The Imperfection of the Geological Record
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF
JOACHIN BARRANDE,
One of the most successful Labourers
in the
Completion of the History of Life
in its earlier Stages.
Nature of the Imperfection—Questions as to its arising from Want of Continuity, from Lack of Preservation, from Imperfect Collecting.—Examples—Land Snails, Carboniferous Batrachians, Palæozoic Sponges, Pleistocene Shells, Devonian and Carboniferous Plants—Comparative Perfection in the Case of Marine Shells, etc.—Possible Cambrian Squids—Questions as to Want of First Chapters of the Record—Practical Conclusions