4 SU'iCLIFKE, Tendencies in Preiiistoric Anth) opology. 



elusion is that man must have already been in existence 

 for a very long period to allow of the development of such 

 divergent types. 



This conclusion is logical, but depends entirely on the 

 age of the two skeletons in question, and it is proposed to 

 examine in detail the evidence of this aire. 



Section II. 



The Broad Links of Tertiary Mammalian 



Evolution. 



In the basal Eocene of Europe and North America 

 occurs a large mammalian fauna, best known from the 

 discoveries of Lemoine in the Thanetian of Cernay, near 

 Rheims, and of the American palaeontologists in the 

 I'uerco and Torrijon formations of New Mexico. This 

 fauna contains three distinct elements: — 



First, a large number of multituberculates, the last 

 survivors of an important Mesozoic group which practi- 

 cal!}' died out at the end of this division. 



Second, the main mass of the fauna consists of very 

 primitive placental mammals, including the ancestors of 

 many archaic types which, with few exceptions, died out 

 at the end of the Eocene period. 



Third, a very small group of animals, which may very 

 doubtfully include the ancestors of such modern grc)U])s 

 as the Insectivores and Primates. 



There is thus a complete absence of all modern types 

 of animals ; the ancestral Artiodactyls, Perissodactyls, 

 and Rodents, if they occur, are in so extremely generalised 

 a form that they cannot be recognised. All the Thanetian 

 animals are of small size, none bigger than a sheep. 



