70 Antiqidty of the Human Race, 



ten oral plates instead of five. The discovery of a second species 

 with only five oral plates confirms the opinion there expressed 

 that Palceasteris a genus quite distinct from Stenaster. 



For the privilege of describing this highly interesting fossil I 

 am indebted to Dr. J. W. Dawson, LL.D., to whose cabinet it be- 

 longs. It was found by the Rev. D. Honeyman, at Arisaig, in 

 Nova Scotia. 



Locality and Formation. — Arisaig, Nova Scotia, — ^The speci- 

 men is a nearly perfect impression of the underside of the fossil 

 in a small water worn frao'ment of slate, of the lower Arisaio' 

 series, supposed to be of middle Silurian age. 



ffliscdhiiits* 



^ 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT 



OF SCIENCE. 



\ C— GEOLOGY. 



President. — Sir Charles Lyell, L. L. D. ; D. C. L. ; F. R. S. 



The Prince Consort having entered the Section Room, Sir C. 

 Lyell spoke as follows : — 



ANTIQUITY OF THE HUMAN RACE. 



No subject has lately exited more curiosity and general interest 

 among geologists and the public than the question of the antiquity 

 of the human race ; whether or no we have sufficient evidence to 

 prove the former co-existence of Man with certain extinct mam- 

 malia in caves or in the superficial deposits commonly called drift 

 or " diluvium." For the last quarter of a century, the occasional 

 occurence in various parts of Europe, of the bones of man or the 

 works of his hands, in cave-breccias and stalactites associated with 

 the remains of the extinct hygena, hear, elephant, or rhinoceros, 

 have given rise to a suspicion that the date of man must be carried 

 further back than we had heretofore imagined. On the other hand^ 

 extreme reluctance was naturally felt on the part of scientific rea- 

 soners, to admit the validity of such evidence, seeing that so many 

 caves have been inhabited by a succession of tenants, and have been 

 selected by man, as a place not only of domicile, but of sepulture, 



