134 Primaeval Man in the Valley of the Lea.
exhibits glacial striae on a large patch of original crust on
one side, and indicated at d on edge view. This implement
was found on the "Palaeolithic Floor" in three pieces, by
two different men at different times and in different places.
If the report given by the finders is true,—and I have no
reason for disbelieving it,—the implement must have been
broken in Palaeolithic times. The men who found the pieces
did not know they would fit together, and the fourth piece,
indicated by dots, although sought for, was never found.
The mode of manufacture of these implements seems to be
obvious : in the first place, suitable pieces of flint were got
together and those which na-
turally approached an imple-
ment-like form were generally
selected. The reason for this
is clear, for such blocks would
be less troublesome to trim to
shape, and a smooth butt-end
would be ready covered with
the natural crust of the flint,
and free from inconvenient
asperities. It follows, there-
fore, that many implements

Fig. 20.—Fabricator, one half
actual size.
are natural blocks of flint
cleverly pointed or furnished

with artificially made cutting-
edges. If suitable natural blocks of flint did not present
themselves, then some large block of flint would be
"quartered." This was done by impact with a hard
tough stone, and the most suitable of the newly-broken
pieces of flint were selected for manufacture into tools.
The fashioning of the blocks into implements was carried
out by striking skilful blows on the edge of the flint,
possibly with a tough quartzite pebble. The result of these
repeated blows on the edge of the flint block would be that
numerous splinters or flakes would fly off from the flint at
each impact of the quartzite pebble. Large flakes would be
first struck off, and as the implement gradually approached