FOSSILS. 



217 



creatures, and that, when the aborigines, and ancient 

 inhabitants of our own country for example, pursued 

 a system of extirpation on certain animals, will be 

 likewise conceded. I shall not now detain the 

 reader with further arguments, in refutation of Flem- 

 ing's ideas ; but I shall be glad to do so, if oppor- 

 tunity offers, in the discussion which I venture to 

 hope may be eUcited by these remarks. 



Let us now turn to our proposed theme — the 

 fossils of this neighbourhood. Let us see to what 

 conclusions we are permitted to arrive, in regard 

 of their age and manner of being deposited. The 

 lime-rocks of Plymouth have been determined to 

 belong to the transition class, that in which, as we 

 have said, remains of the lowest tribes should be and 

 are detected. This stratum is supposed to have been 

 the first deposited after the primaeval creation ; the 

 element containing this rudimental creation must 

 either have precipitated the lime, and thus encrusted 

 the animals ; or else a deluge, exerting its influence 

 on the superficies of the earth, and disturbing the 

 waters and their contents, rendered the whole into a 

 state of mud, which subsequently assumed its present 

 hardened appearance. The use of indulging in such 

 problems is very questionable. It appears to me, 

 who do not pretend to know anything of the details 

 of geology, that our slate is referable both to the 

 primitive, and transition classes. The primitive slate 

 forms the bed on which our limestone rests, and it 

 is at this point that the fossils are common to both 

 rocks, a circumstance determined perhaps at the 

 time of deposit of the latter, rather than by the 

 former being a transition formation : our transition 

 slate contains, as already announced, fossil plants 

 and zoophytes ; since that statement I have pro- 

 cured, from a variety of situations, shells, and other 

 remains of this class. Some doubts have been enter- 

 tained whether transition rocks possess remains of 

 animals so far advanced in the scale as fishes. "^This 

 we have shewn to be the case at Plymouth ; the 



VOL. VI. — 1835. DD 



