64 Chronicles of Science. [Jan., 
ship ; that they possess a “strong family likeness,” as if they were 
the work of a particular tribe or family ; and that they are diffused 
through the soil, fresh specimens appearing after heavy rains. 
An important work, entitled “ L’uomo fossile dell’ Italia Cen- 
trale,” by Signor Igino Cocchi, has been published in the third 
volume of the ‘Memoirs of the Italian Society of Natural Science.’ 
The author describes the Post-pliocene and Recent deposits of Cen- 
tral Italy, and the Pliocene strata of the Val d’Arno and Val di 
Chiana, with the fossil mammals, mollusks, and plants, obtained 
from the latter. The Recent deposits he divides into Modern, con- 
sisting of various alluvial formations, and an Ancient alluvium, 
yielding obsidian implements. The Post-pliocene deposits are di- 
vided into Upper and Lower, the former comprising the Loess as 
its upper member, without any fossils or human remains, but 
probably belonging to the Reindeer-period ; and as its lower member, 
various deposits known as the Diluvium of Central Italy, &., con- 
taining remains of Bos primigenius and_its variety B. trochoceros, 
&c., together with stone knives. The Lower Post-plocene strata 
are subdivided into an upper portion, consisting of ferruginous con- 
glomerate, &c., without human remains, but otherwise contaimmg 
similar fossils to the underlying deposit. The lower portion con- 
sists of lacustrine clays of great thickness, with layers of peat 
towards its superior margin; it contains bones of Hlephas primi- 
genius, Cervus ewryceros, Bison priscus, and a species (probably 
new) of Hquus; it has also yielded stone implements, and a human 
cranium, the latter from the plain of the Aretino. It is satisfactory 
to learn that at last a fossil human cranium has been discovered 
associated with remains of extinct animals in a true stratified de- 
posit, and whether this deposit be termed Lower Post-pliocene, or 
anything else, there seems little room for doubt that the cranium 
was imbedded contemporaneously with the remains of Hlephas pri- 
migenius, &c., and that Man lived in Italy contemporaneously with 
those animals. 
M. Pierre Béron has devoted a portion of the third volume of 
his ‘Physique céleste’ to a discussion, entitled “La Terre et 
Homme avant et aprés le Déluge.” So many wonderfully far- 
fetched ideas are crowded into 150 pages, that they would render 
the ancient cosmogonies commonplace by comparison. To Anthro- 
pologists this book will be a curious study, and will show them how 
very wild the imagination of a clever man can run ; beyond this we 
cannot see that it has any scientific value. 
Mr. Rose’s extensive collection of implements and weapons illus- 
trative of the Stone Age in Denmark has been exhibited in the 
museum of the Anthropological Society during the past month. It 
is perhaps more remarkable for the number of specimens it contains 
than for the variety of types illustrated, although in the latter 
respect also it has a certain value. 
