204 Dr Hibbert on the Limestone of Burdiehouse, 



ceptkig the Swiss Naturalist himself), had " adopted " this opinion. In justice, there- 

 fore, to M. Agassiz, I shall distinctly state, that the only opinion to which I ever 

 yielded was that which constituted the great feature of his own peculiar investigation, 

 viz. that the osseous remains in question of Burdiehouse had disclosed a remarkable 

 character possessed by the larger animals of the carboniferous epoch, which appear to 

 have united in their particular organization the character of fish and reptiles. This 

 view had never before been even " dreamt of in our philosophy ;" — it was confirma- 

 tory of no other opinion whatever which had been previously expressed ; — it origi- 

 nated with M. Agassiz exclusively ; — it was the only one which had been success- 

 fully opposed to my own theory ; — and it was the only one ultimately adopted by 

 myself. 



Previous to M. Agassiz's arrival in Edinburgh, my saurian theory was never 

 opposed upon any other ground, than that the teeth of the Burdiehouse animal were 

 those of a squalus ; — which notion, I need not remark, was far more remote from 

 their true sauroid character, than any opinion which T had myself expressed. 



As I had distinctly stated at the Sectional meeting of the British Association, 

 my impression that the relics of immense fish existed in the limestone of Burdie- 

 house, the chief question which remained was with regard to the teeth ; and if I had 

 simply named them sauroid, instead of saurian, I should have kept within the strict 

 limits of correctness. But notwithstanding this approximation to the truth, it was 

 supposed that my theory had fared worse than was really the case. Granting even 

 the affirmative, I would rather see any theory of mine annihilated upon true scien- 

 tific principles, than survive a different kind of treatment ; — in which feeling, I 

 partake with the sentiment expressed by one of Moliere's characters, when expa- 

 tiating upon the systematic rules with which a physician of Paris killed off his pa- 

 tients, — that it would be a less evil to expire under his remedies, than to be cured 

 by those of another person ; — for, as it added, although a fatal event occurs, yet a 

 conviction remains that every thing is conducted in order, and according to rule. 

 " Cest une grande consolation pour un defunct. 11 — " Assurement. On est bien-aise 

 au moins d'etre mort methodiquement. 11 



But, happily, my noble sauroid animal, — not exactly a saurian reptile, but an 

 immense sauroid fish, — still holds his sway over primeval waters, the sovereign of the 

 carboniferous epoch. 



SECTION XI— COMPARISON OF SOME OF THE OSSEOUS REMAINS ATTRIBU- 

 TABLE TO THE MEGALICHTHYS, WITH OTHERS FOUND AT LEEDS, AND 

 WITH THE RECENT LEPIDOSTEUS. 



As the investigation of the osseous remains of Burdiehouse 

 is in a manner only commenced, I merely asked from M. Agassiz 

 his opinion regarding such important attributes as the teeth, the 



