﻿THE 
  EXTINCT 
  VERTEBRATE 
  ANIMALS 
  OF 
  THE 
  

   MORAY 
  FIRTH 
  AREA. 
  

  

  By 
  R. 
  H. 
  Traquair, 
  M.D., 
  LL.D., 
  F.R.S. 
  

  

  Although 
  Palaeontology 
  is 
  essentially 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  Biology, 
  it 
  is, 
  

   nevertheless, 
  so 
  intimately 
  connected 
  with 
  Geology 
  that 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  fossil 
  animals 
  of 
  a 
  district 
  necessarily 
  presupposes 
  a 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  the 
  leading 
  facts 
  of 
  the 
  last-named 
  science, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  special 
  

   acquaintance 
  with 
  the 
  geological 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  in 
  question. 
  

   The 
  palaeontologist 
  dare 
  no 
  more 
  be 
  ignorant 
  of 
  geology 
  than 
  the 
  

   zoologist 
  of 
  physical 
  geography, 
  and 
  conversely 
  the 
  geologist 
  ought 
  to 
  

   be 
  interested 
  in, 
  and 
  to 
  possess 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   palaeontology, 
  to 
  the 
  facts 
  of 
  which, 
  in 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  stratigraphy, 
  

   he 
  ought 
  to 
  give 
  due 
  importance 
  and 
  weight. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  unfor- 
  

   tunate 
  that 
  only 
  too 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  geologists 
  seem 
  desirous 
  of 
  studying 
  

   the 
  formation 
  and 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  crust, 
  with 
  

   as 
  little 
  reference 
  as 
  possible 
  to 
  the 
  fossil 
  remains 
  which 
  they 
  

   contain 
  ! 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  first 
  condition, 
  I 
  must 
  presume 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  

   elements 
  of 
  geology 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  readers 
  of 
  this 
  essay; 
  as 
  

   regards 
  the 
  second, 
  I 
  should 
  advise 
  an 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  edition 
  

   of 
  Sir 
  A 
  Geikie's 
  Geological 
  Map 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  Space 
  will 
  not 
  

   permit 
  of 
  my 
  entering 
  into 
  any 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  

   region 
  comprised 
  in 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth 
  Basin 
  ; 
  nor 
  would 
  that 
  be 
  desir- 
  

   able 
  until 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  now 
  in 
  progress, 
  by 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  geologists 
  has 
  been 
  completed, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  official 
  maps 
  and 
  memoirs. 
  Of 
  the 
  maps, 
  two 
  are 
  already 
  

   published, 
  namely, 
  sheets 
  94 
  and 
  95. 
  

  

  