332 BULLETIN 103, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



information to be convincing? Should answers to the questions 

 raised in the preceding two paragraphs be forthcoming, and if we 

 can make reliable estimates of the duration of the Pleistocene, the 

 amount of marine planation while sea level was lowered in the Pleis- 

 tocene might be more nearly approximated. 



In conclusion, I wish to say that the questions and suggestions con- 

 tained in the foregoing remarks have grown out of a study of corals 

 and coral reefs and the phenomena associated with them; and al- 

 though it may have been shown, that corals are not so important as 

 they were once considered to be, geolgists should be grateful for the 

 romantic interest inspired by these lowly animals, for this interest 

 has led us into the presence of some of the profoundest problems of 

 geology. Perhaps the interest will endure and it may lead us to a 

 better understanding of the world of which we form a part. 



