Page:The Last link.djvu/32



next question is, how the facts of palæontology agree with these most important results of comparative anatomy and ontogeny. The fossils are the true historical 'medals of creation,' the palpable evidence of the historical succession of all those innumerable organic forms which have peopled the globe for many millions of years. Here the question arises, If the known fossil specimens of Mammalia, and particularly of Primates, give proof of these Pithecometra-theses, do they confirm directly the descent of man from ape-like creatures? The answer to this question is, in my opinion, affirmative.

It is true that the gaps in the palæontological evidence, here as elsewhere, are