164 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
stances generally so indestructible would surely have left some 
fragment of themselves, more or less, which they have not done. 
Most of the markings are formed chiefly of micaceous laminae, 
like the rest of the rock, and in the two or three instances 
where the presence of a foreign body can be detected, it seems 
to be of a concretionary nature. Mr Robert Loudon Irvine, 
of Hurlet Chemical Works, who kindly consented to analyse 
one of these foreign bodies sufficiently to determine its chief 
ingredients, thus reports on it. " It consists mainly of car- 
bonate of lime, with iron existing mostly in the state of pro- 
toxide and alumina. There are neither sulphates nor sul- 
phurets present. The black colour is probably due to the 
presence of carbonate of protoxide of iron." Sir Roderick 
Murchison and the Rev. Mr Mitchell of Craig have, indepen- 
dently of each other, pointed out a remote resemblance in the 
impressions to what is in Forfarshire called " the Kelpie's 
foot;" but neither of those gentlemen regards the pheno- 
mena as identical. At the suggestion of Sir Roderick, the 
matter has been referred to Professor Phillips of Oxford, who 
has had much experience of obscure markings like the present. 
He has already received specimens of the impressions; and 
it is probable that one of the larger pieces of the slab will 
have to go to England for thorough examination there. 
II. Notice of Various Ornithic Fossil Boms from Neiu Zealand. 
By James M'Bain, ]\1D., R.N. 
The bones which I have now the pleasure of exhibiting to 
the Royal Physical Society were found in a limestone cave in 
the northern island of New Zealand, and were given to me for 
examination by Mr D. F. Paterson, of Kerr Street, near Stock- 
bridge, in this city. In a letter received from Mr Paterson, 
he states, that " the large bones were sent home by Dr A. S. 
Thomson, of the 58th regiment, to his father, James Thom- 
son, Esq. of Glendowan, as rare bones. The skull was unknown 
to Dr Thomson, and differed from all the Moa's skulls that he 
had seen ; at the same time, he thinks it belongs to the genus 
Dinornis. The bones of the little bird, found along with the 
others, were altogether unknown. The cave in which the bones 
were found is on the western side of the North Island, near 
