TERTIARY MAN (PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE) 37 



of the Pithecanthropus in Java has again brought this question 

 into prominence, for, needless to say, the generally accepted 

 legend to the effect that the Mesopotamian Paradise was man's 

 first home can be regarded by scientific anthropology as nothing 

 more than legend. Danvin acted as pioneer in this question. 

 Arguing from the theory that man is a lateral descendant of the 

 Catarrhine stock, and that these exist, and have existed only, in 

 the old world, he reasons that Australia and the islands of the 

 Pacific are necessarily excluded from being man's original home. 

 As, also, the early progenitors of man must have been inhabit- 

 ing a hot country at the time of losing their hairy covering, and 

 as in each great region of the world the living mammals are 

 closely related to the extinct species of the same region, Darwin i 

 concludes that Africa was probably man's birthplace, especially 

 as it is probable that Africa was formerly inhabited by extinct 

 apes closely allied to the gorilla and chimpanzee. 



In recent times the old theory has been revived of Aus- 

 tralia being the birthplace of man, and Schbtensack - of 

 Heidelberg has spoken, and written much, in its defence. In 

 his opinion it is not to be supposed that the development of man 

 from a lower form has been the result of so severe a competi- 

 tion for life as that experienced by the anthropoids and other 

 mammals, for man being unequipped by nature, and still in- 

 capable of making weapons for himself, could not have competed 

 in a struggle against powerful beasts of prey. No part of the 

 world could have been more favourable to man's development 

 than Australia, for the struggle for existence must have been 

 milder there than elsewhere, the hunting of the marsupial fauna 

 offering no particular danger. Schotensack nevertheless assumes 

 South-East Asia to have been the first home of man, the Pithe- 

 canthropus having been found in Java. From this point the de- 

 scendants of the Pithecanthropus spread to Australia by way of 

 the Celebes and New Guinea, which in the Pliocene Period 

 were still connected with the mainland. In support of this the- 

 ory Schotensack says : The Australians of the present day may 



1 Darwin, loc. cit., vol. v., p. 203. 



2 Dr. Schotensack, Die Bedeutung Australian fitr die Heranbildvng des 

 Menschen aus einer niederen Form. Verhandlung des natur-med. Vcrcins. 

 Heidelberg, 1901. 



