1864.] 



Note on the Spiti Fossils. 



233 



important question can only be taken up with advantage, when the 

 whole series of the fossils from the same localities, now in other col- 

 lections, shall have been examined. My present remarks are confined 

 solely to the brief and general notice which Mr. Blanford has prefix- 

 ed to his paper, and to the results there announced. 



The facts appear to be these. In 1828 Dr. Gerard collected in the 

 valley of the Spiti and in adjoining localities, a large number of fossils, 

 (Gleanings in Science, Vol. I. page 109.) Of these a selection was for- 

 warded to the Asiatic Society in 1831, (Gleanings in Science, Vol. III. 

 p. 92.) These fossils excited great attention both from the interest 

 attaching to the fact of their having been found in the very heart of 

 the Himalaya, and also from the marked similarity of some of the 

 species to known English forms. The collection was almost imme- 

 diately examined by the Eev. Mr. Everest, and, at his request, a por- 

 tion of it was sent to England to Mr. Sowerby. On the 8th of June, 

 183 J, Capt. Herbert read a paper on these organic remains, which 

 was published with a plate, in September of the same year (Gleanings 

 in Science, Vol. III. p. 265.) This plate was a small etching from 

 the more finished drawings of the same fossils prepared to illustrate 

 the paper by Mr. Everest published in the 18th Volume of the Asia- 

 tic Researches, p. 107. Both these plates and reduced etching were 

 prepared by Mr. James Prinsep himself. Again in 1832, Captain 

 Gerard on the part of his brother forwarded to the Society 164 pack- 

 ets of fossils from the Himalaya, (Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. I. 

 p. 363,) and in October he forwarded the first part of his brother's 

 paper on Spiti, which also appeared in the 18th Volume of Asiatic 

 Researches. Meanwhile Mr. Sowerby's reply to the reference of these 

 fossils to him was received, dated October 14th, 1831, confirming Mr. 

 Everest's conclusions, (Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. I, p. 248.) 



From all this, it is clear that no time had been lost in taking up 

 the examination of the fossils sent by Dr. Gerard ; that these fossils 

 came at once into the keeping of Mr. James Prinsep, were examined 

 by Mr. Everest, and by Captain Herbert ; were carefully drawn ; that 

 a portion of the collection and the figures were then submitted to 

 Mr. Sowerby, and were at once hy him recognized as similar to others 

 from the same localities which he had seen with Mr. Stokes and Dr, 

 jBnckland. I conceive that the names alone of the gentlemen I have 

 mentioned are abundant guarantee that no sufficient care was wanting 



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