Mr. Middleton's Analysis of Recent and Fossil Bones. 1^ 



3. Stalactitic deposit from the old red sandstone*. 



4. Deposit in a wooden pipe for conducting water from a 

 building. 



5. Deposit in a kettle used solely for the boiling of water. 



6. Portion of a vein of sulphuret of barytes from the old 

 red sandstone above mentioned. 



7. Fossil wood from Egypt, fossilized by infiltration of car- 

 bonate of lime. 



8. Fossil wood from Egypt, fossilized by infiltration ofsilicaf. 

 I no longer entertained a doubt as to the source of fluorine 



in recent bones and of its accumulation in fossil ones. The 

 fact which my investigations also disclosed to me, viz. that 

 fluorine is not confined to the bones of recent Mammalia, but 

 exists also in those of birds and reptiles, as also in the shells of 

 Mollusca, was also thus accounted for. Indeed the last fact is 

 alone enough to prove that the source of fluorine must be as 

 generally diffused as water is ; while the reception of that sub- 

 stance by the organism being secured and placed beyond the 

 dominion of tastes or caprice, seems to elevate in importance 

 the function which it has to fulfil. 



I shall now proceed to detail a few of the analyses made 

 in prosecution of the object with which my investigations were 

 begun. My inferences as to the geological bearing of the re- 

 sults have already been submitted to the Geological Society. 

 First. Colossochylus atlas of the Sewalic Hills. Entosternal 

 bone of the sternum, Caut. and Falc. 



per cent. 



Phosphate of lime . 64*95 



Carbonate of lime . 22*36 



Fluoride of calcium . 11*68 



Peroxide of iron . . 1*00 



Second. Fossil ruminant of the Sewalic. 



per cent. 

 Phosphate of lime . 78*00 

 Carbonate of lime . . 11*34 

 Fluoride of calcium . 10*65 

 Peroxide of iron . . trace 



Third. A fossil horse of the Sewalic. 



per cent. 

 Phosphate oflime . . 58*46 

 Fluoride of calcium . 11*24 

 Carbonate of lime . . 28*80 

 Peroxide of iron . . '60 



* Contained about 8 per cent, of fluoride of calcium. 

 f A minute trace of fluorine. 



