98 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Jan. 7, 



light which invests with additional importance that which it was my 

 ohject to lay before the Society. 



In 1850 I discovered in the quarry of Old Red at Cummingston 

 near Elgin, a slab of sandstone bearing a beautiful and distinct series 

 of quadrupedal foot-prints, of which a representation, one-sixth the 

 size of the original, is given in the annexed sketch (PI. III.). 



The slab exhibits on the surface, in a very striking manner, thirty- 

 four foot-prints of a quadruped, traced in an uninterrupted succession 

 across the stone. The impressions of the right feet alternate with 

 those of the left, from which they are separated laterally by an in- 

 terval of three inches, the length of each stride or pace being about 

 four inches. The imprints of the fore and those of the hind feet are 

 nearly in contact, and bear a precisely similar relation throughout : 

 the size of the foot-marks of the former in proportion to the latter is 

 as three to four ; the hinder being about one inch in diameter. The 

 imprints are slight cavities, and are all characterized by the same 

 rounded and blunt appearance, apparently indicating that the articu- 

 lations of the feet were closely connected, although, from the cry- 

 stalline and arenaceous surface of the stone, the form and number of 

 the joints of the toes cannot be positively determined. A slight trail- 

 ing mark is observable between some of the foot-marks. In some of 

 the marks it appears that the foot, in pressing on the originally 

 yielding sand, had slightly raised the surface at the heel, but this is 

 scarcely perceptible in the drawing. The strata of yellow sandstone, 

 from which the above slab was removed, prevail in great thickness 

 on the sea-coast of Moray, between the villages of Covesea and 

 Burghead, and are regarded as belonging to the upper division of the 

 Devonian Series of Scotland ; and this opinion is based on the fact of 

 finding the yellow sandstone in apparently consecutive order of po- 

 sition to, or closely connected with, neighbouring rocks which are 

 unquestionably Old Red. 



It unfortunately happens that we have but few organic remains to 

 assist in determining the relation of these strata; for with the excep- 

 tion of the relics of that remarkable Devonian fish, the Stagonolepis 

 Robertsoni^ of Agassiz, not a fossil of any kind had been found in 

 the Covesea rocks, until the discovery of the foot-tracks in question. 



Within the course of the last month, however, a neighbouring hill 

 on the margin of Loch Spynie, hitherto barren of organic remains, 

 but which, like that of Covesea, is held to be Devonian, has yielded 

 from the bottom of its deep quarry a beautiful specimen of a Reptile, 

 which, although its entire length could not have exceeded seven or 

 eight inches, exhibits the vertebral column, ribs, the extremities, and 

 the skull in a compressed state, with some small conical teeth, having 

 a smooth enamelled surface. 



This peculiarly interesting relic came into possession of Patrick 

 Duif, Esq., of Elgin, who has liberally permitted me to transmit it to 

 London, for the examination of my friend Dr. Mantell, by whom the 

 accompanying description has been drawn up. 



I would here mention that at the time of my finding the foot- 

 tracks at Cummingston, a strict investigation took place as to whether 



