664 



NATURE 



[August 28, 191, 



i'S8-i"S9 to the man of La Chapelle-aux-Saints, 

 or even perhaps 10 mm. less. The attitude is 

 regarded as having been less habitually erect than 

 in recent races. 



The numerous and important differences which 

 we encounter in all parts of the skeleton are 

 sufficient to distinguish Neandertal man from all 

 existing races ; he differs more from them than 

 they from one another, and is therefore to be 

 regarded as a distinct species, which, according 

 to the recognised rules of nomenclature, should be 

 named Homo neandertalensis . 



All anthropologists will welcome the very inter- 

 esting chapters on fossil Pleistocene man and the 

 evolution of mankind which conclude the work. 

 They are valuable not merely as a compendium of 

 existing knowledge, but above all as an expression 

 of Prof. Boule's personal opinions. We have not 

 space to dwell on these, but we may briefly enu- 

 merate one or two points. No very close affinity 

 is admitted between Homo neandertalensis and the 

 aborigines of Australia; though they share many 

 primitive characters in common, yet in still more 

 they offer a decided contrast (Figs. 4 and 5). 

 Pithecanthropus is regarded as a gigantic gibbon. 

 The Mauer jaw is assigned to the Chellean stage. 

 Some resemblance is recognised between the 

 Grimaldi skeleton and the Bushmen, and it is ad- 

 mitted that the Aurignacian artists may have been 

 the ancestors of this interesting people. No con- 

 vincing evidence has yet been adduced of the exist- 

 ence of man before the Pleistocene epoch, and the 

 so-called " rostro-carinates " are rejected. 



The whole history of the discovery at La 

 Chapelle-aux-Saints, from the exposure of the 

 skeleton in its tomb down to its lodgment and 

 reconstruction in the museum at Paris and the 

 appearance of this monumental memoir, is a fault- 

 less record of skill and foresight. There are no 

 lost opportunities to be regretted, and every signi- 

 ficant fact that the material could yield has been 

 elicited and set before us by a master hand. 



THE AUSTRALIAN MEETING OF THE 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION IN 1914. 

 Projected Tours before and after the Meeting. 



BESIDES numerous excursions, in some cases 

 over long distances, which are being 

 arranged in connection with the meetings in the 

 different capital cities of Australia next year, two 

 more extended tours are projected with the object 

 of giving selected members of the main party an 

 opportunity to see portions of the continent which 

 will otherwise not be touched. The first of these 

 will be in Western Australia, and will be open to 

 a limited advance party composed mainly of geolo- 

 gists, zoologists, anthropologists, and botanists. 

 • The work of the part)' will lie in various direc- 

 tions from Perth. Geologists will be taken east 

 to the goldfields, and also north to the Irwin River 

 district. The geological relations of the latter 

 (permo-carboniferous glacial beds with good ex- 

 posures, and with excellent opportunity for collect- 

 ing specimens) are more readily grasped on a 

 short visit than are those of the goldfields. In 

 NO. 2287, VOL. 91] 



addition an excursion will be arranged to Yalling- 

 up (south from Perth), and here there will 

 be opportunity for botanists and zoologists 

 to collect. For the latter, also, a marine 

 excursion with dredging will be arranged 

 at Bunbury on the return journey. A shorter trip 

 by motor from Perth to Mundaring W T eir will 

 interest the same members, the zoologists visit- 

 ing the reg'ion where Peripatus occurs. Marine 

 dredging excursions in Swan River (for Ascidians), 

 and by Rottnest Island, will also be arranged. 



As regards the time that is required for a satis- 

 factory working of the programme, a week is a 

 minimum, and will mean much crowding and 

 hurry. The Government of Western Australia 

 and the committee in charge of matters connected 

 with the visit would welcome a stay of a fortnight, 

 and are prepared to grant railway facilities and 

 find hospitality for that time. The number in 

 the party must be limited, and membership 

 restricted to people who are keenly interested in 

 the work proposed. Twenty-five to thirty would 

 be a convenient number, which might, perhaps, 

 be extended to thirty-five, but must not exceed 

 this. 



The second tour would begin after the last meet- 

 ing of the association in Brisbane, and the pro- 

 posed itinerary is the following : — Brisbane via 

 Rockhampton to Longreach by rail; coach to 

 Winton ; rail to Hughenden and Cloncurrv ; 

 motor to Croydon and rail to Normanton. The 

 party would then be taken to the mouth of 

 the Norman river, and be met by the steamer 

 belonging' to the Administration of the Northern 

 Territory (Dr. J. A. Gilruth, Administrator), and 

 conveyed across the Gulf of Carpentaria, and 

 about one hundred miles up the Roper river. 

 They would proceed through the Territory by 

 motor-car (there are no roads) to Pine Creek, and 

 thence by rail to Darwin, where the steamer to 

 England via Java, Singapore, and Colombo would 

 be met. 



A very considerable portion of Australia would 

 be covered, and fine opportunities offered for the 

 study of botany, geology, agriculture, &c. , and, 

 what is of great importance to Australia at the 

 present time, the conditions of white settlement 

 in the tropics. Obviously the party must be small, 

 and it is suggested that it should include a 

 botanist, a g'eologist, a zoologist, and a phvsio- 

 Iogist, or persons connected with mining, agricul- 

 ture, and the development of Empire. Four would 

 be a suitable number, or at the most five. Repre- 

 sentative men only would be acceptable, for the 

 trip will be costly ; but if a party of sufficient 

 standing and enthusiasm be prepared to under- 

 take it, the Hon. D. F. Denham, Premier of 

 Queensland, has promised, on behalf of his 

 Government, to bear the expenses of the Queens- 

 land section, and the Administration of the 

 Northern Territory will be responsible for the 

 later section. A rough estimate of the time that 

 might be spent on the whole trip is one month, 

 but this would need to be adjusted in accordance 

 with the time-table of the boats from Darwin to 

 Ensjland. 



