*) 



E. IIIRON-ALLEN AND A. EARLAND ON THE FORAMINIFERA 



their surrounding medium, or'of building up adventitious shells 

 by the co-ordination of foreign material obtained from their 

 immediate environment. These shells, from their minute size 

 and composition, are peculiarly adapted for preservation as 

 fossils. 



Hence, whatever the origin of life may have been, we might 

 reasonably expect that among its earliest records would occur 

 Foraminifera of simple and ancestral types, and that subsequent 

 geological periods would show a constant progression in their 

 development. Such, however, is not the case. So far as our 

 geological knowledge carries us at present, the Foraminifera 

 make their first appearance in the rocks in a highly differentiated 

 stage, and among the earliest recognisable groups are many species- 

 which are still existing and dominant types to-day. 



It is not so very many years, less than half a century in fact, 

 since the sensational discovery of Eozoon Canadense (1) (2) (3) in 

 the Laurentian rocks of Canada was hailed as evidence that the 

 oldest fossil was, as might have been expected, a rhizopod. Into 

 the long warfare which was waged round this fossil, in which the 

 late Prof. K. Mobius took an active part (22), it is not proposed 

 to enter in detail. But there was at the time of its discovery 

 no greater authority on the Rhizopoda than the late Dr. W. B. 

 Carpenter, a former President of this Club. He threw the whole 

 weight of his authority into the scale in favour of the foramini- 

 feral nature of Eozoon, and to the last was convinced of the 

 soundness of his belief. But the balance of evidence has turned 

 against him, and since his death but little interest has been 

 shown in the question, Eozoon having been relegated by more or 

 less general consent to the mineral kingdom. 



We are, however, again threatened with a renewal of the 

 controversy, for Mr. It. Kirkpatrick, of the British Museum, 

 has recently announced in Nature that he is in possession of 

 fresh evidence of the foraminiferal nature of Eozoon, and will 

 shortly publish it. The microscopical world will no doubt await 

 this evidence with interest, not unmixed, perhaps, with some 

 trepidation at the reopening of this chose jugee. From the point 

 of view of the subject of our paper, viz. " The Foraminifera as 

 World-builders," definite proof of the rhizopodal nature of 

 Eozoon would be very welcome. Eozoon, whatever its nature 

 may be, occurs in enormous reefs in the Laurentian rocks of 



