In many respects, the discovery of the Pithecanthropus erectus appears to be one of the most important since the Neanderthal skull was brought to light in 1857, and hence the main facts concerning it deserve early notice in this Journal. This memoir contains a full description, with illustrations, of part of a skull, a molar tooth, and a femur, found in the later Tertiary strata of Java, and pertaining to a large anthropoid ape, which is believed to represent a new genus and family intermediate between the Simiidæ and Hominidæ. This would make it a veritable "missing link" between the higher apes and man, the discovery of which has so long been confidently predicted by many anthropologists.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS


Eugène Dubois (1858-1940) was a Dutch paleoanthropologist and anatomist known for his significant contributions to the study of human evolution.

Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) was an American paleontologist and vertebrate paleontologist known for his extensive work on dinosaur fossils during the late 19th century.