PEEFACE. 



An eminent German geologist has characterized the 

 discovery of fossils in the Laurentian rocks of Canada 

 as '^ the opening of a new era in geological science.^' 

 Believing this to be no exaggeration^ I have felt it to 

 be a duty incumbent on those who have been the 

 apostles of this new era, to make its significance as 

 widely known as possible to all who take any interest 

 in scientific subjects, as well as to those naturalists 

 and geologists who may not have had their atten- 

 tion turned to this special topic. 



The delivery of occasional lectures to popular 

 audiences on this and kindred subjects, has convinced 

 me that the beginning of life in the earth is a theme 

 having attractions for all intelligent persons ; while 

 the numerous inquiries on the part of scientific 

 students with reference to the fossils of the Eozoic 

 age, show that the subject is yet far from being 

 familiar to their minds. I offer no apology therefore 

 for attempting to throw into the form of a book 

 accessible to general readers, what is known as to 



