The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-26


supiund. in tho walls OF which are formed
typical milk Rl6hds and NIPPLES. but the
embryo Is stfllS devoid, OF n placenta. al
though some recent marsupials show in
dications OF such an organ. The corpus
callosum in the brain Is still very weak.
Most Of the marsupials are extinct. They
occur from the Upper Trlas onward. and had.
In the Jurassic epoch. attained a wide dis
trihution. both In Europe and America. Since
the Tertiary epoch they have been restricted
TO America and to tho Australian regions. and
are now represented by about $50 SPECIES. We
come. next. to the stage OF prochoriata. or
early placentaria; these represent a further
evolution Of the metatherin, 10y the develop
ment OF n plncenta. the loss OF the mnrsurlum
and the marsupial bones. the complete division
by the perinRum Of the anal and uro-genital
chambers and a stronger development OF the
corpus callosum or chief cOmmissure OF the
two hemisplercs OF tho brain.
The placentaria must have como into exist
ence during the Cretaccous epoch. Up to that
time NIL the mammalia. seem to have be-
ionged either to prototheria or to, metathcria;
but in the carly Eocene may be distinguished
the main groups u plqcentarin. namely. tro-
Rontia. now represented by tho rodents; eden
tata, or slotlis, armadillos, 6c.: carnassla. or
insHctlyoTa and carpiyora; rhiroptern. or hats;
first and second, third and fourth. nth anl
EiANh Ntlls l'l mays Ny.lh'sSt. ll'lll ltllttll''-
logical evidence. be combined into three great
ergropps, as indicated by the fossil esthony-
to the ancestral Trimates or iemuravida. The
fourth large branch OF, tho ancestral tree.
where this has REACHED the plaeSntal level
can we look for the ancestors of the pri-
mates. The lemprayida. therefore. represent
branches. The iemures. or '% prosimfS. SSin
prising the older members 1.-THE primqtcs, mp
nroach most nearly to the lcmurayida.. The
limbs are modified into pentadactyle handsa and
feet OF the arborGal type. and are protected ty
series OF teeth, with milk teeth and with per-
manent. The orbit Is surrounded by a com;
nlete bony .rinR. posteriorlS ny a frOnto-lugal
arch. but still widely communicating with the
temporal fossa. The placcnta is diirusc. and
simiir, we find the orbit completely separated
from the, TEMPORAL iossa by an inward extern
the al Is her dtp"'Tfh The sm miac r u is S" a"es "iiEiGY,tt"ii
into a disc, and has n maternal deciduous pcr-
ton. The mamma are prct3rai only. Al the
tail is long. The American p-ehensile-tailed
monkeys constitute u lower side branch of the
The catarrhinB cercopithccidR represent
the next stage IN the ascent to man. They
T hfT9 f iSss SnG and priG ai Il brG%iNaIa are in il e" sanI }nT
separating the parietal from the malar bones:
this feature Is correlated with an enlarged
brain. The internarial- Septum is narrow, ana
the nostrils look forward Observation-Disclosures
OF sideward hence the term catarrhinT., The
Nlbllttt dutlllOI1 IlttluS Is ltllR Itll upnN.
The tail Is long, except in the case OF macasIs
inuus. The body Is covered with q thick coat
oil furry hair. 1t Is known with certainty that
cntarrhine monkeys have existed since the
Miocene period. We have now reached the
stage OF catarrhinH a~nthropoid@ or apes. This
group Is now represented by the large apes.
namely, the gibhon of southeastern Asia, the
orang-outang. of Sumatra aud Borneo, the
equatorial Africa. or fossils belonging to the
group are to be mentioned pliopjthecus aud
dryopithecus. from the European Mioccne pc
Rod. and trOPlDuytpS SiNnlpDSiS from the pliO-
Gene period Of the Punjaub. The tail is re-
duced TO a few caudal vcrtehrtp, which are
tranSiormeu into u coccyN. not visible eXter-
nally. But. in the embryos Of apes and man.
the tail is still n conspicuous feature. The
walk is semi-erect: in adaptation to the pre-
vailinR arboreal life. the arms are longer than
the legs. The hair OF the body is considerably
more scanty than III the tailed monkeys. Prog
lodytes eaiyuS; q species or variety, Of chin
panzee. is baid-headed, We should bear in
mind that none Of the recent genera Of
apes can lay claim to a place In the ances-
link between some genus OF anes now extinct
and man? Prot. Haeckel answers that we shall
IND this link in plthecanthronuS %erectus. of
which the only known representative comes
ton to a more erect gait, the legs have become
stronger. and the hind-hand has been turned
into q fiat;soled; walk ing foot" The brain is
considerably enlarged. ~Presumablv., 1t is still
indicated by the fact that children have to
learn the language OF their parents. and by the
circumstances that comparative philoloRy de-
clares it impossible, to reduce the chief human
Man ts known with certainty TO have existed
as an ,implement-lsing creature in the last
Glacial eIoch. HIS probable origin cannot.
tReretoEe; have been later than tie beginning
c'ined to believe that mans place of origin was
somewhere in southern Asia.