78 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



fresh-water fish, resembling the Cyprinidae. An interesting frag- 

 ment of one of these fish, first discovered by Dr. Hibbert, was ex- 

 hibited to the Society, which, in its entire state, could not have 

 been less than a foot in length. There also appears to be in this 

 deposit an immensity of very minute crustaceous and shell animals. 

 One species of the crustaceous kind Lord Greenock conceived to 

 resemble the Cypris Faba ; but there seems to be more than one 

 description of these minute animals which, like the Cypris, are re- 

 ferable to the Entomostraca of fresh-water lakes and marshes. 



Besides these animals, a remarkable variety of fossil plants, im. 

 bedded in the limestone, were exhibited, similar to such as are dis- 

 covered in coal fields, and indicative of the vegetation of a tropical 

 country. Of these the most abundant appeared to be the Spheno- 

 pteris ajffinis, first found by Mr. Witham, in the quarries of Gil- 

 merton ; and another plant, resembling the Lepidostrobus variabilis 

 of Professor Lindleyand Mr. Hutton; but it is to be hoped that the 

 more perfect specimens of this latter plant which are to be found in 

 the Burdiehouse limestone, may serve to decide its hitherto dubious 

 botanical character. Mr. Witham's attention has been invited to 

 this circumstance, as well as to some other vegetable remains, appa- 

 rently monocotyledonous. 



These were the principal results communicated to the Royal So- 

 ciety of Edinburgh, relative to this most interesting fresh-water 

 limestone. But we have now the satisfaction to make known a sub- 

 sequent and still more remarkable discovery which has taken place. 

 On the morning after this communication was made, Dr. Hibbert, 

 in company with Mr. Witham, revisited the quarry, and in the 

 course of this visit one of the workmen accidentally found inclosed 

 in a fragment of the rock a tooth, two inches and a quarter in length, 

 of a large reptile, evidently referable to the Saurian order ; this relic 

 being in the most beautiful state of preservation, and having an ena- 

 mel shining as if perfectly fresh. It was also observed that the 

 limestone abounded with substances resembling coprolites, which 

 gave encouragement to the expectation that many more remains of 

 these Saurian animals will turn up during the process of quarrying. 

 On this account we cannot refrain from recommending to the Royal 

 Society of Edinburgh, or to the Patrons of the College Museum, 

 that every encouragement should be given to the labourers of Bur. 

 diehouse quarry, to preserve in a state as entire as possible any 

 further relics of this kind which may be discovered during the pro- 

 cess of quarrying. 



This discovery is one of the most important which has been lately 

 made in geology. It refers the existence of reptiles allied more or 

 less to the crocodile, to a period much earlier than has been ge- 

 nerally supposed by geologists, and at the same time shows that 

 these immense animals must have existed coeval perhaps with the 

 very earliest vegetable state of our globe. 



We cannot close these remarks without congratulating the stu- 

 dent of natural history upon the discovery of a deposit of such in- 

 terest as that of the Burdiehouse limestone. It is not exceeded in 



