LECTURE III 



THE ARGUMENT FROM PALEONTOLOGY 



J In the first lecture we discussed the theory of Evo- 

 lution, which claimed that animals now living are the 

 descendants of those that lived formerly. We found 

 the objection to the theory to be that animals which 

 lived formerly were unlike those now living, and 

 therefore that modification was necessary. In the 

 second lecture, we saw how this objection was met 

 by the theory of Natural Selection, and that causes 

 were shown to be in existence not only competent 

 to give rise to modification, but inevitably leading 

 to it. 



Let us now test this theory by seeing whether or 

 not it is in accordance with the facts with which it 

 has to deal. There is no possible doubt as to which 

 series of facts we must deal with first. We must 

 unearth these ancestors, put them in the witness-box, 

 examine and cross-examine them, and see whether 

 they support our case or not. 



Let us first examine the Crust of the Earth, and 

 its great division into Stratified and Igneous rocks. 

 A headland, for example, consists of stratified rocks ; 

 the waves eat away the shore, and the cliffs fall in ; 

 streams carry down the mud and sand ultimately 



