362 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 83 



Viestonice, etc., together with some of those of Spain (Alfolea) and 

 North Africa (Djebel Fartas, etc.). The literature on these remains 

 is extensive and widely scattered. Some of the originals are known to 

 but a few men, have never been studied thoroughly, and are difficult 

 of access ; others have received much attention. The most valuable of 

 the series, that of Pf-edmost, is still in the process of preparation for 

 publication. 



The striking thing about these remains is the great dearth of 

 specimens that could be definitely assigned to the early Aurigna- 

 cian. Yet it is precisely this material which is most needed. 



The later remains .show many a primitive feature of evidently 

 transitional character between earlier man and the modern. These 

 occurrences indicate still more primitive and transitional conditions 

 in the further past ; and this further past falls essentially to the 

 earliest Aurignacian, from which there is as yet the greatest 

 dearth of skeletal human material. Between the late Mousterian and 

 the early Aurignacian there has taken place apparently, through the 

 intensified cold or through an epidemic or by both, a crisis which 

 reduced the population so much that the linkage between the preceding 

 and later time has been much weakened. This transition period needs 

 clearing more than almost any other in prehistory ; and this clearing 

 may come perhaps from marginal regions, outside of Europe or at 

 least western Europe. 



Besides the above described or enumerated well authenticated speci- 

 mens, there are scattered in the museums of Europe many others, for 

 which greater or less antiquity has at some time been, or is still being, 

 claimed. In many of these instances the student finds that the evidence 

 adduced is insufficient and that the testimony of the skeletal parts them- 

 selves speaks rather against any great age, or leaves the subject in 

 serious doubt. It would seem best for the progress of science to elimi- 

 nate all such specimens from consideration until new and ample evi- 

 dence is found to convince us that they really deserve a place among the 

 precious authentic documents that represent the earlier phases of man's 

 natural history. 



The ever accumulating finds that throw light on the physical past 

 of man naturally stimulate further exploration in these lines ; and the 

 various failures and uncertainties connected with some of the finds 

 in the past have impressed all investigators in the field with the neces- 

 sity of the most careful and properly controlled procedure. Besides men 

 of science, the educated public, engineers controlling public works, 



