m the Neighbourhood of Edinburgh. 195 
In the fourth place, very large disjointed bones, generally cra- 
nial, were disclosed. ‘These were in such a broken and unconnect- 
ed state as to throw no light whatever upon the saurian question. 
Some of them appeared fish-like ; and, as it was certain, from the 
discovery of large Ichthyodorulites, that ummense fish must have 
existed, a reference was easily made. But, on the other hand, 
certain bones were strikingly reptilian ; and, accordingly, it was 
judged possible that the latter might have belonged to the ani- 
mal to which the teeth had been referred. 
Such was the character of the osseous relics which had been 
discovered. No important bones were in a state of connection, 
or integrity, with the exception of a jaw so very minute as to be 
comparatively microscopic, (see Plate LX. fig. 1.) Of this relic, 
however, an important use was made, as will soon be shewn. 
From the foregoing statement it would appear, that, while 
the scales, and many other bones, yielded rather ambiguous evi- 
dence in determining an exclusively saurian question, it was the 
character of the teeth which afforded the greatest ground of pre- 
sumption, that saurian reptiles had actually existed during the 
carboniferous epoch. 
But, in order to arrive at the truth, the greatest desideratum 
was the discovery of some part of the head in which the jaws and 
teeth would prove to be in a state of connection. It is certain 
that two or three of such relics had been actually found, the in- 
spection of which was never conceded to myself.: M. Acassrz 
had the opportunity of a momentary glance at une of these re- 
mains, when he instantly conceived that it belonged rather to a 
sauroid fish than to a reptile. This suspicion having been com- 
municated to me, I instantly recollected, that the portion of a 
very minute jaw, evidently belonging to one of the fry of the 
questionable animal, was in the possession of the Royal Society 
of Edinburgh; and, upon placing it under a strong magnifying 
Bb2 
