Chapter XI: Fossil Testaceous Mollusca, or Shells (3)

On the Collection and Arrangement of Fossil Shells.--The instructions already given for the collection of corals, echinoderms, &c., will have familiarized the student with the methods generally adopted, and render it unnecessary to enter into much detail. The shells in arenaceous deposits, particularly in those of the Tertiary formations, are commonly so perfect, as merely to require careful removal: those in the clays are more fragile, and must be extracted with great caution; and, when very delicate, should be left attached to the clay or shale. The specimens extracted entire may be kept either in paper trays, lined with wadding, or fixed to pieces of card or thin board covered with paper, by thick gum-water; three or four specimens being attached in different positions, so as to expose the essential characters, as the aperture, spire, and back of the univalves, and the hinge, muscular imprints, &c. of the bivalves. Where only casts remain, search should be made for an impression of the outer surface of the shell, and a cast taken of it in wax, kneaded bread, or plaster of Paris. In indurated clays, sometimes both shells and casts may be obtained; and a specimen of each should be preserved. Mastic varnish, or solution of gum tragacanth, delicately applied to fragile shells, tends to preserve them, and improves their appearance. It is desirable to collect the same species in various states of growth; the form of the young shell (as in _Rostellaria ampla_, of Solander) often differing essentially from that of the adult. It will be found convenient to have trays or boards of different colours; and to select one tint for the shells collected from a particular formation, or deposit; for example, the newer Tertiary may be placed on yellow paper; the older, or Eocene fossils, on light-blue. It is also desirable to separate the marine from the fresh-water species.

Shells imbedded in chalk, limestone, &c., often require much labour to display their more delicate and important characters. For clearing chalk specimens, a stout penknife, and a few gravers or gouges of various sizes, will be necessary; and by a little practice, the spines of the Spondylus (_Lign. 128_), and the beaks and hinge of Inocerami (_Lign. 129_), &c., may be readily exposed. A small stiffish brush, used with water, is also serviceable. The shells in compact stone, as those of the mountain limestone, must generally be cleared with the hammer and chisel. Common species may be broken out, and, from several examples, probably one or two will be found perfect; but choice and rare specimens should not be thus risked; they will amply repay the trouble of the less expeditious method of chiselling away the surrounding stone. Casts may be taken in gutta percha, &c.

To determine the names of the specimens that he has collected should be the next care of the student. No method will so readily initiate the young collector in fossil conchology, as the careful examination of a small series of the common species, with their names attached.[396] By the geological map,[397] the nature of the deposit in which the locality of the specimens is situated, may be ascertained; and the remarks previously advanced on the prevailing shells of each formation, will afford a general idea of the genera to which they belong; and, by referring to the figures quoted, the specific names may be determined.

[396] Such a series may be obtained, at very little cost, of dealers in objects of natural history; as, Messrs. Tennant, Sowerby, the British Natural History Society, &c. See Appendix.

[397] A Geological Map of England and Wales, coloured by Mr. Woodward, under the direction of Sir R. I. Murchison, has been published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, at the low price of 5_s._ Although on a very small scale, and therefore not to be compared for utility and convenience with that by Prof. Phillips, much less with Greenough's large map, or with Knipe's, it will be found serviceable.

I subjoin a list of some localities of fossil shells, to direct research in places which are likely to be productive.

* * * * *

BRITISH LOCALITIES OF FOSSIL SHELLS.

[Sidenote: BRITISH LOCALITIES OF FOSSIL SHELLS.]

Aldborough, Suffolk. The usual shells of the Crag.

Alum Bay, Isle of Wight. Eocene tertiary; marine and fresh-water
shells.

Ancliff. Great variety of minute shells of the Oolite.

Arundel, Sussex. Chalk-pits in the neighbourhood.

Atherfield, Isle of Wight, Shells of the lower beds of the Lower
Greensand, in great variety and abundance.

Aylesbury, Bucks. Kimmeridge Clay: near Hartwell.

Aymestry. _Pentamerus_, and other Silurian shells.

Barnstaple, North Devon. Numerous Devonian shells.

Barton Cliff, Hants. Eocene shells in profusion.

Bedford. Lower Oolite, _Terebratulæ_, _Ostreæ_, _Myadæ_, &c.

Binstead, near Ryde, Isle of Wight. Tertiary: in the stone-quarries,
terrestrial and fresh-water shells, as _Bulimus_, _Helix_,
_Limncæ_, and _Planorbis_.

Blackdown, near Collumpton, Devon. Greensand. Numerous silicified
shells, of great beauty. _Trigonia_, _Venus_, _Corbula_,
_Rostellaria_, &c. &c.

Bognor Rocks, Sussex. Eocene Tertiary. _Vermetus_, _Pectunculus_,
_Pinna_, _Voluta_, &c.

Bolland. Numerous shells of the Mountain Limestone.

Bradford, Wilts. Numerous Oolitic shells. _Avicula._

Bramerton Hill, near Norwich. Shells of the Norfolk Crag.

Brighton. _Strondylus_, _Terebratula_, _Ostrea_, _Pecten_,
_Inoceramus_, &c. Many species in the chalk.

Bromley, Kent. Eocene Tertiary. Oyster conglomerate.

Brook-point, Isle of Wight: about one mile east of the Chine.
Wealden: _Unio valdensis_, _Cyclades_, _Paludinæ_, &c.

Brora, Scotland. Oolite. _Pholadomya_, _Sanguinolaria_, &c.

Calbourn, Isle of Wight. Tertiary. Fresh-water Univalves.

Cambridge. In the Galt and Chalk-marl, the usual shells.

Castle Hill, near Newhaven, Sussex. In the Tertiary strata, on the
summit of the hill. Numerous _Potamides_, _Cyclades_, and other
fresh-water shells, _Ostreæ_, with pebbles.

Chardstock, Devon. The fossils of the Lower Chalk.

Cheltenham. Fine shells of the Oolite and Lias.

Chute, near Longleat, Wilts. Greensand shells, in abundance.

Clayton, near Hurst, Sussex. In Chalk-marl, many rare shells; as,
_Dolium nodosum_ (_Min. Conch._ tab. 326.)

Clifton. Carboniferous Limestone. _Spirifera_, _Producta_, &c.

Coalbrook Dale. Silurian and Carboniferous fossils.

Cork. In the vicinity. Carboniferous limestone shells.

Crich Hill, Derbyshire. The usual shells of the Mountain Limestone.

Cuckfield, Sussex. In the Sandstone and Grit, fresh-water shells of
the Wealden.

Dudley. Profusion of shells of the Silurian strata.

Dundry, near Bristol. Beautiful shells in the Inferior Oolite.

Earlstoke, Wilts. Many shells of the Greensand.

Faringdon, Berks. The usual shells of the Oolite in the Coral Rag,
&c.; and of the Greensand, in the Gravel-pits.

Folkstone, Kent. Galt. _Inoceramus_, _Arca_, _Rostellaria_,
_Dentalium_, &c. Lower Greensand, _Gryphæa_, _Ostrea_, &c.

Gravesend. Beautiful shells of the White Chalk.

Hampstead Cliff, Isle of Wight. Fresh-water Tertiary shells.

Hampton Quarry, near Bath. Abounds in Oolitic shells.

Hartwell, Bucks. On the estate of Dr. Lee, beautiful shells of the
Kimmeridge Clay.

Harwich Cliff, Essex. The Crag shells. _Voluta Lamberti_.

Hastings, Sussex. Fresh-water shells of the Wealden.

Headon Hill, Isle of Wight. Fresh-water Tertiary shells in profusion.

Heddington. Oysters in Kimmeridge Clay (_Ostrea deltoidea_). _Perna_,
_Gervillia_, _Trigonia_, &c.

Highworth, Wilts. Very fine Trigoniæ, and other Oolitic, shells, in
the stone-quarries.

Hollington, near Hastings. Wealden. Fresh-water bivalves, &c.

Holywell, near Ipswich. Shells of the Crag, abundantly.

Hordwell Cliff, Hants. The usual shells of the Eocene deposits, in
immense quantity, variety, and perfection.

Horningsham, near Frome, Wilts. Oxford Clay. _Terebratula_, _Pecten_,
&c. in great numbers.

Horsham, Sussex. Fresh-water shells of the Wealden, in the
stone-quarries.

Humbleton Hill, Sunderland. Permian fossils.

Hythe, Kent. Greensand. _Trigonia_, _Gryphæa_, _Pecten_, &c.

Ilminster, Somerset. _Brachiopoda_, &c. Inf. Oolite and Marlstone.

Ipswich. The usual Crag shells.

Langton Green, near Tunbridge Wells. Wealden. In the sandstone
quarries, _Uniones_, _Cyclades_, &c.

Leckhampton Hill, near Cheltenham. Numerous shells of the Inferior
Oolite and Lias.

Lewes. _Inoceramus_, _Pecten_, and usual shells of the White Chalk
and Chalk Marl.

Ludlow. _Pentamerus_, _Spirifera_, &c. and other Silurian shells.

Lyme Regis. Lias. _Plagiostoma_, _Gryphæa_, _Trochus_.

Malton. Beautiful shells of the Oolite.

Matlock, Derbyshire. The mountain limestone in the vicinity abounds
in the characteristic shells _Leptæna_, _Spirifer_, &c.

Minchinhampton. Numerous shells of the Great Oolite.

Osmington, near Weymouth. Purbeck; fresh-water and marine shells:
Oolite; _Trigonia_, _Gervillia_, _Perna_, _Pholadomya_, and many
other genera.

Portland, Isle of. Oolite. In the stone-quarries immense numbers of
the genera _Trigonia_, _Venus_, _Ostrea_, _Pecten_, &c.

Pluckley, Kent. Lower Greensand. _Trigoniæ_, _Terebratulæ_, &c.

Radipole, near Weymouth. _Trigonia_, _Pholadomya_, &c. in Oxford Clay.

Sandgate, near Margate. In the Greensand, the usual shells.

Scarborough. In the cliffs along the shore, a profusion of Oolitic
and Liassic shells.

Selbourne, Hants. In the firestone, _Ostrea carinata_ and other
characteristic shells.

Shalfleet, Isle of Wight. In tertiary fresh-water limestone, shells
of various genera, as _Bulimus_, _Helix_, _Planorbis_, &c.

Shanklin Chine. Greensand. In the cliffs along the shore,
_Terebratidæ_, _Gryphites_, _Gervilliæ_, and many other shells.

Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire. The usual shells of the Cornbrash and Lower
Oolite.

Sheppey, Isle of. Eocene. London Clay shells, in abundance.

South Petherton, Somerset. _Terebratulæ_, _Pholadomya_, _Ostreæ_,
_Pleurotomariæ_, &c. of the Marlstone.

Stamford, Lincolnshire. Lower Oolite. Univalves and bivalves in
profusion.

Stonesfield, Oxfordshire. _Trigoniæ_ and other shells of the Lower
Oolite.

Stubbington Cliff, near Portsmouth. Eocene shells.

Swanage. In the quarries in the vicinity, the prevailing fresh-water
shells of the Purbeck limestone.

Swindon, Wilts. Oolite. The Portland limestone abounds in the usual
shells of that deposit. _Trigoniæ_, _Gervilliæ_, &c.

Taunton, Somersetshire, (Pickeridge Hill, &c.) _Lima_, _Pecten_, and
other Liassic shells.

Tisbury, Wilts. Beautiful _Trigoniæ_, and other shells of the
Portland Oolite.

Vincent's, St., near Clifton. The rocks abound in the usual shells of
the mountain limestone.

Walton, Essex. Shells of the Crag, in great variety.

Weymouth. The Oxford Clay and other strata in the vicinity contain
great variety of fossil shells.

Whitecliff Bay, Isle of Wight. Eocene. Marine and fresh-water shells.

Worthing. The chalk quarries in the neighbourhood are remarkably
prolific in the usual species; and yield Sphærulites.

Note.--A comprehensive list of the localities for _Lower Palæozoic_ shells, &c. is given by Prof. M'Coy in the second Fasciculus of the "British Palæozoic Fossils;" and in the little "Stratigraphical List," published by Mr. Tennant, reference is carefully made to the localities for the fossils of every formation.

END OF VOL. I.

R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.

* * * * *

BOHN’S SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY.

⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼◆⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼

MANTELL’S

MEDALS OF CREATION.

VOL. II.

_J. Dinkel del. G. Scharf lithog._

_Printed by Hullmandel & Walton_]

THE

Medals of Creation;

OR,

FIRST LESSONS IN GEOLOGY,

AND

THE STUDY OF ORGANIC REMAINS.

BY

GIDEON ALGERNON MANTELL, LL.D. F.R.S. V.P.G.S.

PRESIDENT OF THE WEST LONDON MEDICAL SOCIETY, ETC.

AUTHOR OF THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY, ETC.

⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼◆⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼

IN TWO VOLS.--VOL. II.

CONTAINING

Fossil Cephalopoda, Crustacea, Insects, Fishes Reptiles,
Birds, and Mammalia.

WITH NOTES OF GEOLOGICAL EXCURSIONS.

SECOND EDITION, ENTIRELY REWRITTEN.

LONDON:

HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

LONDON:

R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.

DESCRIPTION

OF THE

FRONTISPIECE OF VOL. II.

PLATE II.

_Illustrative of the mode of developing Fossil Fishes in Chalk._

Osmeroides Mantelli: a Fossil Smelt; from the _Chalk_, Lewes.

See page 626.

(_One-third natural size._)

Fig. 1.--The two corresponding surfaces of a block of Chalk split asunder. The irregular oval lines, seen on each surface, are the only apparent indications that the stone contains an extraneous body.

2.--In this figure the two pieces represented above are shown cemented together; care having been taken that the oval markings on each surface were accurately adjusted. The chalk has been chiselled away in the supposed longitudinal direction of the enclosed extraneous body, and part of the scaly surface of a fish has been thus brought to light. A portion of chalk has also been removed towards both ends, with the view of ascertaining the extent and direction of the fossil; and at each place indications of its presence are visible.

3.--Represents the specimen completely developed. It proves to be a fish almost perfect, lying on its back, with the body uncompressed, the mouth open, the arches and opercula of the gills expanded, and the dorsal, pectoral, and ventral fins entire. The caudal fin, or tail, is imperfect. The original is nine inches long, and is one of the most extraordinary fossil fishes ever discovered. It belongs to the Salmon family, and is allied to the Osmerus, or Smelt; it is now in the British Museum. We thus perceive that the oval markings on the surface of fig. 1 were occasioned by the section of the scales covering the cylindrical body of the fish (see p. 627). A magnified view of one of the scales is figured _Lign. 185, fig. 4_, p. 567.

LIST OF LIGNOGRAPHS IN VOL. II.

=======

(_Illustrative of Fossil Zoology._)

LIGN. PAGE

140. Fossil Cuttle-Fish (Kelæno) 447
141. Belemnites, from the Chalk, &c. 451
142. Restored outline of Belemnites 453
143. Restored outline of the Belemnites Puzosianus 454
144. Perfect specimen of Belemnites Puzosianus 455
145. Belemnoteuthis antiquus 460
146. Horny rings and hooks of Belemnoteuthis antiquus 461
147. Osselets of extinct dibranchiate Cephalopoda 463
148. Bellerophon 465
149. Nautilus pompilius in its shell 467
150. Fossil Nautili 470
151. Nautilus elegans 471
152. Nautilus Saxbyi 472
153. Casts of Chambers of Nautilus and Ammonite 473
154. Clymeniæ 473
155. Orthoceratites 475
156. Ammonites from the Cretaceous formation 476
157. Ammonites communis 477
158. Ammonites Jason 479
159. Goniatites 482
160. Shells of the Ammonitidæ 484
161. Hamites, &c. from the Chalk-marl 480
162. Scaphites 488
163. Turrilites 489
164. Turrilites tuberculatus 491
165. Aptychus sublævis 492
166. Fossil impression of Nereis 504
167. Fossil Barnacles and Pholades 507
168. Fossil Crustaceans from the Galt 513
169. Fossil Crustaceans from the Chalk 517
170. Fossil Crustacean from the Oolite 519
171. Archæoniscus Brodiei 521
172. Fossil Limulus, in a Nodule of Ironstone 522
173. Limulus trilobitoides 523
174. Fossil Cyprides 527
175. Trilobites 533
176. Homalonotus delphinocephalus 536
177. Phacops caudatus 538
178. Paradoxides Bohemicus 539
179. Fossil Libellula 551
180. Wings of Neuropterous Insects 553
181. Fossil Wings of Insects 554
182. Insectiferous Limestone 556
183. Fossil Insects from Aix 558
184. A group of Fossil Fish from Aix 562
185. Fossil Scales of Fishes 567
186. Lepidotus 575
187. Amblypterus 576
188. Dorsal Rays of Sharks 578
189. Fossil Teeth of Sharks 585
190. Mandible of Edaphodon Mantelli 589
191. Mandibles of Edaphodon Leptognathus 589
192. Fossil Teeth of Sharks 591
193. Fossil Teeth of Sharks from the Chalk 594
194. Fossil Teeth of Fishes 598
195. Dapedius 603
196. Scales and Fin of Lepidotus Mantelli 605
197. Portion of the Jaw of Lepidotus 606
198. Gyrodus Murchisoni 609
199. Cephalaspis Lyellii 611
200. Cephalaspis Lyellii 611
201. Coccosteus and Pterichthys 613
202. Teeth of Asterolepis 619
203. Smerdis minutus 626
204. Fossil Teeth and Jaws of Fishes 629
205. The Lower Jaw of Iguana 649
206. Fossil Vertebræ of Reptiles 653
207. Dermal Bone of the Swanage Crocodile 658
208. Dermal Bones of Fossil Reptiles 660
209. Eye of Ichthyosaurus 664
210. Teeth of Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus 665
211. Vertebra of Ichthyosaurus 666
212. Pectoral Arch of Ichthyosaurus 667
213. Pectoral Arch of Plesiosaurus 667
214. Paddles of Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus 668
215. Hinder Paddle of an Ichthyosaurus, with its Integument 669
216. Skull and Jaws of Teleosaurus and Steneosaurus 675
217. First Caudal Vertebra of Crocodilus Hastingsiæ 676
218. Portion of Jaw of Megalosaurus Bucklandi 686
219. Tooth of the Megalosaurus Bucklandi 687
220. Jaw of Iguanodon Mantelli 693
221. Lower Tooth of the Iguanodon 694
222. Upper Tooth of the Iguanodon 695
223. Teeth of Iguanodon 696
224. Six Caudal Vertebræ of the Iguanodon 699
225. Left Femur of the Iguanodon 701
226. Bones of the Feet and Claws of Iguanodon 703
227. Mosasaurus Hoffmanni 706
228. Mosasauroid Teeth 707
229. Tooth of Mosasaurus 708
230. Mosasauroid Tooth 710
231. Rhynchosaurus articeps 712
232, 233. Dicynodon lacerticeps 716
234. Dicynodon testudiceps (tooth) 719
235. Telerpeton Elginense 721
236. Telerpeton Elginense (outline) 722
237. Pterodactylus crassirostris 724
238. Chelone Benstedi 733
239. Mandible of a Turtle 734
240. Chelone Bellii 735
241. Tretosternon Bakewelli 737
242. Palæophis Toliapicus 738
243. Cryptobranchus Scheuchzeri 741
244. Archegosaurus Dechenii 747
245. Cheirotherium Kaupii 752
246. Fossil Bird 767
247. Ornithoidichnites from Massachusetts 770
248. Bird-like Footprint, and Impressions of Rain-drops 771
249. Zeuglodon cetoides (teeth) 780
250. Teeth of Zeuglodon 781
251. Teeth of Ruminant 782
252. Leg-bones of Horse, Deer, and Anoplothere 784
253. Elephas Ganesa (skull and tusks) 785
254. Mastodon Tooth 786
255. Anoplotherium (outline) 788
256. Anoplothere and Palæothere (teeth) 790
257. Hyopotamus Teeth 792
258. Tooth of Mastodon Elephantoides 794
259. Elephant Tooth 794
260. Elephant Teeth 794
261. Hippopotamus Teeth 795
262. Rhinoceros Teeth 796
263. Teeth of Horse 797
264. Foot and Tooth of Glyptodon 800
265. Jaws of Phascolotherium and Ampitherium 806

(_Illustrative of Geological Excursions._)

266. Hammers 832
267. Brighton Cliffs 852
268. Section of Brighton Cliffs 854
269. Section at Farringdon 861
270. Section at Derwent Valley 876
271. Crich Hill Quarry 886
272. View of Crich Hill 887
273. Plan of Crich Hill 889
274. Section of Crich Hill 890
275. Diagram Section of Crich Hill 895

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

~~~~~~~~~~

VOL. II.

Description of the Frontispiece of Vol. II. p. v.

List of Lignographs in Vol. II. vii.

Contents of Vol. II. ix.

Chapter XII.--Fossil Cephalopoda, 447. Fossil Dibranchiate
Cephalopods, 450. Belemnites, 451. Belemnitella, 457.
Belemnoteuthis, 459. Beloptera, 463. Geoteuthis, 463. Bellerophon
and Argonaut, 465. Fossil Tetrabranchiate Cephalopods, 466.
Nautilus, 467. Clymenia, 473. Orthoceras, 474. Ammonitidæ, 476.
Ammonites, 478. Goniatites, 482. Ceratites, 483. Crioceras, 483.
Ancyloceras, 484. Toxoceras, 485. Hamites, 485. Ptychoceras, 485.
Baculites, 486. Scaphites, 487. Turrilites, 489. Aptychus, 491.
Geological Distribution of the Fossil Cephalopoda, 492. On the
Collecting British Fossil Cephalopoda, 496. British Localities of
Fossil Cephalopoda, 499.