vi CONTENTS. 



creations. 237. Geological periods and stages. 238. Six great 

 formations. 239. Resolution of the earth's crust into 29 stages. 

 240. Six geological ages. 241. Succession of geological periods. 

 242. Zoological terms : four principal divisions of animals. 

 243. Subordinate nomenclature. 244. Table of the classes of 

 animals. 245. Zoological characters of the principal divisions. . 17 



CHAP. III. 246. Derivations of the names. 247. Examples of the 

 classes. 248. Number of fossil species. 249. Their distribution 

 in 29 stages. 250. These stages correspond to 29 periods. 251. 

 Successive manifestations of creative power. 252. First crea- 

 tion of organised beings. 253. General view of the series of 

 catastrophes. 254. The Palaeozoic age : Murchison's section 

 of the corresp( nding stages. 255. How these are manifested in 

 different parts of the world. 256. Stratigraphical evidence of 

 the distinction of the stages. 257. Five stages of the Palaeozoic 

 formation. 258. Vegetable kingdom of the Palaeozoic age. 

 259. FIRST PALAEOZOIC PERIOD : 260. Extent and limits of the 

 seas. 261. Character of the fauna. 262. Of the flora. 

 263. Tropical climate universal. 264. No terrestrial animals. 

 |^-265. Inhabitants of the seas. 266. Synopsis of the animal 

 kingdom. 267. Examples. 268. Duration of this period. 

 269. SECOND PALEOZOIC PERIOD : 270. Synopsis of the animal 

 kingdom. 271. Genera created and revived. 272. General 

 character of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. 273. Outlines 

 of land and water. 274. Elie de Beaumont's Silurian map of 

 Western Europe. THIRD PALAEOZOIC PERIOD : 275. Mineral 

 character of the strata. 276. Table of the Fauna. 277. Mol- 

 lusca and Radiata. 278. Outlines of land and water. 279. 

 Extent of the seas. FOURTH PALAEOZOIC PERIOD : 280. Table 

 of the fauna. 281. Fossil Crustacea. 282. Mollusca and 

 Radiata . 33 



CHAP. IV. 283. Outlines of land and water. 284. The vegetable 

 kingdom. 285. Coal deposits. 286. Convulsions which termi- 

 nated the period. FIFTH PALEOZOIC PERIOD :. 287. Composition 

 of the strata 288. Destruction of the fauna and flora of preced- 

 ing period. 289. The new animal kingdom. 290. Outlines of 

 land and water. 291. Changes of the continents. 292. 

 Character of the fauna. 293. Absence of land animals 

 uniformity of climate. 294. Geological convulsions. RETROSPECT 

 AND RECAPITULATION OF THE PALEOZOIC AGE : 295. Commence- 

 ment of animalisation. 296. Prevailing forms. 297. Trilobites. 

 298. Characteristics of the carboniferous stage. 299. Car- 

 bonised vegetables. 300. Fossil vegetable species. 301. Their 

 prevailing characters. 302. Contrasted with the present vege- 

 table kingdom in the same localities. 303. Radiata of the 

 carboniferous period. 304. Crustacea and insects. 305. Fossil 

 scorpions. 306. Fishes of the carboniferous period. 307. 

 Fossil fishes discovered by M. Agassiz. Triassic Age. 

 308. Triassic formation lies over the Palaeozoic. 309. 

 Geographical configuration Map of France in Triassic age. 

 310. Vegetation. FIRST TRIASSIC PERIOD : 311. Outlines of 



