consideration of such living beings as do not belong exclusively
to the present order of things, Palæontology is, in reality, a
branch of Natural History, and may be regarded as substantially
the Zoology and Botany of the past. It is the ancient life-history
of the earth, as revealed to us by the labours of palæontologists,
with which we have mainly to do here; but before entering upon
this, there are some general questions, affecting Geology and
Palæontology alike, which may be very briefly discussed.

[Footnote 1: Gr. _ge_, the earth; _logos_, a discourse.]

[Footnote 2: Gr. _palaios_, ancient; _onta_, beings; _logos_,
discourse.]

The working geologist, dealing in the main with purely physical
problems, has for his object to determine the material structure
of the earth, and to investigate, as far as may be, the long chain
of causes of which that structure is the ultimate result. No wider
or more extended field of inquiry could be found; but philosophical
geology is not content with this. At all the confines of his
science, the transcendental geologist finds himself confronted
with some of the most stupendous problems which have ever engaged
the restless intellect of humanity. The origin and primæval
constitution of the terrestrial globe, the laws of geologic action
through long ages of vicissitude and development, the origin of
life, the nature and source of the myriad complexities of living
beings, the advent of man, possibly even the future history of
the earth, are amongst the questions with which the geologist
has to grapple in his higher capacity.