4m 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
Two or three -weeks ago the workmen at Storton-hill Quarry, situated about 
four miles south-west of the Mersey, discovered a large slab of Sandstone, thirty- 
live feet below the surface of the ground, having upon its lower face a number of 
casts of feet in high relief, and in a beautiful state of preservation. Several of 
these have a very close resemblance to the palm of the human hand, and were 
at first taken by the workmen for casts of that organ. Two sets of feet are 
visible along the slab and running in the same straight line. One of these sets 
consists of highly-relieved casts of the hind feet of the animal, and the other of those 
of the fore feet. The hind feet are nearly nine inches in length by about four in 
breadth across the toes, and the smaller four inches long and about the same in 
breadth. The hind feet are plantigrade, and consist of four strong toes, with 
short stout conical claws on each, and a large thumb bent backward, and appar¬ 
ently without a claw. The toes are rather less than one-half the length of the 
foot, and the sole appears to have been as well covered with soft parts as a 
thick hand ; and, from the strong marks of muscular development it presents, was 
evidently intended for grasping. The round muscular prominence at the root of 
the thumb is very large, as well as that at the root of the fourth toe. The toes 
appear each to have been formed of three phalanges; and they, as well as the 
whole sole of the foot, appear to have been covered with a rugose skin, the folds 
of which are distinctly visible in one of the casts. The fore feet are small in 
proportion to the hind ones. They are plantigrade, and consist of five separate 
toes, apparently armed with short claws. The length of the step of the animal 
has been twenty-two inches, which is the distance between the casts; and in 
walking the hind feet have come close up to the fore. 
We have said that these casts were found thirty-five feet below the surface of 
the Sandstone. At that depth there exists a thin bed of steatitic clay, varying 
from the smallest thickness to about one inch and a half. This bed is of con¬ 
siderable extent, and dips towards the Mersey, at an inclination of about one foot 
in ten, and it runs downwards under that part of the rock that has not been 
quarried hitherto. It appears to have occupied a tract frequented by several 
kinds of animals, and to have, in consequence, received the impressions of their 
feet. These impressions have become filled up with sand, which has been subse¬ 
quently indurated; and it is the casts taken from these footmarks which are now 
visible on the slab of stone presented to the Society. The size of the slab, which 
has been lifted off the clay, is very considerable; it is sixteen feet long by four 
feet in breadth, and four inches thick; and the track of one animal is visible over 
its whole length, in a straight line ; and in walking the animal has crossed the 
feet over each other about three inches. This large slab has been broken into 
three pieces ; but there is one of these above seven feet long. 
Resides the track alluded to there are casts of the feet of other animals, appar- 
