510 



Before entering on the several points treated of in the following 

 sections, we deem it necessary to make a few remarks on the principal 

 communications that have lately appeared on the subject. 



The Director of the Geological Survey of Bavaria, Dr. Giimbel, 

 brought out a Paper* about the same time as ours appeared, which is 

 remarkable on account of the way the author has treated the subject, 

 and in confirming many of our statements. Dr. Giimbel, following the 

 same line of argument as we did through its legitimate channel, com- 

 pares the • different "eozoonal" structures with certain well-known 

 forms (some of which were cited by ourselves) of mineral silicates 

 imbedded in crystalline limestones ; but, as an unquestioning belief in 

 " Eozoon" eminently distinguishes his Paper, he quite consistently 

 regards as organic the forms which we showed to be mineral products. 



Dr. Carpenter has published two contributions; also some ie Notes" 

 appended to a communication by Dr. Dawson, shortly to be noticed. 

 The earliest one, entitled " Supplemental Notes on the Structure and 

 Affinities of Eozoon Canadense ,' 'f which immediately follows our Paper, 

 may have been written as an answer to the evidences and arguments 

 we adduced ; but, with the exception of two or three paragraphs at the 

 end, and a few foot notes, it is principally an elaborate resume, and in 

 many cases a verbatim .copy, of a previous memoir by himself in the 

 " Intellectual Observer," every point of which was discussed, and we 

 believe invalidated, or disproved by ourselves: as to the additional 

 matter, we shall have to notice it hereafter. The next Paper, with a 

 similar title to the above, appeared as a " Letter to the President 

 of the Royal Society.''^ Anything new comprised in it, and in the 

 " Notes" appended to Dr. Dawson's communication, will be so fully 

 treated of in another place as to render a notice of them unnecessary 

 at present. 



Dr. Dawson's Paper, entitled " Notes on Fossils recently obtained 

 from the Laurentian Rocks of Canada, and on Objections to the Organic 

 Nature of Eozoon, "§ is principally taken up with a description of a 

 " Specimen of Eozoon from Tudor," and a few more, assumed to exhibit 

 " eozoonal" features, from other localities in Canada. The account of 

 the first of these specimens will be considered shortly. Dr. Dawson's 

 criticisms on our " Objections to the Organic Nature of Eozoon" are 

 uncommonly brief, scarcely occupying three pages ; and, as a conse- 

 quence, they leave untouched much of what is contained in our " elabo- 

 rate attempt;" the reason for such brevity being, as stated, that the 

 Tudor specimen "furnishes a conclusive answer" to our "objections;" 

 and that Dr. Carpenter " has already shown their inaccuracy in many 

 important" points — we presume in the " Supplemental Notes." The 

 same "fossil" has also received some notice from Sir William Logan, 



* "Ueber das Vorkommen von Eozoon in dem ostbayerischen Urgebirge," 1866. 



f " Quarterly Journal of Geological Society," vol. xxii., pp. 219-228. 



% " Proceedings of the Royal Society," vol. xv., pp. 503—508. 



§ " Quarterly Journal of Geological Society," No. 91, August, 1867, pp. 257-264. 



