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to the order Rhynchocephalia. Zittel expresses himself i o regard to
these reptiles as follows:1 »Die Rhynchocephalen, von denen
gegen-wärtig nur noch die einzige Gattung Splienoclon (Hatterid) in
Neu-Zee-land lebt, besitzen die primitivsten Merkinale und durften den
Urrepti-lien, aus welchen alle iibrigen Ordnungen hervorgegangen sind, am
nächsten stehen.»
From this it is clear that the fossil in question is of great scientific
interest. The species was called by v. Meyer, after the discoverer of
the first specimen described: Proterosaurus Speneri. He figures the
spe-cimen of Swedenborg on Plate 8 and savs that it is unusually well
preserved. It is now kept in the »Naturhistorisches Hofmuseum» at
Vienna.
A Retrospect.
From the account given in the preceding pages the statement
made in the beginning of this Introduction is justified, namely, that
Swedenborg’s contributions in the field of geology are of such a
sigui-ficance and sweep, that tliey alone would have been sufficient to have
secured him a respected scientific name. At the early age of thirty-five
— he was horn in 1688 — he had published a majority of the works
of which an account has here been given, and he afterwards added to
them, in the field of metallurgy, the two large volumes on Copper and
Iron. In the preceding pages, if the petrifications figured in the work
on Copper be excepted, no attention has been paid to these two works,
but it would be desirable that an account of them should be given by
some person competent in the departments mentioned.1 2
One immediately notices in studying Swedexborg’s geological writings
that an investigating nature of the highest rank is in question, which
on a solid foundation and witli sharp powers of observation noticed
everything, even what was apparently insignificant, in order to draw
con-clusions from it, and which when possible endeavored to control the
1 K. v. Zittel: Grundziige der Palaeontologie, p. 635. Munchen & Leipzig 1805.
2 It may be of interest to here quote one of A. E. Nordexskiold’s statements
concerning Swedexborg: »known in the history of the natural Sciences by various
geological contributions excellent for his time, by a remarkable work on the atomic
theory, by some investigations in crystallography, by the largest and most
comprehen-sive handbook in metallurgy in its dav, etc.» (A. E. Nordexskiold: Ett blad ur de
svenska naturvetenskapernas historia. Framtiden, tidskrift för fosterländsk odling
utgifven af C. v. Bergex. Ny följd, första årg. 1877, p. 24).
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