The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-11-14
IIvE FOSSIL FROGS.


one of Professor Craig's lectures recently
delivered =, Prairie du Chen;
While treating Of allasial deposits, and OF
the organic remains found embedded IN
them, am tempted to Allude 10 subject
| had not, perhaps, noticed but tor car
cums,aucc which came under my own OBJ
scrvaiion about fortnight ago, near my
house in the neighborhood Of the town OF
Monona, Clayton County.
One day nv son catered the house, re-
guessing ne to come with all speed TO the
spo, where he aud another person were em-
p!oyed in making an excavation tor WIN
Ter roo, house. immediately repaired to
the place, and was shown some Frogs
which he had just dug cot Of the subsoiI. a:
u depth oiabeut five feet from The surface
One OF the frogs was oi a very large stza;
the others, four in number, were smaller
requested 10 be shown Ito mairix IN
which the large ono had been enclosed,
which, on inspecting, | found The iadensa-
lions 10 the clay Ia correspond exactly 10
the size and form oi The animals body
Ga examining the animal itself, its mouth
seemed ID be closed, as it hermetricaily
sealed, and had considerable difficulty in
opening il. resolved on having il hastily
rein,errcd, 70 see if,it would survive another
year, excluded from atmospheric influence.
I.had not conveyed i MANY yards from
Whcrc It had been dug out. " hen Mr.. Shake
the other person engaged in digging, called
on me 10 return, as his spade had passed
through something strange. On stepping
10 the spot, he cas-, up the spade-full dearth.
aud another large bull frog, fore leg Of
which he bad cut of with iho spade, abou,
six inches below where i, entered the clay.
which observed 10 be quite solid, and,
when the limb was taken out, 10 retain
delicate impression OF lis form, ! took up
the clay, aud that also which contained the
BODY. lifted the bleeding animal and the
auputated LIMB, aud while in the act OF do
ing so, | observed the nose Of another small
fro. pcepiug out Of the clay, which caus-
ed 10 be dug out. With respect to the ami
mails themselves, they are quite lively, and
could no, observe anything extraordinary
sbou, them. had them reinterfed shortly
afterwards.
The bed in which these Batrachisns were
thus found, is yei!owish calcareous clay,
which, from lis lamiaDted structure aud finc-
ness oil grain appeared 10 have been depos-
tied at some former period, when the prairie
ground Of this quarter Of the American
continent was covered with water, and
previous OF course, TO the formation Of the
shiek, rich, vegetable sol! BY which The cal
careous clay is oyerlaid, which at the spo,
where the frogs were found, is two and a
half feet thick. The frogs lay nearly three
feet from the upper soil.
DEATH or BuRKE's ONLY SaN.-Burke's
son. upon whom his father has conferred
something Of his own celebrity, heard his
parents sobbing in another room al the pros
pect Of an event they knew TO be inevitable.
He rose from his bed, joined bis i!lus,rious
father and endeavorcd to engage him in a
cheerful conversation. Burke continued ST.
lent, choked with grief Ills son again
made en- effort to console him. lam under
no terror he said; i feel myself better, in
spirits, and vet my heart fuiters, know
not why. Pray talk to me, sir! talk Of re-
iigion, talk Of morality, talk if you will, Of
indifferent subjects Here noise attract
ed his notice, aud he exclaimed, Does it
rain? No; it is the rustling Of The wind
through the trees The whistling Of the
wind and the waving Of the trees, brought
Millions majestic lines to his mind, and he
repeated them with uncommon grace and
elect
His praise,ye winds, that from four quarters blow,
Breathe SOFT loud;and wave your tops, we pines,
Villa every plant, in sign Of worship wave.'
a second time be took up the sublime
and mc!odious strain, accompanying the
action 10 the word, waved bis own hand in
token of worship, and sank into the arms Of
his fathers corpse! Not sensation told
him that in an instant be would stand in
the presence Of The Creator, to whom his
body was bent, in homage. and whose prais-
IS sill resounded from his lips Quarter
IL Rerien.