Page:The fairy tales of science.djvu/32

 illuminated volume called the Stone Book, every page of which is formed of the solid rock. The truth of the matter is simply this; when the geologist came to examine the structure of the old river delta, he found embedded in the rocks, broken and water-worn bones, detached teeth, fresh-water shells, fragments of trees, and even the bodies of insects. With untiring industry and perseverance he classified these organic remains; he placed together the gigantic bones, and reproduced the forms of those enormous creatures which are now represented by our tiny frogs and lizards; he examined every leaf and fir-cone, and found out the order of plants to which they belonged—every relic he submitted to a close scrutiny, and at length he was rewarded by a vision of the ancient continent and its inhabitants as they existed at that remote period which we can only vaguely describe as "once upon a time."