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VII. — Account of some Sandstone Petrifactions 

 found near Edinburgh 



By the Rev. James Grierson, M. D. M. W. S. 



(Read l6th May 1818J 



My chief object at present is to mention to the 

 Society, some recently discovered sandstone petri- 

 factions which have been found in this neighbour- 

 hood. The occurrence of such substances in our 

 common sandstone quarries is, we know, not un- 

 usual ; — particularly petrifactions of a sort of flat- 

 tened reed, of a gigantic size. These I have fre- 

 quently seen, both in the sandstone of Ayrshire, 

 and of Mid-Lothian, viz. in the coal formation 

 sandstone of these districts. The originals of 

 the petrifactions alluded to, are thought by many 

 to have been of the palm tribe. But this, I be- 

 lieve, no one has yet fully ascertained. With 

 respect to the coal formation in general, it is ob- 

 served by our President, in one of his many inte- 

 resting and valuable publications, that it is well 

 characterized by the great number and variety of 

 its vegetable petrifactions. He informs us, that 

 these are principally of such plants as flourish in 



