206 WHAT IS LIFE ? 



of the earth. Suffice that he appears in existence a 

 creation, geologically speaking, of yesterday, but 

 nevertheless of a time so remote that it is to the human 

 mind, unthinkable to our minds it is that of infinity 

 or eternity. 1 There are no hard and fast lines to lead 



1 "In accepting, however, the evidence for Tertiary man, we must 

 accept with it conclusions which are much opposed to preconceived 

 opinions. In the two best authenticated instances in which human 

 skulls have been found in presumably Tertiary strata, those of 

 Castelnedolo and Calaveras, it is distinctly stated that they present 

 no unusual appearance, and do not go nearly as far in a brutal or 

 pithecoid direction as the Quarternary skulls of Neanderthal and 

 Spy, or as those of many existing savage races. The Nampa image 

 also appears to show the existence of considerable artistic skill at a 

 period which, if not Tertiary, must be of immense antiquity. How 

 can this be reconciled with the theory of evolution and the descent of 

 man from some animal ancestor common to him and the other 

 quadrumana ? Up to a certain point, viz. the earliest Quarternary 

 period, the evidence of progression seems fairly satisfactory. If we 

 take the general average of this class of skulls as compared with 

 modern skulls, we find them of smaller brain -capacity, thicker and 

 flatter, with prominent frontal sinuses, receding foreheads, projecting 

 muzzles, and weaker chins. The brain is decidedly smaller, the 

 average being 1150 cubic centimetres as compared with 1250 in 

 Australians and Bushmen, and 1600 in well-developed Europeans ; 

 and of this smaller capacity a larger proportion is contained in the 

 posterior part. (Quatrefages and Hamy, Crania Ethnica.) Other 

 parts of the skeleton will tell the same story, and in many of 

 the earliest and most extreme instances, as those of Neanderthal 

 and , Spy, a very decided step is made in the direction of the 

 * missing link.' But if we accept the only two specimens known 

 of the type of Tertiary man, the skulls of Castelnedolo and 

 Calaveras, which are supported by extremely strong evidence, it would 

 seem that as we recede in time, instead of getting nearer to the 

 ' missing link,' we get further from it. This, and this alone, throws 

 doubt on evidence which would otherwise seem to be irresistible, and 

 without a greater number of well-authenticated confirmations we 

 must be content to hold our judgment to a certain extent in suspense. 



