244 



EXPLANATIONS. 



a disregard of everything that pointed in the opposite di 

 rection. The great unquestioned facts of a succession ol 

 birds and mammals to the fishes and reptiles, these being 

 also the next higher classes in the scale of the naturalist, 

 tell nothing to this writer, as the succession of the rep- 

 tiles to the fishes told nothing before. From the slight 

 remarks with which he passes over these facts, an un- 

 learned reader would hardly suppose that they were of 

 the least significance, while, in reality, they are of the 

 greatest. It is much the same as if a historian were 

 to sink all such events as changes of dynasties, and fix 

 attention upon the displacement of under-secretaries 

 of state. And what makes this conduct the more marked 

 is, that the minor facts upon which he fastens for the 

 purpose of supporting his own theory are mostly pre- 

 sented to us in circumstances which show their uncer- 

 tainty and the likelihood of their being superseded. 



For example, the earliest traces of birds do not indicate 

 marine forms, which, according to my general views, 

 ought, he says, to be the case. Instead of natatorial birds, 

 they are waders and runners Let the reader judge of 

 the character of this objection when he learns the real 

 circumstances of the case. The traces of birds here 

 spoken of are merely a few foot- prints found upon certain 

 rock surfaces in America. "Not a bone of these animals 

 has been found in this early period. It must therefore 

 be inferred, either that the circumstances were notfavoi- 

 able for the entombment of the bodies of these birds, or 

 that our researches in the strata formed at the time when 

 they lived have been insufficient to discover them. If 

 such be the case with birds which lived upon shores — 

 places where, as we learn from the nature of the strata, 

 accumulations of sand and mud were constantly taking 

 place, it is of course not to be expected that any remains 

 of natatorial birds should be found, animals mostly living 

 far out at sea. To put the case in its strongest form — 

 foot-prints on shores being the record of the birds, of this 

 era, we are not to expect any traces of such birds as, gen- 

 erally speaking, are not in the way of making foot-prints 

 on shores. I might go further than this, and point out 

 that certain natatorial genera have feet not to be distin- 

 guished from those of waders, so that certain of these 

 foot-prints maybe those of natatorial species after all ; but 

 I feel it to be my best duty in the case only to deny thai 



