4O CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



The ice draws back again, pausing in arctic latitudes. But 

 this time there soon appears from the west a race of savage men. 

 The Human Period has dawned in America. Then like a flash in 

 the swift flight of years another race is seen, pouring in ships 

 across the eastern sea. The genii of nature bow as slaves and 

 at their command there rises from earth the apparition of the 

 cities of civilized men. 



In this brief time since the ice fields have retreated and man 

 has mastered the earth, no noteworthy terrestrial changes have 

 taken place. Not even the Glacial soil left by the last retreat of 

 the ice has been washed away. The post-Glacial period may be 

 ten times the length of recorded human history, yet, compared 

 with the work of the preceding ages, it is seen to shrink to nothing 

 in the scale of geologic time. 



THE MEANING OF THE SHIFTING SCENES. 



There comes to us from ancient times the myth of the Titans 

 and their wars against the powers of heaven. They were the 

 twelve lawless giant children of Uranus the lord of heaven and 

 ruler of earth and of Gsea the personification of earth, the 

 primal mother and first-born of Chaos. Because of the menace 

 of their growing strength they were imprisoned by their father 

 in Tartarus, but from these abysses of darkness they were re- 

 leased by their mother, incensed at the fate of her children. They 

 piled mountains on mountains till they climbed to heaven. In 

 wild battle they overthrew and abased their father; and Cronus 

 the youngest of the Titans, sat upon the throne. But the curse of 

 Uranus against his sons was fulfilled. The reign of Cronus 

 came to an end, overthrown in turn by his own son Zeus. He 

 was then compelled to disgorge the children which he had 

 swallowed in vain effort to thwart his father's curse. The re- 

 bellious Titans were again imprisoned ; guards were set to watch 

 them forever, and the gods of sun and sea and rain, the children 

 of the Titans, ruled in their stead. 



Into this ancient myth we, in this latter day, may read more 

 than the early narrators of it knew. Previous to the age of 

 science, the earth was looked upon as changeless since the first 

 creative day. But geology, by interpreting the meaning of cease- 

 lessly moving air and water, and by studying the record of the 



