LYELL. 329 



terms were " miocene " and " eocene." The most 

 ancient deposit which was supposed by Lyell to 

 contain evidences of existing genera was at the 

 dawn of the last great geological period, the 

 tertiary. It was called eocene from r/wc, dawn, 

 Kotvog, recent. The next deposits overlying these 

 older ones contained, according to his estimate, 

 seventeen per cent, of living species, all the rest being 

 extinct ; and they were called miocene, from judov, 

 less, and Kalvog, recent ; expressing a minor propor- 

 tion of recent species to that found in the topmost 

 and most recent tertiary deposits. These last con- 

 tain a large proportion of recent species, and are 

 called pliocene, ttXeiov, more, and Koivog, recent. It 

 was a grand theory, which has remained almost 

 unaltered, and it influenced the progress of geology, 

 for it plainly inferred that the living things of the 

 present have been linked with those of the past 

 time by direct descent ; that many forms of life have 

 become extinct, and that there is some wonderful 

 law relating to this. 



About this time many were the geological 

 heresies, and the lovers of the notion of the violent 

 actions of nature evolved theories about volcanoes 

 and the occurrence of vast waves to account for 

 the presence of the great masses of rock which 

 are found strewn far and wide and away from their 

 sources. These Lyell successfully antagonized. 

 He then published the "Elements of Geology," 

 and his time was fully occupied in the meetings of 

 the Geological Society, in criticising work, and in 

 genial scientific society. 



