rU' 



620 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



J I 



1 



Moreover, we firmly believe that the exceedingly 

 mperfect and fragmentary palxontological record may 

 be much more intelligibly read in accordance with our 

 views than with those which are at the present time 

 most commonly accepted. The task itself, however 

 we must leave to other and more competent persons. 

 We will merely state that the continued existence of 

 low types throughout the geologic strata from the Silu- 

 rian system upwards, and, amongst higher types, the 

 constant admixture of previously known forms with 

 others altogether new, will be found quite consistent 

 .with the notion of a continual surging up through all 

 geologic time of freshly-evolved, lower forms of life 

 representatives of which, as they become more and 

 more highly organized, mix, in successive epochs, with 

 those of their predecessors which still remain. Thus 

 there would always be a continual striving onwards 

 of old and new alike, 

 which the direction of development and the sum- 

 total of surrounding conditions at the time rendered 

 possible. 



These considerations would 

 expect that, whilst more or less similarity would be 

 likely to exist between the lower forms of life which 



have existed at different periods of the Earth's history, 



tered 



towards those highest goals 



moreover, lead us to 



more and more 



divergence might be 



encoun 



amongst much higher aquatic or aerial types whose 

 ancestors may have lived through long geologic ages. 



Amongst such forms, considerable diversity may be 



^' \ perhaps 



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edto 



,e otherwise 

 g such line^ 



.g at diffe 



iKializations, 



been more 



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Silurian ej 



oflded in all 



of a rema 



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