< Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu
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THE PALÆOLITHIC RACES OF EUROPE

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

FIG. 66. Portion of a Bâton de Commandement, ornamented with horse-heads, and an Amulet in the form of a fish-tail (⅓). (After Cartailhac and Breuil, L'Anth., 1907.)
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FIG. 67. Bâton de Commandement, the with stags (½). (After Cartailhac and Breuil,L'Anth., 1907.)
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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).

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