120 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1153 



Palmochenoides, from the Miocene of South. 

 Carolina.^^ He also contributes an extensive 

 account of fossil birds' eggs.'-^ [C. R. E.] 



Mammals. — Dr. "W. K. Gregory^'' has con- 

 tinued his researches upon the evolution of the 

 Primates. In a preliminary discussion of the 

 theory of trituberculy, he shows that the tri- 

 tubercular molar is the primitive type for Pri- 

 mates as for other Mammalia, and discusses 

 the origin of this type of tooth. He then re- 

 views critically what is known of fossil An- 

 thropoidea and discusses their relationships to 

 man and to the existing anthropoid apes. The 

 shortening of the face and reduction of the 

 front teeth in man he regards as an adapta- 

 tion mainly to predaceous habits and a car- 

 nivorous diet replacing the primitive fruit- 

 eating adaptation of his anthropoid ancestors. 

 This is necessarily associated with the exclu- 

 sive use of the hands and of weapons for at- 

 tacking and dividing the prey, in contrast with 

 the use of the teeth for those purposes among 

 the Carnivora. 



In his discussion of the phylogeny Dr. 

 Gregory combats strongly the tendency of sev- 

 eral recent authors to carry the divergence be- 

 tween the human and anthropoid stems far 

 back into geologic time. He considers " that 

 the Upper Miocene ancestors of the Hominidse 

 were at least very closely akin to the Upper 

 Miocene common ancestors of the chimpanzee 

 and gorilla, and that they were in fact heavy- 

 jawed, stout-limbed, tailless and semi-erect 

 anthropoid Catarrhinse, with quadritubercular 

 second and third upper molars and Sivapithe- 

 CMS-like lower molars." Nor does he regard 

 the Neanderthal man as wholly excluded from 

 the direct ancestry of the higher races. Dr. 

 Gregory's paper is a notable contribution to 

 the literature dealing with the ancestry of 

 man. 



Of high importance likewise is Stehlin's re- 

 vision of the Eocene Primates of Europe,'-^ 



16 Geol. Mag., Vol. 3, August, pp. 343-347. 



18 The Emu, Vol. 16, pp. 80-91. 



If Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. 35, pp. 239- 

 355. 



i»Abh. Schweis. Palceont. Gesell., 1916, Vol. 41, 

 pp. 1299-1552, 2 pis. and 82 text figs. 



now completed. The author gives an extended 

 and well-illustrated description of the genera 

 hitherto known, and adds a number of new 

 forms, the most interesting of which are the 

 Chiromyoidea, resembling the modern aye-aye 

 (CMromys) in the rodent-Hke front teeth, and 

 in the author's opinion related to this group of 

 lemurs. All of the Primates of the European 

 Eocene are in the lemuroid stage of evolution, 

 but their more exact affinities are regarded as 

 very doubtful. 



Dr. George F. Kunz's new book, " Ivory and 

 the Elephant," includes a very full and inter- 

 esting compilation of what is known concern- 

 ing fossil proboscideans and the evolutionary 

 history of the order, especially as to recent 

 discoveries and opinions. 



The discovery of Eocene Mammalia in 

 Burma by Pilgrim and Cotter^^ is of great in- 

 terest as affording the first direct evidence 

 upon the early Tertiary Mammalia of Asia. 

 The bulk of the fauna consists of primitive 

 anthracotheres which may well be regarded as 

 representing the ancestral group from which 

 the ruminants are derived. This confirms the 

 forecasts of Stehlin, Matthew and others as to 

 the place of origin of the ruminants. 



Mr. H. E. Anthony's discovery of numerous 

 well-preserved fossil mammals in a cave in 

 Porto Rico-" is of remarkable interest. The 

 fauna thus far found consists of a small 

 ground-sloth related to one of the smaller 

 Cuban genera, two or more new genera of ro- 

 dents rather distantly related to the South 

 American hystricomorphs, and an insectivore 

 of a wholly new family, very remotely related 

 to the continental forms, and lizards not yet 

 studied. This evidence when carefully weighed 

 will have an important bearing on the geo- 

 graphic relations of Porto Rico to other West 

 Indian islands and to the mainland. As far 

 as appears at present, it indicates a prolonged 

 isolation and the ultimate derivation of the 

 fauna rather from Central America by way 



19 Eecords Geol. Surv. India, Vol. 47, pp. 42-77, 



6 pis. 



20 Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 27, pp. 193-203, 



7 pis. See also Allen, J. A., ibid., pp. 17-22, 4 pis. 

 Later descriptions covering more extensive mate- 

 rial in press at time of writing. 



