Originally published in 1946, this is the eighth edition of a book that was first published in 1893. It deals, specifically, with the fossils of the Invertebrata. The general plan is to give, for each group, first, a short account of its general zoological features with a more detailed description of the hard parts of the animals; secondly, its classification and the characters of the important genera, with remarks on the affinities of some forms; and thirdly, a description of the present distribution, and the geological range. The account of each genus is followed by the enumeration of typical species, so as to guide the student in making use of a large collection. The numerous figures help to explain the structure and terminology. For a number of years, Woods' Palaeontology held its place as the standard work on the subject.