Who said "The fossil is a love letter from the distant past."?

This quote is attributed to Richard Owen.

The fossil is a love letter from the distant past. - Richard Owen

"The fossil is a love letter from the distant past."

Richard Owen

Paleontologist and Anatomist English 1804–1892

"The Dinosauria form a distinct tribe or group of Saurian reptiles."

"Nature is the best teacher of truth and beauty."

"In the study of extinct creatures, we read the history of life itself."

"The fossil record is the autobiography of the earth."