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D. J. FINN, S.J.
and so I propose this name for the present to designate this whole group until we know more about their certain contexts. Some of our specimens. show a form astonishingly like that of the very early protolithic Chalossian coup-de-poing.
L
5. cms.
L. "Epimiolith" with a marked lever-like handle.
A third piece is from "K" at 51 ins. : it is of similar material but shows only two patinations, the oldest and the youngest of those described above (figure L). One other was picked up loose opposite the A-K cuts (figure M). The make of these pieces suggests that they were used for opening shells, as the point showing signs of use has above it an edge like that of a scraper which would serve admirably for prizing open the shells.
The two
The figures best explain the shape of these specimens, but the most shapely piece, in fact the first that really convinced me of its artifact nature, is that in figure N. It is from 27 ins. deep at HSY from an area which gave us many polished stone axes at similar and greater depths. It is a sub-tetrahedral form with a marked rostral tendency, one face being obviously the back and flaked to a higher level with a slight general concavity. This is typical of all our pieces though otherwise varying: the back is very flat, sometimes as a naturally weathered surface sometimes flaked, sometimes at cleavage face (figure 1). The hand-grip is the natural skin or weathered end of a big pebble: this makes a platform usually sloping on top. front-faces meet in a marked angle (see figure L and compare carefully figure K). Figure I here retains most of the original stone and is flaked only on one edge but the ridge is represented by the natural rounded angle of the stone. The flaking is in broad strokes: the finer dressing is very clumsy (a sign of late date). The point is usually trihedral, sometimes tetrahedral; the trihedral point has been noted as typical of the very early Chalossian and has also been found in South Africa in the Victoria West culture. Judging by Menghin's description of certain implements (30) p. 117 in this latter, they must be very like the type of our figures N, O:-crooked point-thick end with vigorous flaking-trihedral point-flat back-resem- blance to "rostro-carinates". There is apparently some doubt about these Victoria-West pieces as to whether they are artifacts: there can be no doubt about such a piece as figure N. A related culture in South Africa, that of Stellenbosch, has "faustkeil" with one side carefully flaked to an edge: we cannot say that ours are carefully done, but they certainly have the "faustkeil"
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
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