THE ANCIENT
LIFE-HISTORY
OF THE EARTH
Preface
The study of Palæontology, or the science which is concerned
with the living beings which flourished upon the globe during past periods of
its history, may be pursued by two parallel but essentially distinct paths. By
the one method of inquiry, we may study the anatomical characters and structure
of the innumerable extinct forms of life which lie buried in the rocks simply as
so many organisms, with but a slight and secondary reference to the time
at which they lived. By the other method, fossil animals are regarded
principally as so many landmarks in the ancient records of the world, and are
studied historically and as regards their relations to the chronological
succession of the strata in which they are entombed. In so doing, it is of
course impossible to wholly ignore their structural characters, and their
relationships with animals now living upon the earth; but these points are held
to occupy a subordinate place, and to require nothing more than a comparatively
general attention.
In a former work, the Author has endeavoured to furnish a
summary of the more important facts of Palæontology regarded in its strictly scientific aspect, as a mere
department of the great science of Biology. The present work, on the other hand,
is an attempt to treat Palæontology more especially from its historical side,
and in its more intimate relations with Geology. In accordance with this object,
the introductory portion of the work is devoted to a consideration of the
general principles of Palæontology, and the bearings of this science upon
various geological problems—such as the mode of formation of the sedimentary
rocks, the reactions of living beings upon the crust of the earth, and the
sequence in time of the fossiliferous formations. The second portion of the work
deals exclusively with Historical Palæontology, each formation being considered
separately, as regards its lithological nature and subdivisions, its relations
to other formations, its geographical distribution, its mode of origin, and its
characteristic life-forms.
In the consideration of the characteristic fossils of each
successive period, a general account is given of their more important zoological
characters and their relations to living forms; but the technical language of
Zoology has been avoided, and the aid of illustrations has been freely called
into use. It may therefore be hoped that the work may be found to be available
for the purposes of both the Geological and the Zoological student; since it is
essentially an outline of Historical Palæontology, and the student of either of
the above-mentioned sciences must perforce possess some knowledge of the last.
Whilst primarily intended for students, it may be added that the method of
treatment adopted has been so far untechnical as not to render the work useless
to the general reader who may desire to acquire some knowledge of a subject of such vast and universal
interest.
In carrying out the object which he has held before him, the
Author can hardly expect, from the nature of the materials with which he has had
to deal, that he has kept himself absolutely clear of errors, both of omission
and commission. The subject, however, is one to which he has devoted the labour
of many years, both in studying the researches of others and in personal
investigations of his own; and he can only trust that such errors as may exist
will be found to belong chiefly to the former class, and to be neither serious
nor numerous. It need only be added that the work is necessarily very limited in
its scope, and that the necessity of not assuming a thorough previous
acquaintance with Natural History in the reader has inexorably restricted its
range still further. The Author does not, therefore, profess to have given more
than a merely general outline of the subject; and those who desire to obtain a
more minute and detailed knowledge of Palæontology, must have recourse to other
and more elaborate treatises.
UNITED COLLEGE, ST ANDREWS.
October 2, 1876.
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