OSBORX, REVIEW OF THE PLEISTOCENE 9,37 



these remains as representing either a direct or indirect ancestor of a 

 human phylum which stands intermediate between that of the apes and 

 Xeanderthal man (H. neanderthalensis) both in respect to its high brain 

 capacity and the structure of its femur. The unusually straight femur 

 indicates an erect attitude^ to which the specific name P. erectus applies ; 

 in fact, from the structure of the thigh bone Dubois concluded that the 

 '"Trinil Ape-Man" had free use of the arm and hand, which were now no 

 longer required for locomotion, and that the hand was already far ad- 

 vanced in the line of differentiation which developed it into an organ of 

 touch and capable of fashioning tools. 



LIFE or THE MEDITEREANEAN" ISLANDS 



It appears that the continental elevation of southern Europe in early 

 Pleistocene times established migrating routes or land connections be- 

 tween the islands of the Mediterranean with Europe on the north and 

 Africa on the south. Etitimeyer (1869) was one of the first to maintain 

 that north Africa, including Morocco. Algeria and Tunis, was stocked 

 with mammals by way of Gibraltar and perhaps also by way of Sicily 

 and Malta. In the islands of Malta, Cyprus and Crete as recently ex- 

 plored by Bate^^ we have proof, first, of a long period of connection with 

 the neighboring continents through elevation, and second, of the isolation 

 of the islands through subsidence. The isolation is followed by the 

 dwarfing of several types of large mammals which, confined on the islands 

 were made captive by the sea. Pohlig believes^* that toward the end of 

 the First Grlacial Stage large mammals migrated to Sicily which at that 

 time was connected both with Europe and Africa. The land bridges 

 then became submerged and the large mammals dwindled in proportions 

 through interbreeding and isolation into dwarf races. It appears prob- 

 able that Cyprus became isolated as an island first, because the extinct 

 Elephas Cypriotes and Hippopotamus minutus are both more primitive 

 than the species of Malta and Sicily. That Malta retained its connec- 

 tion with Sicily for a long period is indicated by the common occurrence 

 in the cavern deposits on both islands of the two species Elephas mnaid- 

 riensis and Hippopotamus pentlandi. The dwarf elephant race {E. 

 melitensis) characteristic of Malta has also been found on the mainland 

 near Eome, which would seem to indicate that land connection between 

 the Italian mainland and Malta was renewed more than once. 



■'"^ Bate, D. M. A. : "On Elephant Remains from Crete, with Description of Elephas 

 creticus sp. n.," Proc. Z06I. Soc. London, pp. 238-250. Aug. 1. 1907. 



^* Pohlig, H. : "Eine Elephantenhohle Siciliens und dor evste Nachweis dfs Cranial- 

 domes von Elephas antiqmis." Abhand. kiinipl. bayer. Akad. Wissensch., cl. ii, Bd. xviii, 

 Abth. 1, pp. 75-108. pll. i-v. 1805. Sep. Munich. 1803. 



