William Smith and fossil shells--His discovery that fossil rocks are
arranged in regular systems--Smith's inquiries taken up by Cuvier--His
Ossements Fossiles containing the first description of hairy
elephant--His contention that fossils represent extinct species
only--Dr. Buckland's studies of English fossil-beds--Charles Lyell
combats catastrophism,--Elaboration of his ideas with reference to
the rotation of species--The establishment of the doctrine of
uniformitarianism,--Darwin's Origin of Species--Fossil man--Dr.
Falconer's visit to the fossil-beds in the valley of the
Somme--Investigations of Prestwich and Sir John Evans--Discovery of the
Neanderthal skull,--Cuvier's rejection of human fossils--The finding
of prehistoric carving on ivory--The fossil-beds of America--Professor
Marsh's paper on the fossil horses in America--The Warren mastodon,--The
Java fossil, Pithecanthropus Erectus.