The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-05-15

OF Dree, which, according to Culver muit have be-
onged to an animal OF that genus, which is now only
met with in South America.
Befdes the labors of Cuvicr on this curio, and in
tereRing iubee, many dftrguiihed na,uraliiis have
been ailduous in their rsiearchss refpefing fo. es
and vycia5ies, fevsral OF whom have in their pol
felton, very numerous collections of the former,
n,ong which may diitpguifh that of Defranee,
who has collected more than fourteen hundred fpe-
cies. Thofe of Lamark Of Faujas of Roiy, Paris,
and that of Deluc, at Geneva, are likswfs well de-
fervng Of notice.
Lamark has given. in the Annals Of the Mufeum,
deierpon of the Fof seAs in the vicinity of Paris.
The following the reults of all the facts pre-
tent known in this department of natural hinory.
]. there fmall number of fofIil ihels ;abfo-
utely lmar to thofe of animals prefest exiting,
among which the following in the poiTelion of
Deiamethere--l NanfiiH' po~fiiius.-2. Cyp,es pei-
isniat-3. T,ssbus ssgiutinans.
2. There are Gill greatner number of Aiells which
differ very little from the fells of exiting animals.
s. The greatea number of foiIil fhslls yet dfco-
covered bear no resemblance to the hells of animal,
exiting at the prefent day, at LEAH to thofe with
which we are acquainted becaufe the hnory of con-
choogy is yet in its infancy, and travellers each day
enrich our collections with new and unknown fpe-
eies.
Among various foiIil v.establts drcovered by Eau.
IN beds OF marie, beneath 5a;altic frata Of more
than fix hundred feet in thickness, exact refembances
/ L.
pnin' fremaia, trembling POPULAR. Poealns alba,
white poplar 5. Eagus ese<ne&, chelnut tree.-4
deer ihoglp.galanum, Montpelier MAPLE. TiGa
@rb.,ea, lime sree.-e. Piuns pirea, ltone pine.
With reiPed to tho fefil remains of anixaL and
v:gefaMe', the learned world at prefent greatly
divided in opinion. Wallerrus, Michaelis, and
Camper, conceive that the greate part of the ami
mails and vegetables whole foiIil remains are found
buried IN the earth, now longer exit. Others a
gam as Deiahetherie, agree with Hunter in thinking
that the minute differences perceptible between ma
ny foils and their exiting refembances are only to
be eondered as tn confequence of change of tli-
mate temperature, &c. and that much greater diff
ferenees prevail between the bones of fpanieI /.
greyhound, bulldog, &c.
has been already obferved that foffis frequently
dipay vegetables infecs hells, flhes and reptiles
apparently in all repets imilar to hofe thar are now
IN exiitenee With repetf BIRDS their ,eI;gui< are
TOO lew TO enable US to decide how far they are anal
ogous to any of the fame clafs now in being.
he fohl remains of mammalia are more abund
ant and frequently 70 diRinay characterized. ,s 70
warrant us IN affirming that they analogous TO the
bones OF the lame cais of animals at preient in exit
ence.
Culver hz,felf, who fupports the contrary bvno-
thes, allows that the fofil bones of the hppono,a
mus are ilmilar to thole of the living animal. The
lame thing may be affirmed of the fofil msrmofe or
marine oPonun,, defcribed by the fame na,ural;h-
Let any one compare the bones of the foll and the
living marmoe, and he will be convinced that RI.
dnerences between them much lefs cosfiderable
than thoie which exit between the nseleton of a
handiome white man and that of a Laplander or a
Oh New Guinea or thoie which daily per-
eeived between the varieties Of the fame lpeces
The light differences obfervable between homes in
other reiPeets perfectly milar, cannot then afford
iuheient grounds to conclude that they belong 70 an
imals of a different fpeces
The following relults fairly deducible from, the
facts already known on this intereiiingfubiea.
l.. here are comfortable number of foIils anao-
CONS to exiting animals and vegetables
2 There are lkewife great number of which W.
have no exiting refemblances But it is probable
their living counterpart may fone future period be
alifts y ''-'"-
8. Climate, temperature, food, multiplication of
different races new hybrid peeies, &C. have in the
progreis OF time produced comfortable Changes among
exiting fpecies
f. Some new fpecies have been produced fince OBJ
iervers iuPPoie they have Uncovered new fpece. of
animalcules upon The larger pecies of animals II
however evident that all the animalcules mua have
been produced poferiorly to the animals on which
they live.
5. There rem.ins not doubt tina, fever,I in.c;.,
have been deGroyed by the drying up of extenfive
lakes and inland ieas, by the derustve agency of CT
viized man, and by particular accidents
For example, we informed by Bofe that the
Di0n3 1ueiSu3 has only hitherto been found in the
fmall ipace Of two three fquare leagues, in North
America, 10 hatby grubbng up its roots, and cult
waiting this ipo OF ground, it might be eay de}roy-
ed.
The candor, giraffe &c are now reduced TO very
imall number of individuals, and might with the
greatelt cafe be WHISKY extirpated
All the feeble fPecies of animals prefent exiting
in New Holland ,fuci the kangaroo &c. will il Is
highly PTobable wholly dilappear on the peopling oil
that country.
On the whole, therefore, g.ologifts ought never
to oie fight otthee facts, in comparing fotl remains
with living animals and vegetables.