PREFACE 



" f | ^HE following pages are dedicated to the service 

 J_ of those Admirers of Fossils who have not yet 

 entered into a strict examination of the dis- 

 tinctive characters of these interesting substances." 

 Thus, almost a century ago, James Parkinson opened 

 his Outlines of Oryctology. The " Study of Fossil 

 Organic Remains" has advanced so far that the 

 monographs of its pioneers retain little more than 

 bibliographic and historical values. The apostolic 

 succession of Palaeontologists is one of progress; 

 while the great names of old are rightly held in 

 reverence, the opinions and philosophies of early 

 workers have no better claim to authority than the 

 upstart " heresies " of the current generation. The 

 truths that they discovered must endure for all time 

 as imperishable foundations for the Science; their 

 theories must be tried in the fire kindled by their 

 research. If the test ends in destruction of old beliefs, 

 let it be remembered that theory and hypothesis are 

 the fuel without which the flame of Science would 

 soon grow dim ; and from the furnace flows an ever- 

 growing stream of pure knowledge. 



Nevertheless, the sentence quoted expresses the 

 purpose and dedication of this book. Fossils are still 

 objects of admiration (in both senses of the word), 



b V 



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