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LETTER XXL 
LARGE FOSSIL ANIMAL OF MAESTRICHT ASCERTAINED TO BE 
NEITHER PHYSETER, FISH, NOR CROCODILE OPINIONS OF DR. 
PETER CAMPER, M. FAUJAS, M. ADRIAN CAMPER, REMAINS 
OF THE EXISTING MONITORS ENGLISH SPECIMENS. 
T he large animal, whose fossil remains are found in the quarries of 
Maestricht, has been deservedly a frequent object of admiration ; and 
the beautiful appearance which its remains possess, in consequence of 
their excellent state of preservation, in a matrix which admits of their 
fair display, has occasioned every specimen of this fossil to be highly 
valued. The lower jaw of this animal, with some other specimens 
which were presented by Dr. Peter Camper to the Royal Society, and 
which are now in the British Museum, are among the most splendid 
and interesting fossils in existence. A particular account of these 
fossils, with the opinions of the learned donor respecting the animal 
to which they belonged, and some excellent engravings, are given in 
the Philosophical Transactions for 1/86. 
The remains of this animal are found chiefly in that part of St. 
Peter’s Mountain, on which is built the fort St. Peter. Whilst speaking, 
in a former part of this work, of the alcyonic fossils from this moun- 
tain, I remarked that their matrix was “ a very pure carbonate of 
lime.” M. Cuvier has also ascertained this to be the case, and that 
the description of it by M. Faujas, who says it is “ Un gres quartzeux 
a grain Jin, foiblement lie par un gluten calcaire peu dur is erro- 
neous. The mass of calcareous matter in which they are imbedded 
is at least 449 feet in thickness. 
* Hist. Nat. de la Mont de St. Pierre, p. 14. 
