4A 



defined them, America, for most excellent reasons, took no 

 part. In the present century, during the third period, appear 

 the names of Bigsby, Green, Morton, Mitchell, Rafinesque, 

 Say, and Troost, all of whom deserve mention. More recently, 

 the researches of Conrad, Dana, Deane, DeKay, Emmons, 

 Gibbes, Hitchcock, Holmes, Lea, McChesney, Owen, Redfield, 

 Rogers, Shumard, Swallow, and many others, have enlarged 

 our knowledge of the fossils of this country. 



The contributions of James Hall to the Invertebrate Palaeon- 

 tology of this country form the basis of our jiresent knowledge 

 of the subject. The extensive labors of Meek in the same 

 department are likewise entitled to great credit, and will form 

 an important chapter in the history of the science. The 

 memoirs of Billings, Gabb, Scudder, "White, and Whitfield are 

 numerous and important ; and the publications of Derby, 

 Hartt, James, Miller, Shaler, Bathburn, and Winchell, are also 

 of value. To Dawson, Lesquereux, and Newberry, we mainly 

 owe our present knowledge of the fossil plants of this country. 



The foundation of our vertebrate Palaeontology was laid by 

 Leidy, whose contributions have enriched nearly every depart- 

 ment of the subject. The numerous publications of Cope are 

 well known. Agassiz, Allen, Baird, Dawson, Deane, DeKay, 

 Emmons, Gibbes, -Harlan, Hitchcock, Jefferson, Lea, LeConte, 

 Newberry, Redfield, St. John, "Warren, Whitney, Worthen, 

 Wyman, and others, have all added to our knowledge of 

 American fossil vertebrates. The chief results in this dej)art- 

 ment of our subject, I have already laid before you on a 

 previous occasion, and hence need not dwell upon them here. 



In this rapid sketch of the history of Palaeontology, I have 

 thought it best to speak of the earlier periods more in detail, as 

 they are less generall) 7 known, and especially as they indicate 

 the growth of the science, and the obstacles it had to surmount. 

 With the present work in palaeontology, moreover, you are all 

 more or less familiar, as the results are now part of the current 

 literature. To assign every important discovery to its author, 



