J. Deane on New Fossil Footprints. 77 
The physical composition of the rock is presumptive evidence 
that its elements were accumulated in some large basin, through 
the agency of powerful streams. It is ina great degree composed 
of the debris of former rocks, of pebbles, great and small, precisely > 
similar to those rounded by diluvial action. Numerous remains 
of trees are found, both in the stratified and unstratified masses. 
In fact, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that these materials 
The new quadruped footprints add a fourth species to the cata- 
logue of this description of fossils derived from Turner’s Falls, 
which locality supplies all that are known in the Connecticut 
valley. It is probable that they all belong to the Batrachian di- 
Vision of vertebrated animals. The new species was discove 
by Mr. Marsh, and is now deposited in his magnificent collection 
of sandstone fossils. It differs specifically from those hitherto 
discovered, the footsteps being arranged in two parallel rows, 
widely separated, whereas, in one of the species, the first and 
lude to them now for the sake of comparison, and of grouping 
the whole. With one exception, these quadrupeds moved by 
walking, although it is probable they were adapted for swim- 
ming also. In one instance, however, progtessive motion was 
obviously accomplished by leaping, which, if this conjecture 
true, joins the animal to the tailless or ranal family of Batra- 
chians. These animals were all diminutive in comparison with 
their cotemporaries, the colossal birds, with whom they occupied 
common ground. | 
_ ‘The configuration of the footprints represented by fig. 2, and 
the relative distance in size between the posterior and anterior 
feet, assigns the animal, by which they were impressed, to the 
Salamandrian, or tailed family of Batrachian reptiles. Two 
species are found in considerable numbers, one having pachydae- 
