Whilstheevidentlypreferredtohuntandeatthelargermammals，manwhenpressedbyhungerdidnotdespisethesmallrodents，whichwere，ofcourse，moreeasilycaptured。Amongstpilesofthebonesofhorsesandstagshavebeenfoundtheremainsofmartens，hedgehogs，andmice；andfromtheThayngenCavehavebeentakenthebonesofmorethanfivehundredbares。InBelgiumthewater-ratseemstohavebeenconsideredadainty，andintheChaleuxCavealonewerefoundmorethantwentypounds’weightofthebonesofthiscreature，nearlyallbearingtracesofhavingbeensubjectedtotheactionoffire。
Theremainsofbirdsarerarer，andBrocahasremarkedthatthemostancienthuntingimplementswhichhavecomedowntous；thosefromtheMoustierCave，forinstance，wereadaptedrathertoattackanimalsthatwouldshowfightthanthosethatwouldsimplyflyorrunaway。TheGourdanCave，however，hasyieldedthebonesofthemoor-fowl，thepartridge，thewildduck，andeventhedomesticatedcockAndhen；theFrontalCave，thethrush，theduck，thepartridge，andthepigeon；
andinothercaveswerefoundthebonesofthegoose，theswan，andthegrouse。Milne-Edwardsenumeratesfifty-onespeciesbelongingtodifferentordersfoundinthecavesofFrance，andM。RivierepickeduptheremainsofthousandsofbirdsinthoseofBaousse-RousseonthefrontierofItaly。[50]
Theskullsofthemammalsbadbeenopened，andthebonessplit。Brainsandmarrowprobablyfiguredatfeastsasthegreatestdelicacies。Travellers，whosetalesareahelptousinbuildingupapictureoftheremotepastofourrace，relatethattheLaplanders，assoonasananimaliskilled，breakopenitsskullanddevourthebrainwhilstitisstillwarmandbleeding。Thiswasprobablyalsothecustomamongstprehistoriccave-men。
Thefleshofanimalswasnot，alas，theonlymeateaten，andexcavationsindifferentpartsoftheglobehaveledtothediscoveryoftracesofthepracticeofcannibalismwhichitisdifficultnottoaccept。[51]