found in the Old Red Sandstone. 285 



horny fish-scales in this sense would, so far as my knowledge 

 extends, be a fact well worthy of special details ; and still more 

 remarkable would bejbssil fish-scales of that nature. I am much 

 more prepared for the other statement in the above passage, that 

 " dermal bones of crocodilean animals'" are found in the lias, un- 

 derstanding that these dermal bones were also dorsal, as stated 

 with respect to crocodilean dermal bones in the previous part of 

 the same passage. In the former paper on fossil scales, I made a 

 distinction between the flat scales on the belly and sides of cro- 

 codiles, and the carinated scales on the back of those animals, 

 conceiving the former to consist of perishable animal matter, 

 and therefore not likely to exist in a fossil state, unless in virtue 

 of substituted mineral matter,* whilst the latter might very pro- 

 bably contain, as I partly, indeed, found by analysis, more or 

 less bone-earth ; and reference was made to the passage in the 

 Ossemens Fossiles, in which notice is taken of a " a very promi- 

 nent bony crest" on the fossil saurian scales of Argenton. Still, 

 however, farther details respecting the form and chemical com- 

 position of the crocodilean bones of the lias would have been 

 highly interesting, and, we may hope, will still be afforded, -f- 



Remarks on the origin of Meteoric Stones, and more especially 

 on the views entertained on the subject by Berzelius. By 

 K. E. A. VON HOFF. J 



VARIOUS hypotheses have been proposed to account for the 

 origin of meteoric stones, and of these there are three which de- 

 serve particular attention. 



The Jirst was brought forward by Chladni, and supposes, 



* The horny or other highly azotized animal substance, of which the lower 

 flat scales of crocodiles consist, fusing by heat, and burning with flame, and 

 strong animal smell, is evidently much less likely to be present in its natural 

 state, than such a substance as chitine, of which it is supposed the curiously 

 preserved covering of the fossil scorpion from the Bohemian coal-field is com- 



t I wish to take this opportunity of mentioning, that Professor Jameson 

 informs me, that Wardie was the locality of the coprolite analyzed by Messrs 

 Gregory and Walker, Edin. New PhiL Journ. Jan. 1835, and there stated to 

 have been from Burdiehouse. 



$ PoggendorfTs Annalen der Physik und Chenu'e, Band xxxvi. p. 161. 



