FOSSILS 



Have you ever been to the seashore and watched 

 the waves come rolUng up over the beach? Have you 

 ever noticed how one wave will roll up and leave its 

 burden of shells or seaweed, and then hurry back to 

 give the next wave its turn? 



Sometimes the next wave will be higher and will 

 push the seaweed farther up on the beach ; but if the 

 tide is going out the wave will not reach so far, and 

 the seaweed and the shells will be left upon the sand 

 until the next tide comes in. It may be that the 

 waves of the next tide will bring in quantities of sand 

 which will cover all the shells and seaweed, and leave 

 the beach as clean as if there had never been anything 

 there excepting the smooth, white sand. But under- 

 neath, the shells and seaweed lie flat and close, while 

 the wet sand is piled higher and higher over them. 



Now in that long ago time that we have been tell- 

 ing about, the waves did just the same as they do 

 now. They would roll up on the sandy beaches and 

 leave shells scattered here and there on the wet sand. 

 Then after the tide had gone out the new tide, coming 

 in, would bring sand, and they would be all nicely 

 covered up, where they would lie undisturbed. 



Sometimes there would be a sudden shower, a 

 shower where the raindrops were very large and beat 

 upon the sand, leaving little dents wherever they 



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