THE FEE-ADAMITE EARTH. 



membered, will float upon water. The remains of such would 

 necessarily be washed upon the shore, and cast upon the coasts 

 between high and low water-mark. There, upon the successive 

 returns of the tide, they would be gradually covered with sand or 

 mud, and would thus be buried in the strata to become future 

 fossils. Where such remains are found, therefore, the strata 

 must have been upon the very limits of land and water, upon the 

 strand or coast surrounding continents or islands. If the floating 

 bodies of such animals be dismembered, either by incidental 

 fracture or by the voracious attacks of other living animals, 

 their dismembered parts being, bulk for bulk, heavier than water, 

 would sink, and in such cases would be deposited at the bottom 

 of the sea. It must, therefore, be expected that such dis- 

 membered remains would be sometimes found in the fossil state, 

 in juxtapositioa with the complete remains of animals which live 

 exclusively in the bottoms of deep seas ; and such, in fact, is 

 found to be the case. But from these indications, rightly under- 

 stood, no doubt can arise, since in no case is the entire body of 

 such an animal found in such a position. 



233. Other marine animals live not on the very coasts of the 

 sea, nor yet in very deep waters, but frequent the littoral parts of 

 seas and oceans, and in the bottom of these their remains are 

 accordingly found. 



Without going, with any degree of tedious minuteness, into 

 the zoological characteristics of the several marine tribes, it will, 

 therefore, be understood, that the deposition of the complete 

 remains of certain species can only take place on the coasts of 

 seas and oceans between high and low water-mark, the deposition 

 of others on the littoral parts, and of others again in the bottoms 

 of deep seas. 



Thus, according to the varying zoological characteristics of the 

 organic remains, the geologist is enabled to pronounce in a definite 

 manner upon the outlines of land and water. 



234. The bodies of dead animals and uprooted vegetables are 

 carried by the currents of rivers to their embouchures, and are 

 there deposited, mixed with certain species of marine animals. 

 Thus, the combination of fresh- water shells, land animals, and 

 plants, with the remains of marine animals, are the sure indi- 

 cations of the embouchures of rivers and estuaries. 



235. Having explained the indications by which the outlines of 

 sea and land and the animal and vegetable kingdoms correspond- 

 ing to them at each epoch of geological time can be determined, 

 with more or less approximation, we shall proceed to relate the 

 history of the earth, from the first appearance of animated nature 

 upon it to the present epoch. It will, however, be convenient 



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