53 
in length — a piece of the middle without the articulation. Professor Busk 
afterwards withdrew the opinion he had ventured. Professor Boyd Dawkins 
in his book on “ Cave Hunting refers to it,* and suggests the animal that 
killed the man ; while Professor Rupert J ones, also an authority, has told us 
the race of men to whom the bone belonged, and said it was sharp-shinned, — 
“ platycnemic.”f 
The Chaiuman. — As Mr.Whitley, the author of the paper, is not present, he 
will send his reply in writing ; but Mr. H. M. Whitley, who has read the paper, 
wishes to notice one or two points in the discussion. 
Mr. H. Michell Whitley. — I was asked one or two questions as to 
the manner in which these flints were formed. I can only speak as an engi- 
neer and a mathematician. I should be very much surprised indeed if I did 
not find some of the so-called implements perfectly oval. If I took an 
oval pebble of symmetrical form, and delivered a large number of blows 
of more or less intensity at equal points of delivery all round, the oval 
pebble would tend to form an oval implement. When these pebbles are 
knocked about in the glacial drift, they are somewhat in the same position. 
Sir J osEPH Payreb,. — How do the sharp ragged edges survive ? 
Mr. H. Michell Whitley. — They would retain them if only knocked 
about, — not rubbed about. Another point is the extreme caution that ought to 
be exercised in deducing the extreme antiquity of man from the data before us. 
I have lately been conducting some investigations in Cornwall as to the time 
that river silt has taken to accumulate. There are in that part of the country 
some very interesting deposits of silt, one about 80 feet in depth, and situated 
over a submarine forest, which is 80 feet below high-water mark. The trees 
in that forest were evidently cut down by the hand of man. Of course, 
80 feet is an immense accumulation of silt, and I found, on investigation, that 
the accumulation of silt from alluvial deposit was going on very slowly at 
that spot — in Restunquit Creek, in Palmouth Harbour. It so happened, 
however, that I came across an old chart from which I found that, 200 years 
ago, that same creek had, at the spot I speak of, only 38 feet, instead 
of 80 feet of silt, so that, in 200 years, the accumulation had amounted 
to 42 feet. Several questions have been asked me which I may divide into 
two classes; — the first, as to facts ; the second, as to my father’s opinions. 
With regard to the facts, I may say at once that I have not visited Broom, and 
* He accepted it as a human bone on Professor Busk’s statement, but 
afterwards withdrew that acceptance. — Ed. 
t “The Hysenas had used the old cave as a den, and had dragged in their 
prey, among the remains of which is the human fibula above referred to. This 
is platycnemic in character, that is, belonged to some sharp-shinned race. * 
Eor the age of this venerable relic we must apply to some such calculation as 
that used for the determination of the great uprise of Snowdon.” (The period 
is given as about 224,000 years.) — Lecture on the “Antiquity of Man,” by 
Professor T. R. Jones, P.R.S., 1877, p. 39. 
