ii 4 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[May 



century. When our poetical friend last month in the pages of the Record suggested 

 that the departed might do a little bug-catching on their own account I little knew 

 that Mr. Dale had solved the mystery by being in spiritual communication with the 

 late Mr. Haworth. — J. W. Tutt, March. 20th 1894. 



On Aciptilia Migadactyla. — I think Mr. Tutt owes me an apology 

 for what he has last written, (British Naturalist, No. 4, p. 100). I 

 certainly have had one advantage over him in having had an 

 entomological father, who was well acquainted with Haworth, Curtis, 

 Leach and other entomologists of former years. Mr. Haworth died in 

 1833, and his insects were sold by auction in 1834. A sale catalogue 

 of his collection is before me as I write. The lot containing Pterophorus 

 migadactylus was bought by my father, so that in stating Haworth did 

 not posssess Spilodactylus, Curt., I stood on firmer ground than Mr. 

 Tutt is now standing on. When moths have been on the wing for 

 some time they fade and become paler than fresh specimens ; hence, in 

 olden times, they were often described as distinct species. Mr. Tutt 

 may be the facile princeps of living entomologists, but why should the 

 opinions of Curtis, Stephens, Westwood, Doubleday, and Stainton be 

 entirely ignored? — C. W. Dale, Glanville Wootton, April 22, 1894. 



NOTES ON EARLY MAN: THE PLIOCENE PERIOD. 



BY JOSEPH SMITH, F.R.S.A., M.R.I. A. 



( Continued from page 86. ) 



The size of the jaw and the front molars give the idea of great 

 facial projection, or prognathism, but the general appearance of the 

 jawbone — one of the canines being fractured — presents a very striking 

 resemblance to the jawbone of a human being, for the chin line, far 

 from being a retreating one indicative of the ape, is almost straight, 

 having great affinity to the characteristics of the human remains 

 which have been more recently brought to light. 



Whether the being whose industry is shown in the Thenay flints 

 was an anthropomorphous ape or a human being, there is not sufficient 

 evidence to determine, and Roujou, who gave great attention to early 

 man and his remains, was unwilling to stake any important hypothesis 

 on an isolated discovery of DryopitJiecus remains, which he considered in 

 the interest of the science totally insufficient. 



The Miocene age was followed by that epoch known to us as the 

 Pliocene, or less recent, and our course of study naturally prompts us 

 to inquire whether the human race existed during this period. 

 Nothing in the way of material is there to assist us, and we are still 

 left in doubt, although several discoveries have been made. Amongst 



