RECORDS DESTROYED BY FIRE. 25 



the new territory, in the struggle for life, abundant oppor- 

 tunity of developing themselves peculiarly, and of forming 

 new species. This formation of new species has evidently 

 taken place pre-eminently during these intermediate 

 periods, of which, unfortunately, no petrifactions could 

 be preserved, whereas, on the contrary, during the slow 

 sinking of the ground there was more chance of nume- 

 rous species dying out, and of a retrogression into 

 fewer specific forms. The intermediate forms between the 

 old a.nd the newly-forming species must also have lived 

 during the periods of elevation, and consequently could 

 likewise leave no fossil remains. 



In addition to the great and deplorable gaps in the palae- 

 ontological records of creation — which are caused by the 

 periods of elevation — there are, unfortunately, many other 

 circumstances which immensely diminish their value. I 

 must mention here especially the metamo^yhic state of the 

 TTiost ancient formations, of those strata which contain the 

 remains of the most ancient flora and fauna, the original 

 forms of all subsequent organisms, and which, therefore, 

 would be of especial interest. It is just these rocks — and, 

 indeed, the greater part of the primordial, or archiHthic 

 strata, almost the whole of the Laurentian, and a large part 

 of the Cambrian systems — -which no longer contain any 

 recognizable remains, and for the simple reason that these 

 strata have been subsequently changed or metamorphosed 

 by the influence of the fiery fluid interior of the earth. 

 These deepest neptunic strata of the crust have been com- 

 pletely changed from their original condition by the heat 

 of the glowing nucleus of the earth, and have assumed 

 a crystalline state. In this process, however, the form of 



