20 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



human creatures of the present time, especially the old males and 

 the children. . . . The foreheads recede, the large bushy, red 

 eyebrows meet over the nose, the brows are heavy, and deeply 

 overshadow the eyes beneath. . . . Many of the women have 

 whiskers, beards, and moustaches. . . . The teeth project slightly 

 in a muzzle-like fashion ; the lower jaws are massive and power- 

 ful, and the chins slightly recede. . . . Such ladies as possess 

 lobes to their ears probably have them pierced, and a small feather 

 pushed through the orifice. . . . The savages sat huddled close 

 together round their fires with fruits, bones, and half-putrid flesh. 

 . . . Then, as now, quarrels would sometimes arise over meals. 

 . . . Man at that time was not a degraded animal, for he had 

 never been higher ; he was therefore an exalted animal, and 

 represented the highest stage of development of the animal king- 

 dom of his time." 



Between this Man and neolithic Man, who polished his stone 

 tools by rubbing them together, but had no knowledge of metals, 

 there is a long lapse of time ; but neolithic Man, and we our- 

 selves through him, are lineal descendants of this primeval 

 savage. The gap between them is proposed by some to be 

 bridged over by a mesolithic or intermediate type of Man. The 

 opinion most generally held is that the transition from palaeolithic 

 to neolithic Man took place elsewhere than in this country — it is 

 suggested that it might have taken place in Africa — and that in 

 this country there was a long interval of complete depopulation — 

 that the palaeolithic peoples all died out, and many centuries 

 passed before the neolithic peoples arrived. It is held by some, 

 however, that here as well as elsewhere there was continuity. 

 Whichever view may be correct, there can be no doubt of the 

 lineal descent, and we may accept it either with pride at having 

 risen so high, or with humiliation at having begun so low, as we 

 please. 



The zoologist has therefore an opportunity offered to him of 

 research for the discovery of facts that will throw light on a 

 number of unsolved problems. The missing links leading up to 

 Pithecanthropus, and from him to the pre-palaeolithic peoples ; 

 the rude workmanship of these latter ; the remains of palaeolithic 

 Man, and the links between him and neolithic Man, are all sub- 

 jects upon which research may some day be rewarded by im- 



