VII. 



An Attempt to discriminate and describe the Animals that made the 

 Fossil Footmarks of the United States, and especially of New 

 England, 



Bt EDWARD HITCHCOCK, D. D., LL.D., 



PRESIDENT OF AMHERST COLLEGE, AND PROFESSOR OF NATURAL THEOLOGY AND GEOLOGY. 



(Communicated to the Academy, April 29th, 1848.) 



It is now about thirteen years since my attention was called to 

 the fossil footmarks of New England ; and every successive year 

 has brought out some new developments of this curious subject. 

 At first, even by most scientific men, it was regarded with ex- 

 treme skepticism, and by others with ridicule. But facts, regis- 

 tered imperishably on tables of stone, have now, for the most part, 

 given convcition to men of real science, and turned into admira- 

 tion the scoffs of the superficial. It is now generally admitted, 

 that the opening of these stony leaves of the earth's volume, with 

 their deeply impressed hieroglyphics, has revealed a new chapter 

 of preadamic history, which all are anxious to peruse. Fully to 

 decipher it is no easy, although a fascinating, task. Thirteen 

 years, however, have witnessed some progress in the work; and 

 my object at this time is to present the most mature results that 

 have been reached. 



I have already, in other places, given such details respecting 



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