DEPOSITS OF SCOTLAND. 385 
the reptile Telerpeton ; and, when we take into account the 
fact that in this northern locality outliers of the Lias and Oolite 
are not unfrequently found resting conformably on the Old Red 
Sandstone, and that the vertebrate organisms of these deposits 
are preponderatingly reptilian, it seems at least as probable 
that it belongs to that Secondary period of the world’s history 
during which reptiles were abundant, as to that middle Palao- 
zoic period during which, though fishes were largely developed, 
reptiles were exceedingly rare. But the final determination of 
the point must be regarded as awaiting the researches of the 
future. 
The Carboniferous deposits in Scotland have, from their 
economic importance, been longer wrought than those of any 
of its other systems, and yet all their fossils, animal and vege- 
table, are still far from being adequately known. During the 
last few years I have found the remains of both plants and ani- 
mals in Carboniferous deposits, not many miles removed from 
our Scottish capital, that have still to be figured and named ; 
and much remains to be done in the work of restoring from 
suites of specimens organisms of the system, both vegetable 
and animal, already known in part. It is only within the last 
two or three years that trace of reptiles has been detected in 
our Scotch Coal Measures. The Prabatrachus colet of Owen 
has been found in the coal-field near Carluke ; and the foot- 
prints of a much larger reptile detected in our Dalkeith coal- 
field by Mr. Henry Cadell, the experienced and intelligent 
mineral surveyor of his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch. I refer 
to these interesting facts to indicate the direction in which there 
is encouragement to press our researches. We have hitherto 
had little experience in Scotland of that style of exhaustive 
research of which the Palzontographical Society of England 
is presenting us with so admirable an example. Curiously 
enough, however, old David Ure, one of our earliest collectors 
33 
