42 
Xotes and Comments. 
A NEW ‘ ZITTEL.' 
Zoologists and geologists and many others will welcome a 
new edition of Zittel’s well-known Text-book of Palaeontology, 
the first volume of which has just appeared from the house of 
Macmillan*, edited by the Curator of the Carnegie Museum 
at Pittsburg. Professor C. R. Eastman, with the assistance 
of a formidable staff of specialists. As to the precise nature 
of Zittel we feel it unnecessary to go into detail with readers of 
The Naturalist ; there can be few naturalists who are not 
familiar with it. All we can say with regard to the present 
volume is that it is quite on Zittel’s lines, but has been thorough- 
ly brought up-to-date, while the wealth of illustrations is 
surely extraordinary, there being 1,600 carefully drawn 
figures. Messrs. Macmillan deserve the thanks of all scientists 
for their interest in this work. 
THE PILTDOWX SKULL. f 
In view of the interest that has been aroused with regard 
to the human remains from Piltdown. Sussex, which are in 
all probability the oldest traces of man known, we are glad to 
notice that Mr. C. Dawson has recently made a further im- 
portant contribution to the Geological Society. Though one 
is inclined to be sceptical with regard to any ‘ oldest ’ remains, 
especially in view of some recent discoveries, it must be ad- 
mitted that at the British Association Meeting at Birmingham, 
the evidence certainly seemed to be in favour of the views as 
put forward by Dr. Smith Woodward. Since then that gentle- 
man has kindly permitted us to handle and carefully examine 
the actual specimens, which has resulted in our being entirely 
converted to his views. 
RECENT WORK. 
Mr. Dawson says: — ‘The gravel at Piltdown. below the 
surface soil is divided into three distinct beds : — The first, or 
uppermost, contains subangular flints and “ eoliths.” and one 
palaeolith was discovered there in situ. The second is a very 
dark bed, composed of ironstone and sub-angular flints. All 
the fossils so far found in the pit have been discovered in. or 
traced to. this bed. with the exception of the remains of deer. 
A cast of a Chalk fossil. Echinocorys vulgaris, from the Zone of 
Micraster cor-testudinarium, occurred as a pebble. The third 
bed was recognized only in 1913. and consists of reconstructed 
material from the underlying Wealden rock (Hastings Series). 
It is only about 8 inches thick, and contains very big flints 
(8 to 15 inches long) which have been little rolled, and are 
not striated. They are saturated with iron, and have undcr- 
* Vol. 1. pp., xii. — 839. 25s. net. 
t See plate IT. 
Naturalist, 
