A GRASP OF GEOLOGIC TIME. 171 



" Three persons saw the ' coin ' at the same instant, and 

 each claims it." This so-called coin was about the thick- 

 ness and size of a silver quarter of a dollar, and was of 

 remarkably uniform thickness. It was approximately 



A QUASI-COIN SAID TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM AN ARTESIAN 

 BORING IN MARSHALL COUNTY, ILLINOIS, AT A DEPTH OF ONE 

 HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN FEET. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH FUR- 

 NISHED BY J. W. MOFFAT. 



round, and seemed to have been cut. Its two faces bore 

 marks as shown in the figure, but they were not stamped as 

 with a die, nor engraved. Thev looked as if etched with 

 acid. The character of the marks was partly unintelligi- 

 ble. On each side, however, was a rude outline of a 

 human figure. One of these held in one hand an object 

 resembling a child, while the other hand was raised as if 

 in the act of striking. This figure wore a head-dress, 

 apparently made of quills. Around the border were un- 

 decipherable hieroglyphics. The figure on the opposite 

 side extended only to the waist, and had also one hand 

 upraised. This was furnished with long tufts, like mules' 

 ears. Around the border was another circle of hiero- 

 glyphics. On this side, also, was the rude outline of a quad- 

 ruped. I exhibited this relic to the Geological Section of 

 the American Association, at its meeting at Buffalo in 

 1876. The general impression seemed to be that its ori- 

 gin could not date from the epoch of the stratum in which 



