Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu/307

Rh pectiform structures in the caves of Marsoulas, Combarelles, and Font-de-Gaume. Plate XXIV. shows two painted animals, a hind (A) and an auroch (B). The former, a polychrome 2.20 metres long, is painted over a panel with remains of red signs, and a small bison in black belonging to an earlier period. The latter is done in sombre colours of brown and black, and measures 1.30 metres in length. An example of the finely engraved animals is given in Fig. 80, which shows a bison and an unknown animal lightly engraved over deep black lines of an earlier design. This picture is in the terminal gallery and is so faint that it was with difficulty discovered. Among the graffiti are some grotesque figures with long protruding snouts, which are evidently intended to represent human beings (Fig. 86). These will be noticed later on along with analogous figures found elsewhere.

Marsoulas.

This cave is situated near Salies-du-Salat (Haute-Garonne), among the outlying spurs of the Pyrenees. It has been partially explored at various times since 1881, but no importance was attached to the wall-pictures till 1903, when M. F. Regnault published a notice of some of them. More recently they have engaged the attention of MM. Cartailhac and Breuil, the first result of which is the article now before us. The cave extends for about 60 metres, but formerly it was longer. A few metres of its anterior portion had fallen in during, or shortly after, the reindeer period ; and so the cave has been sealed up till a recent date. This explains the good state of preservation of the wall-pictures, as well as the absence of Neolithic remains in the debris. The pictures in Marsoulas are on the whole similar to those of Altamira, both in appearance and in execution. The paintings, commencing 15 metres from the entrance, are continued for 40 metres, and their dimensions vary according to the available wall space. The largest bison measures 1.80 metres and the smallest only 0.56 metre. Like those of Altamira and Font-de-Gaume the figures are partly engraved and partly painted. The principal figures of entire animals amount only to 14 (6 horses, 6 bisons, 1 goat, and 1 deer); but the