登陆注册
4707200000104

第104章

I. ANIMALS.

By W.B. SCOTT.

Professor of Geology in the University of Princeton, U.S.A.

To no branch of science did the publication of "The Origin of Species"prove to be a more vivifying and transforming influence than to Palaeontology. This science had suffered, and to some extent, still suffers from its rather anomalous position between geology and biology, each of which makes claim to its territory, and it was held in strict bondage to the Linnean and Cuvierian dogma that species were immutable entities. There is, however, reason to maintain that this strict bondage to a dogma now abandoned, was not without its good side, and served the purpose of keeping the infant science in leading-strings until it was able to walk alone, and preventing a flood of premature generalisations and speculations.

As Zittel has said: "Two directions were from the first apparent in palaeontological research--a stratigraphical and a biological.

Stratigraphers wished from palaeontology mainly confirmation regarding the true order or relative age of zones of rock-deposits in the field.

Biologists had, theoretically at least, the more genuine interest in fossil organisms as individual forms of life." (Zittel, "History of Geology and Palaeontology", page 363, London, 1901.) The geological or stratigraphical direction of the science was given by the work of William Smith, "the father of historical geology," in the closing decade of the eighteenth century. Smith was the first to make a systematic use of fossils in determining the order of succession of the rocks which make up the accessible crust of the earth, and this use has continued, without essential change, to the present day. It is true that the theory of evolution has greatly modified our conceptions concerning the introduction of new species and the manner in which palaeontological data are to be interpreted in terms of stratigraphy, but, broadly speaking, the method remains fundamentally the same as that introduced by Smith.

The biological direction of palaeontology was due to Cuvier and his associates, who first showed that fossils were not merely varieties of existing organisms, but belonged to extinct species and genera, an altogether revolutionary conception, which startled the scientific world.

Cuvier made careful studies, especially of fossil vertebrates, from the standpoint of zoology and was thus the founder of palaeontology as a biological science. His great work on "Ossements Fossiles" (Paris, 1821)has never been surpassed as a masterpiece of the comparative method of anatomical investigation, and has furnished to the palaeontologist the indispensable implements of research.

On the other hand, Cuvier's theoretical views regarding the history of the earth and its successive faunas and floras are such as no one believes to-day. He held that the earth had been repeatedly devastated by great cataclysms, which destroyed every living thing, necessitating an entirely new creation, thus regarding the geological periods as sharply demarcated and strictly contemporaneous for the whole earth, and each species of animal and plant as confined to a single period. Cuvier's immense authority and his commanding personality dominated scientific thought for more than a generation and marked out the line which the development of palaeontology was to follow. The work was enthusiastically taken up by many very able men in the various European countries and in the United States, but, controlled as it was by the belief in the fixity of species, it remained almost entirely descriptive and consisted in the description and classification of the different groups of fossil organisms. As already intimated, this narrowness of view had its compensations, for it deferred generalisations until some adequate foundations for these had been laid.

同类推荐
  • 奉和圣制庆玄元皇帝

    奉和圣制庆玄元皇帝

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 乡饮酒礼

    乡饮酒礼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大忏悔文略解

    大忏悔文略解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太平圣惠方

    太平圣惠方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 季总彻禅师语录

    季总彻禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 迷失的兵城

    迷失的兵城

    《迷失的兵城》是著名作家师永刚推出的一部长篇新军事探险小说,该书以西北戍边军人的战斗生活为场景展,年轻的中尉单一海和学者子老,凭《汉书》中短短200字的记述,围绕一座废弃2000年古代兵城的神秘探险,揭了一段尘封已久的2000多年前一支古罗马战俘神秘消失的历史之谜。单一海对于神秘古城遗址的探寻,学者子老毕生的执着探索,凭着共同的理想和信念,两人成为忘年之交,共同投到探寻古城奥秘的事业当中。青年中尉单一海与女军医女真之间发生的曲折感人的爱情纠葛。雄奇壮美的西北高原、古城、大漠、落日、戈壁,全方位地展现了西北戍边军人的精神风貌和战斗生活场景,是一部反映当代边防军旅生涯的优秀长篇军事探险小说。
  • 田三水

    田三水

    现代得过且过小职员一朝超越竟然成了王妃,本想当个米虫没想到王爷那么悲惨,自家老爹不待见还给流放了……算了,你那皇爹不要你,我带着你过好日子去吧!什么?种地你不会?打猎你不行?来来来,我们谈谈,作为皇子这些年你都学了点啥!
  • 王爷专宠,王妃萌上天

    王爷专宠,王妃萌上天

    “报告王爷,王妃要吃水果。”影卫说。“去买几棵果树去后院种着。”某王淡淡的说,继续写字。“报告王爷,王妃要养宠物。”影卫说。“去把萧陌那一只纯种血白狐拿来。”某王继续写字。“王爷,王妃她,她…她找了几个英俊的小倌唱歌给她听。”影卫颤颤的说。‘啪’某王手里的笔光荣牺牲了。影卫溅了一脸墨,他马上把那些小倌扔出战王府。
  • 迷神记(定柔三迷系列之三)

    迷神记(定柔三迷系列之三)

    慕容子忻先天不足,其父慕容无风倾己所学教儿子学医。子忻不满意循规蹈矩的生活,索性离开云梦谷,浪游江湖,当起了地道的“江湖郎中”。他遇到了少女苏风沂,二人不打不相识。六年之后,两人再次于异地相遇。苏风沂逃婚出走,跟着子忻一路来到了嘉庆。在那里,他们遇到了子忻少时的好友、与之有世仇的家族、苏风沂的未婚夫,却不知已卷入更大的阴谋。江湖动荡不安,二人感情更是茫茫未卜……
  • 圈宠邪妻

    圈宠邪妻

    【轻松版】天宫月老,一根红线冒险牵上火炎邪神的脚。红线彼端,那厮却是没心没肺的无赖女一枚。他乃当今豪门世家的少当家,俊美无铸,阴毒淡静。她是外遇的私生子,低贱贫穷,无貌无德、冷情懒散。她自觉生的伟大,活着憋屈,刚被同父异母的妖孽弟弟抢了男友,便又被老爸的正妻设计变卖,,做与他百位女佣之一。当阴毒的少主碰上冷情的无赖女...当她酒后失误,对他“霸王硬上弓”,从此,一失足成千古恨!啥?要她负责?靠!这是二十一世纪,他怎不效古寻死!又是啥?要她负责的非他一人?她就纳了闷儿了,她几时对这些妖男下的“毒手”,自已怎么不知?一个个全都对她纠缠不休,逼得那少主越来越变态,竟然...[片段一]“你会游泳吗?”某少主垂眸,一丝笑容魅惑众生。“不会。”某女眨着眼,不明就理。“哦?那你想知道学会游泳的最快方法吗?”悠扬清远的声音,却透着深夜一般迷乱的蛊惑。“...”某女虚心进取,仔细聆听。“来人,把她扔进食人鱼池。”[片段二]古典的四柱床,红幔暧昧——“亲爱的,你是不是找错了新郎?”某少主一身新郎装,倚在门边,俊美如斯,阴冷的看着某女。某女手中捏着撕下的男式衬衣,转头,若无其事道:“偷情而已,你可否装做路人甲?”某少主黑了脸,“来人,把那男人剥皮抽血,挫骨扬灰。”【正文版】前世...她脚踝上的红线,连结着他——他却从来不知!她被他毁于无形,魂魄消散——再无转生之机!这一世...他贵乃豪门帝王,俊美异邪,淡静疏离。她被老爸的正妻设计变卖,做与他百位女佣之一。他是神,在她面前却是魔;他尊贵,却独独对她下流无耻;他淡静,在她看来却阴毒如蝮蛇。她喜欢金银,他将金银焚烧化液,蒸发殆尽;她喜欢男人,他将男人剥皮抽筋,挫骨扬灰!只因为...他不准她的眼中有任何事物——除了他!此文女主强大,美男众多,蝮蛇与残狼的性情,邪神与鬼使的身份,预知祥情,请点“阅读此书”,再劳驾点下“收藏”和“推荐”,这将是给烟最大的精神动力。
  • 订制巨星

    订制巨星

    全文免费“孩子都有了?你还不想结婚?”“那是你从隔壁老王家偷来的,结什么婚。”“可我有结婚证。”男人甩出结婚证。“昨天你签的卖身契,其实是结婚同意书,你已经是我老婆了。”一朝惨死重生,她变成人人可欺,心肠歹毒的恶毒女配,还被逼着嫁给这男人。不!坚决不从!逃婚,变美,复仇,斗白莲,撕绿茶,脚踩渣渣登上人生巅峰。可她怎么斗,都斗不过套路满满的老公。装乞丐求收养,装受伤博同情,腹黑程度,望尘莫及。
  • 道德经(中华国学经典)

    道德经(中华国学经典)

    《道德经》分道经和德经两部分,共八十一章,约五千字。虽然篇幅不长,却论述精辟,思想深邃。其内容重在详尽论述作为宇宙本体、万物之源和运动规律的天道,并将这种天道用以关照人道,指导治国和修身,直面现实社会,内容涉及宇宙、自然、社会、人生等诸多方面。
  • 普济本事方续集

    普济本事方续集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 羲河时代

    羲河时代

    荒兽大陆!虚古界四大陆中资源最贫困的大陆,死亡沙漠!荒兽大陆中人们最不愿意提及的地方,当从中走出了一位戴着泰坦项链的狼族少年时,那这个世界,将会发生什么样的变化?
  • 异世幸存者

    异世幸存者

    多年前,一场所谓的“天选”运动让所有的非异能者身处险境。他们不得不在新的星球安身立命,偏居一隅。某一天,柳未珂突然发现自己能识人过去,预见未来,而越来越多的异能人也在周围出现。那在暗中窥视的人如蛆附骨,如影随形,新的危险已然再度降临。