56 THE HISTORY OF CKEATION. 



ascribed the coming into existence of the present species of 

 animals and plants — had made numerous attempts to create 

 organisms of different forms, but that these attempts had 

 only partially succeeded, had often failed, and that petrifac- 

 tions were nothing more than such unsuccessful attempts. 

 According to others, petrifactions originated from the in- 

 fluence of the stars upon the interior of the earth. 



Others, again, had the still cruder notion that the Creator 

 had first made models (out of mineral substances — for 

 example, of gypsum or clay) of those forms of animals and 

 plants which he afterwards executed in organic substances, 

 and into which he breathed his living breath ; petrifactions 

 were accordingly such rude inorganic models. Even as late 

 as the last century these crude ideas prevailed, and it was 

 assumed, for example, that there existed a special " seminal 

 air," which was said to penetrate into the earth with 

 the water, and by fructifying the stones formed petrifactions 

 or " stony flesh " (caro fossilis). 



It took a very long time before the simple and natural 

 view was accepted, namely, that petrifactions are in reality 

 nothing but what they appear to simple observation — the 

 indestructible remains of extinct organisms. It is true the 

 celebrated painter, Leonardo da Vinci, in the 15th century, 

 ventured to assert that the mud which was constantly 

 deposited by water was the cause of petrifactions, as it 

 surrounded the indestructible shells of mussels and snails 

 which lay at the bottom of the waters, and gradually turned 

 them into solid stone. The same idea was maintained in 

 the IGth century by a Parisian potter, Palissy by name, 

 who became celebrated on account of his invention of 

 china. However, the so-called " professional men " were 



