Oe ae 
- 195 
XXIV. ACCOUNT 
OF FOSSIL SHELLS, WITH THE AUTHOR’S: REASONS FOR AT-. 
TENDING TO THE SAME; 
3 
Ina letter to Levi Hedge, F. A. A. 
By PARKER CLEAVELAND, a.m. 
Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Bowdoin 
College. 
DEAR SIR, : 
AT your request 7 transmit you an 1 account of the fossil shells, 
which you saw in my possession, when I had the pleasure of your 
visit at Brunswick. Previous however to a relation of the particulars, 
I will take the liberty of mentioning the reasons, which have induced 
: me to pay attention to facts of so common occurrence. _ ae. 
The universal « Se aera: das a hell 
Bo aiw Leiden 
considerable depths below. the Basibad of the cast et pone 
that very great changes have taken place in the exterior parts of out 
globe, eithét by sudden and. powerful convulsions, or in some more 
gradual manner. In every system of geology fossil bodies have de- 
servedly received a large share of. attention; and it is perhaps true, 
that further discoveries of fossil shells on mountains and in very 
¢levated situations, under circumstances precisely similar to sheen 
which they have been found, would afford very little assistance 
forming more correct sae see But with regard to dalle 
covery of shells in plains : ll eleve snear the sea, the reced 
ing remark vere be trues Con meernin rien nay be inquire 
