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Hugh Miller Old Red Sandstone 1841.

p. 33 speaking of this formation enormous amount in time is deeply impressed with; says in lowest division, "creatures whose very type is lost." "who puzzle the naturalist to assign them even their class." - Osteolepis with naked bones of head & jaws!!

p. 36 in 14 years Agassiz increased fossil fish from 92 to 1600!

p. 43 argues against Lamarck. - "gradation not progress" "little men do not turn into tall men" (but children do C. D) Geology abounds with [creature] of intermediate classes; but in this respect there is a "fatal incompleteness in the evidence" - geology marries dissimilar races but not in genealogical order

"The scene shifts as we pass from formation to formation."

p. 44 highest organized fish earliest forms

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p. 60 Cephalapsis almost unites according to Agassiz Crustaceans & fish. - Old Red S. had its Sauroid fishes & other more [numerous] families uniting cartilaginous & osseous divisions - in examining these old fossils it is necessary to acquaint oneself with "the sides of these gaps" in the present system; namely with the "existing disparted families". Toxodon & Platypus Ornithopters, equally intermediate & not ancient: if we take fauna of Britain, how it represents whole scale, the additions add to its completeness just like fossils do.

p. 88 The fin of the Osteolepis with its enameled & minutely-jointed bones may be compared to the feathers in a wing, of a Bird - another yet may be compared to Bats wings with single ray - as in Cheiracanthus.

p. 98 in many vast beds of Old Red many fish, but no shells. He has carefully examined. odd!!! so many fish & no shells - lately a few found in upper beds of Lower Old Red of Caithness In tilestones of England - which is equivalent with them, numerous shells: V. Murchison shells lately thought to belong to only Secondary & even Tertiary periods!

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p. 126 From lowest beds to Middle New Red only unequally sided-tailed fish - in all formations above only th equally-lobed tail (!! sharks now??!!) seems to consider the former to be the semi-cartilaginous fish & that these all become extinct at period of Magnesian Limestone (a) (What is Bony Pike of rivers of America?) "Conjecture lacks footing in grappling with a resolution so extensive & so wonderfull." - Too true this sudden coming in of widely distributed new forms most perplexing (from Rivers??) - immense time? N. B. my theory permits, though does not favour catastrophists; well not bring these additional enemies on me.

p. 133 The tilestones is least of 3 divisions in England; by much the greatest in Scotland: in this one division in Scotland, "the same genera of fish occur in upper & lower beds, but all the species appear to be different". = Mem: D' Orbigny on Nautilus of Lias &c &c., same fact = As in studying the geology of England alone, we should arrive at the most erroneous ideas of the time, required for these formation & length of gaps. (as in tilestones), so may our knowledge from united [over]

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(a) case of Bony Pike of America & shells of Australia show that if we take into account actually existing forms, extermination will tend to appear slower than it appears in past ages, from our perfect knowledge of existing forms -: We should compare fossils with fossils, to see whether creation or extermination be most rapid =

united Europe & N. [America] be equally erroneous - as we do not discover how our error arose - we do not perceive that the last word of one page in unknown tongue & unpaged at corners does not suit the first one next, but we merely find a page which from belonging to same chapter must come in between the two old pages & who can say how many more pages (must if ever found) & therefore ought to come in.

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p. 146 In middle Old Red a gigantic four-feet in length Crust like a lobster. - terminal flap of tail continuous & not divided, as in living lobsters -

p. 152 speaks of uniformity of distribution organisms in going back to past ages, yet allows in Cretaceous group the hippurites &c of Greece very dissimilar from Baculites &c of England & France

p. 233 gives case of Shell-fish of rivers of N. America, one year died in astounding numbers - so did Haddocks at close of last century on coast of Scotland - Nevertheless says Fish of Old Red must have been killed suddenly.

p. 238 "The Flora (merely algae) of a system, (of two division of old Red) may long survive its Fauna &c" - The Algae continue living only a few inches above the line of the exterminating catastrophe.

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p. 241 "An inexhaustible variety of design expatiated freely within the limits of the ancient type." - bosh!!

p. 243 Agassiz has discovered fœtal state of Salmon has unequally sided tails! [Miller] believes (!) in mammal passing from Fish to Reptile &c &c

p. 261 who will venture to say the dingy line running through the Wealden strata, does not mark 6000 years like present foot of mould in forests:

p. 266 Upper Old Red Sandstone "the older strata are cut away in some places to a considerable depth, & newer strata of same formation deposited unconformably over them." (what time!! = mem: dike at St. Helena!! - C. D)

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p. 267 Fish of no superior order than those which first appeared, remained lords of Upper old Red, but if their organization not more perfect – "their bulk at least had become immensely more great." (bears on decrease in size of present Reptiles & increase of Cetaceæ)

p. 269 in upper Ludlow Rock teeth &c of fish almost microscopic.

p. 270 "for seven formations together, we have passed over ocean (mem: denuded old Red San!!) without shore; we now come to Coal formation & land! land! is hailed.

p. 272 alludes to insects & infusoria of Coal formation!