THEORY 0F THE EARTH* 131 



In my fourth volume, the homo dilumi testis of 

 Scheuchzer is restored to the proteus, its true ge- 

 nus ; and in a still more recent examination of it 

 at Haerlem, allowed by the politeness of M. Van 

 Marum, who even permitted me to uncover some 

 parts that were before enveloped in the stone, I 

 obtained decisive proof of what I had before an- 

 nounced. 



Among the fossil bones discovered at Cronstadt, 

 the fragment of a jaw, together with some articles 

 of human manufacture, was found ; but it is well 

 known that the ground was dug up without any 

 precautions, and no notes were taken of the dif- 

 ferent depths at which each article was found. 

 Everywhere else, the fragments of bone consid- 

 ered as human have been found to belong to some 

 animal, either when the fragments themselves have 

 been actually examined, or even when their en- 

 graved figures have been inspected. Such real 

 human bones as have been found in a fossil state, 

 belonged to bodies which had fallen into crevices 

 of rocks, or had been left in the forsaken galleries 

 of ancient mines, and were covered up by incrus- 

 tation. The same has been the case with all ar- 

 ticles of human fabric. The pieces of iron which 

 have been found at Montmartre, are fragments of 

 the iron tools used in the quarries for putting in 

 blasts of gunpowder, and which sometimes break 

 in the stone. 



