New-York tribune., 1879-08-29

.terida; and the Crustaceans by the Eurypter-
no extinct order of fossil Fishes has yet
been found; but the Ampbibians have been
enlarged by tho important order Labyrnthod0nta.
The greatest additions have been among the Rep
tiles where the majOnty'O of the orders are extinct
Here we have at the present date the lchhyosaurla
SauranOdOntia, Peslos3urla and MOsasaurla, among
the marine forms the PtcrOsauria, including the
Pteranodontia, containing the flying forms: and
the DinOsauria, including the 'Sauropoda tne
giants among reptilesj likewise the Dicyho-
the terrestrial forms Although but few fos-
sill Birds have been found below the Ter
tiary, have already among the MesozolG
forms three new OrdeTS-the SaururB, Represented
by ArckGOpterEr ; the OdontOtOrmB, with Ich!hyor-
mis- as the type and the OdOntolc@. based upon
HespaOrRis all Of these orders being included ~
the sub-ciass OdOntOrnithes, or tOOtDed blrds.
Among Mammals, the new groups regarded as
orders aro the TOxodontia, and the Dinocerata'
among the UngulateS and the TlllOdontla, luCIud-
ing strange EOcene Mammals whose exact allnlJleS
are yet to be determined.
Among the important results In Vertebrate Pal9-
ontology, are the geneaogies, made out with con-
siderable probability for various existing animals
Many of the larger mammals have been traced back
through allied forms III closely connected series TO
early Tertiary times. In several cases the series
are complete that there can be little douOt lhaV
the line of descent has been established. The EvO-
luton of the horse, for example, IS to-day demon
strated by the specimens now known. Ihe demon
stration IN one case stands for all The evidence In
favor of the genealogy of the horse now rests on
the same foundation as the proof that any FOSSIL
bone once formed part of the skeleton OF living
animal. A special creation OF single bone Is as
probable as the special creation OF single species
The method of the pal8OntOlogst in the lnyestlga-
ton of the one is the method for the other. The
only choice lies between natural derivation and
supernatural creation. ,
For such reasons it is now regarded among the
active workers science as waste of time to DIS
cuss the truth of Evolution. The battle on this
point has been fought and won.
The geographical distribution of animals and
plants. as well as their mlgrations. have received
n!uch new light from PaieOntoOgy. The fossils
found in some natural divisions of the earth are re-
lated closely 20 the forms now living there that
genetic connection between them can hardly he
doubted. The extinct MarsuplaS OF Australia, ana
the Edentates of South America, are well-knOwn
examples. The PiOcene hppOpOtaml or ASIA ana
the South OF Europe, point directly 10 mlgfatiohS
from Africa. Other similar examples are numerous.
The fossil plants of the Arctic region prove the eN-
ytence OF a climate there far mlder than ar pres
ent and recent researches az least render more
probable the suggestion, made long ago Oy BuHOu,
In his EpOchs of Nature" that life began III the
polar REGIONS and by successive mlgratIons from
them the continents were peOpled.
The great services which Comparative Anatomy
rendered % Palpontology at the hands OF CuYler'
AgassZ Owen and others. have been amply repaid
The solution of some of the most dlthcut problems
in Anatomy has received scarcely less alc from tne
extinct forms discovered than from EmOryOIOgy;
and the two lines OF research supplement each
other. Our present knowledge Ot the vertebrate
skull the limb-aTches. and s1e limbs, has been much
enlarged by researches in PaleontolOgy. On the
other hand the recent lab0rs OF Gegenbaur, HuX-
ley Parker, Balfour, and 1hacher. VIII make clear
many obscure points III ancient lfe
sREvICFs RENDERED BY PALEONTOLOGY
One Of the important results of recent palieOnto-
logical research is the law of brain-growth, found
to exist among extinct mammals, and to some ex-
tent in other yertebrates. According to this law,
as have briefly stated it elsewhere, " all Tertiary
mammals had small brains. There was also a
gradual increase in the size of the BRAIN during this
PERIOD This increase was confined mainly TO the
cerebral hemispheres, or higher portions or the
brain. In some groups the cOnvolutlons OF the
brain have gradually become more complicated. Al
some the cerebcllum and olfactOTy lobes have even
diminished IN size" More recent researches render
1t probable that the same general law OF BRAIN
growth holds good for birds and reptiles from the
4lesozoic to the present time The Cretaeeous
birds, that have been investigated with reference
to this point, had brains only about one-thlrd as
large in proportion as those nearest allied among
living species. The Dinosaurs from our Western
Jurassic follow the same law and had brain cav
itIes vastly smaller than any existing reptiles.
Many other facts point IN the same direction, and
indicate that the general law will hold good for all
extinct vertebrat
Pal8ontOlOgy has rendered great service to the
more recent science Of Archaeology. At the begin
ming of the present period, re6xamination of the
race was going on, and important results were soon
attained Evidence in favor of the presence OF man
on the earth at period far earlier than the 'ac-
cepted chronology of 5000 years would imply,
had been gradually accumulatng; but had been re-
iected from time to time by the highest authOri-
ties In 1928 Cuvier, BTouRpiart, and Buckland,
and later Lyell refused to admit that human relics,
and bones OF extinct animate found with them, were
of the same geological age, although experienced
such as Bone and Others had been con-
yinced by collecting them Christol, Series, and
Journal in France and Schmerling, In Belgium,
had found human remains in caves, associated
closely with those of various extinct mammals, and
other similar facts on record.
Boucher de Perthes, in 1871. began to collect
stone implements the gravels of the valley of the
Somme. and IN 1917 published the first volume of
his - Antiouit6s CeltiduesD I'm this work he de-
scribed the specimens he had found and asserted
their great antiquity The facts as presented, how
ever were not generally accepted. Twelve years
later, FalcOner, Evans, and Prestwch examined the
same localities with care, became convinced, audthe
results were published IN 1899 and 1860 About the
same time Gaudry, iIebert, and DeSnOyers, also eX-
plored the same valley, and announced that the
stone implements there ancient the NAM
moth and rhuOcerOs found with them. EXplOra-
tions in the Swiss lakes and in the Danish shell
direction. In 1868 appeared LyelPs work on the
" Geological Evidences of the Antiquity of Man. III
which facts were brought together from various
parts of tie world, proving beyond question the
great age of the human race.
The additional proof since brought .p light has
been extensive and is still rapidly inCro1sing The
Quartemary age OF man is now generally accepted.
Attempts have recently been made to approximate
in years the time of mans first appearance on the
earth. One high authority has estimated the an
tquity Of man merely to the last glacial epoch Of
Europe as 25O, 900 years and those best qualified
to judge would, think, regard this as fair estI-
mate.
Important evidence has likewise been adduced Of
mans existence in the Tertiary, both in Europe aud
America. The evidence to-day is III ldvOr OF the
presence of man in the PlOcene of this country.
The proof offered on this point by Professor !. ID.
Whitney, IN his recent work. is strong, aud his
careful conscientious method of investigation so