The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-10-23


teresting extract from one of Professor Craig's
lectures recently delivered at Prairie du Chen
While treating of alluvial deposits, and of the
orpanic remains found embedded in them, am
tempted to alude to a subject had not, perhaps,
noticed but for circumstance which came under
nv own observation about fortnight ago, near
my house in the neighborhood OF the town OF
Monona Clayton County.
One day my son entered the house, requesting
me to come with all speed to the spot where he
and another person were employed in making
an excavation for winter root house. imme-
diately repaired to the place, and was shown
several Frogs which he had Just dug out of the
subsoil, at depth Of about five feet from the
surface. One Of the frogs was of very large
size; the others, four in NUMBER were smaller.
requested to be shown the mattrix in which
the large one had been enclosed which, on in
specting, found the indentations in the clay to
correspond exactly to the size and form Of the
animal body. On examining the animal itself,
it's mouth seemed to be closed, as if hcrmetrca
ly sealed, and had considerable difficulty in O.
pcninr it, | resolved on having it hastily rein
tered, to see fit would survive another year,
excluded from atmospheric influence, had not
conveyed it many yards from where it had been
dug out when MIR. Shanke the other person en-
gagged in digging, called on me to return, as his
spade had passed through something strange
On stepping to the spot, he cast up the spade
full of earth, and another large bullfrog, fore
leg of which he had cut off with the spade, a
bout six inches below where it entered the clay,
which observed to be quite solid and, when
the limb was taken out, to retain delicate i'm
preston of its form, took up the clay and that
also which contained the body. | lifted the
bleeding animal and the amputated limb, and
while in the act of doing SO, observed the nose
of a small frog peeping out of the clay, which
caused also to be dug out. With respect to the
animals themselves, they are quite lively, and |
could not observe any thing extraordinary about
them. | had them rc-intcrred shortly after
wards.
The bed in which these Batrachians were thus
found is yelowish cahcareous clay, which,
from its lannated structure and tincncss Of
grain appeared to have been deposited at som"
former period, when the prairie ground of this
quarter of the American continent was covered
with water, and previous of course, to the torma
ton of the thick, rich, vegetable soil by which
the calcarcous clay is overlad, which at the spot
where the frogs were found, is p feet thick
The frogs lay nearly 3 feet under the upper
soil.
How long these frogs have been subterrane
an prisoners, it is impossible for to conf lecture;
but since the period of their incarceration, many
ages, in all probability have passed away, and
mighty revolution passed over the length and
breadth of the land
The recent elevation, (sprahing geologically)
Of the American continent, is evident from the
many tertiary deposits occurring over large
tracts Of elevated surface but whether the ele
| walton of the prarics of Iowa was anterior to,
during, or posterior to the tertiary period, can
only be resolved by the organic remains found
embedded in the sub soil, in the upper soil.
The existence of the lice frogs have mention
ed, throws very little light upon the subject, from
the fact Of so many having been reported,
of lice Batrachans having been found enclosed
in rock of almost any age.
Instances mentioned of frogs having been
found alive in this country in digging wells at
considerable depths. But in the old country,
although the instances mentioned are innulner-
able, still, on the minds of Biologists, there, in
general, exists much doubt as TO the authenticity
of such statements. Sir Charles Lyel says that
no we'll authenticated instances have yet been
produced. How far the case | have mentioned
may be considered we'll authenticated one, |
cannot tell
l shall conclude this notice by stating very
interesting case which occurred in the summer
Of lS40, in Of the coal pits at Airdrie, the
celebrated locality Of the iron manufacture in
the west Of Scotland situated about 10 miles
east of Glasgow. Mr.. William Murray, the
proprietor of the Merkland Iron works, and
President of our Glasgow Anderson UNIVERSE
ty, brought live frog to its museum, where it
was kept alive for some months. 1t was given
him by some Of his workmcn, who stated that
they had found it enclosed in fire clay, forming
the pavement of the Pyotshaw coal (the third
seam of the upper coal series of that district) at
a distance Of AZ fathoms from the surface. and
some hundred yards or more from the bottom OF
the pit. The statement given to Mr. Murray
by the men, was such rs convinced HIM OF Its
truth. Being the working Gcologst Of the In
stiution, | felt myself called upon to 90 to Air
drie and examine the men; and the statement
received, and to which they declared themselves
ready to dcpose, was as follows:
:. One Of their number on removing block OF
coal of about cubic yard, observed in the pave
ment what he called ron, that is, little STRAIT
flied hillock, which ran nearly foot into the
substance of the coal bed which on removing
with his pick, the frog was found embedded in
it's very centre. His brother who was present
picked the animal out of the clay, and it lay fol-
about five minutes in a torpid state as if dead
after which, it began to show signs of life and tc
crawl, and when taken to the top Of the pit tc
leap. Such was the testimony Of four individu
ais who were present when the occurrence took
place; and from what know personally Of the
men, (Airdrie beng my native place, as well as
theirs,) | am quite satisfied as to their sincerity
Still, had msgivings on the subject, and tho
it possible they mi ght be deceived; when re
: ceived letter from the foreman of an extensive
foundry in the town Of Kilmarnock, stating tina
a few days previous to the date Of the letter, il
making pit for large casting in the foundry
yard, live frog was found embedded in the
!! Boulder Till, underlying strata of sand and era
vel, and at distance of IA feet from the sur
face. That they had occasion to make anothe
pit in juxtapositon to the first, in order to draw
off the water from it, and that in it they found
mother live frog, Is feet from the surface. Bot
) Of the frogs accre cfMe same durk color as TIL
, clay IN which they hnd been embedded.
, At the time of the discovery of the Ardri'
frog published an account Of it, and cores
pended on the subject with my eminent Geolog
ical friends, DR.. auckland, Mr.. Smith of Jordon
hill, and Robert Chambers of Edinburgh.
In his communication TO me, Dr.. Buckan'
narrates the case of his burying "a toads alv
, in flower pots under ground-that several o
them survived till the I'd year, but all were dea'
before its close; and he states distinctly that 1t
had no faith in the many statements given as t.
the extreme longevity of the Batrachian and 9th
er reptiles, or as to their having been found en-
bcded in stony formations of ancient date Mr.
, Smith expressed no doubt to the accuracy o
| the many statements given, but considered l