OF CREATION 73 



CHAPTER V. 



THE APPEARANCE OF LAND AND THE INTRODUCTION OF LAND 

 VEGETABLES. THE CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 



THE period of the silurian rocks and the old red 

 sandstone may then be considered to include the 

 muddy and sandy beds which have now become 

 changed into imperfect slates in Devonshire and the 

 northern part of Europe the coarse pudding-stones 

 of Herefordshire, Scotland, and Russia the mud- 

 stones and muddy limestones of ancient Siluria the 

 slates of Wales and Cumberland, and the nume- 

 rous and varied strata of the same age in other parts 

 of the world. It thus presents, on the whole, a vast 

 natural group of strata, possessing considerable uni- 

 formity of character, and not difficult to recognise; 

 and although often infinitely varied in appearance, 

 even in the same locality, it more properly deserves 

 to be called a universal formation than any other that 

 has come under the notice of Geologists. 



This uniformity of character is worthy of notice, 

 because, after the conclusion of the period in question, 

 a great change seems to have taken place in almost 

 all parts of the world. 



One result of this change is seen in the prepon- 

 derance of carbonate of lime over every other form 

 of submarine deposit during this next period, and in 

 the sudden and remarkable abundance of vegetable 



