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18 in warding off the fate of the extinct mammals falls to be described in subsequent pages. Meantime we have to consider what were his physical and mental characteristics when he first comes within the scope of our researches. Some knowledge of his forebears and previous habits are indispensable in order to define, with some degree of accuracy, the starting-point of the story of his future career on the British area, which is the main object of this little volume.

Although Palæolithic man was not the same as man of to-day, yet he was already in possession of the distinguishing characteristics of humanity. The preliminary problem which now falls to be considered is how he acquired these remarkable and unique features.

The races of mankind now living are differentiated from all other animals by the erect attitude, bipedal locomotion, manipulative hands, and a larger and more highly developed brain. All these characters apply to Palæolithic man, with perhaps the exception of the reasoning faculty, which, however, differed from that of civilized man only in degree. For a long time no rational explanation of how these human characteristics were acquired was forthcoming, and even now their origin and development are only beginning to be understood.

At an early stage in the evolution of animal life the power of moving from one locality to another became essential to the individual organism, the object being to secure a better