IT HE 



CANADIAN 



NATURALIST AND GEOLOGIST. 



BY E. BILLINGS. 



Volume L FEBRUARY, 1856. Number I. 



ARTICLE I. Introductory. ^^Elevaiion and subsidence of Land — Various 

 Theories of the Eartli — Origin of Stratified flocks — European and 

 American Formations-^ Geographical Distribution of the latter in 

 Canada. 



The Natural History of any extensive region comprises the description, 

 not only of the existing races of animals, but also of those which have be- 

 come extinct in forraGr ages, and whoH6 remains are found in a fossil state 

 within its limits. The latter part of the subject is again intimately con- 

 nected with the physical or geological structure of the country, owing to the 

 fact that in all parts of the "#6rl<i large tracts of the earth's enist consist of 

 formations of rock, ofteft of great thickness, composed some of them almost 

 entirely of such organic Tcmaius, while further, the order in which they may 

 Tie arranged has an iiiiportant bearing upon the public wealth and national 

 strength of the peo'ple occupying the particular territory mider consideration. 



In this |otirnal an endeavor will be made to explore every source, 

 whence infoithation upon the Natural History of Canada and the neigh- 

 bouring 'British Provinces may be derived, and under the circumstances 

 it is thcfught advisable to conmieuce with a short examination of some 

 of the teading features presented by the science of Geology, It is scarcely 

 necessary to observe, that a large proportion of the matter must be 

 'Compiled from the works of various authors, and consequently, many 

 readers will discover in the following pages, much which they have 

 met with elsewhere, But in addition to what is already kuawn, there will 



