OF CREATION. 91 



under similar circumstances in newer beds, (as in the 

 oolites and wealden,) the remains of land reptiles, 

 and even of mammals, have been discovered. 



All that can be made out from the fresh-water 

 limestones and other beds of the coal-measures is, 

 that at this period a few insects were in existence, 

 and were associated with some very minute crusta- 

 ceans (the annexed diagram will give an idea of one 

 of these) and several shell-fish. No fragment of a 

 quadruped, bird, or reptile has, however, yet been 

 obtained from any of the Fig. 32 



carboniferous strata in 

 any part of the world, al- 

 though there are not want- 

 ing in some of the sand- 

 stones associated with 

 the coal of North Ame- 

 rica distinct indications 

 of foot-prints referred 

 to birds and perhaps 

 reptiles. 



The inhabitants of the CVPRKLLA. 



-> . i , . n The smaller figure is of the natural 



sea during the carbonife- size. 



rous period are, as might be expected, much more 

 clearly made out than those of the land; and their 

 remains are in many cases very abundant, and suffi- 

 ciently distinctive to enable us to determine the mo- 

 difications and changes that had taken place since 

 the deposition of the first fossiliferous bed. 



And, first, with regard to the corals, we find in- 

 deed new species, but the differences are small and 

 unimportant. The encrinites, so similar to the coral 

 animal in some respects, had also been replaced by 



