394 Intelligence, fyc. 



perfect preservation, and not even attached to the walls of 

 the cavity, (except slightly at one end,) but lying in it as in a 

 case. The piece of wood was not larger than a finger, and 

 the cavity but two or three inches in diameter : it was lined 

 with a soft and feebly coherent matter, resembling the sub- 

 stance of the rock in a state of rather minute division. 



The conclusion from this interesting fact appears irresisti- 

 ble, that this piece of wood was floating in the waters, which 

 were charged with the materials of this rock, and became en- 

 closed, during their consolidation; thus proving, that this 

 rock had never been ignited; and that a tree or shrub was 

 in existence when it was formed. That it is a very ancient, 

 rock of this class is evident from its composition, presenting 

 quartz— fresh and brilliant red feldspar and mica — along with 

 entire fragments of granite, gneiss, mica slate, argillite, &c. 

 being evidently an early offset, from the destruction of a prim- 

 itive formation. It passes from a fine sandstone into a 

 coarse pudding stone." The rock has been usually referred by 

 our geologists, to the red sandstone formation; it is in many 

 places covered by ridges of greenstone trap. In the same 

 rock formation, but fifty miles from New Haven, were found 

 the bones of a large animal. See Vol. II. p. 147, and Vol. 

 III. p. 247, of this Journal, to which we refer for more partic- 

 ular geological details. We add the following fact relating 

 to the same rock in Scotland. 



Antediluvian Footsteps. — In the red sand stone quarry of Corn- 

 codale Muir, about two miles to the north of the town of Loch- 

 maben, in the county of Dumfries, are numerous and distinct im- 

 pressions of feet, which leave no doubt that this rock, while in a 

 soft state, had been traversed by living quadrupeds. Casts taken 

 from some of these prints are in possession of several geologists. 

 The simple inspection of the tracks makes it impossible to doubt 

 in what manner they have been produced. The great numbers 

 of the impressions in uninterrupted continuity — the regular al- 

 ternations of the right and left footsteps— their equt-distance from 

 each other- — the outward direction of the toes — the grazing of 

 the foot along the surface before it was firmly planted — the deep- 

 er impression made by the toe than by the heel, theforcing for- 

 ward of the sandy matter of the rock, by the downward and scarce- 

 ly slanting direction in which it is remarkable that all the animals 

 have traversed this singular acclivity — and, in the largest speci- 

 men found in a different part of the quarry, the sharp and well de- 

 fined marks of the three claws of the animal's foot, are circumstan- 

 ces which immediately arrest the attention of the observer, and 

 force him to acknowledge that they admit of only one explanation. 



