Life's Dawn on Earth: Being the history of the oldest known fossil remains, and their relations to geological time and to the development of the animal kingdomDawson, John William, Sir
History
Life's Dawn on Earth: Being the history of the oldest known fossil remains, and their relations to geological time and to the development of the animal kingdom
Dawson, John William, Sir
Life -- Origin; Paleontology -- Precambrian
When writing the dedication of this work, I little thought that the
eminent geologist and valued friend to whom it gave me so much pleasure
to tender this tribute of respect, would have passed away before its
publication. But so it is, and we have now to mourn, not only Lyell,
who so frankly accepted the evidence in favour of Eozoon, but Logan,
who so boldly from the first maintained its true nature as a fossil.
This boldness on his part is the more remarkable and impressive, from
the extreme caution by which he was characterized, and which induced
him to take the most scrupulous pains to verify every new fact before
committing himself to it. Though Sir William's early work in the Welsh
coal-fields, his organization and management of the Survey of Canada,
and his reducing to order for the first time all the widely extended
Palæozoic formations of that great country, must always constitute
leading elements in his reputation, I think that in nothing does he
deserve greater credit than in the skill and genius with which he
attacked the difficult problem of the Laurentian rocks, unravelled
their intricacies, and ascertained their true nature as sediments, and
the leading facts of their arrangement and distribution. The discovery
of Eozoon was one of the results of this great work; and it was the
firm conviction to which Sir William had attained of the sedimentary
character of the rocks, which rendered his mind open to the evidence of
these contained fossils, and induced him even to expect the discovery
of them.
This would not be the proper place to dwell on the general character
and work of Sir William Logan, but I cannot close without referring to
his untiring industry, his enthusiasm in the investigation of nature,
his cheerful and single-hearted disposition, his earnest public spirit
and patriotism--qualities which won for him the regard even of those
who could little appreciate the details of his work, and which did much
to enable him to attain to the success which he achieved.
INDEX.
Acervuline explained, 66.
Acervuline Variety of Eozoon, 135.
Aggregative Growth of Animals, 213.
Aker Limestone, 197.
Amity Limestone, 197.
Amœba described, 59.
Annelid Burrows, 133, 139.
Archæospherinæ, 137, 148.
Archæocyathus, 151.
Arisaig, Supposed Eozoon of, 140.
Bathybius, 65.
Bavaria, Eozoon of, 148.
Beginning of Life, 215.
Billings, Mr.,--referred to, 41;
on Archæocyathus, 151;
on Receptaculites, 163.
Calumet, Eozoon of, 38.
Calcarina, 74.
Calcite filling Tubes of Eozoon, 98.
Canal System of Eozoon, 40, 66, 107, 176, 181.
Carpenter--referred to, 41;
on Eozoon, 82;
Reply to Carter, 204.
Caunopora, 158.
Chrysotile Veins, 107, 180.
Chemistry of Eozoon, 199.
Coccoliths, 70.
Cœnostroma, 158.
Contemporaries of Eozoon, 127.
Côte St. Pierre, 20.
Derivation applied to Eozoon, 225.
Discovery of Eozoon, 35.
Eozoic Time, 7.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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