Evening star., 1928-12-30
skull OF MANKIND
IS TRACED TO FISH
Shoulder Blades, Arms and
Legs Called Atavisms of
Animals by Educator.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

william X. Gregory of the American
Museum Of Natural History, speaking
before the Anthropological section OF
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science at the American
Museum today, gave detailed state
ment of the Indebtedness of the human
race, indicating that the fundamental
elements of the human skull were con-
tributed by a Devonian air-breathing
fish of about 100000, 900 years ago, while
we thank lower carboniferous amphib-
ian for our shoulder blades, primitive
quadruped called Eryops for our arms
and legs and an insect-eating tree
shrew for our hands and feet.
Bows to certain other fish, reptiles,
lower mammals, monkeys and apes are
also in order, according to Prof. Gregory.
for other important features included
in the human makeup.
Every bone Of the skeleton Of God
like, erect-walking man testifles," said
Prof. Gregory, Ito his descent from a
long line of quadrupedal pirates extend
Ing at least down to the level of the
underwriting reptiles of the coal
swamps."
Prof. Gregory obtained his interest
ing gallery of ancestral portraits, he
explained, from the examination of
vast collections Of fossils, eliminating
all those which developed peculiaritieS
which separated them from the stocks
which stand IN the line of human an
cestry.
after we have thus eliminated per-
haps 95 per cent of all known families
Of vertebrates," he said, I'VE have left
a very small percentage Of fishes, am
phibianS, reptiles and mammals which
may claim to lie relatively near to
the human path of ascent, so that we
can safely use them as milestones or
signposts."
One of the most important of the
forefathers, in Prof Gregory'S album,
is ictidopsis, missing link between
mammals and reptiles, the remains OF
which have been found in triasSic rocks
in South Africa. The scientists han
died the bones of this hah-snake and
half-animal with reverence and hlial
piety because of its invention OF neat
regulating mechanism which changed
the family from a cold-blooded one
to a warm -blooded one. Telling some
thing of the humble origins and early
struggles, Prof. Gregory continued:
"At first the limbs sprawled widely
at the side to prevent lateral upsett1ng.
This clumsy mode Of progression on
land was all we'll enough for the slug
gish and cold-blooded early amphibians
and reptiles. But in the series OF MANI
mal-like reptiles extending from the
middle PerTnian to the upper TriaSsic
of South Africa, we observe marked
approach toward the energetic and rest
less mammalian type which was able
to raise its body well above the ground.
Sure-Footed Won Out.
"The heavy penalties against clumsi-
ness in the trees put high premium
upon the production Of such sure-footed.
siire-handed, keen-eyed daring climbers
and leapers as the monkeys. Much
further progress produced those super
acrobats, the gibbons and the s1amang.
These, the lowest of the existing an
thropoid apes, still retain various souv-
enirs of their monkey ancestors. But
the gibbons have already effected a
literal revolution in the method OF loco
motion. For they leap from branch TO
branch in an upright position.
Man derived all the basic patents 70
himself from humble predecessors, ac-
series of remarkable secondary I'M
provements, all made in the last two or
three million years, he raised himself
above the types which in the course OF
hundreds of millions of years had de-
veloped all the fundamental features.
Man is essentially a creature OF the
Pleistocene and recent epochs, ana
there is no substantial evidence that he
obtained the human grade Of evolution
very far below the Upper Pliocene.
Hence the paleontologic record, i'm.
perfect as it is, fully accords with the
geologic and antomical evidence that
there has been general sequence ct
vertebrate groups from air-breathings
lobe -flnned fish to primitiev amphib-
ians, thence to primitive reptiles
through ascending grades to mammals
and then to man."
Ended Truce Of Year.
Prof. Gregory's papers marked the
end Of a year OF armed truce between
the scientists and fundamentalists. A
year ago the American Association for
the Advancement of Science met In
Nashville, Tenn, where the Scopes trial
at Dayton still left considerable irrfta-
ton. On that account the council OF
the association laid an embargo on all
attacks on the fundamentalists and on
addresses that might prove irritating to
firm believers in the letter OF the Old
Testament account Of creation. This
embargo on the discussion of evolution
has been lifted here. The council OF
the association has itself appointed
committee to consider what course to
adopt against the action of certain
States In passing laws against the teach
ing of evolution Resolutions on the
subject are expected today.
Another counter-attack on the
ftindamentalists forces was made yes
terday by DR.. Harry Elmer Barnes, pro-
fessor of historical sociology Of Smith
College, who spoke on the topic, "Medi-
cal Science Versus Religion as Guide
to Life" at the meeting Of the history
of science section Of the association.
Traces First American.
Reviewing the evidence which has
been brought forward to show how long
men have lived in the Western Hemis-
phere, where they came from and how
they got here, DR.. Frank Boaz Of Co
lumbia University concluded that they
were of Central Asiatic type, that they
came by way of Alaska, and that they
came some time after the Central
Asiatic or Mongolia type Of man devel-
oped its chief characteristics. "The
differentiation of the Mongolia race
must have occurred before man came
to America" he SAID.
Just when this developed Is an open
question. If it Is permissible to Judge
by analogy, we might place these events
in the latter palacolithic period, CO.
temperaneous with the appearance Of
the Cromagnon type. 1t Is, however,
quite possible that the origin Of this
race may date farther back and that
the end of the long palaeolithic period.
The determination of the period in
which the differentiation Of the Negroid
and Mongolia races occurred viii give
us the earliest date Of the arrival Of
man In America.
Positive evidence is still lacking Of
mans arrival before the great riaci-