The following paper describes a number of celts that were found lying on the surface in several parts of North Kent and in Dorset.

They seldom occurred alone, but among numerous implements of other forms, in situations that suggest occupation sites of early peoples. During parts of several successive years the author examined the surface features of the Chalk Downs, and the contiguous belt of country to the north, formed by the Tertiary Beds, that lies between the valley of the Mole and that of the Medway. This work formed part of the official survey of the area, but during the examination the occurrence of any flint-implements was carefully recorded and the precise location given. It soon became obvious that the distribution of the implements was by no means general over the surface, but definitely restricted to certain sites where they were abundant, with wide intervening tracts almost destitute of them. This fact was so remarkable that the question arose, naturally, if the sites had been chosen deliberately by early man, and, if so, what reasons had led to this selection.

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.

In 1907 I contributed to the “Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society” a list of the localities in which implements of flint and bronze had been found in Norfolk. The only previous list was in Vol. I. of the “Victoria County History of Norfolk” (1901), in which nine localities were given for Palæolithic implements, 54 for Neolithic, and 38 for bronze. In my own list the classification and number of parishes for which records were published were:—Eolithic (Sub-Crag) 1, Palæolithic 30, “Cissbury type” 4, Early Neolithic 101, Intermediate Neolithic 100, Late Neolithic or polished 109, and Bronze 70. In that list one polished implement recorded for Rushall should have been from Runhall, and the bronze implement from Hanworth should have been from Hunworth. I also consider the records of palæoliths for Brockdish, Fritton, and Markshall doubtful.

The particular area dealt with in this paper is the extreme S.W. corner of the County, embracing roughly a triangle having its base of 14 miles along the high moors W. of Sheffield, viz., from Langsett (N.) to Fox House (S.), the apex at Mexboro', and the ridges on the right of the Don Valley forming one side.

From its varied character, including as it does the extremes of bleak upland impossible of cultivation, and sheltered valley and lowland, it is in many respects an ideal area for study.

Unfortunately, flint, for reasons explained later, is scarce, hence it is only by the cumulative results of patient search extending over a period of years that any conclusion can be arrived at touching the culture of the implements found.

The base-line of the area under consideration follows in general the Yorkshire–Derbyshire boundary, and traverses a wide moorland country of considerable altitude, consisting of glacier-sculptured heights, seamed with deep, frequently precipitous ravines.

The flint implements which are the subject of this paper were found near Mundford in Norfolk in 1918-19, and the work is still being continued on this area.

Although when thrown out by the plough the tools may be described as surface finds, strictly speaking, they belong to the red gravelly sands which immediately over-lie the chalk in this district, and which are covered by one to two feet of brown sandy loam.

The large number of true implements found in a comparatively limited space, warrants the belief that this must have been a settlement, where work had been carried on for a considerable time.

Having hitherto escaped the eye of the wandering collector, an unusually complete series has been secured.

By the very kind permission of the owners, I was enabled to carry out the excavation of some “floors” at Grime's Graves, in June and July, 1919, with some friends.

At the same time Mr. D. Richardson was clearing the remarkable site which he discovered in the North Field.

The centre of Floor 52 was fifty paces N.E. of the corner of the West Field, and fourteen from the edge of the cart track north of the wood. Twenty yards N.W. of the said centre was Floor 47, nearer to the cart track coming up out of the valley, and with comparatively small flakes and cores, of poor quality. The facets are short, deep, and wide, like those on an implement of the Chelles Period. The shapes of the cores differ from the true Grime's Graves type. At Floor 51 Mr. W. G. Clarke rightly pointed out that these traits were, in part, due to the fact that wall-stone was used. Only in part, however, for floor-stone was also used, as examination showed. The chipped flints in the outer part of Floor 47 lay in the lower part of the humus, 9 ins. below the surface.

At a Meeting of the “Prehistoric Society of East Anglia” held recently at Norwich, I heard a summary read of a paper by Mr. F. N. Haward on the Norwich Test Specimen. It is perhaps needless to say that Mr. Haward's paper purported to show that this specimen of a rostro-carinate flint implement owes its present form to certain natural agencies, and not to the purposeful blows of a human being. It is not, however, within my province to attempt a defence of the humanity of this well-known flaked flint. Sir Ray Lankester has described and illustrated the specimen in a paper published some little time ago (“Description of the Test Specimen of the Rostro-Carinate Industry found beneath the Norwich Crag,” Roy. Anth. Inst. Occasional Papers, No. 4), and prehistorians can choose whether they prefer to accept the opinion expressed in that paper, or the view of Mr. Haward. The latter gentleman's opposition, however, to the idea of the human origin of the flaking upon the Sub-Crag flints does not cease with the Norwich Test Specimen, but includes all the other specimens found in the Norwich Stone Bed.

(This inset is brought to the notice of the readers of this issue of the “Proceedings,” not with the intention of endorsing the views therein stated, but out of respect to one of the chief founders of this Society, the late Dr. W. Allen Sturge, whose immense activities in pre-history are well known, and whose critical acumen led him to favour the acceptance of Drayson's contention as a WORKING HYPO- THESIS for the elucidation of the various ages to be assigned to flint cultures in East Anglia. Several discoveries since his death have done much to favour an unexpected, extension of the stages of man's progress, and of the enormous antiquity to be assigned to primitive man, whilp certain facts on the astronomical sidtihave so strengthened the position of Drayson's supporters as to make their claims a matter inviting serious attention.)

The burin is one of the commonest stone tools found in the French Cave deposits of Upper Palæolithic Age. It also occurs in England, as at Paviland, etc., though, on the whole, its occurrence in this country seems to be rarer than in France.

A classification of the various types of burin has been attempted already some years ago by the late M. Bourlon, who was a captain in the French Army, and the following note is to a very large extent founded on his work. A slight simplification has been introduced, however.

Burins or gravers (though they probably had many uses besides that of engraving) can be readily divided into two main groups:—

A. Those with a straight working edge, like that of a screwdriver.

This makes a V-shaped gutter when rubbed along a surface.

B. Those with a convex, gouge-like working edge.

This makes a U-shaped gutter when similarly used.

It has been my privilege to work under Prof. Man at Cambridge, and discuss with him the problems of the relation between Quaternary Man and the Ice Age. His ideas have been ably expressed in the Presidential Address that he gave to the Society. One point, however, it seemed to me was rather passed over lightly, and that is the correlation of the results obtained in England with those found abroad. Dr. Marr suggested in his paper that the time was not yet ripe for such a correlation, and that it was as yet dangerous. Yet the results obtained by Prof. Marr and Mr. Moir are so definite and far-reaching that the writer feels that an attempted correlation is necessary to avoid the danger of a too great insularity of thought. The results obtained abroad may be grouped under two heads;—

(1) Those showing positive results

(2) Those showing negative results

Abroad, and especially in France, not only have there been a number of gifted amateurs engaged in the study of prehistory, but further, owing to the generosity of the Prince of Monaco, there have been a number of distinguished specialists who have been devoting their whole energies to the elucidation of various problems.