165 



After a lapse of time remarkable for its tranquility, the 

 oolite epoch commenced, swarming with fossil remains: 

 the water greatly charged with carbonate of lime towards 

 its close produced the cliffs of chalk. We have in this 

 series belemnites and ammonites. A change of climate 

 next took place. The deposit of shells and coral pro- 

 ducing the cretaceous strata. Great was the lapse of time 

 from this epoch, till the commencement of the tertiary 

 epoch. All the plants and animals of the secondary 

 had ceased to live, and a new series occupied their place 

 approaching nearer to those which now exist. The 

 lowest tertiary [Eiocene] was warm, the plants of the 

 tropics flourished in England, and the epoch swarmed 

 with life; above this is theMeiocene also swarming with 

 life; and next the Pleioceae with even more life. The 

 great bulk of the land of this hemisphere during the 

 tertiary epoch rose above the sea, producing a diminu- 

 tion of temperature to a great extent, the tropical vege- 

 tation perished, and the seas of Europe teemed with ice- 

 bergs at the close of the Pleiocene epoch. At this 

 period the erratic boulders were brought from Norway 

 and Sweden frozen to icebergs, and deposited on our 

 island by the melting of the ice around them. 



The extent of the fossiliferous strata of the world is 

 considered to be nearly eight miles in thickness: this 

 enormous mass being produced by the gradual deposits 

 of rivers. To show what ages have elapsed since the 

 creation of the world, geologists have calculated that it 

 would take fifteen million years fo double the thickness 

 of the fossil strata of the world. Man is thus but as 

 yesterday in comparison with the creation of the world. 

 It is to tbe tiny shell that we are ini^ebted for our 

 calcareous rocks: thus geology is intimately connected 

 with conchology. 



In ages remarkable for great disturbances, disturb- 

 ances which destroyed all animal and vegetable life, how 



