204 Dr Hiszerr on the Limestone of Burdiehouse, 
cepting the Swiss Naturalist himself), had ‘« adopted” this opinion. In justice, there- 
fore, to M. Acassiz, I shall distinctly state, that the only opinion to which I ever 
yielded was that which constituted the great feature of his own peculiar investigation, 
viz. that the osseous remains in question of Burdiehouse had disclosed a remarkable 
character possessed by the larger animals of the carboniferous epoch, which appear to 
have united in their particular organization the character of fish and reptiles. This 
view had never before been even ** dreamt of in our philosophy ;”—it was confirma- 
tory of no other opinion whatever which had been previously expressed ;—it origi- 
nated with M. Acassiz exclusively ;—it was the only one which had been success- 
fully opposed to my own theory ;—and it was the only one ultimately adopted by 
myself. 
Previous to M. Acassiz’s arrival in Edinburgh, my saurian theory was never 
opposed upon any other ground, than that the teeth of the Burdiehouse animal were 
those of a squalus ;—which notion, I need not remark, was far more remote from 
their true sauroid character, than any opinion which T had myself expressed. 
As Thad distinctly stated at the Sectional meeting of the British Association, 
my impression that the relics of immense fish existed in the limestone of Burdie- 
house, the chief question which remained was with regard to the teeth ; and if I had 
simply named them sauroid, instead of sawrian, I should have kept within the strict 
limits of correctness. But notwithstanding this approximation to the truth, it was 
supposed that my theory had fared worse than was really the case. Granting even 
the affirmative, I would rather see any theory of mine annihilated upon true scien- 
tifie principles, than survive a different kind of treatment ;—in which feeling, I 
partake with the sentiment expressed by one of Morrere’s characters, when expa- 
tiating upon the systematic rules with which a physician of Paris killed off his pa- 
tients,—that it would be a less evil to expire under his remedies, than to be cured 
by those of another person ;—for, as it added, although a fatal event occurs, yet a 
conviction remains that every thing is conducted in order, and according to rule. 
“ C’est une grande consolation pour un defunct."—“ Assurement. On est bien-aise 
au moins d’étre mort méthodiquement.” 
But, happily, my noble sauroid animal,—not exactly a saurian reptile, but an 
immense sauroid fish,—still holds his sway over primeval waters, the sovereign of the 
carboniferous epoch. 
SECTION XI.—_COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE OSSEOUS REMAINS ATTRIBU- 
TABLE TO THE MEGALICHTHYS, WITH OTHERS FOUND AT LEEDS, AND 
WITH THE RECENT LEPIDOSTEUS. 
As the investigation of the osseous remains of Burdiehouse 
is in a manner only commenced, I merely asked from M. Acass1z 
his opinion regarding such important attributes as the teeth, the 
