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PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [March 22, 



2. On the ASSERTED OcCTJRRETfCE of HxTMAN BoNES in the ANCIENT 



Eluviatile Deposits of the Nile and Ganges ; ivith comparative 

 RemarTcs on the Alluvial Formation of the two Valleys. By 

 the late Hugh Falconer, M.D., F.E.S., For. Sec. G.S. 



Contents. 



I. FluTiatile Deposits of the Nile. 



1. General Remarks. 



2. Fossil Hippopotamus. 



3. Asserted Discovery of Human 



Bones. 



4. Analogy of the FluviatUe De- 



posits of the Nile with those 

 of the Ganges. 

 II. Fluviatile Deposits oftheGanges. 



1. Physical Features of the Val- 



ley of the Ganges. 



2. Mammalian Fossils, 



3. Fossn MoUusca. 



4. General Inferences. 



III. Antiquity of Man in India. 



1. Introduction. 



2. ColossocTielys Atlas. 



3. Present aspect of the question. 

 Conclusion. 



§ I. Flutiatile Deposits oe the Nile. 



1. General JRemarks. — The object of this communication is to 

 bring together the few instances on record of the occurrence of 

 Mammalian fossil remains in the valley of the Nile, and to institute 

 a comparison between the Nilotic alluvial deposits and those of 

 the upper part of the valley of the Ganges which have come under 

 my own observation. Fossil human bones have, according to certain 

 statements, been met with in both of these subtropical valleys ; 

 and it may be useful, at the present time, to consider to what 

 general inferences the cases lead, as a guide to future observation. 



The explorations conducted by the French authorities in Algeria 

 have brought to light numerous remains oi Hippopotamus and of other 

 Mammalia, extinct or living, from the later deposits of that part of 

 Africa ; but it is not a little singular that the valley of the Nile 

 has heretofore been so unproductive, considering the stream of 

 intelligent travellers which flows up the river every season from 

 Alexandria to the Cataracts, and the not insignificant number of 

 accomphshed explorers, German, French, and English, who have 

 traversed the country, as high as the confluence of the " Blue " and 

 " White" rivers, and latterly above it. The alluvial deposits along 

 the banks appear in many places to be developed in great force ; , 

 and the lowermost present characters which would refer their origin 

 back to a high antiquity. But although fossil wood and shells of 

 land and freshwater Mollusca have been very generally met with 

 in these deposits, Mammalian remains have been but very rarely 

 observed, and the instances on record only ciursorily described. 

 These will be referred to in the sequel. Any case which is calcu- 

 lated to direct attention to this neglected walk of observation 

 deserves to be noticed. 



2. Fossil Hippopotamus. — The specimen sent to the Society by 

 Dr. Leith Adams consists of a fragment of the left maxillary, con- 

 taining in situ, the two last upper true molars of a very large Hip- 

 popotamus. Of these the penultimate is far advanced in wear, 

 the crown -divisions having been ground down to the common 

 nucleus of ivory, leaving only two small islets of enamel upon the 



