Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-11
The Book of the Earth
Garrett y. ssrviss.

Garrett y. ssrviss.
HE life history Of world as far as fossil re-
m mains reveal 50 90 BIOLOGISTS, 10 contained IN
i series Of rock strata formed above another
like the layers Of an onion. In these strata are
buried OF the living creatures which existed
az the time when materials OF which each stratum
IL composed were LAID down. In such a series, OF
course the lowest must have been deposited trst'
tho crust OF earth with its successive layers
resemble. in ways book lying with It's front
rage downward tho end OF the story being at the top
This geological book must be read backward, start
ing with the conclusion and going back to the be-
ginning. and this method OF reading. which would be
TO the detective story. really adds
TO the fascination Of the earth romance because its
plot r. reversed. ana the mystery pertains 20 the
start and not 70 the finish.
But the great rock book. unfortunately. has not
been we'll preserved. It's leaves instead OF lying I'm
disturbed in their original order have been crumpled.
pierced. torn mingled together and disordered 20
such degree that IN many places parts OF the bot
tom leaf have been thrust UP TO the top. and some
times huge masses torn out OF the book have been
showed back again upside down.
Nowhere can a complete series Of even q small
portion Of the leaves be found retaining from top to
bottom their relative positions. The problem that
biologists had 70 attack when they began 20 deopher
the marvellous history Of hundreds OF millions OF
years contained in this shattered volume resembled
somewhat that which eonfronts students OF human
records when they try TO read the inscriptions
broken clay tablets TO put together fragments OF
ancient manuscripts.
But the biologists have one advantage in that
every page is marked all with certain charae-
terstic things which enable them 20 recognise the
fragments matter how far they may have been
carried their original position. II IL sonbwhat
IS II each leaf Of q book made OF particular
kind OF paper and printed in type peculiar 70 II.
self with such clues II would not be difficult 70
construct torn-up book. II there were no essential
portions altogether missing. But IN the geological
books the characters DO more less. from
page to page. that uncertainty often exists 10
exactly where a fragment should be placed.
Now keeping these difficulties in mind. let US zee
what the interpreters Of natures great rock bible
have been able read They find first that at tho
bottom of tho book that is at its beginning, there
is a of chaotic material which seems TO have
been ground up dissolved squeezed out redeposited
and repressed, that whatever characters may
have been impressed upon II have been destroyed.
This first leaf indecipherabie far the story "
life the globe is concerned. ia called the AEoic
0ifeess) age. The upper part Of Il, where
faint indications of primitive life TO be dis
cerned. is the Eozoic difs dawn age. vast frag-
ment Of this chaotic leaf lies the oarths present
surface in Canada big silver of II extending into
the Adirondack mountains in northern New York.
Next comes the thick leaf called the Paleosoio
Csncient life age) This is divided from bottom up
ward. into four subleaves named respectively the
Cambran the sifurian. the Devonan and the Carbon
ferrous. In the cambrian there arc few forms of
life, and they TO have been all marine, such as
In the suriAn marine iife large oceans small
lands uniform climate" continued to be the charac-
teristc features The typical animals were nverte-
brates that is creatures not constructed the
bone principle
The DevoniAn witnessed a decided advance. Land
plants began to develop and perhaps the first
forests were then formed. Tho great characteristic
OF the Devonian, was however. the development OF
back-boned animals in the form OF fishes These no
doubt began In the late STuran but they became so
abundant in tho Devonian that It has called 'he
Of fishes" The carboniferous. which followed.
was the era OF the coal plants" from which tho
| principal coal beds Of the earth were developed
Animal life was abundant in the Carboniferous. ana
then. for the first time insects appeared oonsId
cradle numbers The Carbonifsrous insects were
astonishing giants. One, O species OF phasma had
body foot long and wings than two feet in
spread
The next great leaf above the Paleosoie IL the
Mesozoic (mddle lfe) This is divided from bot
tom upward into three parts. the Triassc. Jurassie
and cretaceous The Triassic and Jurasslc are
characterized by the beginning Of the mammals, or
animals which nourish their young with their milk.
But at that time they insignificant little
/ lures. The great beasts called dinosaurs began In
the Tassc but attained their zenith In the Jurassic
which Is often called 'the age OF great reptiles -
These creatures however. continued on in changing
forms through the next the Cretaceous chalk era
The enormous beds OF chalk In many parts OF the
world date from this time. having formed from
the remains OF countless billions OF minute sheIlsd
creatures inhabtng the Birds made their first
appearance. by development from reptiles, in the
Jurassc and continued TO develop through the Ore
! taceons.
The last great leaf IL the Cenozoic new fe) age.
also called the Age OF Mammals. because they now
| became predominant The CSnosoic has two principal
divisions the Tertiary below. and the ouaternary
above which brings to the world OF time. The
Tertiary. in turn has three subdivisions the Eocene
Mocene and Piiocene> Gradually through these Ter.
many characteristics animals OF day such as mon
keys. horses elephants and carnivorous beasts like
wolves ana tigers The ouartemary is often called
the era OF man. because our species seems TO have
been unknown upon the earth until the last PAGE
Of the geological history had been nearly finished
Man is the Finis' OF the first OF the earthI
history, but he Is writing one for himself