in the Neighbourhood of Edinburgh. 223 



very satisfactory analysis of a coprolite found in Fifeshire. (See 

 Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal for January 1835.) 



The most important information yielded by these coprolites, 

 points to the means of support and habits of the animals which 

 lived during such a remote epoch. 



In the smallest description of coprolites, we see, with few ex- 

 ceptions, little more than a homogeneous mass. A question then 

 arises with regard to the support of such immense shoals of 

 smaller fish as appear to have frequented this locality. These 

 must have formed objects of pursuit for larger monsters whose 

 remains are here collected. 



In this inquiry I shall recur to the Entomostraca which formed 

 the subject of our early inquiry. 



That calcareous springs, such as must evidently have been in 

 play when the deposit of Burdiehouse was formed, should have 

 been favourable to the growth of the myriads of microscopic mi- 

 nute animals which occupied the waters of this ancient river, or 

 lake, I need not remark, as the nature of their testaceous cover- 

 ings points to the medium in which they subsisted. 



The inquiry, then, which is suggested, has a reference to the 

 existence of these Entomostraca as the food of the smaller finny 

 inhabitants of ancient waters. 



The existence of these microscopic races assuredly finds some 

 analogy with what has been recorded by an excellent naturalist 

 regarding the modern waters of Lochmaben in Dumfriesshire. 

 Entomostraca abound in this fresh-water lake about seven-twelfths 

 of a line in length, which are supposed to approach nearest to 

 the Lynceus lamellatus and Trigonattus of Muller. They breed 

 very frequently throughout the year, and carry the ova about 

 with them, as is the habit of most crustaceous animals. (See Dr 

 Knox's Memoir in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edin- 

 burgh, vol. xii. page 505.) 



Until the appearance of Dr Knox's instructive paper on the 

 habits of the Vendace (the Corrigenus of systematic writers), 



