76 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



numerous stages of gradual transition between the 

 homo primigenius and modern man, and yet the 

 latter is connected with the former in such a way 

 that an uninterrupted course of evolution extends 

 from the homo primigenius to the homo sapiens, 

 and this series of stages of evolution is of such a 

 kind that (1) every characteristic, differentiating 

 the homo primigenius from the homo sapiens, may 

 occur in isolated cases also in human beings of our 

 own day, and (2) conversely, the characteristics of 

 modern man may occasionally occur in crania of 

 the homo primigenius.' Kramberger deduces from 

 this a continuity of evolution between the homo 

 primigenius and modern man. I believe, however, 

 that we have no mere continuity of evolution, but 

 that the homo primigenius simply belonged to an 

 older stock of the present human race. And why ? 

 Because there are numerous stages of gradual transi- 

 tion between the primeval man and man as he 

 now exists. 



Let us imagine for the sake of argument that some 

 palaeontologist discovered the skeleton of a fossil 

 variety of dog, differing both from the still existing 

 varieties and from fossils. He infers that he has 

 proof of the existence of a new species of Canis, 

 but subsequent investigations prove conclusively 

 that all the peculiarities of the alleged new fossil 

 variety occur in other fossils or in living varieties. 

 Every zoologist would say at once that in the 

 exact sense this was not a new genus, but only a 



