330 



A Geological Problem. 



[July, 



Table showing the composition of the thigh bone in the human 

 subject at different ages, and in different species of the lower 

 mammals : — 



Human, 5 years 

 „ 25 „ 



„ 25or 3 



Horse, 



j? 



Boar . 

 Bull . 

 Goat . 

 Hare . 

 Squirrel 

 Rat . 



years 



6 „ 



H » 



° *& . 



59*96 

 5478 



57-02 



59*63 



54*37 

 54*63 



58-88 



54*07 

 55*94 

 58-45 

 57*03 

 60-38 



C 



si 



u 



5*9i 



10*90 



8-92 



7*33 



12:00 

 11-28 

 9-02 

 12-71 

 12-18 



9*07 



JO*45 



672 



O rt 

 Oh G 

 1*24 



i'34 

 1-70 



1-32 



1*83 

 1-50 

 1-17 



1-42 



1*00 



0-99 

 1-36 

 rgi 



0*69 31*28 



0-83 31*15 



o-6i 29*58 



0-92 



1*00 

 2*00 



0*69 27*70 1*33 



0*70 

 0*40 

 0-92 

 0-82 

 0*50 



0-82 

 0*90 

 0-91 



27-99 



27*98 

 28*00 

 29*09 

 29*68 

 29*60 

 29*46 

 28*98 



3 -n 

 4*21 



2*01 



r 9 i 

 0*70 

 1*07 

 0*80 

 no 



in well-formed tombs, nor swathed in protective envelopes ; 

 nor had the countries in which it is said they should be 

 forthcoming the dry atmosphere of Egypt. They must 

 have been buried by the action of water in a deposit which, 

 in all probability, would constantly allow water to have 

 access to them, in at least small quantities. 



We have seen it stated that on some ancient battle-fields, 

 in South America in particular, bones of men and of their 

 horses have been found equally well preserved, and have no 

 intention of calling it in question ; but, before its bearing 

 on the present subject can be admitted, we must know 

 something about the atmospheric conditions of the districts 

 in which the phenomenon has been observed. 



The opinion of Cuvier, or any one else, on the question of 

 the contemporaneity of man with the mammoth, is of much 

 less importance to us than the facts and reasons on which 

 the opinion was based. Authority is but little likely in the 

 present day to be admitted in a scientific argument. Be 

 this as it may, the large body of fact which has been care- 

 fully collected since Cuvier's time may be believed to be well 

 calculated to have changed his opinion, as it has that of 

 many eminent men of science now living. Thus M. A. 

 de Quatrefages, Member of the Institute of France, speaking 



