THE CPcUST OF THE EARTH. 



animal remains have been found in these transition-rocks, no 

 traces of vegetables were discovered there, from which it was 

 inferred that the existence of animal life upon the globe preceded 

 that of vegetation. M. d'Orbigny has shown, however, that 

 such is not the case. The remains of various marine plants 

 have been found by Mj;. Hall in the lower Silurian strata in the 

 State of New York. The coal-mines of Vallongo, in Portugal, 

 are in the same strata; and the richest coal deposits of Spain 

 are in the Devonian formation. It must, therefore, be considered 

 that animal and vegetable life were always co-existent, as indeed 

 is apparent, a priori, inasmuch as animals which do not feed on 

 each other must necessarily feed on vegetables. 



Organic remains of animals have been found in the superior 

 layers of transition-rocks, which present singular interest as being 

 the earliest examples of life traceable in the growth of the earth. 

 It would seem, that after the external parts of the igneous matter 

 had been hardened by the process of cooling, the first sedimen- 

 tary layers deposited upon it became the habitation of certain 

 races of organised beings. 



36. Among these the researches and observations of Professor 

 Phillips have brought to light various species of small fish, and there 

 have been found, near Llampeter in North Wales, in the same strata, 

 traces of a species which the late Mr. William Macleay, a profound 



Fig. 5. 



naturalist, pronounced to be a sea- worm of the class of Annelidans, 

 being the first in Cuvier's classification of articulated animals. 

 44 



