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hulks and hard calyces of fruits, as well as their flones, 
are alfo fufceptible of petrifaction. 
If thefe fruits, which I have the honour to lay be- 
fore you, are antediluvian, one would be apt to imagine 
they, in fome meafure, point out, with Dr. Wood- 
ward, the time of year in which the deluge began; 
which he thinks was in May : and yet this very opinion 
is liable to fome objections ; becaufe altho’ fruits ca- 
pable of being petrified, from their green ftate, may 
be pretty well formed in May here, as well as in the 
fame latitude elfewhere, in favour of this opinion ; 
yet there are the lhones of fruits, found foffil, fo per- 
fect, as to make one imagine they were very ripe, 
when depofited in the places where they are difco- 
vered ; which would induce one to think the deluge 
happened nearer Autumn, unlefs we could think them 
the productions of more fouthern latitudes, where per- 
haps their fruits are brought to perfection before ours 
are well formed. 
What follows is a catalogue of thefe foffil fruits 
6cc. before you : and I ffiould be glad, if any of the 
gentlemen would take the trouble of examining 
them, in order to affift in our conjectures about fuch 
of them, as appear doubtful : but firft beg leave to 
infert the following remark : 
I cannot omit an obfervation of DoCtor Mafon, 
Wood wardian profe dor, in this place; which is well 
worth notice, and indeed which I never attended to. 
It regards the impreffions of ffihes upon fate. Now 
there are feveral kinds of date, which have fuch im- 
preffions upon them : in fome there remains only the 
bare impreldon, without any part of the fidi ; in others 
the fcales only, but retaining the intire form of the 
animal ; 
