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182 



RELICS OF PRIMEVAL LIFE 



of growing indefinitely by new and living layers 

 covering those that had died, in the manner of some 

 corals. Its life seems to have hrd a definite termina- 

 tion, and when that was reached, an entirely new 

 colony had to be commenced. In this it had more 

 affinity with the Foraminifera, as we now know 

 them, than with the corals, though practically it had 

 the same power with the coral polyps of accumu- 

 lating limestone in the sea-bottom, a power indeed 

 still possessed by its foraminiferal successors. In 

 the case of coral limestones, we know that a large 

 proportion of these consist, not of continuous reefs, 

 but of fragments of coral mixed with other calcare- 

 ous organisms, spread usually by waves and currents 

 in continuous beds over the sea-bottom. In like 

 manner we find in the limestones containing Eozoon, 

 layers of fragmental matter which shows in places the 

 characteristic structures, and which evidently repre- 

 sents the deb. is swept from the Eozoon masses and 

 reefs by the action of the waves. With this frag- 

 mental matter small rounded organisms to be noticed 

 in the sequel occur ; and while they may be distinct 

 animals resembling the smaller modern species, they 

 may also be the fry of Eozoon, or small portions of 

 its acervuline upper surface floated off in a living 



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