THE STORY OF THE EARTH. 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION. 

 I. 



The building of the surface layers of the Earth 



is recorded m rock materials, which are accumu- 

 lated upon each other. Bui there is no trace of a 

 ginning to their of the Earth's history. 



In the remotest period of | ical time of 



Which evidence- has been found, the earth was in- 

 habited by types of animals, some of which still 

 survive. There is no evidence that the most 



animals which have been discovered were 



the first that existed, or that the oldest rocks at 



present known mark the beginning of geological 



>rds. It is as unprofitable to enquire for evi- 

 dences of the origin of the earth, as it is to ask 

 for proofs of the mode of origin of the life which 



has ilourished upon it. 



ause the earth is a planet we may assume 

 that it had a similar history in its origin to some 

 of the heavenly bodies. The light which comes 

 to the earth from the most distant stars in the 

 universe, proves, when analysed, to result from 

 the incandescence of elements which are mostly 

 identical with those found in the earth. The 

 small masses of matter, termed meteorites, which 

 fall from time to time to the earth's surface, con- 

 s' 



