ARCHEOLOGY AND EVOLUTION. 125 



and, more than that, we have the same forms of life as existed in 

 the Cambrian period, in multitudes, in the China seas. Now, if 

 living forms of life could flourish in the Cambrian period must 

 not the general cosmic climatal conditions of the earth have 

 been the same as now ? There are also the ripple marks as well as 

 rain pittings on the sandstones of Cambrian age to show that the 

 sun rose and set, the tides rose and fell, the rain descended and 

 the winds blew as at present, and therefore that the same 

 general cosmic conditions existed even in Cambrian times as 

 now obtain. Why therefore is it stated that the earth was not 

 fit for human occupation by man previous to, say, Pliocene 

 times P The paper deals with the evolution of man from a semi- 

 Simian type. Of that it may be admitted there is perhaps no 

 evidence, and although the imperfection of the geological record is 

 usually cited as a reason for palseontological links being missing, it 

 does not seem to me to be altogether adequate, but, on the other 

 hand, the general development of vegetable and animal types of 

 life, apart from the evolution of man from the loxver animals, is not 

 merely a theory, but a known fact to all paleeontologists and to 

 every student of geology. 



Rev. Mr. Cherrill. — What is intended by these "cave men"? 

 They are the only men of those remote periods mentioned in 

 the paper, and they are said to be the ancestors of the Esquimaux, 

 and to have degenerated ; but is this an exact statement ?* 



The Chairman. — It is interesting to note that as far as we can 

 go back we find men were intelligent, and showed a very decided 

 sense of intelligence, and that the evidence that is required 

 of a missing link is missing. The triumph of Professor Mende- 

 leef's theory of the laws of chemistry was when one of the missing 

 links, in the form of a certain metal, was discovered, and I think 

 we may assume that the serai-Simian ancestry of man is not to 

 be accepted until evidence is produced of the existence of forms. 

 It seems to me that the evidence points that way, and that 



* Professor W. Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., writes in regard to this 

 remark, •' Mr. Walkey is right in his quotation of my view as to the 

 Esquimaux." — Ed. 



