MAN'S PLACE IN NATURE 277 



cut a hole so that a large-sized lard pail will just fit it. Fasten 

 the pail so that it will project outside, with its open end 

 inside. To do this, drive several nails radically from the 

 inside edge of the pail, through it into the board. A small 

 hole should be punched in the exact center of the bottom of 

 the pail, to receive a wire, No. 20, galvanized iron. The 

 end of the wire should be passed through a washer and 

 fastened. The wire must be supported, if it is longer than 

 two hundred feet, by loops of tarred cord, at least six inches 

 long. This allows free movement of the wire. For this rea- 

 son the wire should not touch anything except the tarred 

 cord. To call your party, knock on the bottom of the pail. 

 The noise will be about equal at both ends of the line. 



201. MAN'S PLACE IN NATURE 



Information concerning man may be obtained from geology, 

 biology, and history. The last-named, so far as the records 

 show, tells us only of the last few thousands of years. Geo- 

 logical records, left in the enduring rock, as it is sometimes 

 called, indicate that man lived almost countless thousands of 

 years before any other records were made. In addition, it 

 must be remembered that rock itself disintegrates and may 

 be changed into other kinds of rocks*. Therefore, it is very 

 probable that man existed long before the time which is indi- 

 cated by any of the geological records. 



Biology, in its study of life from the single-celled amoeba 

 up through all forms and aggregations of cells; in its classi- 

 fications of all animal life by structure and by habits, has 

 placed man far above all other animals among the vertebrate 

 mammals called the primates. See Section 183, Animal 

 Life Man. 



