6 
LEA’S DESCRIPTION OF A FOSSIL SAURIAN 
Batrachians having been found in the New Tied Sandstone of this country; but 
recently some of the vertebrse, ribs, and teeth of a Sauroid animal, of considerable 
size have been found, near Hassac’s creek, in Upper Milford, Lehigh county, Pa., 
by Dr. J. Y. Shelley, of Berk’s county, who presented them to the Academy of 
Natural Sciences, in November, 1847. These interesting fossil remains were 
supposed to be coeval with the fossil foot-prints which Dr. King discovered in the 
sandstones of the coal measures. In the examination of them I came to a different 
conclusion, and I am of opinion that they belong to the well known New Red 
Sandstone formation of Pennsylvania.* (See Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sci., vol. 5, 
pp. 171 and 205, Clepsysaurus Pennsylvanicus , Lea.) The lithological character of 
the rock, (impure conglomerate limestone,) and its geographical position, would 
indicate this; and there need be no disappointment in this reference to a later period, 
for this specimen has the great interest of being, so far as I know, the only well 
authenticated portion of a skeleton of a Saurian found in the new red sandstone of 
this country. In Europe, some of the bones and teeth of the Cheirotherium have 
been found in the Triassic portion of the new red sandstone, of which the tracks had 
long been noticed. These prove it to be a gigantic Batrachian. Also the tracks, and 
subsequently the bones of the Rhyncosaurus articeps, Owen, were discovered in the 
Upper New Red Sandstone near Shrewsbury. In the Magnesian Limestone the The- 
naropus had been observed, and in the Muschelkalk the Nothosaurus. 
The “New Red Sandstone” formation, so called, of the United States, seems to 
belong, or rather to consist of a single member of the system. The “ New Red 
Sandstone ” of British and Continental geologists, has been divided into “ Lower 
New Red Sandstone,” (Permian,) and “ Upper New Red Sandstone,” (Trias,) these 
divisions being sub-divided usually into three parts each ; the lower portion of the 
Permian is known in Germany as “ Rothliegendes,” the second as “Zechstein,” the 
third as “ Magnesian Limestone.” The “Trias,” is divi led by Lyell into Lower, 
Middle and Upper Trias; but these divisions are better known as “ Bunter Sand¬ 
stone,” “ Muschelkalk,” and “ Keuper.” 
In the Virginia and Pennsylvania State Reports, the Messrs. Rogers call this great 
belt of red sandstone and conglomerates, the “ Middle Secondary Red Sandstone.” 
It passes from South Carolina, along the eastern border of the first rangy of 
* Some doubt has arisen in the minds of some of our geologists, as stated before, as to the identity of the New 
Red Sandstone of Europe with the red sandstone formation which stretches, like a great river, through our 
Middle States Dr. Jackson says he “ agrees with Elie de Beaumont, that what is here called the New Red 
Sandstone, is not the same as the New Red Sandstone (properly so-called) of Europe.” Geologists generally, 
in this country, have dissented from Mr. Maclure’s idea of its being the Old Red Sandstone, and they have placed 
it correctly as the analogue of the European New Red Sandstone. This is the opinion of Prof. Hitchcock and 
Prof. Agissiz, and other eminent geologists, and is certainly my own. Its position in that group will be treated 
of hereafter. 
