WHOLE VOL. SKELETAL REMAINS OF EARLY MAN — HRDLICKA 367 



season of 1928 which resulted in the recovery of the major parts of two lower 

 jaws and numerous teeth and skull fragments referable to the genus Sinanthro- 

 pus. Within the main cave deposit at Chou Kou Tien up to the present time 

 Sinanthropiis remains have been recovered from five different loci, three of 

 which, including the last major find, have been discovered by Mr. Pei during 

 the last season's work. Contrary to any reports which have been circulated, no 

 skeletal parts other than the skull and numerous isolated teeth have been 

 recovered during this year's excavations. 



It should be noted that the different Sinanthropiis loci discovered within the 

 main Chou Kou Tien deposit are all clearly contemporaneous with one another, 

 being Lower Quarternary (Polycene) in age. This latter statement is based 

 on the evidence collected in a preliminary report on the geology and paleontology 

 of the site by Fere Teilhard de Chardin and Dr. C. C. Young which is now in 

 press. Further it should be added that up to the present time, though hundreds 

 of cubic meters of material have been examined, no artifacts of any nature have 

 been encountered nor has any trace of the usage of fire been observed. 



The greater part of the left lateral surface and the fore part of the base of 

 this unique skull specimen of Sinanthropiis^ is still embedded in a block of very 

 hard travertine. The vault of the skull from its massive brow ridges to the 

 occiput, and the whole right side of the specimen was however supported within 

 a relatively soft matrix which has now been removed. In the present stage of 

 its preparation it thus becomes apparent that the brain case has been almost 

 completely preserved while most of the facial region would seem to be lacking. 



The skull of Sinanthropiis would seem to be of approximately similar length to 

 that of Pithecanthropus and like the latter form is provided with massive brow 

 ridges, a feature to be correlated with a powerful jaw mechanism. However, 

 Sinanthropiis characteristically differs from the Java type in the following 

 important features : relatively well developed frontal eminences, well localized 

 parietal eminences and greater height of skull vault, all these characters pointing 

 to a relatively greater brain capacity in Sinanthropiis. The mastoid processes 

 of Sinanthropiis are small and massive. The sockets in which the lower jaw 

 articulated are well preserved on both sides, a circumstance which will be of 

 great value in the restoration of the lower jaw fragments recovered in 1928. 



In general it may be said that while the new skull specimen bears out what 

 little was already known from other fragments, the perfection of its preservation 

 will enable much to be learned that is now obscure concerning the evolution of 

 the head region in early man. Preliminary photographs and notes will be pub- 

 lished in an early issue of the Bulletin of the Geological Society of China and a 

 more complete report on the specimen will be made at the annual meeting of the 

 Society to be held next February. 



Davidson Black. 

 Honorary Director, Cenosoic Research Laboratory, 

 Geological Survey of China. 



COMMENTS 



It is now certain that the Peking^ discoveries arc of decided impor- 

 tance. They show lis the presence of early man much farther east 

 than he has previously been known or legitimately suspected. The 



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