

THE HISTORY OF A DISCOVERY 



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the Survey, was examining chemically the rocks 

 and minerals collected, and all Sir William's assist- 

 ants were instructed to search, more especially in 

 the limestones, for anything bearing the aspect of 

 fossils. On the other hand, Dr. Carpenter was in- 

 dependently pursuing his studies of the humbler 

 inhabitants of the modern ocean, and of the manner 

 in which the pores of their skeletons became in- 

 filtrated with mineral matter, and had kindly con- 

 tributed specimens to the collections of the writer 

 in Canada. The discovery of this most ancient 

 fossil was thus not the chance picking up of a rare 

 and curious specimen, but the result of several 

 combined lines of laborious and skilful research. 



The following notice of the persons and incidents 

 connected with its discovery is taken from a pre- 

 vious publication of the writer, with only a little 

 alteration in terms to suit it to the present date. 



The first specimens of Eozoon ever procured, in 

 so far as known, were collected at Burgess, in 

 Ontario, by a veteran Canadian mineralogist, Dr 

 Wilson of Perth, and were sent to Sir William 

 Logan as mineral specimens. Their chief interest 

 at that time lay in the fact that certain lamina. 

 of a dark green mineral present in the specimens 



