492 THE NATURAL HISTORY REVIEW. 



sum of £1000., after having been visited and reported upon by 

 Professor Owen. This collection is spoken of as follows : — 



" Amongst the additions to tbe Department of Geology, the 

 most interesting in relation to questions as to the antiquity of man, 

 and the cranial and dental characters of primitive races, are tlie 

 partly petrified remains of the men who inhabited tbe Limestone 

 caverns of the South of France, at the period when chamois, 

 bouquetin, wild horse, reindeer, the great extinct ox, &c. existed, and 

 especially the reindeer abounded in that part of Europe ; and at a 

 period when, the use of metals being unknown, the primitive imple- 

 ments were chipped flints, by means of which divers weapons, and 

 instruments, including needles, were manufactured from the bones 

 and antlers of the beasts captured and killed for food. On some of 

 these bone-instruments the reindeer and horse had been delineated 

 in outline, with much truth and spirit, and these are probably among 

 the earliest examples of the graphic art. 



" The value of this series of human remains, discovered at Bruni- 

 quel by the Yicomte de Lastic in 1863, depends upon the care and 

 acciiracy with which every material fact as to ' matrix,' * position,' 

 * chemical condition,' &c. , of the crania was ascertained, on which 

 a conclusion as to their contemporaneity with the remains of the 

 extinct animals could be satisfactorily arrived at. 



"To this end thecavern was visited by the reporter in January and 

 February 1864, the human remains were inspected, and others were 

 then exposed in situ, and one almost entire cranium was removed, 

 and transferred to the British Museum, with the large mass of 

 breccia, detached at a depth of four feet from the stalagmitic floor 

 of the cavern, and exhibiting with other human remains and numer- 

 ous implements, conditions of imbedding, identical with those of the 

 bones and teeth of the Cervus tarandus and Bos primigenius.'" 



Dr. Grray, whose special report on the Zoological Department 

 stands next on the list, tells us that no less than 7628 specimens 

 of animals of different classes, have been added to the Museum 

 during the year 1864, each of which has been duly registered, and 

 either arranged for exhibition, or stowed away, so that it may be 

 referred to if required. 



The following Catalogues of parts of the Zoological series have 

 been published during the year : — 



Catalogue of the Coleopterous Insects of the Canaries, by T. V. 

 Wollaston, F.L.S. 



