If we pass over the long series of the most ancient strata in which doubtful forms of obscure elementary plant and animal life appear almost together, we shall come to shell-fish, and crustaceans fully established in the water, and scorpions, and some insects even on land, before plants made any great show.  For the Carboniferous—­the age of acrogen plants, par excellence—­does not occur till after swarms of Trilobite Crustaceans had filled the sea and passed away, and after the Devonian fish-age had nearly passed away; and so on throughout.

The groups in nature overlap each other so closely, that though plant-life (in elementary forms) probably had the actual start; virtually the two kingdoms—­plant and animal—­appeared almost simultaneously.  There is nothing like the appearance of a first period in which one alone predominated.  And long before the plants are established in all classes, the great reptiles, birds, and some mammals, had appeared.  The seed-bearing plants—­true grasses and exogens with seed capsules (angiosperms) did not appear till quite Tertiary times.  That is the essential difference between the facts and the theory.  If we make a diagram, and let the squares represent the main groups, the order (according to the period interpretation) ought to be as in A, whereas it really more resembles B. Thus.

[Illustration:  The dotted extensions of the squares indicate the fore runners of the families, i.e., their first indications in the ages.]

[Illustration:  A New Interpretation suggested]

But then it will be asked, if the day means only an ordinary day—­not a long period—­what is there that actually could have happened, and did happen, in three days (for that is the real point, as we shall see), such as the writer describes as the third, fifth, and sixth days?

I answer that on those days, and on the previous ones, God did exactly what He is recorded to have done.  After the creation of light (first day), and the ideal adjustment of the distribution of land and water (second day), He (a) “created,” on the third day, plants, from the lowest cryptogam upwards; then (b) paused for a day (the fourth) in the direct work of creating life-forms, to adjust certain matters regarding times and seasons, and regulation of climate, which doubtless would not be essential during the early stages of life evolution, but would become so directly a certain point was reached; then (c) resumed the direct creating work (fifth day), with fishes, great reptiles,[1] and birds (grouped purposely so, as we shall see); and, lastly (d), before the Day of Rest, created the group of mammals (carnivora and herbivora), the “creeping things” of the earth, and man (also grouped together).

[Footnote 1:  This term may be here accepted for the moment—­not to interrupt the argument.  It will be more fully dealt with in a subsequent chapter.]