﻿224 
  DR. 
  J. 
  CROLL 
  OX 
  PREVAILING 
  MISCONCEPTIONS 
  REGARDING 
  

  

  existing 
  land-surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  globe. 
  But 
  probably 
  not 
  a 
  vestige 
  of 
  

   this 
  will 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  stratified 
  beds 
  of 
  future 
  ages, 
  formed 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  land-surfaces. 
  Even 
  the 
  very 
  Arctic 
  

   shell-beds 
  themselves, 
  which 
  have 
  afforded 
  to 
  the 
  geologist 
  such 
  

   clear 
  proofs 
  of 
  a 
  frozen 
  sea 
  during 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch, 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  those 
  stratified 
  rocks 
  ; 
  for 
  they 
  must 
  suffer 
  destruction 
  

   along 
  with 
  everything 
  else 
  which 
  now 
  exists 
  above 
  the 
  sea-level. 
  

   There 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  relic 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch 
  which 
  has 
  

   ever 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  man 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  treasured 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

   stratified 
  rocks 
  of 
  future 
  ages. 
  jNothing 
  that 
  does 
  not 
  lie 
  buried 
  in 
  

   the 
  deeper 
  recesses 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  will 
  escape 
  complete 
  disintegration 
  

   and 
  appear 
  imbedded 
  in 
  those 
  formations. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  those 
  objects 
  

   w 
  T 
  hich 
  lie 
  in 
  our 
  existing 
  sea-bottoms 
  that 
  will 
  remain 
  as 
  monuments 
  

   of 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch 
  of 
  the 
  Post-tertiary 
  period. 
  And, 
  moreover, 
  it 
  

   will 
  only 
  be 
  those 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  sea-bottoms 
  that 
  ma}* 
  happen 
  to 
  

   be 
  upraised 
  into 
  dry 
  land 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  available 
  to 
  the 
  geologist 
  of 
  

   future 
  ages. 
  The 
  point 
  is 
  this 
  : 
  — 
  Is 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  geologist 
  

   of 
  the 
  future 
  will 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  rocks 
  formed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  now 
  existing 
  

   sea-bottoms 
  more 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  glacial 
  epoch 
  during 
  Post-tertiary 
  

   times 
  than 
  we 
  now 
  do 
  of 
  one 
  during, 
  say, 
  the 
  Miocene, 
  the 
  Eocene, 
  

   or 
  the 
  Permian 
  period 
  ? 
  Unless 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case, 
  

   we 
  have 
  no 
  ground 
  whatever 
  to 
  conclude 
  that 
  the 
  cold 
  periods 
  of 
  

   the 
  Miocene, 
  Eocene, 
  and 
  Permian 
  periods 
  were 
  not 
  as 
  severe 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch. 
  This 
  is 
  evident 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  only 
  relics 
  which 
  

   now 
  remain 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  epochs 
  of 
  those 
  periods 
  are 
  simply 
  what 
  

   happened 
  to 
  be 
  protected 
  in 
  the 
  then 
  existing 
  sea-bottoms. 
  Every 
  

   vestige 
  that 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  land 
  would 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  be 
  destroyed 
  

   by 
  subaerial 
  agency 
  and 
  carried 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  a 
  sedimentary 
  

   form. 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  former 
  glacial 
  periods 
  is 
  one 
  on 
  

   which 
  paleontology 
  can 
  afford 
  but 
  little 
  really 
  reliable 
  information. 
  

   One 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  characteristics 
  of 
  a 
  glacial 
  period 
  is 
  the 
  scarcity 
  or 
  

   comparative 
  absence 
  of 
  plant 
  and 
  animal 
  life. 
  He 
  certainly 
  would 
  

   be 
  a 
  bold 
  geologist 
  who 
  would 
  affirm, 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  a 
  given 
  epoch, 
  

   that 
  because 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  find 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  plant 
  and 
  animal 
  life 
  

   which 
  he 
  considered 
  could 
  have 
  existed 
  under 
  glacial 
  conditions, 
  no 
  

   glacial 
  conditions 
  existed 
  during 
  that 
  epoch 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  so 
  

   seeing 
  how 
  difficult 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  determine 
  with 
  certainty, 
  more 
  especially 
  

   in 
  relation 
  to 
  remote 
  periods, 
  how 
  much 
  cold 
  a 
  plant 
  or 
  an 
  animal 
  

   might 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  endure. 
  

  

  Besides 
  all 
  this, 
  supposing 
  the 
  organic 
  remains 
  of 
  former 
  glacial 
  

   epochs 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  abundance, 
  these 
  remains 
  would 
  probably 
  

   mislead 
  most 
  geologists. 
  For 
  if 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch 
  

   advocated 
  in 
  ' 
  Climate 
  and 
  Time 
  ' 
  be 
  correct, 
  viz., 
  that 
  those 
  epochs 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  alternate 
  cold 
  and 
  warm 
  periods, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  or 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  those 
  remains 
  would 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  

   warm 
  or 
  interglacial 
  periods. 
  A 
  geologist 
  who 
  did 
  not 
  believe 
  in 
  

   interglacial 
  periods, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  those 
  remains, 
  

   would 
  naturally 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  epochs 
  in 
  question 
  

   were 
  warm 
  and 
  equable, 
  not 
  glacial. 
  This 
  disbelief 
  in 
  interglacial 
  

  

  