Among the fossil shells which can only be here enumerated, are the rare tuber culated turrilite, or chambered turbinate(' shell, the orbulites, planulites, and bacu lites, of Lamarck.
Insects of the smaller kinds are seldom found in a fossil state, the smallness of their size, and the delicacy of their struc ture, most probably preventing their pre servation. Those which are in a state to allow any thing of their general form to be made out are consequently very few. The one which is generally found in the most perfect condition, is that which is gene rally known to us as the Dudley fossil, from its being found in the neighbourhood of Dudley, in Worcestershire. (Plate II. fig. 5.) Other species of this animal have been found in Wales, and in different parts of Germany. From the imperfect state in which these insects are found, little more, perhaps, can be said of them, except that the remains which have been examined, shew that the covering of their body was formed by three series of thick crustace ous plates, tranversely disposed in rows, the length of the body ; whilst one plate served to give a covering to the, head of the animal. Other remains of the smaller insects have been mentioned by different authors ; but few or none appear to have been described as agreeing with any in sect now known to be in existence.
The remains of lobsters and crabs are frequently found in the isle of Sheppey, and Malta. The remains of different spe cies of these animals are also found in a compressed state in the margaceous and schistous masses of Pappenheim and Op penheim.
The fossil remains of amphibia are very numerous, and supply us with ample ex ercise for inquiry and admiration. In dif ferent parts of England, particularly in Somersetshire and Dorsetshire, the re mains of animals, apparently of the Lacer ta genus, are frequently found ; but are, as far as we are able to judge, really dif ferent from any animal which is known to us. But in no part of the world have such exquisitely fine and wonderful re mains of animals of this description been found as in St. Peter's mountain near Maestricht. A most beautiful specimen
of part of the jaw of the fossil animal of St. Peter's mountain was presented to tl e Royal Society, by professor Camper, and is now very properly exhibited in the Bri tish Museum. A wonderful specimen of the head of this animal has been also ob tained from the same mountain by Faujas St. Fond ; and is delineated in the elegant work which he has given to the world, de scriptive of the fossil riches of that moun tain. " Histoire Naturelle de la Mon tagne de Saint-Pierre de Maestricht." The plates of St. Fond, as well as the specimen of professor Camper, shew that these are the remains, indubitably, of an enormous animal, different from any at present known. It must, however, be ob served that the remains of crocodiles, apparently of the same species which now exist, have also been discovered part of the head of the Asiatic crocodile was found in very good preservation in the quarries of Altdorff.
Fossil fishes have been found imbedded in calcareous and argillaceous masses, in various parts of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy; but no where in such prodi gious numbers as in the mountain named Vestena-Nuova, generally called Monte Bolca, in the Veronese ; which extends, in height, a thousand feet above the quar ry, in which are found the numerous re mains of fish ; of which specimens are to be seen in almost every cabinet of re pute in Europe.
The remains of fishes, from an inch to upwards of three feet in length, are found in these quarries, and of these se veral are found whose living analogues are said to exist in the neighbourhood of Japan, and of Brazil, also in Africa and America. The Abbe Fortis is of opinion that the actual descendants of the Vero elan fossil fishes are now to be found in the sea which washes the shores of Ota heite. In Cerigo, (Cytheria) Alessano, Lesina, in Dalmatia, Oeningen, Pappen heirn, in Aix, and in several parts of France, fossil fishes are found in very ex cellent preservation. In England fbssil fishes are much more rarely found than in France, Germany, or Italy.