62 ANNUAL REPORT OF 



Ly ell's "Principles of Geology," in von Zittel's "History of 

 Geology and Palaeontology," in Andrew Dickson White's "His- 

 tory of the Conflict oi Science with Theology," in Huxley's "Es- 

 say on the Progress of Palaeontology," and numerous similar 

 works. 



As an example of the persistence with which the minds even 

 of learned men lent themselves to absurd and impossible theories, 

 instead of heeding the sagacious explanations of Fracastoro and 

 others, we may point to one of the early occasions when a scientific 

 body was addressed on the subject of fossil fishes. An instance 

 is furnished by J. P. Maraldi's communication to the French 

 Academy on Veronese fossils, an abstract of which is published 

 in the proceedings of that society for the year 1703. 1 Some 

 general comments on the appearance of Bolca fishes, and others 

 from Sicily and Phoenicia, are followed by suggestions concern- 

 ing their origin, which at the present day seem most curious. 2 



Fossil fishes from the Monte Bolca locality, near Verona, also 

 furnish the subject for an address before the Royal Irish Acad- 

 emy 3 towards the close of the eighteenth century, this being the 

 earliest paper in English devoted to this class of remains. The 

 discovery of fossil elephant remains in various parts of Europe 

 and America gave rise to animated discussions of gigantology; 



1 Hist, de 1' Acad. Roy. des Sciences, annee 1703, pp. 22-24. Paris, 1720. 

 Consult also G. Astruc's "Histoire naturelle de la Province de Languedoc," 

 chap. x. Paris, 1757. 



2 The passage may be quoted as follows : "Qui peut avoir porte ces poissons 

 et ces coquillages dans les terres, et jusques sur le haut des montagnes? II 

 est vraisemblable qu' il y a des poissons souterrains comme des eaux souter- 

 rains, et ces eaux, * * * s' elevent en vapeurs, emportent peut-etre avec 

 elles des oeufs et des semences tres-legeres, apres quoi lorsqu' elles se con- 

 densent et se remettent en eau, ces ceufs y peuvent eclorre, et devenir poissons 

 ou coquillages. Que si ces courants d' eaux deja eleves beaucoup au-dessus 

 du niveau de la mer viennent * * * enfin a. abandonner de quelque maniere 

 que ce soit les animaux qui s' y nourissoient, ils demeureront a sec, et envel- 

 oppes dans les terres, qui en se petrifiant les petrifieront aussi. Ces eaux 

 elles-memes peuvent se petrifier apres avoir passe par de certaines terres, et 

 s' etre charge de certains sels. Si toutes les pierres ont ete liquides, comme 

 le croyent d' habiles physiciens, cette espece de systeme en est plus recevable." 



3 Graydon, G., On the Fish Enclosed in Stone of Monte Bolca. Trans. R. 

 Irish Acad., vol. v. (1794), p. 281. 



