Sept. 25, 1879] 



NATURE 



517 



Desmarest's " Histoire naturelle des Crustaces fossiles," pub- 

 lished in 1822, is a pioneer work on this subject. Michelins' 

 memoir on the fossil corals of France, 1841-46, was another 

 important contribution to palaeontology. Agassiz's works on 

 fossil echinoderms and molluscs are valuable contributions to 

 the science. The works of d'Archiac, Coquand, Cotteau, 

 Desor, Edwards, Ilaime, and de Vemeuil, are likewise of 

 permanent value. 



In Italy, Bellardi, Merian, Michellotti, Phillipi, Zigno, and 

 others, contributed important results to palfeontology. 



In Belgium, Bosquet, Nyst, Koninck, Ryckholt, van Beneden, 

 and others, have all aided materially in the progress of the 

 science. 



In England, also, invertebrate fossils were studied with care, 

 and continued progress was made. Sowerby's "Mineral 

 Conchology of Great Britain," in six volumes, a systematic 

 work of great value, was published in 1812-30, and soon after 

 was translated into French and German. Its figures of fossil 

 shells are excellent, and it is still a standard work. Miller's 

 "Natural History of the Crinoidea," published at Bristol, in 

 1821, and Austin's later monograph, are valuable for reference. 

 Brown's " Fossil Conchology of Britain and Ireland " appeared 

 in 1839, and Brodie's "History of the Fossil Insects of 

 England" in 1845. Phillips' illustration of the geology of 

 Yorkshire, 1829-36, and his work on the "Palceozoic Fossils of 

 Cornwall, Devonshire, and West Somerset," 1843, contained a 

 great deal of original matter in regard to fossil remains. 

 Morris's "Catalogue of British Fossils," issued in 1843, and the 

 later edition in 1854, is most useful to the working palsconto- 

 logist. The memoirs of Davidson on the Brachiopoda, 

 Edwards, Fcrbe<, Morris, Lycett, Sharpe, and Wood, on other 

 MoUusca, Wright on the Echinoderms, Salter on Crustacea, 

 Busk on Folyzoa, Jones on the Entomostraca, and Duncan and 

 Lonsdale on Corals, are of especial value. King's volume on 

 Permian Fossils, Mantel's varioas memoirs, Dixon's work on the 

 Fossils of Sussex, 1850, and McCoy's works on Paltcozoic Fossils 

 all deserve honourable mention. Sedgwick, Murchison, and 

 Lyell, although their greatest services were in systematic 

 geology, each contributed important results to the kindred 

 science of paLxontology during the period we are reviewing. 



In Germany, Schlotheim's treatise, "Die Petrifactenkunde," 

 published at Gotha in 1820, did much to promote a general 

 interest in fossils. By far the most important work issued on 

 this subject was the "Petrifacta Germanica," by Goldfuss, in 

 three folio volumes, 1826 to 1844, which has lost little of its 

 value. Bronn's " Geschichte der Natur," 1841 46, was a work 

 of great labour, and one of the most useful in the literature of 

 this period. The author gave a list of all the known fossil 

 species, with full reference, and also their distribution through 

 the various formations. This gave exact data on which to base 

 generalisations, hitherto of comparatively little value. 



Among other early works of interest in this department may 

 be mentioned Dalman's memoir on " Trilobites," 1828, and 

 Burmeistcr's on the same subject, 1843. Giebel's well-known 

 "Fauna der Vorvvelt," 1847 1856, gave lists of all the fossils 

 described up to that time, and hence is a very useful work. The 

 "Eethsea Geognostica" by Bronn, 1834-38, and the second 

 edition by Bronn and Koemer, 1846-56, is a comprehensive 

 general treatise on pala;ontology, and the most valuable work of 

 the kind yet published. 



The researches of Ehrenberg, in regard to the lowest forms 

 of animals and plants, threw much light on various points in 

 palaeontology, and show ed the origin of extensive deposits, the 

 nature of which had before been in doubt. Von Buch, Barrande, 

 Beyrich, Uerendt, Dunker, Geinitz, Heer, Hdrnes, Klipstein, 

 von Munster, keuss, Roemer, Sandberger, Suess, von Hagenow, 

 von Hauer, Zeiten, and many others, all aided in the advance- 

 ment of this branch of science. Angelin, Hisingcr, and Nilsson, 

 in Scandinavia ; Abich, De Waldheim, Eichwald, Keyserling, 

 Kutorga, Nordman, Pander, Kouillier, and Volborth, in Russia ; 

 and Pusch in Poland, published important results on fossil inver- 

 tebrates. 



The impetus given by Cuvier to the study of vertebrate 

 fossils extended over Europe, and great efforts were made to 

 continue discoveries in the direction he had so admirably pointed 

 out. 



Louis Agassiz (1807-73), ^ PT'' of Cuvier, and long an 

 honoured member of this as^ociation, attained eminence in the 

 study of ancient as well as of recent life. His great work on 



Fossil Fishes' deserves to rank next to Cuvier's " Ossemens 

 fossiles." The latter contained mainly fossil mammals and 

 reptiles, while the fishes were left without a historian till Agassiz 

 began his investigations. His studies had admirably fitted him 

 for the task, and his industry brought together a vast array of 

 facts bearing on the subject. The value of this grand work 

 consists not only in its faithful descriptions and plates, but also 

 in the more profound results it contained. Agassiz first showed 

 that there is a correspondence between the succession of fishes 

 in the rocks, and their embryonal development. This is now 

 thought to be one of the strongest points in favour of evolution, 

 although its author interpreted the facts as bearing the other way. 

 Pander's memoirs on the fossil fishes of Russia form a worthy 

 supplement to Agassiz's classic work. Brandt's publications are 

 likewise of great value ; and those of Lund, in Sweden, have an 

 especial interest to Americans, in consequence of his researchc s 

 in the caves of Brazil. 



Croizet and Jobert's " Recherches sur les Ossemens fossiles du 

 Departement du Puy-de-D6me," published in 1828,- contained 

 valuable results in regard to fossil mammals. Geoffroy St. 

 Hilaire's researches on fossil reptiles, publi'-hed in 1831, were 

 an important advance. De .Seires and De Christol's explorations 

 in the caverns in the south of France, published between 1829 

 and 1839, were of much value. Schmerling's researches in the 

 caverns of Belgium, published in 1833-36, were especially im- 

 portant on account of the discovery of human remains mingled 

 with those of extinct animals. Deslongchamp's memoirs on 

 fossil reptiles, 1835, are still of great interest. Pictet's general 

 treatise on paleontology was a valuable addition to the litera- 

 ture, and has done much to encourage the study of fossils.^ De 

 Blainville, in his grand work, "Osteographie," issued in 1839-56, 

 brought together the remains of living and extinct vertebrates, 

 forming a series of the greatest value for study. Aymard and 

 Pomel's contributions to vertebrate palaeontology are both of 

 value. Gervais and Lartct added much to our knowledge of the 

 subject, and Bravard and Heljert's memoirs are well kno\vn._ 



The brilliant discoveries of Cuvier in the Paris Basin excited 

 great interest in England, and when it was found that the same 

 tertiary strata existed in the south of England, careful search 

 was made for vertebrate fossils. Remains of some of the same 

 genera described by Cuvier were soon discovered, and other ex- 

 tinct animals new to science were found i 1 various parts of the 

 kingdom. Kbnig, to whom we owe the name Ichthyosaunis, 

 and Conybeare, wlio gave the generic designation Pleisosaurus, 

 and aho Mososaunis, were among the earliest writers in England 

 on fossil reptiles. The discovery of these three extinct types, 

 and the discussion as to their nature, forms a most interesting 

 chapter in the annals of palaeontology. The discovery of the 

 Igicanodon, by Mantell, and the Megalosaurus, by Buckland, 

 excited still higher interest. These great reptiles differed much 

 more widely from living forms than the mammals described by 

 Cuvier, and the period in which they lived soon became know n 

 as the "age of reptiles." The subsequent researches of these 

 authors added largely to the existing knowledge of various ex- 

 tinct forms, and their writings did much to arouse public interest 

 in the subject. 



Richard Owen, a pupil of Cuvier, followed, and brought to 

 bear upon the subject an extensive knowledge of comparative 

 anatomy, and a wide acquaintance with existing forms. His 

 contributions have enriched almost every department of palaeonto- 

 logy, and of extinct vertebrates especially he has been, since 

 Cuvier, the chief historian. The fossil reptiles of England he 

 has systematically described, as well as those of South Africa. 

 The extinct struthious birds of New Zealand he has made knov n 

 to science, and accurately described in extended memoirs. His 

 researches on the fossil mammals of Great Britain, the extinct 

 Edentates of South America, and the ancient Marsupials of 

 Australia, each forms an important chapter in the history of our 

 science. 



The personal researches of Falconer andCautleyin theSivalik 

 Hills of India brought to light a marvellous vertebrate fauna of 

 pliocene age. The remains thus secured were made known in 

 their great work -"Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis," published in 

 London in 1845. The important contributions of Egerton to 

 our knowledge of fossil fishes and Jardine's well-known work, 

 ' ' Ichnology of Annandale,", also belong to this period. 

 The study of vertebrate fossils in Germany was prosecuted 



' " Recherches sur les Poissons fossiles," 1833-45. , o .« 



' "Trailc'dWmentaire do Paldontoliigie," etc., Geneve. 4 vol*. l844-4«>. 

 Second Edition. Paris, 1853-55. 



