THE NEW EVOLUTION 



reans, and Tomopferis-likc forms (fig. 65, p. m); of 

 the mollusks we find pteropods (fig. 48, p. 97) and 

 gastropods (fig. 51, p. 97); and there were corals and 

 other coelenterates, and sponges. 



Most of the fossils mentioned in the preceding list 

 are from a single locality in British Columbia where 

 they were found by the late Dr. Charles D. Walcott in 

 the Burgess shale. I had the pleasure of being associ- 

 ated with Dr. Walcott when he was working on them. 



These fossils are remarkable not only on account of 

 their great age, but also because of their wonderfully 

 perfect preservation. In many of the most delicate 

 among them — creatures so very fragile that their 

 modern representatives can scarcely be satisfactorily 

 preserved in alcohol — even the details of the nervous 

 system may be made out. 



In order to avoid possible criticism that too broad 

 generalizations are being drawn from fossils mostly 

 from a single locality, let us consider as a supplement 

 to this varied Cambrian fauna the fossils from the 

 Ozarkian and Ordovician rocks, representing periods 

 somewhat less distant than the Cambrian. 



From the Ozarkian rocks come cephalopods (fig. 45, 

 p. 97) and pelecypods (fig. 52., p. 97) or bivalved mol- 

 lusks, and from the Ordovician polyzoans (figs. 67, 

 68, p. Ill), echinoids or sea-urchins (fig. 41, p. 71), 

 ophiurans or brittle-stars (fig. 44, p. 87), starfishes 

 (fig. 4^, p. 71), insects and fishes. There is no evi- 

 dence that these were not also present in the Cambrian. 

 Indeed, it will be most surprising if future investiga- 

 tion does not prove their existence there. 



[101] 



