﻿442 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [JuilO 
  22, 
  

  

  of 
  Dornoch 
  are 
  doubtless 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  yellow 
  sandstones 
  which 
  

   underlie 
  the 
  conglomerates 
  and 
  purple 
  rocks 
  of 
  Wilkhaven. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  reputed 
  Triassic 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  reptiliferous 
  and 
  

   footprint-bearing 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  North-east 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   urged 
  that 
  Liassic 
  rocks 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  close 
  connexion 
  with 
  them. 
  

   The 
  relation 
  which 
  the 
  Lias 
  of 
  the 
  Elgin 
  area 
  bears 
  to 
  the 
  reptili- 
  

   ferous 
  beds 
  has 
  been 
  previously 
  alluded 
  to. 
  Patches 
  of 
  Lias 
  occur 
  

   also 
  on 
  the 
  Cromarty 
  and 
  Ross-shire 
  coasts 
  ; 
  they 
  have, 
  however, 
  

   no 
  relation 
  in 
  their 
  arrangement, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  dip 
  often 
  at 
  right 
  

   angles 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  footprint- 
  bearing 
  beds, 
  showing 
  a 
  total 
  dis- 
  

   cordance 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  series 
  of 
  strata. 
  This 
  discordance 
  in 
  the 
  

   inclination 
  has 
  been 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  *. 
  While 
  there 
  is 
  this 
  

   great 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  Liassic 
  strata 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  reptili- 
  

   ferous 
  series, 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  constantly 
  and 
  uniformly 
  conformable 
  to 
  

   recognized 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone 
  deposits. 
  

  

  § 
  8. 
  Palceontological 
  Evidence 
  of 
  the 
  Reptiliferous 
  Sandstones. 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  many 
  geologists 
  that, 
  at 
  a 
  period 
  not 
  

   very 
  far 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  science, 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  received 
  axiom 
  

   that 
  no 
  air-breathing 
  animal 
  existed 
  anterior 
  to 
  or 
  during 
  the 
  epoch 
  

   of 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  formation. 
  It 
  was 
  urged 
  

   that, 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  Plants 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  coal-seams, 
  

   the 
  atmosphere 
  abounded 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  in 
  carbonic-acid 
  gas 
  

   as 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  unfit 
  for 
  the 
  respiration 
  of 
  even 
  Reptiles, 
  and 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  no 
  remains 
  of 
  creatures 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  would 
  be 
  discovered 
  in 
  

   rocks 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  Magnesian 
  Limestone 
  (Permian) 
  series. 
  The 
  

   terms 
  Palozosaurus 
  and 
  Protorosaurus 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  fossil 
  Reptiles 
  of 
  

   the 
  Permian 
  rocks 
  are 
  indicative 
  of 
  these 
  remains 
  having 
  been 
  looked 
  

   upon 
  as 
  evidences 
  of 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  Reptilian 
  life 
  on 
  the 
  globe. 
  

   The 
  discovery, 
  in 
  1844, 
  of 
  footprints 
  on 
  the 
  surfaces 
  of 
  sandstones 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  formation, 
  in 
  America, 
  first 
  militated 
  

   against 
  this 
  conclusion 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  year 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Archegosaurus 
  among 
  the 
  ironstone 
  nodules 
  of 
  the 
  Bavarian 
  

   coal-field 
  entirely 
  upset 
  the 
  conclusions 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  arrived 
  at 
  

   from 
  purely 
  negative 
  evidence. 
  Since 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  these 
  Reptilian 
  

   remains, 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  added, 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  Coal-measures 
  of 
  

   America 
  and 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  referable 
  to 
  the 
  

   order 
  Labyrinthodontia. 
  Of 
  these 
  Reptilian 
  remains, 
  those 
  from 
  

   America 
  have 
  been 
  principally 
  discovered 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Dawson, 
  and 
  have 
  

   been 
  described 
  by 
  him. 
  Of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  genera 
  of 
  the 
  coal-reptiles 
  

   of 
  America, 
  namely 
  Hylonomus, 
  Dr. 
  Dawson 
  remarks, 
  " 
  the 
  smooth 
  

   cranial 
  bones, 
  the 
  simple 
  teeth, 
  the 
  long 
  curved 
  ribs, 
  the 
  well- 
  

   developed 
  limbs, 
  and 
  the 
  cutaneous 
  appendages 
  must 
  absolutely 
  

   prevent 
  this 
  genus 
  from 
  entering 
  either 
  the 
  order 
  Ganocephala 
  or 
  

   the 
  order 
  Labyrinthodontia, 
  as 
  defined 
  by 
  Owen 
  f." 
  

  

  Concerning 
  the 
  Reptiles 
  from 
  the 
  British 
  Carboniferous 
  strata, 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Huxley, 
  in 
  a 
  recent 
  memoir, 
  sums 
  up 
  the 
  evidence 
  which 
  they 
  

   afford 
  X. 
  In 
  this 
  memoir 
  he 
  regards 
  the 
  order 
  Labyrinthodontia 
  as 
  

  

  * 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  p. 
  510. 
  t 
  Ibid. 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  p. 
  473. 
  

  

  \ 
  Ibid. 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  p. 
  473. 
  

  

  