26 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



in another to continue the species ; and as it is now held by the more 

 advanced geologists that strata of the same kind were not formed all at 

 the same time, but that when they were completed in one portion of 

 the globe they might be only beginning to be formed in another por- 

 tion, so that, although the effect produced by an overwhelming catas- 

 trophe in one portion of the globe might be felt to some extent over 

 all its surface^ its influence would be slight at first in the remoter 

 regions, giving plenty of time for the life of these localities to accom- 

 modate themselves to whatever change in their conditions might result 

 from it, if it was in them so to do. Take as an illustration of the idea 

 which I wish to convey, the case of the Saurians. It is generally 

 accepted that the Saurians of the present are the lineal descendants 

 of some of those of the far past ; although none of their forms which 

 have been found are identical with any of those of the present. The 

 geological record clearly indicates that there was a perioa in 

 the world's history when the Saurians were the ruling power on 

 earth. The conditions were no doubt particularly favorable for 

 them : these are supposed to have been shallow seas of tepid water, 

 an abundance of food, animal and vegetable, and an atmosphere 

 surcharged with carbonic acid gas. They seemed to have fairly 

 revelled in the luxuriance of their surroundings and increased in num- 

 bers, size and diversity of kinds amazingly. But a catastrophe over- 

 took some of them, these were hermetically sealed and placed on 

 the shelves of nature's museum, from whence we take and ex- 

 amine them at our leisure. Others escaped and went on their way 

 for a time, but the conditions were beginning to change ; slowly but 

 steadily they were becoming less and less favorable for them and 

 they could no longer continue their revelling. A real and genuine 

 " struggle for existence" had for them set in with all its natural and 

 necessary accompaniments, and many of the forms finding it too 

 severe for them, gave up the struggle and disappeared from the scene. 

 Some continued it for a longer period, but they too had to succumb to 

 the inevitable and dropped out of view. Others, less particular and 

 with more llasticity in their constitution, accommodated themselves 

 to the evils of their lot, held on their course and made the best they 

 could of it, whilst matters were still going on from bad to worse with 

 them, until, in the present most unfavorable circumstances, all that 

 is left of the royal race of Saurians of the past are a few ridiculous 

 mendicants that existed by a confirmed habit of skulking and a 



