l68 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1757. 



blue slate, or their impressions ; and that the scales or skin are to be fonnd only 

 on the black stone or slate ; which makes him conjecture, that something ero- 

 sive in the grey slate destroys every part but the bony system ; but that the 

 black, being of a more soft and unctuous nature, preserves the scales, and often 

 the very skin. The catalogue of these fossil-fruits, &c. is as follows. 



Fig 1, 3, pi. 6, seem to be figs, petrified when hard and green. — Fig. 2 appears to be a myro- 

 balan, distinguished from the other species of that name by its round figure ; and is called the emblica 

 myrobalan It is nearly destroyed by the pyritical matter, and will not long remain whole. — Fig. 4 

 seems to be a species of phaseolus, one of those esf>ecially distinguished by the fruits. Fructibus 

 splendentibus nigris. — Fig. 5, another phaseolus. — Fig. 7, another. See fig. 4. — Fig. 8, semen cu- 

 curbitae, a large species of American gourd. — Fig. 9, coffee-berries. — Fig. 10, II, two species of 

 beans, very apparent, — Fig. 12, unknown. This however appears to be a fruit, with the calyx run- 

 ning up, and embracing it, in its hard green state ; being somewhat compressed on the upper part, 

 as it lay confined in the earth — Fig. 13, perhaps a species of staphylodendron. — Fig. 14, a compressed 

 pod of the Arachidna, or underground-pea — Fig. 15 is evidently an acorn. We have of this species 

 here, and in America also. — Fig. lb', an exotic fruit, like a small melon j but uncertain. Fig. 17 

 seems to be a fungoides of a very pret y kind. — Fig. 18, probably a seed of a species of water melon. 

 — Fig. 19, seems a small plumb-sione. — Fig. 20, unknown. The calyx seems to run up and em- 

 brace tliis fruit towards the apex. — Fig. 21, unknown. This resembles an American seed, which 

 he had. — Fig. 22, a lachryma Jobi? — Fig. 23, a cherry-stone. 



Fig. 24. If this be an euonymus, it is not so far advanced as to form the seeds ; and is therefore 

 to be considered only in its progress from tlie flower towards seeding. — Fig. 25, a berry of the sapin- 

 dus, or soap-tree, of America, being not at all deformed, only Iiaving a little lump of pyrites on it : 

 but there is another quite free. — Fig. 26, hurae germen. This is undoubtedly the young sand-box, or 

 fruit of the hura, so well known for its beautiful form to the curious, who collect specimens of na- 

 tural history j and seems to show the time of the deluge. — Fig. 27, is certainly the stone of an east- 

 em mango; such as comes over to us pickled, and the stone being opened on one side, is generally 

 stuffed with spices —Fig. 28, is a large species of euonymus, perhaps of Clusius. — Fig. 29 seems to 

 be a milleped, or woodlouse. — Fig. 30, a small long bean, like our horse-bean ; but longer than any 

 we have in England. — Fig. 31, unknown. — Fig. 3?, a species of horse-chestnut from America. — 

 Fig. 33, the external husk of the fruit of the sapindus, or soap-tree. — Fig, 34, either an olive, or the 

 yellow myrobalan ; but probably the latter, — Fig. 35, seems a small palma-coco, — Fig. 3ti, 37, 38, 

 39, unknown. The reason of the four last being not to be distinguished is, that they seem to be the 

 buds of their several species, before they were perfectly formed. So that while some of the antedi- 

 luvian productions are mature, others appear to be premature ; and consequently one would be in- 

 clined to think them the inhabitants of places of different latitudes. — Fig. 40, a species of foreign 

 walnut, injured and compressed. — Fig. 41, a plumb-stone. — Fig. 42, the claw of an American crab ; 

 which, being on the opposite side of the mass containing the body, could not come in view with it at 

 the same time. — Fig. 43, the body of the crab, with other parts, appearing through the stony mat- 

 ter that invelopes it, which appears to be an induration of yellow clay. — Fig. 44 seems a long Ameri- 

 caii phaseolus. Part of the petrified husk is upon it, — Fig. 4 -, an American echinite of the flat kind, 

 much resembling that species which Runiphius calls echinus sulcatus primus. — Fig. 46', has all the 

 characteristics of an ear of com, or .some species of grass, of which there are many. Fig. a, a mani- 

 fest species of pediculus marinus crumped up — b, a seed-vessel, gi\'en him by Mr. Da Costa, found 

 in a clay-pit in Staffordshire, c, Cocculus Indicus. 



