Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-02-27
MISSING LINK FOUND
BY LONDON SCIENTISTS
Skull Is Discovered That Con-
meets Man and Monkey
Neither Ape Nor Human.

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Neither Ape Nor Human.
W. P. Pycraft. in the Illustrated London
News.
A discovery of supreme Importance to
all who are interested In the history OF /
the human race was announced at the
Geological society, when Charles Dawson.
of Lewes. and DIR. A. Smith Woodward.
the keeper of the geological department
of the British museum displayed to an
eager audience a part OF the jaw and
portion OF the skull Of the most ancient
inhabitant of England. If not in Europe.
The first of the remains were discovered
more than year ago BY Mr.. Dawson. In
a gravel deposit near Pilt Down Common.
close to Uckfield. Sussex. Mr.. Dawson
who IS a keen student of paleontology
soon made his great find known to DR..
Smith Woodward, and the two worked to-
gctlier, during the past summer. in
strenuous endeavor to recover, II possible.
yet other parts of the skeleton, and eS-
specially the rest of the skull. But their
efforts have only resulted in obtaining
more parts Of the skull. and half of the
Emandfble.
Nevertheless, the remains thus far re-
covered leave no possible doubt but that
they represent not merely a fossil man,
y but q man who must be regarded as at
fording us a link with our remote ances-
tors. the apes, and hence their SURPRISING
interest.
The evidence for the Interpretation
which has been placed on them Is incon-
trovertihle. In the first place, the lower
Jaw Is Enthusiastically ape-like, while pre-
sentfng other features individuality human.
1t Is ape-like in its massiveness, In the
absence of chin. and in the absence OF
a peculiar ridge along the inner surface
which In the typical human Jaw is ex-
tremely well marked. and serves for the
attachment of muscles concerned with the
act Of swallowing. Another siYnian fea-
ture Is the shortness and great breadth
of the upper branch whereby the jaw is
hinged to- the skull. AS to the teeth of
this ancient Briton, 1t will suffice to re-
mark that they resemble those Of the ceIe-
brated Heidelberg jaw, and In SO far are
of the human type: but they are ape-like
In the greater length Of their grinding
surfaces But there is reason to suspect
that the canine or eye teeth projected,
at any rate, slightly above the level Of
| the rest-an ape-l:ke character met with
In savage races today, though never to
the same extent as In apes.
Another ape-like character Is afforded
by the trend Of the grinders, which shows
| that the teeth in the complete jaw must
have run In a straight parallel series, not
IN horseshoe curve as in modern men.
The fragments Of the Uranium reveal no
i less interesting features. Fortunately the
hinge for the lower Jaw Is preserved, and
this Is emphat.cally human in type. since
II forms p deep cavity, and not shallow
depression. Again. this region OF the skull
displays what among anatOmists is known
as mastotd process large. rounded.
ore cone-shaped boss Of bone to which 10
ATTACHED a large Handicapped muscle
serving to draw the head downwards upon
the chest or sideways toward the shoul-
der In the apes this "nastoid process.
| to wanting.
Happily enough Of the skull has been
found to allow Of the restoration of the
j whole OF the cranial portion, which, en-
i closes the brain. And this shows US that
the beetling browB so excessively devel-
i oped In the celebrated fossil man OF Java
i discovered some years ago were in the
Sussex man far less developed; while the
brain-capacity Of this ancient man had
Just under two pints. which ID nearly
twice AZ much as that Of the highest
apes. though consid erably less than that
OF tho average European. which 10. rough
~, about two pints and a half.
OF the fore-part of the face-that IL ia
Il say, OF the eye-sOckets, nose, and upper
Il jaw-we as vet know nothing, nor have
even traces been found OF the trunk and
limbs, ard we fear that these have beer
lost beyond recall.
Il And now II will be asked how long age
did this man live, and what did he look
i like when alive? AZ to the first question
Il no definite answer can be given; We car
only say; several hundred thousand
Iyears ago. perhaps million. But thi,
much Is certain: he lived during the early
part OF what ID known az the pleistocens
Il age, and near enough to the period kr,owr
u as the pli6cene to make it certain that hi,
Sf1mmed.ate forbearS must have lived dur