26 Organic Remains in the Karroo. 



obliging; farmer understood tho purport of our visit than ho 

 Instantly oli'ered his services, together with those of his son, 

 nnd we all set out in company. About an hour and a half's 

 riile across a penile undulating part of this arid country brought 

 us to the vicinity of the fossil, where we alighted, and after a 

 short search succeeded in discovering the object of our pursuit ; 

 and what was still more gratifying, Mr. B. while strolling about, 

 found another Petrification, presenting a similarity of position 

 ami exterior to the former, and situated at about 200 yards 

 distance. The vertebrae of the two skeletons were lying paral- 

 lel to the earth's surface, and elevated a little above its level ; 

 they were also somewhat whitened, or acted upon, by exposure 

 to the atmosphere. The spinal columns being the only por- 

 tions visible, we were obliged to remove a part of the surround- 

 ing earth and pebbles to procure other specimens, and by these 

 means detached some portions of the costoe or ribs, together 

 with two or three shapeless masses which puzzled us to ascer- 

 tain or form any probable conjecture as to what part ^of the 

 skeleton they belonged. I supposed them to have originally 

 formed portions of the tibiee and hoof of the animal. Some 

 parts of the vertebra had been removed from their true situa- 

 tion, (probably by cattle or the wild animals of the country 

 passing over them,) and from their prodigious dimensions we 

 were led to suppose them to be the remains of Hippopotami, or 

 probably the Mammoth species. Some of the specimens brought 

 away bad masses of the stone or a greyish slate-colored material 

 attached to them, and I think it not improbable but that the 

 remaining portions were incased or imbedded in a similar 

 str.itum.* 



These Organic Remains are situated about four hours' ride 

 N. E. from the village of Beaufort, and about an hour's riile 

 from the Gamka or Lion River. — The Nieuwveldt range of moun- 

 tains,! forming a kind of amphitheatre, are distant about half- 

 a-day'sjourney, while from the vicinity of ihe Petrification may 

 he formed a complete bird's-eye view of the circular line of ter- 

 ritory called the Kowf, Hanked to the southward by the Zwarta 

 Bergen, to the northward and eastward by the Nieuwveldt 

 range, in front by tbe Sneeuw Bergen, and in the rear by the 

 long and narrow range of Karroo country leading to tho Hex 

 River. 



In conclusion allow me to observe, that this being the first 

 and only instance of Animal Remains in a fossil state having 

 been found within tho limits of the colony, perhaps the notice 



* Querc. — As the toil of this part of the Karroo is slriclly of n. ferruginous 

 nolnru, nnj it not possess superior qualifications lor ihfl formation of Fossil 

 "i 1'iiritieil Suuntnncei, 



* WliM were formerly ilenominntcil Harrow's Uoumlnry of the Colony, 



