507 



Dr. Dawson distinguished the " fossil" by the generic name " Eonoon" 

 or " dawn animal;" and called it specifically " Canademe" to denote its 

 occurrence in Canada. 



Specimens brought to London by Sir W. Logan were placed in the 

 hands of Dr. Carpenter, who shortly after prepared a Paper, which, 

 along with others, written by the Director of the Canadian Survey, Dr. 

 Dawson, and Dr. Sterry Hunt, was published by the Geological Society 

 of London.* Dr. Carpenter was enabled to bring to light some addi- 

 tional details of a most important character, which not only confirmed, 

 as he conceived, the view held by Dr. Dawson, that "JSozoon Canadense" 

 was a gigantic foraminifer, but showed, in his opinion, that it belonged 

 to the most complex section of its class. 



The discovery of presumed foraminiferal remains in rocks that corre- 

 spond in many respects with the ophites or green marbles of Connemara, 

 led us to imagine that the latter might contain a similar " fossil," 

 establishing thereby their geological age. We were thus induced to 

 enter on an investigation, which it is exceedingly probable would not 

 have been undertaken had not one of us been in possession of a first-class 

 binocular microscope, inasmuch as any researches of the kind carried on 

 with an ordinary instrument are of very little use in determining the 

 character of the different structures to be observed. 



The various stages of our investigation need not be dwelt on here ; 

 suffice it to say, that, from being firm believers in what had been taken 

 to represent an organism, we became in the end decided unbelievers. f 

 After fully satisfying ourselves as to the truth of the view that had 

 slowly and gradually forced itself on our convictions, we prepared, 

 in 1865, a Paper on the subject, which was read before the Geological 

 Society of London, and published in its "Journal." J 



It is now necessary to give a general description of the so-called 

 "fossil." 



The rocks containing " Eozoon" are ophites — that is, such as 

 essentially consist of intermixtures of serpentine (composed of a hydro- 

 magnesian silicate, also other allied minerals), and calcite or dolo- 

 mite. There are two varieties : one has the serpentine in segmented 

 grains or granules scattered irregularly through the calcite. This is 

 called the " acervuline" variety. In the other the serpentine is in 

 segmented plates or layers, here and there confluent, and interlaminated 

 with the calcite. Various modifications of these two varieties occur ; 

 and specimens are common, showing the passage of one into the other. 

 In the" eozoonal" ophites of other countries the acervuline is the ordi- 

 nary variety ; and we have reason for believing that this is the case in 



* " Quarterly Journal of Geological Society," No. 81, Feb. 1865. 



f An announcement of the change in our view appeared in the " Reader," June 10, 

 1865, p. 660 ; and in the next number a not over-temperate attack was made upon us 

 by Dr. Carpenter. 



1 " Quarterly Journal of Geological Society," vol. xxii., August, 1866. 



