ORYCTQLOGY. 



They are sometimes found imbedded in 

 chalk or limestone, and sometimes in 

 pieces of flint ; but they are most fre- 

 quently detached from their matrix. Va- 

 rious have been the opinions respecting 

 this fossil ; some have considered it as the 

 horn of a narwhal, and others as a concre- 

 tion formed in the pennicilla marina, or in 

 some shell of the dentaiium kind. Some 

 have even supposed it to be of vegetable 

 origin, whilst others have considered it as 

 entirely belonging to the mineral king- 

 dom. But that the Bclemnite originally 

 existed in the sea, is evident from its be- 

 ing commonly found with the remains of 

 the undoubted inhabitants of the ocean, 

 and that it is of an animal nature, is ren- 

 dered evident by its structure- Among 

 the concamerated fossil shells may be 

 placed the Helicites, or nummular, or len- 

 ticular stones. These are round fiattish 

 bodies : but in general of a lenticular 

 form, both sides possessing a slight de- 

 gree of convexity. On each side are some- 

 times seen traces of its internal structure 

 and of its spiral formation ; whilst some- 

 times these appearances appear to be con- 

 cealed by a thicker covering. Various opi- 

 nions have been entertained respecting 

 their origin, but no doubt can exist of their 

 having existed in the ancient ocean as a 

 spiral chambered shell, and of their being 

 one of those species of animals which are 

 now lost. 



Among the fossil shells which can only 

 be here enumerated, are the rare tuber- 

 culated turrilite, or chambered turbinated 

 shell, the orbulites, planulites, and bacu- 

 lites, of Lamarck. 



Insects of the smaller kinds are seldom 

 found in a fossil state, the smallness of 

 their size, and the delicacy of their struc- 

 ture, most probably preventing their pre- 

 servation. Those which are in a state to 

 allow any thing of their general form to be 

 made out are consequently very few. The 

 one which is generally found in the most 

 perfect condition, is that which is gene- 

 rally known to us as the Dudley fossil, 

 from its being found in the neighbourhood 

 of Dudley, in Worcestershire. (Plate II. 

 fig. 5.) Other species of this animal have 

 been found in Wales, and in different parts 

 of Germany. From the imperfect state in 

 which these insects are found, little more, 

 perhaps, can be said of them, except that 

 the remains which have been examined, 

 shew that the covering of their body was 

 formed by three series of thick crustace- 

 ous plates, tranversely disposed in rows, 

 the length of the body ; whilst one plate 

 served to give a covering to the. head of 



the animal. Other remains of the smaller 

 insects have been mentioned by different 

 authors ; but few or none appear to have 

 been described as agreeing with any in- 

 sect now known to be in existence. 



The remains of lobsters and crabs are 

 frequently found in the isle of Sheppey, 

 and Malta. The remains of different spe- 

 cies of these animals are also found in a 

 compressed state in the margaceous and 

 sclmtous masses of Pappenheim and Op- 

 penheim. 



The fossil remains of amphibia are very 

 numerous, and supply us with ample ex- 

 ercise for inquiry and admiration. In dif- 

 ferent parts of England, particularly in 

 Somersetshire and Dorsetshire, the re- 

 mains of animals, apparently of the Lacer- 

 ta genus, are frequently found ; but are, 

 as far as we are able to judge, really dif- 

 ferent from any animal which is known to 

 us. But in no part of the world have 

 such exquisitely fine and wonderful re- 

 mains of animals of this description been, 

 found as in St. Peter's mountain near 

 Maestricht. A most beautiful specimen 

 of part of the jaw of the fossil animal of 

 St. Peter's mountain was presented totl e 

 Royal Society, by professor Camper, and 

 is now very properly exhibited in the Bri- 

 tish Museum. A wonderful specimen of 

 the head of this animal has been also ob- 

 tained from the same mountain by Faujas 

 St. Fond ; and is delineated in the elegant 

 work which he has given to the world, de- 

 scriptive of the fossil riches of that moun- 

 tain. " Histoire Naturelle de la Mon- 

 tagne de Saint-Pierre de Maestricht." 



The plates of St. Fond, as well as the 

 specimen of professor Camper, shew that 

 these are the remains, indubitably, of an 

 enormous animal, different from any at 

 present known. It must, however, be ob- 

 served that the remains of crocodiles, 

 apparently of the same species which 

 now exist, have also been discovered : 

 part of the head of the Asiatic crocodile 

 was found in very good preservation in 

 the quarries of AltdorfF. 



Fossil fishes have been found imbedded 

 in calcareous and argillaceous masses, in 

 various parts of Germany, Switzerland, 

 and Italy; but no where in such prodi- 

 gious numbers as in the mountain named 

 Vestena-Nuova, generally called Monte 

 Bolca, in the Veronese ; which extends, 

 in height, a thousand feet above the quar- 

 ry, in which are found the numerous re- 

 mains of fish; of which specimens are 

 to be seen in almost every cabinet of re- 

 pute in Europe. 



The remains of fishes, from an inch to 



