On some rare Fossils of Vcstena Nova;. 965 



' When we read in the same^ number of the Journal de 

 Physique what professor Cuvier has written on the foot of a 

 bird, the osseous parts of which are incrustcd in gypsum, 

 from the quarries of CHgnancourt near Montmartre, there 

 is no reason to doubt that real ornitholites exist, at a great 

 depth, in old strata of gypseous matter. 



On the other hand, Blumenbach, in his Manual of Na- 

 tural History*, mentions bones of aquatic birds found in 

 the marly schist of the quarries of iEttingen, and the bones 

 of swimming birds, or anseres, discovered in the calcareous 

 schist of Pappenheim. . 



T here annex a confirmation of these facts, in the figure 

 of two feathers found in the middle of the quarries of Ves- 

 tena Nova, in the same stones which contain the fish, and 

 which I caused to be engraven of the natural size, to avoid 

 details in regard to measures. (See Plate VI.) 



That represented iig. 1, is in perfect preservation, and as 

 it were amalgamated with thestone: what is most remark- 

 able is, that it is of a very black colour; it is extended and 

 flat, and except some barbs which cross each other, the rest 

 are arranged in the most regular manner. It cannot be 

 confounded With certain fuci, which have some apparent 

 resemblance to feathers, because the' barbs of the latter, are 

 furnished with other barbs. Professors Jussieu, Lamarck, 

 Des Fontaines, and Thouin, who have examined it with at- 

 tention, consider it as a real feather. 



But if, notwithstanding the discussion of philosophers 

 who are accustomed to acute observation, any doubts ^ 

 should be entertained of the identity of this fossil* with 

 a feather, a second feather found in the same quarry will 

 serve to fix in an irrevocable manner the opinions of 

 philosophers on this subject. The latter, of which we have 

 a counter-part, is represented of the natural size, fig. 2, and 

 3. The stone broke so fortunately, that, like those contain- 

 ing the fish, it opened in the middle, in the part even con- 

 taining the feather, which left its impression, while the body 

 of the feather was found on the other; one might even say, 

 that the feather as it were is divided in the middle. 



This feather is smaller than the other, but in a preserva- 

 tion equally perfect;' all the barbs on the left side, fig. 2-. are 

 in their natural position ; those on' the right side are di- 

 vided into small bunches. From the middle almost to the 

 extremity it is a little arched, and its colour, instead of be- 

 ing black, is grayish. 



* T. 408, of the nth vol. French Translation. 



T 3 Thi 



