PALAEONTOLOGY 1 



In the history of palaeontology there is no nation so 

 rich in memories as France, none held in so great regard 

 by students in almost reverential regard by the 

 student of extinct vertebrates especially, for there his 

 science was born a century ago, and CUVIER was its 

 father. The world's greatest scientist of his time, and 

 one of the greatest naturalists of all time, CUVIER first 

 taught the real meaning of fossils, and especially verte- 

 brate fossils. With him began a new epoch in all palaeon- 

 tology, one based upon zoology; and fossils ceased to be 

 mere curiosities in the rocks, or the mere tools of geology. 



The great Sir Richard OWEN of England was his stu- 

 dent, but all felt the effects of CUVIER 's brilliant mind. 

 DE BLAINVILLE, DESLONGCHAMPS, FILHOL, GERVAIS, 

 MILNE-EDWARDS, SAUVAGE, LARTET, and GAUDRY are 

 among the many Frenchmen of the nineteenth century 

 who won enduring fame wherever vertebrate palaeon- 

 tology is studied; and among those of the present day, 

 DEPERET, BOULE, PRIEM, LERICHE, and THEVENIN, are 

 some of those whose reputations have extended world- 

 wide. 



Nor is invertebrate palaeontology any less indebted to 

 France of the nineteenth, and even the eighteenth 

 centuries. Beginning with the famous BUFFON, who for 

 more than a century was a delight to children every- 

 where, the most noted of all, perhaps, though not ex- 

 clusively a palaeontologist, was LAMARCK, who found in 



1 [Drafting Committee: S. W. WILLISTON, University of Chicago. 

 ED.] 



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