186 NOMOS. 



Nearly all the skeletons of the large reptiles are in 

 this case. Nor is it at all surprising that animals 

 should have been buried quick in ancient times ; for 

 the same accident still befals the alligators and 

 other large animals which frequent the mouths of 

 great rivers, such as the Ganges. Indeed, the same 

 accident may even happen on our own quiet coast. 

 Thus, about fifty years ago a narwhal was buried 

 quick in the mud on the coast of Lincolnshire, 

 with only the head protruding. He was seen by a 

 fisherman in this state, and supposed to be dead; 

 but he began to bestir himself when an attempt 

 was made to pull out his horn. In a word, the 

 existence of organic remains at all, and particularly 

 the very perfect or crushed condition of some 

 of these remains, can only be accounted for, as it 

 seems, by assuming a certain degree of rapidity of 

 stratification of the rocks in which they are de- 

 posited ; and this is the only deduction which can 

 fairly be made. In the face of these remains, 

 indeed, it seems to be impossible to believe that the 

 stratum containing them was so many ages in 

 forming. Long intervals may have elapsed between 

 the deposition of the different strata ; but the indi- 

 vidual strata must have been formed with rapidity, 

 or the organic remains which are preserved in them 

 must have perished. 



But if there were no organic remains it would not 

 be at all certain that the strata had not been deposited 



with considerable rapidity. On the con- 

 Evidence, !-/ 1 J 



apart from trary, we might, IT we would, argue in 

 at favour of a rapid deposition from the rate 



