238 NATURAL HISTORY, &C. 



The thigh bones and the bones of the leg of the right 

 side are in good preservation, but being considerably 

 turned outwards, the fibula lies buried in the stone, and 

 is not seen. The lower part of the femur of this side i.< 

 indicated only by a bony outline, and appears to have 

 been distended by the compact limestone that fills the 

 cavities both of the bones of the leg and thigh, and to the 

 expansion of which these bones probably owe their pre- 

 sent shattered condition. The lower end of the left 

 thigh bone appears to have been broken and lost in the 

 operation of detaching the block ; the two bones of the 

 leg, however, on this side, are nearly complete ; the ti- 

 bia was split almost the whole of its length a little below 

 the external edge, and the fissure being filled up with 

 limestone, now presents itself as a dark-coloured straight 

 line. The portion of the stone which contained part of 

 the bones of tarsus and metatarsus, was unfortunately 

 broken ; but the separate fragments are preserved. 



" The whole of the bones, when first laid bare, had a 

 mouldering appearance, and the hard surrounding stone 

 could not be detached without frequently injuring their 

 surface ; but after an exposure for some days to the air, 

 they acquired a considerable degree of hardness. Sir H. 

 Davy, who subjected a small portion of them to chemi- 

 cal analysis, found that they contained part of their ani- 

 mal matter, and all their phosphate of lime." 



NOTE M. (A) 28. 109. 



'\ ,;, Cu-vie^s Geological Discoveries. 



As the Essay on the Theory of the Earth does not con^ 

 tain a full account of the numerous geological discove- 

 ries and observations of Professor Cuvier, we shall lay 

 before our readers a condensed view of the most import- 



