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established in the former and in the present volume, to the expectation 
of which no chain of reasoning could have led. Of the numerous ve- 
getables and animals with which the earth is at present furnished, the 
mineralized remains of very few species indeed can be found : of man 
himself, the mineral world presents not a single trace — an explanation of 
which I in vain attempted in the preceding volume. 
Whilst instancing this wonderful want of accordance of the mine- 
ralized organic remains of a former period with those beings which 
are known now to exist, I shall here confine myself to such facts only 
as have been noticed whilst examining the fossil bodies which have en- 
gaged our attention in the present volume. 
The examination of fossil corals was commenced, as may be seen, 
with the expectation of being able to preserve somewhat of a paral- 
lelism between the corals of this and those of the former world. But 
it soon became necessary to abandon this attempt, it appeai’ing that, 
of the fossil corals, which, it may be said, have been only fortuitously 
discovered, many more species have existed than are known of even 
the recent corals, which, from their beauty and various other circum- 
stances, have been so long and so assiduously collected. This aban- 
donment was further authorized by its also appearing, on comparison, 
that scarcely any specific agreement could be established between the 
recent and the fossil corals. 
With respect to the degree of accordance of the fossil with the re- 
cent alcyonia, sponges, and other soft and, consequently, easily al- 
tered zoophytes, I considered myself as not authorized to speak with 
confidence ; since, it being probable that, from these bodies never hav- 
ing been the object of very general attention in a recent state, many 
may be yet withheld from our knowledge, which might, when found, 
considerably reduce the number of those fossil species which we are 
obliged, at present, to consider as without any recent analogues. 
With respect to those zoophytes, with the examination of which the 
latter part of this volume has been engaged, it must be acknowledged 
