History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

PREFACE.XV11VI.Primitive Epoch. — The strata of this group support allthe others, and appear therefore to be of antecedent formation.They do not contain any organic remains, and have been consideredas formed priorto the existence of animals and vegetableson the earth.— V. Carboniferous Epoch. During this aera, in which ap-the earth seems topear many marine and fresh-water deposits,have been peopled with a varietyof animals and vegetables, ofgenera similar to those of the subsequent epochs. There aresome genera, however, which seem to be peculiar to this sera,as Orthocera.IV. Saliferous Epoch.— There are few organic remains connectedwith this aera, and no genera peculiar to it.III.Epoch.— Cretaceous This era is characterised by the absenceof the Producti, shells which abound in the carboniferous,and even occur, though sparingly,in the saliferous epoch and;by the presence of the remains of the Paddled Reptiles andBelemnites, which do not exist in the strata of any anterior orsubsequent epoch. Here the display commences of Ammonites,Crustacea, and the carnivorous canaliculated molluscous animals;and here, for the first time, are exhibited proofs of theexistence on the earth of insects, reptiles, birds, and even quadrupeds.II. Penultimate Epoch.— In thisgroup there are several generaof quadrupeds peculiar to it, as the Palceotherium andAnoplotherkim, in forms, however, approximating to such asoccur in the following group, and paving the wayfor the lastand noblest creation, over which Man was destined to bear thesway.I. Modern Epoch.— This era, in a zoological pointof view,embraces Man, the existing races of animals and vegetables, andthe few speciesnow extinct, as the Mammoth and Mastodon, ofwhich there is proof that they once were the coteniporaries ofthe yet indigenous species.Itmay be supposed, by some,that the preceding statementsare at variance with the generally received interpretation of theaccount of the Creation, as given by Moses.Four successivecreations and extinctions of animals and vegetables are here re-