CONTENTS. 



THE FAR PAST. 



PACK 



Characteristics and gradations of the PALAEOZOIC or " Ancient Life" 

 period: 1. The Cambrian age so-called "Dawn of Life." 2. 

 The Silurian age. Erroneous notions respecting its physical 

 geography and life-relations.- Its vegetation, graptolites, corals, 

 star-fishes, shell-fish, and crustaceans. Their specialties and 

 place in the scale of being. 3. The Devonian or Old Red Sand- 

 stone age. Physical features of the epoch. Its plants, crus- 

 taceans, shell-fish, and fishes. 4. The Carboniferous age. The 

 physical geography and climatal conditions of the period. Its 

 forest - growths, coral-reefs, shell -beds, crustaceans, insects, 

 fishes, and reptiles. 5. The Permian or Lower New Red Sand- 

 stone age so-called "close" of the Paleozoic cycle. Imper- 

 fect interpretation and provisional nature of the Life-phases 

 and Life-periods of the geologist, . . . .79 



THE MIDDLE PAST. 



Characteristics and gradations of the MESOZOIC or "Middle Life" 

 period: 6. The Triassic or Upper New Red .Sandstone age.- 

 Its foot-tracks, birds, and reptiles. 7. The Oolitic age. Sea 

 and land of the epoch. Its vegetation, lower marine life, shell- 

 fish, Crustacea, insects, reptiles, and terrestrial mammals. 8. 

 The Cretaceous or Chalk age. Physical geography of its seas 

 and shores. Its lower marine life, foraminiferse, sponges, star- 

 fishes, sea-urchins, shell-fish, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mam- 

 mals. Generalisations resulting from a review of the Mesozoic 

 cycle, . . . . . . . 



THE RECENT. 



Characteristics and gradations of the CAINOZOIC or " Recent Life" 

 period: 9. The Tertiary age. Geography of the epoch. Its 

 huge terrestrial mammals and recent forms of life. Interme- 

 diate forms, and their relation to the fauna of existing areas.- 

 Extinctions during the so-called " Glacial" or " Drifts" period. 

 10. The Post-Tertiary or Current age. General existing ar- 

 rangements of sea and land. Existing forms and distribution 

 of life. General and local extinctions. Man, pre-historic and 

 historic. Mutations of the human race, . . . 151 



