78 



gistocrinus — that appeared as abrubtly in the Upper Helderberg 

 and Hamilton Groups. There is no process of development or 

 evolutioD of which we have or can have any conception that will 

 link any of these genera together by lines of direct descent. 

 Megistocrinus survived until the age of the Burlington Group, 

 and then disappeared as abruptly as it came into existence; and 

 during all that time specific variations were taking place, but 

 there are no indications of another genus branching from it or 

 arising out of it. Blairocrinus, Sampsonocrinus and Shumard- 

 ocrinus appeared without progenitors and disappeared without 

 descendants in a single geological age. Suppose that from Genn- 

 wocrinus arose Aciinocrinus and Amphoracrinus, and from the 

 form called Actinocrinus precursor arose Batocrinus, we still 

 have the abrupt appearance of Agaricocrinus and Dorycrinus in 

 the Chouteau Group, without progenitors, and they became ex- 

 tinct without having developed other genera. We might suppose 

 that from Actinocrinus and Amphoracrinus arose Physetocrinus, 

 Steganocrinus and Strotocrinus, and from Batocrinus arose Allo- 

 prosallocrinus, but the supposition is the merest guess of a pos- 

 sibility, without any facts to support it. But, if true, they dis- 

 appeared from the stage of living existence abruptly, immediately 

 following the growth of the largest species and most fruitful and 

 prolific forms, in the very middle of the subcarboniferous age. 



No one can contemplate the creation of something out of noth- 

 ing, or what is called special creation; hence, the theory of 

 evolution and development of animal life. Pseudosystematists and 

 pseud obiologists, after having examined a few fossils, draw their 

 conclusions concerning the embryological, larval, mature and declin- 

 ing stages of development of genera and species; without pre 

 senting a fact or principle to support the conclusions, they rest 

 on technical names and barren assertions. Their ideas of evolu- 

 tion and of the vast and incomprehensible stages of life repre- 

 sented in palaeozoic time, are so contracted tha< they would have 

 you believe they have discovered the laws and limitations, so that 

 the ordinary schoolboy can understand and apply them to all the 

 fossil forms that have been or may be found. In their narrow 

 minds they have contemplated all the resources of nature during 

 the immeasurable ages of the past. We have looked at more than 

 fifty thousand specimens of fossil crinoids, and have carefully ex- 

 amined several thousands belonging to the family here under con- 



