DISCOVERY OF THE PILTDOWN SKULL 305 
fragment of the right half of the brain case was recovered 
— about two-thirds of the right parietal bone — but that 
is sufficient to o^ive an exact basis for reconstruction of 
the whole skull. The right half of the mandible, we 
may be certain, is a replica of the missing left half. 
With these cranial fragments and the associated animal 
remains and human implements, Dr Smith Woodward 
returned to his work-rooms in the British Museum 
(Natural History) early in the summer of 19 12, and 
set himself down to study their characters and their 
significance. About the end of the summer rumours 
of this remarkable discovery were circulating in the 
scientific circles of London. The discovery, however, 
was not made public until December i8th, 19 12, when, 
at a crowded meeting of the Geological Society, Mr 
Charles Dawson and Dr A. Smith Woodward gave 
a clear and full account of one of the most remarkable 
discoveries of the twentieth century. 
20 
