Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

672 A FEW RKMAUKS not know what was the connection or partition of land, before the deluge; how the creatures were distributed ; or, what was the difference of climate between one region and another ; we cannot say that any particular kind could not have been near the ark because of crossing the sea, or having far to travel. There is abundant proof that animals have changed their habits, shape, coat, colour, or size, in consequence of migration, or transportation to different climates ; therefore we cannot tell, from what is now seen, what alterations have taken place since their second dispersion. Many able men* have pointed out how water penetrating to metallic bases, may cause volcanic eruptions; how matter thrown up, and materials torn or washed off the earth may have combined, mechanically as well as chemically ; how gases may have assisted the transformations : how creatures may have been instantaneously overwhelmed, or gradually entombed how lime may have been one among many powerful agents; how seeds, and spawn, and the germs of insects may have been preserved ; and why, among such multitudes of fossil remains as we now find, only in a few places are there remains of man incontrovertibly fossil.-f- don there seems to be little doubt (Burnett, p. 67.) Excepting the ser- pent in Africa, which opposed the passage of Regulus and a Roman army, 1 am not aware whether profane history mentions any well-authenticated instance of such enormous reptiles ; but I cannot look at our represen- tations of dragons, wyverns, griffins, &c. without thinking that, at least, tradition must have banded down the memory of some such monsters ; even if a stray one here and there did not actually live in the earlier histo- rical ages : pterodactyles, plesiosauri, ichthyosauri, &c. are too like them, in general figure, to admit of this idea being treated as altogether chime- rical. Tradition, no doubt exaggerated by imagination, may have handed down the fact of such creatures having once existed : indeed the casual finding of a skeleton might confirm reports, if not originate them. • Davy, Sharon Turner, Fairholme, Burnett, Granville Penn, Sumner, Young, Rhind, Lyell, Cockburn, &c. t These fossil remains of man are not only mixed with those of animals, or fish ; but in some cases they are buried at a distance beneath fossil bones of animals. — See Fairholme on the Mosaic Deluge, pp. 41 — 52 ; Miers's Chile, vol. i. p. 455, &c.