[ 5 1 ] 
their inhabitants before they refted there. In the clay 
at Shotover [/] near Oxford, they have a curious 
fmooth furface, but are otherwise imperfect : at 
Stonsfield, in the flate-ftone, they are generally 
crufhed [g]: thofe approaching neareft to perfec- 
tion, which I have feen, came out of the fand [£], 
under the bed of done at Garfington-pitts near Ox- 
ford : the outer part is quite perfect, and the verge of 
the conical cavity is as thin as paper, but the alveolus 
is deftroyed, except the apex or point. At Thame, in 
digging f° r Hone, feveral fmall ones were found in 
aftratum of blue clay ot a more cylindrical form [z] ; 
fome of which have the pearly fubftance (till remain- 
ing ; an inconteftable proof of their being marine 
productions. 
How much of the cavity is occupied by the alveo- 
lus, cannot be truly afcertained, until a perfect one 
can be found, which it will be hard to do in the 
fofiil-ftate ; but if we may judge from the nautilus, 
the walls are carried to a diftance from the laft formed 
valve, much greater than that, at which the valves 
are placed from each other; as in fig. xiii. from to 
b , which gives the animal all the convenience of 
forminga new valve or diaphragm, c. Thiscircum- 
flance has been very ingenioully cleared up by a learn- 
ed phyfician in one of our monthly papers [£]. 
The recent nautili are very common in the eaftern 
feas ; and in the fofifil date are frequently found with 
the Belemnites at Garfington near Oxford. Why may 
we not therefore expert to find a recent Belemnite, 
OJ Fjg. 2. y. 
[/] Fig. xvii. 
[k] Gent. Magazine for Jan. 1752. pag. 8. 
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