above the Coal Formation in Berwichshire. 48 



lour, perhaps from tbe quicker disappearance of the animal 

 matter. 



No one who has seen the imperfect condition of this reUc, and 

 understands the nature of the evidence it affords, would place 

 much reliance on any attempt to itleniify it, oi* give confidence 

 to any speculatiois founded on its deieiminatioo ; for one might, 

 with almost equal show of plausibility, maintain it to be the 

 claw of a crab, as the tooth of a wolf; and I have thrown out 

 these doubts legarding the determination of ibis fossil, chiefly 

 from observing the absurdities into which speculative geologists 

 are sometimes led, by placing too much confidence in the deter- 

 nainatiops of imperfect remains, which do not present the^means 

 of their identification. — I lemain, &c. ffnf1«f« 



Robert E. Grant. 



2MAvg si 1C33. 



THE RATTLE-SNAKE (CROTALUS HORRTDUS, -LIU^.) DISARMED 

 BY THE LEAVES OF THE WHITE ASH (FRAXINUS AMERI- 

 CANA, MICH.) Communicated by Judge Woodruff to 

 Professor Silliman, 



Dear Sir, — Last evening, while perusing your very interest- 

 ing Journal, I found in vol. iii. p. 85, a communication to you by 

 Professor Jacob Green, giving an account of a large quantity 

 of rattle^snaJce skeletons found in a cave near Princeton College. 

 Professor Green closes his communication with a passing notice 

 of a poptdar story among the former inhabitants of that town, 

 that the leaves of the white a&h were obnoxious to these reptiles. 



This brought to my recollection an occurrence connected with 

 this subject, of which I was a witness ; and I now proceed to 

 relate it. 



During the summer-months of 1801, I resided in the north- 

 eastern part of the State of Ohio. Rattle-snakes were then very 

 numerous in that region. I found the opinion universally pre- 

 valent among the inhabitants there, that the leaves of the white 

 ash were highly offensive to the rattle-snake. Several persons 

 of respectability assured me that the rattle-snake was never found 



