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refembles, in general, a portion of the fame matter of which 

 the mafs confifls, caft, as it were, into a moald formed by the 

 outfide impreffion of the fhell*. In fome cafes the fhell-formed 

 nucleus differs from the furrounding matter, by being of a 

 brighter colour, and of a fparry texture ; but, in almoft all, the 

 original fliell that gave the impreffion exifts no longer as fuch, 

 nor any certain remains of it. The fame holds equally in the 

 former cafe, a bare impreffion of fifh only remaining, and feldom 

 any thing that can be thought to refemble any part of the fub- 

 ftance that gave itf; whereas in thefe of Monte Bolca, not only 



the 



* It is to be obferved that I fpealc here only of the petrified (hells that are found 

 imbedded in folid lime-ftone ftrata, and forming part of the ftone ; yet even thefe 

 fliells and their fragments fometimes, though rarely, retain their natural fubftancc 

 and appearances, as in the beautiful Lumachella di Carinthia -, but in lefs compaft 

 beds, fuch as fand, marie, clay, &c. fhells are often found little changed from their 

 original ftate. 



f Impreffions of fifli, partly in argillaceous and partly in calcareous fchiftus, 

 have been found in a variety of places : In Syria, between Batron and Diebail ; in 

 the mountains of Callravan, near Baruth ; in Antigua, nine hundred feet above the 

 level of the fea ; at Monte Viale in the Vicentine ; at Scapezzano in the Campagna 

 of Rome ; in the valley of Claris ; at Mont Pilate, in the canton of Lucern ; near 

 Angers ; and at Eichftedt in Franconia. Thefe are moflly fea fifti. River fifh are 

 found in the copper flats of Eifleben, in the county of Mansfeld, near Pappenheim- 

 in the Pallatinate, and at CEningen in Suabia. — See P. Pinis Mem. fulle rivolu- 

 gions del Globo terreftre, in the 5th vol. of the Societa Italiana of Verona, 

 p. 238. Mr. Rafpe informs me that a Baron Francis Beroldingen has given, fome 

 years ago, a very circumftantial and fatisfa£lory account of the fifh found at CEnin- 

 gen ; but I have not feen his work. He alfo tells me he faw, many years ago, a 

 fpeciraen equal to any of the Bolca fifh in the pofleffion of the late Profeflbr 

 Green at Cambridge, found in fome part of Leicefterfhire, but he could not learn 

 the exaft place. — He adds that he lias lately found numberlefs impreffions of fifli 



in 



