GEOLOGICAL AND PREHISTORIC TRAPS. 15
accept the Eoliths as being human implements, but closed to
all evidence of their natural origin.
The Supposed "Cromerian" Flint Industry.—An out-
standing illustration of wishful thinking in modern science is
found in association with the supposed "Early Chellean"
industry of the Cromer beach that is now widely referred to as
the "Cromerian."
Beneath the Weybourne Crag, and immediately overlying
the Chalk, is the basement bed of battered flints, known as the
"Stone-bed." About one-half of the flints of the "Stone-bed"
are flaked (and to these reference has already been made), but
the bright ochreous flakes1 that are properly called "Cromerian"
are not found in this deposit, but upon the open foreshore, more
particularly upon a remarkable accumulation of big flint boulders
which is called the "Cromer spread." It is, however, alleged
that the "Cromerian" flakes were originally embedded in the
"Stone-bed," and that, in short, the "Cromer spread" itself
is the disintegrated stone-bed, still remaining in its original
position, with only the finer material of sand, etc., washed away
by the sea, leaving the stones and flakes behind. This is the
theory of Mr. Reid Moir, and it is vital to the theory that both
big flints and flakes have not been transported to the site from
elsewhere.
If, however, we put the matter to the test of observation,
and dig trial holes in the "Cromer spread," we find that this
interpretation is a case of wishful thinking that is remote from
reality. In the first place, the "spread" of big stones does
not rest upon Chalk, except at its seaward edge, but upon a
low bank of sand and boulders of the sea shore. In the second
place, this modern marine sand bank below the "spread" is
underlaid by the Weybourne Crag with its fossil marine shells.
In the third place, this is again underlaid by the real stone-bed,
still remaining in place and undisturbed, and composed of
comparatively small black-and-white flints which have no
resemblance whatsoever to the big flints with bright ochreous
patinations, of the overlying spread. In the fourth place, the
total bulk of flints of the "spread" and sand-bank is out of
proportion to anything that could be supplied by the stone-bed.
1 They are not all ochreous, many are quite fresh and others intermediate.