PALEOBOTANY 



587 



problem of their distribution in geologic time is one of 

 absorbing interest and importance. The following table 

 indicates the known distribution of the various plant 

 groups from the earliest geologic time to the present. 



Table VII. — Distribution or Plants in Geologic Time' 



' Modified from Shimer. 



512. Gaps in the Fossil Record. — In the Origin of 

 Species Darwin called attention to the paltry display of 

 fossils in our museums, as evidence of how little we really 

 know of the plant and animal life of past ages. "The 



