96 THE GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCES 



faunas. And were no further evidence presented 

 than that which is embodied in the three shells 

 under consideration, the objection taken would be 

 allowed full weight. But when it can be shown, 

 as can very readily be done in the present 

 instance, that the Pliocene Floridian fauna, which 

 is in geological time the fauna immediately pre- 

 ceding the present one, already embraces many 

 of the forms that are now living, and a host of 

 others that are strictly representative of, although 

 not identical with, living forms ; and further, 

 that some of the forms, as the strombs, exhibit a 

 remarkable tendency to variation or convergent 

 modification, the objection loses all force, since 

 it is distinctly opposed to the interpretation of 

 fact and common sense. Manifestly, paleon- 

 tology can offer no direct testimony to trans- 

 mutation beyond that which a common-sense 

 interpretation of facts will allow. But the evi- 

 dence is approximately of the same nature as 

 that which permits us to interpret a very large 

 proportion of the phenomena about us without 



