134 Eepoet of the State Geologist. 



so that no character which could possibly be preserved should 

 elude their investigation. Even in our days it is the geologists 

 who have made the most numerous discoveries in Palaeon- 

 tology, but many signs indicate that in France as well as in 

 other lands, the time has arrived when pure Palaeontology must 

 occupy the best energies of students devoting themselves exclu- 

 sively to it. 



§ 2. History of Palaeontology. 



Division of the subject. — The history of Palaeontology has been 

 written at various times by eminent students : Brocchi,* 

 d'Archiacf and Lyell,:j: have successively recounted the gradual 

 efforts by which this science was created. Up to the close of the 

 last century its progress was vague ; the profound study of fos- 

 sils was neglected and essays in that direction often lost them- 

 selves in purely theoretical discussions. Cuvier brilliantly 

 inaugurated a new period, and must be considered as the true 

 founder of Palaeontology as well as of Comparative Anatomy. 

 Half a century later the acceptation of the ideas of Darwin by 

 the great majority of the learned world gave a new direction to 

 palaeontologic studies; the end to be attained became better 

 defined, the investigations were pushed farther, and adepts in the 

 long neglected science became more and more numerous. 



The history of Palaeontology may then be divided into three 

 periods of unequal length and importance. We shall be very 

 brief about what concerns the first essays before the time of 

 Cuvier. 



First period. — It is necessary to go back to Herodotus to find 

 the first mention of fossils. It is curious to verify the exactitude 

 of the opinion formulated by that ingenious historian; he says 

 the priests of Egypt were acquainted with fossil shells ; attributed 

 to them a marine origin, and drew the conclusion that Egypt was 

 formerly under water. This conjecture of ages so long past 

 is at the present day an evident truth. Some scientists have 

 thought to find also in Anaximakder the first indication of the 



♦ Brocchl, Conch. Foss. Subap.; Disc, sul progress! dello studio ...1842. 

 td'Archiac, Histoire des Progrfes de U Geologic de 1834 a 1835 (1842). 

 *Lyell, Principles of Geology, Ch. I-IV. 



