206 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



Ham, and Heathery Burn Cave, Stanhope, of which the autiquitj^, 

 however undemonstrated by the association of extinct animals, has 

 been advocated upon more or less amount of geological evidence. 

 Many other instances, but of less authentic value, might be added to 

 the above. 



I shall discuss seriatim, as briefly as possible, the recorded in- 

 stances, before drawing those conclusions which seem to be capable of 

 deduction from the facts before us. 



With respect to the Neanderthal cranium,* unquestionably the 

 most interesting of the evidences before us, I have briefly discussed 

 in the ' Geologist,' vol. iv. p. 395, the question of its grade of 

 organization. I hoped that Euglish geologists would have thrown 

 light upon the question of its age, and that a discussion might have 

 arisen which would have established it eitlier as a skull of compara- 

 tively modern antiquity, or as possibly coeval with the deposits of the 

 Somme valley. t The apparent ape-like, but really mal developed 

 idiotic character of its conformation is so hideous, and its alleged 

 proximity to the anthropoid Simiw of such importance, that every 



Fig. 2. — Side view of the Neanderthal skull (scale ^ linear). 



eflbrt sbould be made to determine its probable date in time. Tliat 

 sucli eflbrts have not been made, and that the evidence at present in 

 possession of English palaeontologists is wholly inadequate to enable 

 us to draw any conclusion as to its being the representative of any 

 given type of mankind, living or extinct, is the object of the following 

 observations. 



The fact has not yet been conclusively demonstrated to the satis- 

 faction of Englisli geologists that the Neanderthal skull is of high an- 



* Tins skull is fiiiurcil in the ' Geologist/ vol. iv. (1861) plate xi. p. 396. 



t >Vhilc this paper was going through the press, Professor Huxley, "F.R.S., kindly 

 permitted nic to inspect the cast of the Neanderthal skull in his possession. I see, how- 

 ever, as yet uo sutTieient grounds to infer its representing a distinct race of men. 



