74 ON THE REVOLUTIONS OF 



lieving) that elephants, rhinoceroses, elks and fossil hears, differ no 

 more from those of the present time, than the race of dogs differ from 

 each other — we cannot thence determine the identity of the species, 

 because the race of dogs has been subjected to the influence of domes- 

 tication, to which these other animals have not nor could not have 

 been compelled or induced to submit. 



Besides, when I assert that the rocky beds contain the bones of va- 

 rious genera, and the shifting or alluvial strata those of many species 

 which no longer exist, I do not mean to allege that a new creation 

 was necessary to produce the species now existing ; I only maintain 

 that they did not exist in the places where we now see them, and that 

 they must have been deposited there by some other means. 



For instance, let us suppose that a great irruption of the sea covers, 

 with a mass of sand, or other accumulation, the continent of New 

 Holland ; it would bury the carcases of the kangaroos, phascolomys, 

 dasyuras, perameles, flying phalanger, echidna, and ornithorynchus, 

 and would entirely destroy the species of all these genera, since none 

 of them now exist in any other country. 



Suppose that the same revolution were to leave dry the multiplied 

 small straits which separate New Holland from the continent of Asia, 

 it would open a way for the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, horse, 

 camel, tiger, and all other Asiatic quadrupeds, which would come and 

 people a land in which they were before unknown. 



If a naturalist, after having well studied the living species, were to 

 lay open the soil on which they live, he would find the remains of very 

 different animals. 



What New Holland would become, were this supposition realized, 

 Europe, Siberia, and a great portion of America really are ; and it may 

 one day be discovered in the examination of other countries, and even 

 of New Holland itself, that they have all experienced similar revolu- 

 tions — I should say nearly all mutual exchanges of productions ; for, 

 to carry the supposition still farther, after this transport of Asiatic 

 animals into New Holland, let us allow that a second revolution de- 

 stroyed Asia, their original country ; those who should discover them 

 in New Holland, their second country, would be as much embarrassed 

 to find out whence they came, as we now are to discover the origin of 

 those which are found in our own countries. 



I now proceed to apply this reasoning to the human species. 



There are no Fossil Human Bones. 



It is a fact, that as yet no human bones have been discovered amongst 

 fossil remains ; this is an additional proof that the fossil races were not 



