TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION C. 583 



appeared bits of an amber-coloured or yellow semi-transparent film, and very rarely 

 a roimd yellow circular body surrounded by a broad band, wbicb be tbougbt migbt 

 possibly be Diatomaceae. At anotber time be recognised a group of eleven mucb 

 smaller forms, sbowng annular structure, wbicb, under the circumstances, were 

 most interesting and important ; but wbilst be was preparing to protect tbem by a 

 cell-covering tbey dried, sbrivelled up, and were lost. From what was said below 

 be believed the latter to be ova or gemmides, and the coloured film possibly even 

 an outer membrane, wbicb bitberto bad not been recognised in Foraminifera, 

 through wbicb the pseudopodial tubuli passed into the water. 



The evidence thus adduced that the Eozoon Canadense is organic was to himself 

 most convincing, and may be to the most sceptical ; but should it be replied, ' It is 

 true you have found traces of organic life in the Laurentian beds, but does it neces- 

 sarily follow that they belong to Eozoon, and that it is a member of the animal 

 kingdom ? ' to such objectors he had further confirmatory evidence of a most inte- 

 resting character to ofier. Amongst his duplicate fossils he had several specimens 

 of Nummtdites leevigatMS, to which Dr. Cai-penter and others consider Eozoon to be 

 allied, and some smaller forms, possibly the young of that shell, but of which he 

 was not quite certain. An examination of their structure showed the mycelium 

 growth, fine as the finest spider's web, as in Eozoon, which appeared to be attached 

 to the outer wall of the shell, and also, as in Eozoon, there appeared to be a membrane 

 of the thinnest kmd, through which the sarcode of the animal passed as pseudopodia. 

 Transparent crystalline alga-hke fibre was abundant, and in a partly decalcified 

 specimen he had this standing out freely. Then he had separated from the shell 

 closely-packed bands like a transparent network, or compressed together like a bit 

 of recent woollen fibre. Very minute in size may be seen yellow woim-like rami- 

 fying fibres, which at first he thought might be parasitic fungi, but he was at present 

 disposed to think they were too much mixed up with the animal sarcode to admit 

 of this supposition. 



There are, then, continual larger patches of yellowish branching ramified fibre, 

 passing into broader or thinner bands, -with network meshes, together with sarcode 

 or protoplasmic matter, so that it appears as if the whole or the greater portion of 

 the body of the Tertiary Nummulite was preserved. Scattered ^ath these materials 

 there are numerous amber-coloured granules, either single or in patches, which 

 were supposed to be the gemmules or ova of the animal. There were also present 

 pieces of the deep yellow, emerald green, and olive-coloured fibre, absolutely undis- 

 tingmshable from those obtained from Eozoon. And lastly, in a mineralised speci- 

 men there were casts in iron pyrites of the tubes, cells, and chambers of the interior 

 of the Nummulite, including many minute rounded spheres. These appear to 

 represent, and to be identical with, the infiltrated serpentinous casts which are 

 present under the same circumstances in Eozoon. 



Rather from curiosity than expecting to make any favourable comparisons he 

 had just examined the minute cells of Globigerina, brought up by the Challenger 

 from the bottom of the Atlantic, and in them he also found traces of fibre and 

 minute coloured fungi-like bodies, similar to those above referred to. 



From the evidence thus adduced it will be seen that there is an actual parallelism 

 between Eozoon and Foraminifera of more recent times, even to the minutest struc- 

 ture of the animals themselves. That the muscular fibre, the soft body, and 

 possibly even the ova of a creature, which as yet reveals to us the earliest trace of 

 animated existence, should have been preserved, is more than we could have antici- 

 pated. Although ages have passed away, and many miles of rock have intervened 

 between it and its living representatives, it tells us that the same natural law which 

 regulates all life has been continuous and permanent throughout. 



Eozoon is at present happily named, but there seems no reason why, if we could 

 discover beds still older than the Laurentians, we should not find earlier and still 

 earlier dawns of animal life. Nor did he think that Eozoon lived alone, but that 

 not only contemporary with it, but in the enormous thickness of beds intervening 

 between it and the Cambrian rocks, connecting links of organic life may stiU reward 

 the geological investigator. 



