Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu/279

Rh tail (queue de poisson) has been found elsewhere as an "amulette" perforated for suspension. That the queue de poisson on this bone had a similar motive is strongly suggested by the fact that both show a hollow which can only be meant for a perforation. The other bâton (Fig. 67) is perfect, and terminates at the handle end in a blunt point. The head is ornamented with a series of notches, and the body, below

P.213-fig.66-67-Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu.jpg

..

the perforation, with the figures of two deer one being in the attitude of galloping.

Various opinions are held as to the real purpose of the so-called bâton de commandement. Some regard it as a magic stick, others that it is part of a horse's bridle, and others that it is a kind of fibula for fastening skin garments. Some of them, especially those with several holes of different sizes, may have been used as arrow-straighteners, a view suggested by Professor Boyd Dawkins (Cave Hunting, p. 355).