THE HISTORY OF LIFE 191 



Islands, France and Belgium, Germany, Italy, Russia, 

 Africa, America, Asia, and Australia. 



The Permian strata, the last formation of the Primary 

 rocks, were subsequently deposited above and upon the 

 Carboniferous rocks. This system merges from the 

 older system ; there is no distinct line, for instance, in 

 India or North America. In fact, these formations 

 were formerly regarded as part of the Carboniferous 

 formation. The life in the Permian formations 

 differed but little from that of the Carboniferous. 

 A new order of vegetable life now appears in force in 

 these strata the Cycads, plants resembling tree ferns 

 in general aspect, but having a higher mode of 

 reproduction. Now there exist true reptiles having 

 remarkable characters, especially as regards their teeth, 

 which serve to connect them with the mammals of 

 later times. 



The Permian rocks are found in Britain, Germany, 

 France, Russia, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North 

 America. 



Thus ends the abstract of the contents of the first 

 book of this wonderful stone Bible. Each division 

 may be regarded as a huge chapter, each layer as an 

 enormous page. The history is continuous, with cer- 

 tain gaps, from page to page, from chapter to chapter, 

 and now we shall find from book to book. Nature 

 recognizes no hard and fast lines. Nature abhors the 

 rigid. 



THE SECOND BOOK OF THE STONE BIBLE. 



We commence the second great group of stratn, 

 our second division or book in the geological record. 

 The rocks of the first or Primary formation merge into 



