The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-08-17 00:00:00

THE AIRTHRIE WHALE.

No circumstance has occurred fur many years so
highly interriiting in natural history as the disco-
very of the skeleton of the whale, which was found
the other day at Airthrie. This gigantic asiiiiial,
which mug have been one of the largest of its
tribe, was buried in the soft mud of the Forth,
a►td covered Over with a thin coaling of mossy soil,
which, by means of draining, and other agricul-
tural improvement, is now iu the process of being
converted into highly valuable arable land. It is
to this improvement we are indebted fur the disco-
very of the skeleton. as it was in deeueisiog ■ ditch
that the workmen of Sir Robert Abercrombie dis-
covered the hones. The deposition of so large •
body would hove led us to expect that some slight
protuberance would have marked the spot where it
was laid. This *as not the case, however ; an uni-
form flat surface emended all around, a•d, if ever
its grave was ►uawked by any undulation at all,
time, that almighty leveller, has completely worn
it out. _ _

Since the discovery of the mammoth bones on
the Ohio, we know of nothing in natural history at
all to compare to this; and to us it is rendered
more interesting, as it proves that en animal, the
species of which we presume we are mill onacquaint.
ed with, livrd in a situation which could use base
beenal
accessible to it, at any period since the co.
immanent of the Christian era.
The situation where it lay was within • very short
distance of Dunmyrt, that hill which forms so pro•
minent a festive in the landscape as viewed from
Queen-street, about sun-set. It is about • mile
(ruin the Furth, sod that twiny miles above the
point at which it b. editors • frith; indeed its its
nearest neighbourhood the river is so shallow as to
be fordable at low water, and to this circumstance
the direction of a Rowan road is to be attributed,
which crossed tire river at this spot, and was pro•
tected by a camp or fortress, which was established
on the north bank of the Furth. These well-
known circiarnstancessre valuable data upon this oc-
casion, as they afford us indisputable proof of the
Furth having flowed at that time in the same
channel it dues now, and also that the banks
of it must have been of a solid consistence, ere
they would attempt to lead a road across that
part of the country, or establish a fortress in
the midst of a swamp. This consolidation we
know to be • process of time ; and, at a period
when the industry and ingenuity of mankind had
not yet suggested the advantage of ilra• • g. we
may readily believe that the It ))))) ans found them.
in respect to liniment, much in the same state they
now are, consequently it is to some period much
beyond that of imamy to which the mind must
wander, in the vain pursuit of forming a conjecture
as to the time whets the base of the Ochil Hills was
washed by the tole. and accessible to the inroads of
this monarch of the ocean. The discovery of this
skeleton wets all question upon that fact beyond a
doubt. The finding of • few oyster shells in this
kind of mud, a circumstance of very common ne.
comfier, afforded room fur spectilation. but now
no question can be rotertained as to the fact of the
sea having covered the whole of tins district long
after the creation of living animals.
We learn that some single bones of the same spe•
cies have been dice. ..Atonally found in the district of
the Corse a Folks' k, and we hope to have more in-
formation cii the auhject shortly, meantime we may
observe. thst the only other skeleton of the whale
tribe, found under similar circumstances. that we
know of, is one which was discovered m the alluvial
soil of the P., at Castel Alldquato, near Piacentino,
where the remains of two whales were dug up.
They are both deposited in the Mu,eum of the
Council of Mints, et Milan. and were sent there
by Beauliarttots. when Viceroy .1 Italy. Oue only
is in any thing like a state of prrsersatidni ; the
head and right jaw are entire, several of the ribs
remain. mud 42 iirticuliitiont of vertibitie. but its
length is toot our-tha I of the Airihric skeleton, as
it toeiiiiiirre only it feet. Irwo other skeletons of
the dolphin tribe vse esnibistir iu the sauce place ;
all wand Id the alluvial awl i ile PO*
From the appearance of Mat country. no doubt
can be entertained of the sea having mice stood at
a touch higher level. The Luminous quantity •