SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN. 53 



to which the skeleton belonged is not fixed definitely, but it is at least 

 as old as the remains found in the Belgian caves. 



Another human relic was found in the form of a fossil and is 

 known as "the man of Denise," which comprised part of a skeleton 

 enveloped in volcanic tufa and which was dug out of a vineyard by 

 a peasant near the top of the extinct Volcano Le Pery. 



The inference drawn from this fact is that primeval man must 

 have witnessed the eruptions of the now extinct volcanoes of Central 

 France, and that this particular specimen had been overtaken by and 

 perished in one of them. 



Then there is the human skeleton said to have been found buried 

 under four superincumbent cypress forests in the delta of the 

 Mississippi, and to which an age of 50,000 years has been ascribed. 



The last case I will describe is a very interesting one. It is that 

 of the sepulchral grotto of Aurignac in the champagne-growing dis- 

 trict of the south of France. It is situated on a limestone spur of 

 the Pyrenees about 40 feet above the brook which runs below. 

 The circumstances of the discovery of this grotto are rather peculiar. 

 The opening into it and the terrace in front of it were filled up and 

 hidden by earthy matter washed down the slope by rain. In the 

 year 1852 a labourer employed in repairing roads observed that 

 rabbits when hotly pursued ran into a hole which they had burrowed 

 in the d6bris. On reaching into the opening as- far as the length of 

 his arm he drew out to his surprise one of the long bones of a 

 human skeleton. His curiosity being excited he commenced digging 

 a trench and very soon came upon a large heavy slab of rock placed 

 vertically against the entrance. Having removed this he found an 

 arched cavity 7 to 8 feet high, 10 feet wide and 7 feet from before 

 backwards. It was almost filled with bones, among which were two 

 entire skulls which he recognised as human. The people of Aurignac, 

 astonished to hear of the occurrence of so many human relics in so 

 lonely a spot, flocked to the cave, and the mayor ordered the bones 

 to be taken and buried in the parish cemetery. Being a medical 

 man he ascertained on examining and counting the bones that there 



