to acknowledge also, with gratitude the assistance given me in my researches by Sir Ray Lankester, K.C.B., F.R.S., Sir Arthur Keith, F.R.S., Mr. W. Whitaker, F.R.S., Professor J. E. Marr, F.R.S., Dr. Smith Woodard, F.R.S., Dr. Charles Andrews, F.R.S., Mr. Reginald Smith, and the owners of the various properties upon which the diggings were conducted.

The drawings which illustrate this paper are reproduced from work executed by Mr. E. T. Lingwood, to whom the science of prehistoric archæology is greatly indebted for his continued and invaluable help in the matter of illustrations.

The publication by Dr. A. Rutot of a paper “Sur la faune des Mammiferes de l'époque de la Pierre polie en Belgique,” renders it possible to compare the faunas of Grime's Graves and Spiennes and to consider their chronological position much more fully than could be done in the ‘Report on the Excavations at Grime's Graves, Weeting,” and in my paper “Are Grime's Graves Neolithic?” (“Proceedings,” Vol. II., pp. 339–349). For purposes of comparison Dr. Rutot gives a list of mammals identified in Azilian deposits in Belgian caves, a list of the fauna in the first stage of polished stone, corresponding with the Upper Spiennian, and another of mammals found in recent peat, which he considers began to form towards the middle of the Neolithic period, a little before the age of polished stone, and continued without interruption until the end of the third century, A.D. In order to facilitate comparison, I have tabulated these lists and included the Grime's Graves fauna. It should be borne in mind that Dr. Rutot's lists apply only to Belgium, and that other species than those recorded have been found in Britain, for example, in the peat.

Excavations at Grime's Graves during September, 1920, resulted in several interesting discoveries, notably the location of a new chipping and occupation zone, situated near the S.E. margin of the mining area immediately west of the Tumulus Pit, a locality which previous excavations had proved to be rich in occupation sites. Here, upon a living level immediately overlying glacial sand, two pieces of engraved flint crust were discovered associated with a series of flint implements of Mousterian type, bone tools and pottery.

Engraving upon flint crust was first noticed at Grime's Graves in 1915, upon Floor 16, a piece bearing incised lines of indeterminate character being found (Fig. A, 10) which was described and figured in the Proceedings, Vol. II., Part III., by Dr. Peake. Since then numerous similar examples have been discovered upon other floors, which, together with the occurrence of gravers, the discovery of chalk carving in the round, and of chalk balls by Mr. D. Richardson, and by the President, pointed to the hope of definite engravings being ultimately forthcoming if systematically searched for. This hope was further stimulated by Dr. Peake finding a few days prior to our visit a piece of crust bearing an engraved outline suggesting portions of the human figure (Fig. A, 11) and resulted in the careful scrutiny of every fragment of crust turned up during the subsequent excavations, which was finally rewarded by the discovery of two fine engravings (Fig. E).

Prehistoric hammerstones, sometimes known as mullers, pounders, or mauls, are supposed, as the name implies, to have been used as hammers. In the case of those made from flint nodules they present an unmistakable surface which consists of the heads of hundreds of small cones of percussion, and of angular fragments of broken, intersecting, cones, the whole being the result of a long, and continuous rain of blows, each of which affected but a small spot of the surface, and caused by the nodule coming into sharp contact with a surface nearly as hard, or of equal hardness, to the flint itself.

In his criticism in the recent Proceedings of this Society (Vol. III., Part II, page 259) of Section II. of my Paper on “The Origin of the Rostro-Carinate Implements,” Prof. Barnes wrote that my remarks ‘contain so many statements which are incorrect that in the interests of accuracy they must be corrected.”

With the exception of the following three errors, I do not with draw any of my statements, and I regret that Prof. Barnes did not ask me for further explanation on points where our views differed before his attack was printed.

1st. I correct a mistake of mine on page 119, par. 6, where I suggested that steel hammers had been used in his experiments by Mr. Reid Moir, who informs me that he only used hammers of stone and flint.

2nd. Prof. Barnes points out a slip on page 124 of my Paper (2nd line from the end) where the following is printed, “The fracture turns towards the mass of the Core.”

Of course the fracture turns away from the Core, and not towards it! The latter was one of those annoying, but obvious, “slips of the pen” which will at times creep in. (N.B.–I advised Prof. Barnes of these mistakes in February, 1920, before his Paper was printed, though he omits to mention this. I also sent a correction to the Society for the 19th January meeting, 1920).

An International Institute of Anthropology was founded in 1920, with central offices in Paris. Each country has been invited to form a National Office which would act with and be in relation with this Central Office. A Congress of the members of this International Institute was held in Liège (Belgium) in 1921 (July 25-August 1st). Being in France during July the writer decided to run over to Liege and very glad he was that he did so. Not only were there a number of new facts (not to speak of theories) brought forward, but one met again such savants as MM. Cartailhac, Capitan, Breuil, Begouen, Lalanne, Franchet, Hamal-Nandrin, Pittard, etc., etc. (to only mention a few), and discussions over lunch with such folk are worth weeks of work. Before describing the Congress and some of the papers, the writer would like to bear tribute to the extraordinary kindness and efficiency of the Belgian hosts, who were Professors at the Liege University. Everywhere we were received with the utmost kindness and no trouble was too great, if something could be arranged for us. It is impossible to mention everybody, but if ever the Congress comes to England, one can only hope that we may equal (we could not excel) such hosts (to mention only a few with whom the writer had most contact), as MM. Fraipont, Hamal-Nandrin, Servais, Max Lohest, Stockis, etc., etc. Eighteen countries were represented. The congress was divided into two parts:—(1) Work; (2) Excursions. For (1) Anthropology was divided into 8 sections, (a) What we should call Human Palæontology; (b) Prehistory; (c) Ethnography; (d) Criminology; (e) Eugenics; (f) Religions, later Archæology and Folk-lore; (g) Linguistic studies; (h) Sociology, etc. Of these the Prehistoric Section was one of the most important, there being nearly 50 people, on an average, at the Meetings.

While searching the well known “Cissbury” site at Ringland (Vide Proc. P. S. E. A., Vol. 1, pp. 340–1, Vol. 2, pp. 340–1, 145–151) in December last, I found a white Cone with a natural base 1½ inches by 1¼ inches, formed by a line of cleavage in the flint.

On one side the implement has a flat face 4 inches in length by I¾ inches in width. The other face is convex, and has been formed by the removal of eight flakes, six of these extending for a distance of 2½ inches leaving I½ inches on which the cortex of the flint remains. In ordinary circumstances this portion would have been removed by a transverse blow in order to form the top of the cone, but the natural peculiarities of the flint led to its retention and further retouching in order to form a representation of an animal. A natural hole and protuberance, associated with the formation of the flint as a ventriculite, were in the proper position for an eye, and the removal of part of the cortex revealed the inner rind so as to form a pupil.