28 



which seemed to have proceeded from the deluge — why so many 

 beings were created, as it appears, for the purpose of being 

 destroyed — are questions which I presume not to answer." 



William Buckland (1784-1856), published in 1823 his cele- 

 brated "jReiiquiw DiZuvianoi" in which he gave the results of 

 his own observations in regard to the animal remains found in 

 the caves, fissures and alluvial gravels of England. The facts 

 presented are of great value, and the work was long a model 

 for similar researches. Buckland's conclusions were, that none 

 of the human remains disco vered in the caves were as old as 

 the extinct mammals found with them, and that the Deluge 

 was universal. In speaking of fossil bones found in the 

 Himalaya mountains, he says : " The occurrence of these bones 

 at such an enormous elevation in the region of eternal snow, 

 and consequently in a spot now unfrequented by such animals 

 as the horse and deer, can, I think, be explained only by siip- 

 posing them to be of antediluvian origin, and that the carcasses 

 of the animals were drifted to their present place, and lodged 

 in sand, by the diluvial waters." 



The foundation of the " Geological Society of London," in 

 1807, marks an important point in the history of palaeontology. 

 To carefully collect materials for future generalizations, was 

 the object in view, and this organization gradually became 

 the centre in Great Britain for those interested in geological 

 science. The society was incorporated in 1826, and has since 

 been the leading organization in Europe for the advancement 

 of the sciences within its field. The Geological Society of 

 France, established at Paris in 1832, and the German Geologi- 

 cal Society, founded at Berlin in 1848, have likewise contribu- 

 ted largely to geological investigations in these countries, and 

 to some extent in other parts of the world. In the publications 

 of these three societies, the student of palaeontology will find a 

 mine of valuable materials for his work. 



The systematic study of fossil Plants may be said to date 

 from the publication of Adolphe Brongniart's 



