10 



It seems likely to me, in studying the vegetation of hot springs, 

 notwithstanding the statements of Prof. Ernst Haeckel, of Jena, 

 in his interesting work, " Systematische Phylogenie der Protisten und 

 Pflanzen," that the early forms of life on this globe were green uni- 

 cellular algae, and from these by retrogression and development 

 other forms have sprung, animal life appearing later than plant, it 

 seems to me, I repeat it, that we must look to the hot springs for 

 the most primitive forms of life, because the temperature conditions 

 are such as more nearly to simulate the conditions existing when 

 this world of ours was in a highly heated state, when seismic phe- 

 nomena were the rule rather than the exception. It would be neces- 

 sary in order to establish this proposition to investigate compara- 

 tively the vegetation of all the hot springs of the globe, before it 

 would be safe to make such a general declaration as to the origin 

 of vegetal life. 



The above ecological sketch sufficiently discloses the salient char- 

 acters of the interesting geysers and hot springs of the Yellowstone 

 Park. In preparing this article, the writer has endeavored to give 

 the results of personal observation on the spot during eight days of 

 August, 1897, He has been materially aided in its preparation by 

 the following papers and books, which give a somewhat more 

 detailed account of the Yellowstone Wonderland: 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



1887-88, Weed. Ninth Annual Report U. S. Geological Survey, p. 619. 

 1895, Chittenden. The Yelloivstofie National Park, Historical afid Descrip- 

 tive. 

 1897, Haynes and Guptill. Guide to Yellowstone Park. 

 1897, Davis, in Science, N. S., I., p. 145 (July 30). 

 1897, TiLDEN, in Botanical Gazette, September, 1897. 



University of Pennsylvania, November 16, 1897. 



