BARON CUVIER. 57 



that they did not exist in the places where we now see them, 

 and that they have come from elsewhere. For example, 

 let us suppose that a great irruption of the sea shall now 

 cover«the continent of New Holland with a mass of sand, 

 or other debris ; the bodies of kangaroos, wombats, dasyuri. 

 j)erameles flying phalangistee echidnse, and ornithorynchi, 

 will be buried under it, and it will entirely destroy every spe- 

 cies, of these genera, since none of them now^ exist in other 

 countries. 



'• Let this same revolution dry up the sea which covers 

 the numerous straits between New Holland and the con- 

 tinent of Asia : it will open a way for the elephant, the 

 rhinoceros, the buffalo, the horse, the camel, the tiger, and 

 all other Asiatic quadrupeds, who will people a country 

 where they have been hitherto unknown. A naturalist 

 afterwards living among them, and by chance searching 

 into the depths of the soil on which this new nature liveS; 

 will fmd the remains of beings wholly different. That 

 which New Holland would be in the above case, Eu- 

 rope, Siberia, and a great part of America are now, and, 

 perhaps, when other countries, and New Holland itself, 

 shall be examined, we shall find that they have all under- 

 gone similar revolutions. I could almost say, a mutual ex- 

 change of productions ; for, carrying the supposition still 

 further, after this transportation of Asiatic animals into 

 New Holland, let us imagine a second revolution, which 

 shall destroy Asia, their primitive country ; those who 

 afterwards see them in New Holland, their second country, 

 will be as embarrassed to know whence they came, as we 

 can be now to find the origin of our own." 



I am aware that the extent of the work of which I am 

 speaking can scarcely be recognized in the few extracts I 

 am able to make, and it is w4th a sort of fearfulness that I 

 cite a few isolated passages, for fear of injuring the rest. 

 There must, however, necessarily be a degree of imperfec- 

 tion where we can only judge by parts, detached from a 

 whole, which is so beautiful when entire; and again im- 

 pressing on my readers that this volume is intended to lay 

 before them the man himself, and describe his labours, not 

 to review or criticise them, I have less hesitation in pro- 

 ceeding. 



