as, according to von Meyer, such deposits are no proof of vast antiquity he himself being in possession of a dog's skull from a neighbouring Roman camp with similar marks. It may also be mentioned that the country above the Neanderthal is overspread with loess or lehm, identical with that in the Feldhofen Cave; and that some years later (1865) another cave was discovered, only one hundred and thirty paces distant from the former, and on the same side of the ravine, which contained not only mud of the same kind, but also bones of the rhinoceros, cave-bear, and hyæna. Some of these bones, especially those of the cave-bear^ are, according to Schaaffhausen, very similar in colour, density, microscopical structure, and state of preservation to those of the Neanderthal skeleton ; and the suggestion is that the animal and human remains from both caves were contemporary. (Journal de Cologne, 1st April 1866; quoted by Mortillet in Le Préhistorique, p. 233.)
The human remains from Neanderthal, especially the skull, presented such remarkable peculiarities that, when first exhibited at a scientific meeting at Bonn, doubts were expressed by several naturalists as to whether they were really human. The limb-bones were characterised by great thickness, with unusual development of the elevations and depressions for the attachment of muscles, and the ribs had a singularly rounded shape and abrupt curvature all characters indicating great muscular power. The left humerus was more slender than the right a fact which suggested the idea that the two did not belong to the same individual ; but this was shown to have been the result of an injury during lifetime. The cranium (Figs. 8, 9) was of great size and thickness, and had a long elliptical form, a low retreating forehead, excessive development of the frontal sinuses, and a great projection of the occipital region. The sutures were nearly obliterated, and the line of the frontal suture was marked by a slight ridge. The dimensions of the skull were as follows :—
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