Geology and Natural History. 241 



antiquity of man in Europe. It seems that the oldest undisputed 

 Hint implements of man go back to the Upper Miocene and the 

 oldest bone, a jaw [Homo heidelbergensis), has been found near 

 the base of the Quaternary. Man, as man, has lived, therefore, in 

 western Europe at least throughout the entire Glacial period, 

 developing into Homo primigenius, a stocky robust type, of low 

 stature, and with relatively short arms and legs much as in the 

 Eskimo. In the Upper Quaternary, or at least 30,000 years ago, 

 there came into western Europe, probably from the East, a more 

 intellectual race of men, the Aurignacians, and it is these people 

 who sculptured, engraved, and frescoed the walls of the caverns 

 and their tools and ornaments. Their descendants, the Magda- 

 lenians, introduced the rudiments of writing, and this seemingly 

 was more than 10,000 years ago, if we may judge by the time 

 standards accepted by geologists for the duration of time since 

 the last glacial climate. The negroid people also passed into 

 western Europe, possibly by way of Gibraltar, probably soon 

 after the arrival of the Aurignacians. It is also becoming more 

 and more certain that man did not originate out of any of the 

 existing ape stocks, but rather that the human stock is as old as 

 any of the tailless primates. According to Professor Klaatsch, 

 Homo primigenius is more closely related to the gorilla of 

 Africa, while Homo aurignacensis has closer affinities with the 

 chimpanzee of Asia. All of these stocks had their origin in the 

 far distant past, certainly not less than one million years ago. 



c. s. 



13. On the Fossil Faunas of St. Helen's Breccias ; by Henry 

 S. Williams. Trans. Royal Soc. Canada, III, pp. 205-246, pis. 

 1-4, 1910. — The Devonian faunas of St. Helen's island near Mon- 

 treal have long perplexed students of fossils as to the exact age 

 of these fossil horizons when compared with similar formations 

 in New York. Professor Adams of McGill University had quar- 

 ried out from three isolated limestone masses underlying the 

 agglomerates of the island about three-fourths of a ton of mate- 

 rial which Williams has here subjected to a detailed study. The 

 author, therefore, has had far greater advantages than any other 

 paleontologist studying these early Devonian biotas. 



The older fauna of about, 30 species is of Helderbergian age 

 and apparently of about Becraft time. Williams names it the 

 Gypidula pseudogaleata fauna. The age is clearly seen in the 

 following species : Schizophoria -multi striata, Stropheodonta 

 planulata, Gypidula pseudogaleata, Camaroteechia ventricosa, 

 Spirifer coneinnus, and Meristella princeps. The faunal rela- 

 tions are clearly with New York and nothing exactly like it is 

 known farther northeast in the Gaspe region. 



The younger fauna is from another isolated limestone mass, 

 and is the one furnishing much new information. Williams calls 

 it the Spirifer arenosus fauna and ascribes to it 25 species. The 

 more striking forms are: 1 Dalmanella subcarinata, 2 Eodevo- 

 naria hudsonicus gaspensis, 3 Chonetes striatissimus (near C. can- 



