The President's Address. 
47 
ties^ and Geological Position of this remarkable fossil^ by 
William Carpenter, M.D., F.E.S., &c. 
The researches into its structure and character belong 
partly to the present year, and afford proof of the services 
which the microscope is able to render to geology and palae- 
ontology. 
During the Canadian Geological Survey large masses of 
what appeared to be a fossil organism were discovered in 
rocks situated near the base of the Laurentian series of 
North America. Dr. Dawson, of Montreal, referred these 
remains to an animal of the foraminiferal type ; and speci- 
mens were sent by Sir W. Logan to Dr. Carpenter, whom 
we are proud to claim as a former President of this Society, 
requesting him to subject them to a careful examination. 
As far back as 1858 Sir W. Logan had suspected the 
existence of organic remains in specimens from the Grand 
Calumet limestone, on the Ottawa river, but a microscopic 
examination of one of these specimens was not successful. 
Similar forms being seen by Sir William in blocks from 
the Grenville bed of the Laurentian limestone, were in their 
turn tried, and then revealed their true character to Dr. 
Dawson and Dr. Sterry Hunt. 
The masses of which these fossils consist are composed of 
layers of serpentine alternating with calc spar. It was found 
by Drs. Dawson and Sterry Hunt that the calcareous layers 
represented the original shell; and the siliceous layers the 
flesh, or sarcode, of the once living creature. These results were 
arrived at, through comparison of the appearance presented 
by the Eozoon with the microscopic structure which Dr. 
Carpenter had previously shown to characterise certain 
members of the foraminiferal group. The Eozoon not only 
exceeded other known foraminifera in size, to an extent that 
might have easily led observers astray, but from its apparently 
very irregular mode of growth, its general external form 
afforded no help in its identification, and it was only by 
careful examination of its minute structure that its true 
character could be ascertained. Dr. Carpenter says : — " The 
minute structure of Eozoon may be determined by the micro- 
scopic examination either of thin transparent sections, or of 
portions which have been subjected to the action of dilute 
acids, so as to remove the calcareous shell, leaving only the 
internal casts, or models, in silex, of the chambers and other 
cavities, originally occupied by the substance of one 
animal. 
Dr. Carpenter found the preservation of minute structure 
so complete that he was able to detect delicate pseudo- 
