220 Mr Witham's Description of the Craigleith Fossil Tree. 



of the stem which decomposed rapidly, would naturally most shew 

 the effect of pressure. By this means, I believe the compression 

 to have acted upon this fossil. 



Several scientific gentlemen having stated as their opinion, 

 that this fossil is a Lycopodium, I beg to mention the reasons 

 why I have come to different conclusions. 



\st, From external appearance. In this plant there are no 

 appearances of insertions of leaves on any part of it, or any 

 markings similar to the scales of palms or ferns, or the imbricated 

 leaves of the Lycopodium. Judging from external appearance 

 alone, the probability is, that it is the stem of a tree of the 

 dicotyledonous or the gymnospermous phanerogamic class. 



2dly, From internal structure. Having examined with care 

 the internal structure of this fossil tree, under the microscope, 

 agreeably to the rules laid down in my Observations on Fossil 

 Vegetation, I find it cannot belong to the former of these classes. 

 It has, however, most decided medullary rays, and a woody 

 texture, with some appearances of concentric circles, and must 

 therefore belong to the Coniferae. It cannot be a Cycas, a Zamia, 

 or a Lycopodium, because these are vascular cryptogamic plants, 

 composed of cellular tissue, with vascular fibres, destitute 

 of medullary rays, concentric rings, and woody texture, and 

 generally dichotomous. Great numbers of these phanerogamic 

 plants have lately been discovered in the shales of the mountain 

 limestone groups, affording strong reason to conclude, that plants 

 of this class are quite as abundant in these early deposits as 

 they are in those lying much higher up, although contrary to 

 the opinion of many who have favoured the world with theii^v 

 ideas upon this hitherto neglected department of fossil botany, ik 



ART. IV. — Notices of the Anatomical Structure of the Lion^ 

 (Felis Leo,) as observed upon Dissection, in relation to the 

 Habits of the Animal, as described by Travellers. By Henry 

 H. Cheek and T. W. Jones. 



The subject of the following observations having been for- 

 warded by Mr Wombwell to Dr Monro, Professor of Anatomy in 

 this University, we were permitted to make such use of the 

 carcass, as was necessary for the purposes of dissection ; * and 

 as the lion is not an object of every day examination with the 

 naturalist, we have thought that it would not be uninteresting to 

 our readers, were we to select from our notes, such portions of 

 the description, as have obvious reference to peculiarities in the 

 tribe to which this animal belongs. And we are farther induced 

 thus to occupy a few of our pages, from the consideration, that 



* We cannot mention in too warm terms, the obliging liberality with which we have 

 been allowed by Dr Monro to pursue our inquiries in the anatomical rooms of the 

 University, nor the facilities which were oflfered to our investigations by his assistant 

 Mr Mackenzie. 



