The PEmciPLES of Palaeontology. 131 



tus. The palaeontologist should then be, before all else, a zoolo- 

 gist or botanist ; he must be capable of discerning characteristics 

 which, though trivial in appearance, have often a prime import- 

 ance, since they enable him to refer the object of his investiga- 

 tion to such or such a group of existing and well-known forms. 

 The interest of Palaeontology would be but mediocre if this 

 science only led to the discovery of forms identical with tho^e 

 at present existing, or at least analogous to these. But, on the 

 contrary, it has revealed to us an immense number of beings 

 which at present are wholly extinct. Those extinct types are in 

 truth not fundamentally different from those which have survived; 

 and we know, for example, no subkingdom, hardly any class 

 indeed which is represented eAclusively by fossils. But there 

 are. entire orders which are not represented in living nature, and 

 it may be said that if animated nature has not undergone an 

 absolute revolution, it has at least experienced profound modifi- 

 cations. This is precisely the most important fact brought to 

 light by the study of fossils It is well known what an import- 

 ant role the doctrine of Evolution plays at present among the 

 natural sciences. A few students, whom we must in truth count 

 among the foremost, still maintain that living species are immuta- 

 ble, and can iii no case be modified and so originate others. But 

 the great majority of naturalists have rallied about the transformist 

 idea. If it is true that both in the animal and vegetable world, 

 species are derived from one another, if there really exist between 

 species, genera, and larger groups veritable ties of derivation, 

 Palaeontology should present us with the best proofs in support 

 of this filiation. The proofs derived from living nature still 

 leave many things uncertain; innumerable gaps occur among 

 the animal and vegetable forms, for these in no wise arrange them- 

 selves in strictly continuous series. May we hope to find in 

 Palaeontology new arguments in favor of the doctrine of trans- 

 formation? Do there exist among the fossils terms of passage 

 which facilitate the establishing of genealogical trees ? Can we 

 discover, in fine, in ancient types, the progenitors of these forms 

 whose origin seems still problematical ? These are, in fact, the 

 important problems which engage the attention of all natural- 

 ists, without exception, who devote themselves to the study of 

 Palaeontology. 



