51 . 



present at the exliumalioii of some bones that appeared to be 

 human from some ancient deposit, midit not his observations 

 upon tliem be scientific even though he failed entirely to recog- 

 nize the bearing that tlic discovery of such rehcs would have 

 upon the theories of Geologists ? And so of Dr. Deane. If he, 

 a physician acquainted with anatomy, having a recognized scien- 

 tific taste, after subjecting the so-called tracks of birds to careful 

 attention, comparing them with such as are made by living birds, 

 taking casts that comparisons might be the better made, finally 

 decides that the markings are those of birds, should not his obser- 

 vations be designated as of a scientific character ? It was my 

 impression that thus much at least would be admitted of Dr. 

 Deane and his labors, and I therefore used the language I did, 

 not judging that any party would object to it. If, however, it 

 conveys the idea of more than this, if it expresses to any mind 

 ausrht that w^ould have the effect to detract from the well merited 

 fame of one I have been happy to think of as a distinguished 

 personal friend, I am indeed sorry I did not express my thoughts 

 more clearly. Fortunately for my present object, which is to 

 show that in desiring to honor the dead I intended no injustice 

 to the living, there is a record of ray views upon the discovery 

 and investigation of the footprints which was read by me before 

 a full meeting of the Society when giving some account of the 

 specimens in our collection, and which I now regret was not 

 published in our Proceedings. I will read, with your permission, 

 so much of it as relates to both the labors of President Hitchcock 

 and Dr. Deane, that all may see that it has been anything but 

 my wish to deprive the former, in the estimation of a single soul, 

 of the credit of the original scientific investigations made by him 

 with so much advantage to science. I quote from this record. 



* " In the early part of the year 1835, Mr. Dexter Marsh, of 

 Greenfield, discovered among some flagging stones, with whicli 

 he was laying the walk in front of his house, a slab having upon it 

 some impressions, which excited strongly his interest and to 

 which he called the attention of Dr. James Deane. * * * * 

 " As soon as Dr. Deane's attention had been called to the sub- 

 ject, by seeing the slab that Mr. Marsh had discovered^ and- 

 which was the first slab brought into public notice, he expressed 

 the opinion that the impressions were those of birds, and he wrote 



