174 REV. G. F. WHIDBORNE, M.A., ON QUESTIONS INVOLVED 
of the earth. That dilemma, therefore, becomes greatly 
intensified by the vast period which has thus to be predicated 
for the existence of life before the earliest of the known 
eeological systems. F 
5 (4). And further the constant discoveries of new forms of 
life in the older formations are yearly increasing this dilemma. 
We are continually finding that various genera, families, and 
even orders, reach a little further back in time than we knew 
before. We are gradually learning that the older formations 
contained a very much larger and more varied fauna than 
has been hitherto supposed. ‘Thus the imperfection of the 
Geological Record becomes constantly more evident. For the 
discovery of new forms only renders the existence of many 
others, yet undiscovered, more probable. And the larger 
these old faunas are found to be, the larger is the field for 
which extreme evolution has to account in pre-fossiliferous 
ages; and therefore the longer is the time required to be 
allowed to those ages for their development. 
5 (5). Further the discovery at the same time of linking 
species or of generalized forms does net lessen this difficulty 
where aberrant or specialized forms exist alongside them; 
for it is the most aberrant and specialized form of any one 
period that has to be traced back to primordial protoplasm 
if the theory of extreme evolution be valid. 
5 (6). Another sphere of probable difficulties lies in the 
general temporal arrangement of related forms. While the 
different formations have each distinctive facies of their 
own and their faunas grade upwards in a most notable 
manner, we not only find the above-mentioned persistently 
stationary forms all through, but also a distinct scattering of 
related forms with very little apparent connection to epoch. 
Thus if a systematic list of the genera of almost any class of 
animals be examined, it is remarkable how completely com- 
mingled the ages of its adjoming genera appear; old and 
new formations occur side by side on many of its pages; and 
it cannot in itself be made the basis of a chronological 
classification. Even where, as in the corals and crinoids 
supposed time-groups have been made the groundwork of 
a physiological classification, that classification has been 
proved by further research to break down. It may of course 
be argued that this only indicates the greatness of the 
number of the “missing links” in it; but, if so, it at least 
leet the greater magnitude of ‘the original chain. 
(7). Akin to this perplexity i is that of the high relative 
