

L. Manouvrier — Pithecanthropus erectus. 227 



The hypothesis of a simple precursor can be accepted with- 

 out repugnance independent of the doctrine of evolution. It 

 simply places an intermediate species between anthropoid and 

 man and confirms once more the adage : Natura non faeit 

 saltus. It reduces itself to a simple verification. In favor 

 of this hypothesis there will be, on the one hand, all the 

 arguments produced to demonstrate that it is a question of the 

 anthropoid species, but veritably simian, until then unknown ; 

 and on the other hand, all the arguments produced to demon- 

 strate that it is a question of the human species. 



The hypothesis of a veritable ancestor will profit by all these 

 arguments, for all will tend to establish the existence of an unin- 

 terrupted chain. In insisting upon the simian characters we 

 strengthen, voluntarily or not, the affiliation of the Pithecan- 

 thropus with monkeys ; in insisting upon the human charac- 

 ters, we render more probable the affiliation of the interme- 

 diate species with the human. 



The scientific event due to the laborious researches of Mr. 

 Eugene Dubois is of a nature to give joy to all friends of sci- 

 ence, but it seems to be more particularly agreeable to evolu- 

 tionists, that is to say, to those who desire and pretend to 

 explain why naturanon facit saltus. For these last, the ques- 

 tion whether the Pithecanthropus ought to be classed with the 

 genus Homo sapiens depends upon the value attached to 

 the qualifying word sapiens, the value of which is already very 

 relative. As to the question of species it is, for the evolution- 

 ist, like the preceding, a simple question of degree of morpho- 

 logic differentiation. 



It is none the less interesting to search for the particular 

 simian genus to which would fall the honor of becoming 

 founder of the human branch, in other words the known 

 anthropoid genus to which is allied the intermediate Pithecan- 

 thropus. 



Mr. Dubois has thought of the genus Hylobates (Gibbon) 

 and the general opinion at present seems to accord with this 

 view. All the appearances are in its favor, because of the rela- 

 tively grand analogies which exist between the conformation 

 of the gibbon and that of man.*' 



The almost vertical attitude of the Gibbon corresponds to 

 the very marked anatomic particularities which would render 

 easy the human transformation. The conditions of this trans- 

 formation, that is to say of the passage from the state of climber 

 to that of " marcheur bipede," ought to have been very im- 

 perious, for it is difficult to believe that, without that, a race of 

 climbers took spontaneously the initiative in renouncing a 



* Paul Broca: L'ordre des Primates (Bull, de la Soc. d'Anthr., T. iv, p. 228, 

 1869). 



