236 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. ix. 



All this plant theory, advanced with the utmost confidence, has 

 no evidence whatever except the assertion of the author and his 

 belief as to the imperfect character of the observations of his 

 predecessors. The following extracts, kindly translated by our 

 colleague Dr. Sommer, will serve to show his mode of treatment : — 



" I was convinced of the inorganic nature of Eozoon, or at least of 

 the fact that it could not be an animal. But the fine " canal systems" 

 as Dr. Carpenter liad named them, were the source of much anxious 

 thought on my part, and this was necessarily augmented by the fol- 

 lowing consideration, of which I could not rid myself. " Gneiss is 

 formed by water and therefore a sedimentary rock. Its layers of 

 limestone must contain the first organic enclosures ; for, life cannot 

 begin with the silurian rocks." This is a hypothesis, but, like many 

 others that are true, one of which I have not yet rid myself." 



" It happened, then, that I had to go to Canada, in consequence of 

 an invitation from the Canadian Government.* I visited Dr. Dawson 

 and thence went to Cote St. Pierre, Petit Nation, there I saw the 

 stratified layers and obtained a great number of pieces of Eozoonic 

 Limestone and of Eozoonic specimens. On my return I examined 

 the material. The result of my examinations I publish here : the 

 Limestone of the Laurentian Gneiss of Canada^ the oldest sedimentary strata 

 of our earth, contains a "p^ant organization belonging to the family of the 

 AlgseP 



" Till now there have been but few new species established difl'er- 

 ent from the modern ; but, I am persuaded, that by continual re- 

 searches, the number will soon be increased. All these plants, I found 

 enclosed in the true " Eozooic Eock," which I shall henceforth call 

 Eophyllic Limetone. I shall draw attention to the words that m)'' hon- 

 orable friend Dr. Dawson also used : " all is not Eozoon ! " f 



Then follows a description, condensed from Canadian reports, 

 of the Laurentian formation, after which occur the followiner 

 statements : — 



" It is incomprehensible that on looking upon this form, a plant 

 did not occur to the mind, at once. It can only be explained thus : 

 that, at first, when such pieces were not yet discovered, they were so 

 prepossessed by the idea of Foraminifera, that it pervaded all their 

 investigations ; while the opponents, (myself included) arrived at 

 once at the obvious conclusion ; namely that not being animal it was 

 therefore mineral." 



* Dr. Hahn seems to have been employed on some mission con- 

 nected with emigration from Germany. 



f This, I suppose, refers to the fact that I warned Dr. H. that he 

 would find the greater part of the Laurentian limestone to be desti- 

 tute of distinguishable Eozoon. 



