2 1 6 THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN 



think to be the comparative lengths of the differ- 

 ent periods. " No geologist has overmuch con- 

 fidence in such estimates," says Geikie (p. 300) ; 

 and adds that " they serve to give some precision 

 to our conception of geological time." It must 

 be admitted that the precision is not very pre- 

 cise when the enormous discrepancies between 

 different views is considered. 



Let us begin by considering the post-glacial 

 period, that in which we are now living. There 

 was a time when the receding ice left parts of 

 Europe habitable whilst others were not so 

 when was this ? Some would place it at a quite 

 recent period, for example, G. F. Wright, who 

 maintains that " large areas in Europe and North 

 America which are now principal centres of 

 civilisation were buried under glacial ice thou- 

 sands of feet thick, while the civilisation of Baby- 

 lonia was in its heyday " (p. 195), a period which 

 may be set down at about 3,000 to 4,000 years 

 B.C. And he continues ; " The glib manner in 

 which many, not to say most, popular writers, as 

 well as many observers of limited range, speak of 

 the Glacial epoch as far distant in geological time 

 is due to ignorance of facts which would seem to 

 be so clear that he who runs might read them." 

 Dr. Wright has been studying glacial phenomena 

 for forty years, and has written much upon them, 

 and such are his views ; but they run directly 

 contrary to those of many others who have also 

 made glacial matters their life-study. I am not 

 now thinking of the extravagant admittedly 

 extravagant figures put forward, chiefly, it must 



