EARLY REPTILIAN FOSSILS. 79 



years ago ; the existence of tortoises ia the time 

 of the New Red Sandstone was equally unknown 

 only two or three years earlier. It is a still less 

 time since the lab\-rinthidonts of the Keuper of 

 Germany were discovered ; and we have just 

 seen that the unqualified afilrmations of the 

 Edinburgh reviewer, as to the oldest reptiles, 

 were overturned by intelligence from America, 

 before his sheets had seen the light. WTien these 

 things are considered, we must see the objections 

 of the reviewer to be extremely rash. It might 

 be allowed that the earliest known lacertilia 

 are not of strictly marine forms or allied to fish ; 

 it might equally be admitted of the first batra- 

 chians, that "their near affinities are not with 

 fishes," as this writer takes it upon him to say. 

 Yet we should still see the absiu-dity of affirming 

 that either these batrachia or lacertilia were the first 

 created of their resj^ective orders, seeing that their 

 relics were so few and the discovery of these so 

 accidental, that we might look for new and super- 

 seding facts every day.* 



* It is necessary to guard against a supposition that I under- 

 value such isolated relics, as inferring the positive fact of the 

 existence of particular orders of animals at particular times. For 

 this purpose, the smallest fragment betraving the character of the 

 organization is often sufficient. What is really meant is, that. 



