vi INVERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY 



whether their beauty captivates the eye or their 

 complexity bewilders the mind. The brief chapters 

 that follow are designed to encourage those whose 

 interest has been awakened by the former sensation, 

 and to smooth the path for those who require some 

 palaeontological knowledge for furtherance of other 

 studies. The various aspects of the Science are of 

 necessity touched on but lightly. The ground-work 

 of scientific inquiry is no more interesting, and almost 

 less inspiring, than the learning of the alphabet. An 

 average textbook must always bear to the Science of 

 which it treats something of the relation of a Dictionary 

 to Literature ; it is indispensable, but lacks coherence 

 and continuity. A monograph that thrills the soul of 

 a specialist leaves others cold, if not indifferent. At 

 the opposite extreme come the so-called " Popular " 

 treatises on scientific topics. Too often accuracy is 

 therein subordinated to simplicity who could interpret 

 Milton in words of one syllable? 



An attempt has been made here to steer a middle 

 course. The first part of the book, apart from sundry 

 technical details, is intended to show something of 

 what is meant by " Palaeontology." It is a common 

 experience to encounter people who are horror-struck 

 when told that an acquaintance is a Palaeontologist. 

 When it is explained that he " goes in for " fossils, 

 they are satisfied the word is familiar, and they 

 assume that they " know all about " the subject. But 

 translation of Greek into Latin adds nothing to under- 

 standing of the matter concerned. Palaeontology can be 

 called Oryctology, the study of Fossils, or " Antediluvian 

 Biology," but the Science remains the same. It is 

 hoped that the first section of the book may serve to 



