An ‘Eolith’ Factory

Abstract

PROF. BOULE'S wash-mills are now rivalling the conjuror's hat—from which all sorts of strange things can be taken by an experienced hand. Years ago they produced what were declared to be typical Harrisonian eoliths; now they have given us “a collection of characteristic types, rostro-carinates, etc”. (NATURE, April 24, 1926, p. 602), such as are found beneath the Red Crag of Suffolk, while, already, a crushing machine has “produced flakes, some of which... might have been taken for scrapers of an Upper Palæolithic or even Neolithic culture”. From this it would appear that, with a little less stringent selection on Prof. Boule's and Mr. Etienne Patte's part, these wash-mills and crushing machines of France will soon be shown to be turning out ‘typical’ flint implements of all prehistoric periods, and the much-discussed Stone Age thus be made to disappear into the limbo of forgotten things.