The Zoologist— Octobku, 18(>8. 1393 



Here is his explanation: — "By a given order of superposition among 

 the fossiliferous rocks, we mean that certain masses of mineral sub- 

 stances, no matter what kind of mineral substances they may be, have 

 been produced at distinct geological periods, one after the other: and 

 that as far as researches have yet extended in Europe, where they 

 hare been most studied, they contain as masses certain assemblages 

 of organic remains not detected in the others ; that is, if , for the 

 sake of illustration, we suppose a series of fossiliferous rocks to rest 

 vpon one another, each would contain organic remains differing as a 

 whole from those discovered in the others eitJter above or below it." 

 In the old red sandstone we find fishes, and as no fishes existed 

 during the Silurian epoch, we may, I think, assume that a creation of 

 fishes took place after the Silurian system was complete. Again, the 

 new red sandstone contains the foot-prints of huge animals, which may 

 have been reptiles, birds or sucklers, but which certainly were not 

 fishes ; therefore another creation must have taken place after the old 

 red sandstone system was complete. Again, the oolite contains three 

 extraordinary creatures, the plesiosaur, the ichthyosaur and the ptero- 

 dactyle, no trace of which has been discovered in lower strata, thus 

 implying their non-existence at an earlier period. Lastly, come the 

 elephant, rhinoceros, tapir, hippopotamus, bear, stag, &c, &c, not 

 found in either of the underlying formations. Now unless we admit 

 the Silurian animals to be the progenitors of the old red sandstone 

 animals, the red sandstone animals to be the progenitors of the oolite 

 animals, and the oolite animals the progenitors of the still more recent 

 elephants, &c, these various creatures must have resulted from a 

 number of creations widely separated as to time ; for it is a very note- 

 worthy fact, and one which I think cannot be called in question, that 

 there does not exist a tittle of evidence to show that the creatures of 

 any supposed era are the descendants of those of a prior era ; if, for 

 instance, the plesiosaur in ten thousand generations had culminated 

 in an elephant, or the pterodactyle in a stag (I take the names at 

 random), there must have existed ten thousand forms intermediate 

 between each pair of extremes. " Why then," says Mr. Darwin, " is 

 not every geological formation and every stratum full of such inter- 

 mediate links ? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely 

 graduated organic chain ; and this perhaps is the most obvious and 

 gravest objection that can be urged against my theory. The ex- 

 planation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the geo- 

 logical record."—' Origin of Species,' p. 280 of the original edition. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. III. 3 B 



