16 



application of the law of evolution of organic life on earth, a 

 certain sense of humour prevented me from considering the 

 Brachiopoda alone as specially created for Brachiopodists to 

 describe. My views were sufficiently indicated in an article on 

 the Molluscoida I contributed to Vol. V. of GasselVs Natural 

 History in 1881 . But it is one thing to assert a •priori the logical 

 postulate, another to substantiate it by cumulative evidence, as 

 Hall and others have done recently. Truly, as Paley has well 

 said, " They alone discover who prove." Davidson held " that 

 it was probable that at least a large proportion, if not all, of 

 so-termed species may be nothing more than modifications of 

 shapes by descent of a limited number of primordial types, but it 

 is very difficult in the present state of our information to show 

 passages between the genera among the Brachiopoda, as well as 

 among other groups of animals, which the theory of evolution 

 requires." In 1893, thanks in a great measure to the life-long 

 researches of James Hall and the enlightened views of John M. 

 Clarke, palaeontologists to the Geological Survey of New York, 

 it is impossible to deny the existence of such passages between 

 many of the paleeozoic genera. Much of the evidence was really 

 accumulated by both Davidson and Barrande (who shared the 

 same views), although they failed to recognise its full significance. 

 It is well to remember, as Lowell has well said, "That the foolish 

 and the dead alone never change their opinions." 



The results of recent research in this direction were presented 

 in full with numerous illustrations. It was shown that synthetic 

 or mixed types were by no means rare, reversionary or atavistic 

 forms not uncommon ; that the study of individual development 

 of larval forms of recent species reveals long past phases in the 

 history of the origin of genera, and agree geologically with their 

 chronogenesis or birth in time. The existence of numerous 

 passage forms, intermediate in structure between the hingeless 

 and hinged sub-classes, showed those divisions were not really 

 based on fundamental distinctions. Ordinal evolution was con- 

 clusively demonstrated and numerous instances and illustrations 

 were given of the successive " paterine," " obolleloid," and 

 " linguloid " character of ancient genera. Instances of develop- 

 ment on parallel lines were cited in the families Lingulidce Rhyn- 

 chonelUclce and Terehratellidce. The lecturer paid a passing 

 tribute to Madame Pauline CEhlert as the only other member of 

 her sex who was actively interested in the study of Brachiopoda, 

 and an earnest fellow worker with her distinguished husband, M. 

 Daniel CEhlert, Curator of the Laval Museum. Conjointly they 



