194 HUMAN FOSSILS OF LE PUT AND NATCHEZ. CHAP xi. 



CHAPTER XL 



AGE OF HUMAN FOSSILS OF LE PUT IN CENTRAL FRANCE AND 

 OF NATCHEZ ON THE MISSISSIPPI, DISCUSSED. 



QUESTION AS TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE FOSSIL MAN OF DENISE, 



NEAR LE PUY-EN-VELAY, CONSIDERED ANTIQUITY OF THE HUMAN 



RACE IMPLIED BY THAT FOSSIL SUCCESSIVE PERIODS OF VOLCANIC 



ACTION IN CENTRAL FRANCE WITH WHAT CHANGES IN THE MAM 

 MALIAN FAUNA THEY CORRESPOND THE ELEPHAS MERIDIONALIS 



ANTERIOR IN TIME TO THE IMPLEMENT-BEARING GRAVEL OF ST. ACHEUL 



AUTHENTICITY OF THE HUMAN FOSSIL OF' NATCHEZ ON THE MISSIS 

 SIPPI, DISCUSSED THE NATCHEZ DEPOSIT, CONTAINING BONES OF MAS 

 TODON AND MEGALONYX, PROBABLY NOT OLDER THAN THE FLINT 

 IMPLEMENTS OF ST. ACHEUL. 



AMONG- the fossil remains of the human species supposed 

 to have claims to high antiquity, and which have for 

 many years attracted attention, two of the most prominent 

 examples are 



First, f The fossil man of Denise,' comprising the re 

 mains of more than one skeleton, found in a volcanic breccia 

 near the town of Le Puy-en-Velay, in Central France. 



Secondly, The fossil human bone of Natchez, on the Mis 

 sissippi, supposed to have been derived from a deposit con 

 taining remains of mastodon and megalonyx. Having 

 carefully examined the sites of both of these celebrated fossils, 

 I shall consider in this chapter the nature of the evidence on 

 which the remote date of their entombment is inferred. 



Fossil Man of Denise, 



An account of the fossil remains, so called, was first published 

 in 1844, by M. Aymard of Le Puy, a writer of deservedly 



