In their various explorations Messieurs Capitan, Breuil, and Peyrony have collected about a hundred drawings of the mammoth. Those of the bison, horse, and reindeer are also numerous. On the other hand representations of Ursus, Felis, and Rhinoceros are rare. The engraving of Ursus spelæus on a piece of schist found in the floor deposits of the cavern of Massat (Ariège) has been known since 1867. A similar figure is to be seen on the cavern wails of Les Combarelles, and other fine examples occur on the walls of the cavern at Teyjat (see fig. 12). An engraving of Felis on a pebble from the cavern of Gourdan (Haute-Garonne) was recently published by Piette. Two mural engravings of Felis are known; one at Les Combarelles and the other at Font-de-Gaume, at the end of the cavern. In the latter the entire animal is represented, being characterized by the form of the head, the general aspect of the body, the long, lifted tail and short paws. The animal is probably Felis leo, var. spelæa, since it is figured somewhat larger than are the four horses forming part of the same group or picture (fig. 8).
One of the most interesting animal representations on the cavern walls of Dordogne is a drawing in red of Rhinoceros tichorhinus (pl. 10 b), found at Font-de-Gaume near the group that included an engraving of the cave lion, i.e., at the end of the cavern. The figure is not only complete but also exact. The two horns are faithfully indicated, the anterior notably longer and larger than the posterior. The only other representations of the woolly rhinoceros are an indifferent engraving on a piece of stone found in the cavern of Gourdan and recently published by Piette, and one likewise on stone from the grotte du Trilobite at Arcy. The coating of long hair is equally well characterized. The technique points to an archaic phase in the development of Quaternary art. Near this figure is the head of another rhinoceros, also traced with an ochre crayon.
The cavern of Font-de-Gaume opens on a narrow valley tributary to that of the Beune and near their junction. The well-known rock-shelter of Les Eyzies lies across the valley of the Beune. It is visible from Font-de-Gaume, appearing like a black spot on the face of the great escarpment, and only 800 meters distant. M. Peyrony[1] suggests that the two prehistoric communities may have been closely united. His recent researches at Les Eyzies tend to confirm this view.
The shallow cave of Les Eyzies, overlooking the Beune near its junction with the Vézère, opens on a sort of natural platform about 35 meters above the bed of the stream. The opening of the cave is wide and high enough to admit the light to its greatest depth, which is 12 meters. The greatest width is 16 meters. It has a southern
- ↑ Le Dr. Capitan. l'Abbé Breuil et Peyrony. Nouvelles observations sur la grotte des Eyzies et ses relations avec celles de Font-de-Gaume. Compte rendu, Congrès préh. de France, 1905, p. 137.
