KARL ALFRKD VON /I'lPKL. 788 



In connoct ion with liis «rt'<)lo<,nc work Zilti'l also hccanic tlic hislor-i- 

 ()<rrii])lu'r of geolofry and i)al('ontology. All llial hiiiiian mind and 

 labor liavo produced since ancient limes foi- (lie cliicidalion of (lie 

 eartirs history, all that the henu's, Werner, l^eopold von P.iicji, 

 Alexander von Ilnniholdt. Ilntton, Kant, I.a Place, Cnvicr. Al. 

 Brongniart, Lyell, Qnenstedl, d'()rbi<;ny, and (he oival ninnhcr of 

 more recent devotees have accomi)lished, all (his Zittel had included 

 in one brilliant picture in his (Jeschichte der (Jeolo-iie und Palaeonto- 

 logie l)is Ende des IDten Jahrhunderts. An Euirlish translation of 

 this work was made in 1!)01 by one of his students, Mrs. Maria 

 Ogilvie-Cirordon. 



Zitters first ])aleontologic paper appeared in 18G1, at a time when 

 fossils had but one value — that for the determination of geologic atre. 

 The teachings of Cuvier then still held full sway. i. e., each fauna 

 was a new creation and each disappeared thi-ough cataclysms. It is 

 only since ISTO that paleontology has (al<en an active i)art in the 

 establishment of the theoi'y of evolution, and in reality it is only since 

 that time that j)ure stratigiaphic paleontologic studies have become 

 more sharply distinguished from the biologic systeniMtic. (he la((er 

 more and more emphasizing the genealogic asi)ect. 



From the end of the sixth decade Zitters work begins to take on 

 the character of paleozoology as contrasted Avith the older ])ale()ntol- 

 ogy. By means of a study of the ammonites of the »Sti-amberger beds, 

 he is led to discuss the relationship of the forms, and is convinced 

 that there are no unchangeal)le ty])es, but that the species are simplv 

 isolated individual comj)levos dei'ived from nnbi'oken evolutional 

 series. The cataclysui theoi-y and the (cachings of types being over- 

 come, Zittel declares himself an CAolutionist. lie always remained 

 so, and had a great influence on paleontology. 



How the history of living organisms merges in(() (he his(oi-y of 

 the earth is brilliantly described in Zittel's Aus der ITrzeit, ])ublished 

 in 1872 (second edition, 1875). Here he also discusses the hyi)()thesis 

 of the origin of the earth, following (he teachings of Kanl and 

 Laplace, without, however, making dogmas of (heir theories. 



In 187G he began his classic studies on fossil sponges, determining 

 their beautiful spicular structures by etching with hydrochloric acid 

 and elucidating with the microscope. TTntil this time it was thought 

 that the fossil sponges had little in common with recent forms, but 

 Zittel showed that all can be grouped in the classification of living 

 sponges are psendomorphs after siliceous foi"ms, but that true calca- 

 reous sponges do exist among the fossils, a fact disputed by Ilaeckel. 

 Zittel originated the classification of fossil and recent sponges, and 

 actually made it possible to study fossil forms. 



In the x-eahu of vertebrate paleontology he has published sevepd 



