139-2 The Zoologist — October, 1868. 



the constant death of species, and seeing that there are no manifest 

 signs of that depletion, it seems to follow that a series of creations 

 must have been required to supply the deficiencies caused by death ; 

 and, secondly, that if such creations have supplied, from time to time, 

 such gaps or deficiencies, that they may occur again, and Caucasian 

 man may be dethroned, and a higher race be substituted in his stead 

 as universal monarch. 



I will take the second of these objections first, because the most 

 simple. Seeing that the Almighty originally created man, whether in 

 his present form or as a protogerm from which his present form has 

 been evolved (every one will concede a creation of some hind), it 

 would appear to me an act of insanity to express a doubt as to the 

 continued existence of that creative power; and therefore the possi- 

 bility of the creation of a being superior to the Caucasian must be 

 admitted also. This, however, is nothing more than the admission of 

 an Almighty Existence, and is totally different from expecting or 

 prophesying such an event : so vague and crude a guess is unworthy 

 the diguity of science, because removed so entirely from the possibility 

 of proof. 



The second suggestion stands on a different footing, and, having a 

 direct bearing on the subject under consideration, is open to investi- 

 gation, the rocks themselves being the court of appeal. These un- 

 equivocally reveal the fact that additional species of animals have 

 from time to time made their appearance on the earth's surface. 



The classification of rocks, which was regarded sufficient for our 

 school-days, is also abundantly sufficient for the present inquiry. 

 The igneous rocks contain no evidence of the existence of organized 

 beings ; but no sooner do we examine the superincumbent series, 

 than we find traces of both animal and plant life. That the stratified 

 rocks follow each other in point of antiquity, the lowest being the 

 most ancient, is now universally admitted : I give their order both of 

 position and antiquity according to De la Beche. " 1, Grauwacke, 

 which includes the Silurian of Murchison ; 2nd, the carboniferous, 

 which includes the old red sandstone, the carboniferous limestone 

 and the coal measures; 3rd, the red sandstone; 4th, the oolite ; 5th, 

 the chalk or cretaceous; 6th, the supra-cretaceous, divided by Sir 

 Charles Lyell into the eocene, miocene, older pliocene and newer 

 pliocene; and 7th, the modern." This sequence or system of supra- 

 position has not been called in question, and, together with the 

 author's explanatory note, is still considered sufficient and satisfactory. 



