308 Cambridge Philosophical Society : — 



The following questions are thus suggested for inquiry : — 



Are the bones of young and of old animals mixed indiscriminately 

 throughout the whole of tliese bone-beds ? 



Is it possible to distinguish the bones of females from those of 

 males ? 



Do the bones of the larger and stronger individuals occur in 

 greater abundance near the top of the bone-beds, and those of the 

 smaller and feebler animals nearer the bottom of those beds ? 



If the sea followed these animals quickly, the young and the 

 feeblest would perish before they reached tlie great deposits of bones. 



Although not at all confident that cither of these explanations is 

 the true one, I look upon them as open to less objection than any 

 other of which I have yet heard, and therefore give them a tem- 

 porary assent. 



The conclusion to which these remarks lead, is that whilst we 

 ought to be quite prepared to examme any evidence which tends to 

 prove the great antiquity of our race, yet that if the facts adduced 

 can be explained and accounted for by the operation of a few simple 

 and natural causes, it is unphilosophical to infer the coexistence of 

 man with those races of extinct animals. 



The interest and importance of tlie subject are such, that new and 

 still more extensive researches cannot fail to be made ; and if these 

 remarks shall in any way contribute to lighten the labour of future 

 inquirers, or to promote the true explanation of the facts, they will 

 have fully attained the object of their publication. 



The following references may be useful : — 



In 1819 dm'ing the earthquakes in Cutch. "In jets of blaek muchly water 

 thrown out of fissures, there were cast up numerous pieces of wTOUght u'on 

 and ships' nails."— LyeU, Geol. 



It is in the midst of this old alluviiun near Krems, that the human skulls 

 (Uke Caribs') have been found, which have been described by Count Breuner, 

 Geol. Jouru. vol. i. p. 225. 



Remains of man in connection with parallel roads. — Geol. Journ. vol. iii. p. 227. 



Human skeleton found undistmbed m bed of Cardium edule, near Waterford. 

 — Proc. Geol. Soc. vol. iii. p. 361. 



CAMBRIDGE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 

 [Continued from p. 233.] 



May 16, 1859. — Mr. Hopkins gave a lecture "On Glacial 

 Theories." 



I)e Saussure attributed the motion of glaciers to their sliding over 

 the bottoms of the valleys in which they exist, but does not appear 

 to have made any obsen'ations on the change of form to which the 

 glacial masses may be subject during their motion. No advance 

 was made in our knowledge of glaciers for many years after De 

 Saussure's death, till certain Swiss observers, Charpentier and others, 

 rather more than twenty years ago, added much to our knowledge 

 of the subject. Among these glacial observers, M. Agassiz, with 

 characteristic zeal and activity, soon afterwards took a prominent 



