98 THE HITMAN SKULL, ETC. EEOM PILTDOWN. [April 1914, 



Discussion. 



Prof. A. Keith congratulated the Authors on the progress made 

 during the last twelve months. He was glad to note that the 

 particular stratum in which the remains of Eocmthropu.s had been 

 found was being distinguished from the more superficial stratum in 

 which flints of the Chellean type had been found. He ventured to 

 say that, if no human remains had been discovered in the deeper or 

 Eoanthropic stratum, no one would have hesitated in regarding it 

 as of Pliocene age. He was glad to note that the hinder end of the 

 skull of JEoanihro'p'us had been opened out to a considerable degree ; 

 but, in his opinion, the occipital and temporal bones were still placed 

 wrongly. When these defects were removed, and the tAvo sides of 

 the skull made apjDroximately symmetrical, it would be found 

 that the brain-capacity was about 1500 c.c. The brain-cast of the 

 skull, as originally reconstructed, was just under 1200 c.c. ; it was 

 difficult to see how widening out of the skull would reduce the 

 capacit}' to 1100 c.c. Two other difficulties that he had encountered 

 were (1) the presence of a pointed projecting canine in the jaw, and 

 an articular eminence at the glenoid fossa of the skull ; and (2) a 

 much-worn canine tooth in a jaw in which the third molar tooth 

 — according to the published X-ray photograph of the Piltdown 

 mandible — was not completely erupted. He agreed that all three 

 parts — skull, jaw, and canine tooth — must be assigned to Eoan- 

 thropus, but he was not convinced that they could all belong to 

 the same individual. 



Prof. W. J. Sollas thought that the Authors were to be con- 

 gratulated on the complete nature of the proof which they had 

 reached by a study of minute anatomical characters. A system 

 of reconstruction which afforded different results from those ob- 

 tained in this direct and jDOsitive manner seemed to require some 

 amendment. The presence of derived fossils in a gravel was one 

 of the commonest facts, not encountered here for the first time, 

 and geologists had followed their usual method in dating the Pilt- 

 down gravel by the most recent fossils contained in it : these showed 

 it to be Pleistocene. The topographical relations of a gravel are 

 of some value as evidence, and confirm this conclusion. The precise 

 horizon in the Pleistocene was less definitely known ; unfortunately, 

 the flints which had been found in association with the skull were 

 not sufficiently characteristic to determine this point. 



Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins said that he would only take up, at 

 that late hour, one of the many points raised by Prof. Keith — the 

 age of the Piltdown deposit. It was clearly proved to be later than 

 the Pliocene by the presence of an antler of red deer (Ceruns 

 eh/pJtns), a species unknown in the Pliocene of Europe, and 

 abundant in the Pleistocene and later strata. He agreed with the 

 Authors of the paper in their conclusion that the deposit belongs to 

 an early stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. 



