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PETRIFACTIONS 


AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


LONDON  : 
R.   CLAY,    PRINTER,    BREAD    STREET    HILL. 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND  THE1E  TEACHINGS; 

OR, 

A  HAND-BOOK 
TO  THE  GALLERY  OF  ORGANIC  REMAINS 


GIDEON  ALGERNON  MANTELL,  ESQ.  LL.D.  T.R.S. 


'  THOUGHTS  O1    ANIMAIXULKS," 
ETC. 


,    FROM    STONESFIBLI 

rage  403. 


1  Grand  monuments  of  Nature,  which  mark  the  past  revolutions  of  the  Globe. 
Sir  H.  Vary. 


WITH      NUMEROUS     ILLUSTRATIONS. 

LONDON : 

HENRY  G.  BOHN,  YORK  STREET,  COVENT  GARDEN. 
MDCCCLI. 


PALEONTOLOGY  LIBRAR^ 
Gift  of  C.  A.  Kofoid 


RIGHT  HONOURABLE  AND  HONOURABLE 

THE    TRUSTEES     OF    THE    BRITISH    MUSEUM, 

HIS  GRACE  JOHN  BIRD  LORD  ARCHBISHOP  OF  CANTERBURY, 
THOMAS  LORD  TRURO  LORD  HIGH  CHANCELLOR, 

RIGHT  HON.   CHARLES  SHAW  LEFEVRE  SPEAKER  OF 
THE   HOUSE  OF   COMMONS, 


THIS   ATTEMPT   TO   RENDER 
THE     GALLERY     OP     ORGANIC     REMAINS 

MORE     INTERESTING     AND    INSTRUCTIVE     TO    THE    PUBLIC    IN    GENERAL, 
AND   MORE   CONDUCIVE   TO   THE   ADVANCEMENT   OF 

SCIENTIFIC   KNOWLEDGE, 

BY    CONNECTING    THE    GEOLOGICAL    HISTORY 

OF    THE    MOST    IMPORTANT    SPECIMENS    WITH     DESCRIPTIONS 

OF    THEIR   ORGANIC   CHARACTERS   AND   RELATIONS, 

IS   MOST   RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED 
BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


11  Ih  October,  1851, 

CHESTER    SQUARE, 

PIMLICO,    LONDON. 


"  If  we  look  with  wonder  upon  the  great  remains  of  human  works,  such  as  the 
columns  of  Palmyra,  broken  in  the  midst  of  the  desert;  the  temples  of  Pyestum, 
beautiful  in  the  decay  of  twenty  centuries ;  or  the  mutilated  fragments  of  Greek 
sculpture  in  the  Acropolis  of  Athens,  or  in  our  own  museums,  as  proof's  of  the 
genius  of  artists,  and  power  and  riches  of  nations  now  past  away  ;  with  how  much 
deeper  feeling  of  admiration  must  we  consider  those  grand  monuments  of  nature 
which  mark  the  revolutions  of  the  Globe  ;  continents  broken  into  islands  ;  one 
land  prodnced,  another  destroyed ;  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  become  a  fertile  soil ; 
whole  races  of  animals  extinct,  and  the  bones  and  exuviae  of  one  class  covered 
with  the  remains  of  another,  and  upon  the  graves  of  past  generations — the  marble 
or  rocky  tomb,  as  it  were,  of  a  former  animated  world  ;  new  generations  rising, 
and  order  and  harmony  established,  and  a  system  of  life  and  beauty  produced  out 
of  chaos  and  death;  proving  the  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  the 
GKEAT  CAUSE  of  all  things ! " — SIR  H.  DAVY. 


M3 


TO  THE  HEADER. 


THIS  work  is  designed  to  answer  the  twofold  purpose* 
of  a  Hand-book  for  the  general  visitors  to  the  GALLERY 
OF  ORGANIC  REMAINS  OF  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM,  and 
an  Explanatory  Catalogue  for  the  scientific  observer. 

With  this  view  the  specimens  in  each  Room  are 
described  in  a  separate  chapter,  and  a  ground-plan  of 
the  Cases,  and  a  Synopsis  of  their  contents,  are  given  in 
the  first  part  or  section  of  each  division,  to  serve  as 
a  guide-book  for  those  whose  time  is  limited,  and  are 
desirious  of  obtaining  a  general  idea  of  the  collection. 

The  palaeontologist  will,  it  is  hoped,  find  all  the  infor- 
mation in  these  unpretending  pages  that  can  reasonably 
be  expected  within  the  prescribed  limits  of  a  work  of 
this  nature,  which  is  divested  as  much  as  possible  of 
technical  language  to  render  it  acceptable  to  the  unsci- 
entific reader,  and  intended  to  direct  attention  to  the  most 
important  specimens,  and  invest  them  with  an  interest 
they  would  not  otherwise  present  to  persons  unacquainted 
with  this  branch  of  natural  knowledge. 


Vlll  TO    THE   READER. 


My  excellent  and  lamented  friend,  the  late  CHARLES 
KONIG,  Esq.,  who  for  nearly  half  a  century  presided 
over  this  department  of  the  National  Collection,  and 
whose  scientific  friendship  I  had  the  privilege  of  enjoy- 
ing from  my  early  years,  looked  forward  with  much 
pleasure  to  my  completion  of  a  task  which  I  should 
never  have  attempted,  had  he  not  assured  me  that 
neither  himself  nor  any  other  officer  of  the  Museum 
would  undertake  it.  His  sudden  death  has  deprived 
me  of  the  gratification  of  inscribing  my  labours  to  one 
so  capable  of  appreciating  them,  and  I  can  now  only 
offer  this  unavailing,  but  sincere  tribute  of  respect  to 
his  memory. 

In  extenuation  of  any  errors  or  omissions,  I  would 
beg  to  remind  the  Courteous  Reader  that  the  Author  is 
unconnected  with  the  British  Museum,  and  that  this 
volume,  like  its  predecessors,  has  been  composed  during 
the  brief  and  uncertain  intervals  of  arduous  professional 
duties. 

G.  A.  M. 

19,  CHESTER  SQUARE, 
Oct.  11, 1851. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FRONTISPIECE. 

(Extracted  from  Mr.  Gould's  "  Birds  of  Australia?) 

NOTORNIS  MANTELLJ. 

"THE  acquisition  of  a  new  species  is  always  a  matter  of  great  interest;  but 
when,  as  in  the  present  instance,  it  is  of  one  so  nearly  extinct  as  to  be  only  known 
to  us  previously  by  its  fossil  remains,  the  interest  becomes  enhanced  in  the  highest 
degree.  It  is  well  known  that  the  existence  of  the  celebrated  Dodo  is  all  but  tradi- 
tionary, a  fate  which,  but  for  MR.  WALTER  MANTELL'S  fortunate  acquisition  of  a 
living  example,  would  probably  have  been  shared  by  the  present  bird,  the  characters 
of  which  were  first  made  known  to  us  by  PROFESSOR  OWEN,  from  the  fossil  bones 
previously  discovered  and  sent  home  by  the  talented  explorer  after  whom  it  is 
named :  those  relics  are  now  in  the  British  Museum.  (See  p.  124.) 

u  That  few  living  examples  remain,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  mounted 
specimen  in  DR.  MA>~TELL'S  possession  is  the  only  one  that  has  yet  been  seen :  all 
the  information  respecting  it  that  has  been  obtained  is  comprised  in  the  account 
communicated  by  Dr.  Mantell  to  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  and  published 
in  their  '  Proceedings'  for  1850.  (See  p.  126.) 

"  Upon  a  cursory  view  of  this  bird  it  might  be  taken  for  a  gigantic  kind  of 
Porphyrio,  but  on  examination  of  its  structure  it  will  be  found  generically  distinct. 
It  is  allied  to  Porphyrio  in  the  form  of  its  bill,  and  in  its  general  colouring,  and 
to  Tribonyx  in  the  structure  of  its  feet,  while  in  the  feebleness  of  its  wings,  and 
in  the  form  of  the  tail,  it  differs  from  both.  From  personal  observation  of  the  habits 
of  the  two  recent  genera  above  named,  I  may  venture  to  affirm  that  the  habits 
and  economy  of  the  present  bird  more  closely  resemble  those  of  the  former  than 
of  the  latter;  that  it  is  doubtless  of  a  recluse  and  extremely  shy  disposition;  that 
being  deprived  by  the  feeble  structure  of  its  wings  of  the  power  of  flight,  it  was 
compelled  to  depend  upon  its  swiftness  of  foot  for  the  means  of  evading  its  natural 
enemies ;  and  that,  as  is  the  case  with  Tribonyx,  a  person  may  be  in  its  vicinity  for 
weeks  without  even  catching  a  glimpse  of  it.  From  the  thickness  of  its  plumage 
and  the  great  length  of  its  back-feathers,  we  may  infer  that  it  affects  low  and 
humid  situations,  marshes,  the  banks  of  rivers,  and  the  coverts  of  dripping  ferns, 
so  abundant  in  its  native  country ;  like  Porphyrio,  it  doubtless  enjoyed  the  power 
of  swimming,  but  it  would  seem  from  the  structure  of  the  legs  to  be  more  terres- 
trial in  its  habits  than  the  members  of  that  genus.  I  have  carefully  compared  the 
bill  of  this  bird  with  that  figured  by  Professor  Owen  under  the  name  of  Notornis 
Mantetti,  and  have  little  doubt  that  they  are  referable  to  one  and  the  same  species. 

"  Head,  neck,  and  breast,  upper  part  of  the  abdomen  and  flanks,  purplish  blue ; 
back,  rump,  upper  tail-coverts,  lesser  wing  coverts,  and  tertiaries,  dark  olive 
green,  tipped  with  verditer  green;  at  the  nape  of  the  neck  a  band  of  rich  blue 
separating  the  purplish  blue  of  the  neck,  from  the  green  of  the  body ;  wings  rich 

b 


deep  blue,  the  greater  coverts  tipped  with  verditer  green,  forming  crescentic  bands 
when  the  wing  is  expanded;  tail  dark  green;  lower  part  of  the  abdomen,  vent,  and 
thighs,  dull  bluish  black;  under  tail-coverts,  white ;  bill  and  feet,  bright  red. 

"  Total  length  of  the  body,  26  inches  ;  bill,  from  the  gape  to  the  tip,  2i ;  from 
tip  to  posterior  edge  of  the  plate  on  the  forehead,  3  inches  ;  wing,  8* ;  tail,  3| ; 
tarsi,  3£  ;  middle  toe,  3  ;  nail,  f ;  hind-toe,  f ;  nail,  f.1 

"  I  cannot  conclude  these  remarks  without  bearing  testimony  to  the  very  great 
importance  of  the  results  which  have  attended  the  researches  of  MR.  WALTER 
MANTELL,  in  the  various  departments  of  science  to  which  he  has  turned  his 
attention,  nor  without  expressing  a  hope  that  he  may  yet  be  enabled  to  obtain 
some  particulars  as  to  the  history  of  this  and  the  other  remarkable  birds  of  the 
country  in  which  he  is  resident." 


EXPLANATORY. 


Plan  of  the  Work. — To  ensure  the  permanent  utility  of  this  Hand-Book,  a  specific 
notation  of  the  Cases  has  been  adopted  in  the  ground-plan  of  each  Room  ;  and  to 
facilitate  a  reference  to  any  particular  cabinet  or  fossil,  so  far  as  the  present 
arrangement  of  the  Gallery  of  Organic  Kemains  will  permit,  the  letters  and 
numbers  affixed  to  the  respective  Cases  are  inserted  between  brackets,  and  placed 
after  the  letters  and  figures  of  the  plan  ;  for  example,  in  page  11,  letter  A  refers 
to  the  ground-plan,  and  [1,  A,  B,  c,]  are  the  numbers  and  letters  painted  on  the 
Wall-case  containing  the  fossil  Alga,  Fuci,  &c. 

Minerals. — The  description  of  the  mineralogical  collection  is  not  within  the 
scope  of  this  volume ;  but  for  the  convenience  of  the  mineralogist  who  may  not 
possess  MR.  KONIG'S  excellent  Synopsis,  a  brief  notice  of  the  contents  of  the 
Table-cases  is  inserted. 

Fossi  Invertebrate/. — Of  this  part  of  the  collection,  a  very  general  description 
only  is  given,  for  tlie  objects  are  too  numerous,  and  too  small,  to  be  particularized 
in  a  hand-book  of  this  nature.  Several  of  the  Table-cases  of  fossil  shells  are 
admirably  arranged  and  named  by  MR.  WOODWARD,  and  cannot  fail  to  prove 
highly  interesting  to  the  Geologist,  and  instructive  to  the  student  in  Conchology  ; 
to  the  latter  I  would  commend,  in  the  strongest  terms,  Mr.  Woodward's  "  Manual 
of  the  Mollusca,  or  a  Rudimentary  Treatise  on  Recent  and  Fossil  Shells"  with 
numerous  illustrations,  1  vol.  price  2^.  published  by  Weale,  as  incomparably  ttic 
best  and  cheapest  introduction  to  this  branch  of  Natural  History  in  the  English 
language. 

Models  of  Fossils. — Models  of  some  of  the  most  remarkable  fossils  in  the 
National  Collection  (a  list  of  which  is  published  in  the  "  Synopsis  of  the  British 
Museum  ")  may  be  purchased  of  the  Formatore. 

Casts  of  the  teeth,  and  of  several  bones,  of  the  Tguanodon  (formerly  in  my 
possession)  may  be  obtained  of  Professor  Tennant,  149,  Strand. 

*  The  plate  accompanying  this  description  represents  the  Notornis  in  two  posi- 
tions, of  the  natural  size,  and  accurately  coloured. 


XI 


CONTENT  S. 


CHAP.  I.  Part  1,  Synopsis  of  Room  I.  p.  l.—Part  2,  Fossil  Vegetables,  p.  22.— 
Part  3,  Ornithichnites,  p.  61. 

CHAP.  II.  Part  1,  Synopsis  of  Room  II.  p.  75.— Part  2,  Stelleridae,  p.  81.— 
Part  3,  Fossil  Birds  of  New  Zealand,  p.  90. 

CHAP.  III.  Part  1,  Synopsis  of  Room  III.  p.  136.  —  Part  2,  Fossil  Reptiles, 
p.  147. — Part  3,  Batrachians  and  Saurians,  p.  160. — Part  4,  Geology  of  the 
S.E.  of  England,  p.  203.— Part  5,  The  Iguanodon,  p.  225.— Part  6,  Wealdeu 
Reptiles,p,  314. — Part  7,  Plesiosauri,  p.  339. — Part  8,  Mammalia  of  Anvergne, 
p.  333. 

CHAP.  IV.  Part  1,  Synopsis  of  Room  IV.  p.  361.— Part  2,  Ichthyosauri,  p.  367  — 
Part  3,  Fossil  Ruminants,  p.  389.— Part  4,  Carnivora  of  the  Caverns,  p.  397. 
— Part  5,  Stonesfield  Mammalia,  p.  401.— Part  6,  Fossil  Shells,  p.  406. 

CHAP.  V.  Part  1,  Synopsis  of  Room  V.  p.  4fi>l—Part  2,  Ganoid  Fishes,  p.  417. — 
Part  3,  Ctenoid,  Cycloid,  and  Placoid  Fishes,  p.  440. — Part  4,  Rhinoceros, 
Elk,  Sivatherium,  p.  454. — Part  5,  Cephalopoda,  p.  457. 

CHAP.  VI.  Part  1,  Synopsis  of  Room  VI.  p.  461.— Part  2,  Sewalik  Mammalia, 
p.  468. — Part  3,  Mastodons  and  Elephants,  p.  471. — Part  4,  Tertiary  Mam- 
malia, p.  474.— Part  5,  Edentata,  p.  476.— Part  6,  Cave  Mammalia,  p.  480.— 
Part  7,  Fossil  Human  Skeleton,  p.  483. 

'  APPENDIX,  p.  487. 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND  THEIR  TEACHINGS; 

ILLUSTRATED   BY 

A  VISIT  TO  THE  GALLERY  OF  ORGANIC  REMAINS  IN  THE 
BBITISH  MUSEUM. 


INTRODUCTION. 

A  DISTINGUISHED  Essayist  has  eloquently  and  truthfully  re- 
marked, that  "  everything  in  nature  is  engaged  in  writing  its 
own  history  :  the  planet  and  the  pebble  are  attended  by  their 
shadows,  the  rolling  rock  leaves  its  furrows  on  the  mountain 
side,  the  river  its  channel  in  the  soil,  the  animal  its  bones  in 
the  stratum,  the  fern  and  the  leaf  inscribe  their  modest  epitaphs 
on  the  coal,  the  falling  drop  sculptures  its  story  on  the  sand 
and  on  the  stone, — not  a  footstep  on  the  snow  or  on  the 
ground,  but  traces  in  characters  more  or  less  enduring  the 
record  of  its  progress."1  On  the  correct  interpretation  of 
these  autobiographies,  inscribed  on  the  rocks  and  strata  by  the 
countless  myriads  of  beings  which  have  successively  inhabited 
the  earth,  through  periods  of  incalculable  antiquity  and  dura- 
tion, and  whose  races  are  now  extinct,  is  based  that  most 
interesting  department  of  natural  history  which  has  recently 
acquired  the  rank  of  a  distinct  branch  of  modern  science, 
under  the  title  of  PALEONTOLOGY.2 

As  the  remains  of  animals  and  plants  imbedded  in  the  earth 
are  found  in  different  states  of  preservation,  and  more  or  less 

1  Emerson's  Essays.     JBohns  Edition. 

2  From  three  Greek  words,  signifying  a  discourse  on  ancient  beingg. 

B 

i* 


2  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS. 

altered  in  appearance  and  composition  by  mineralization,,  the 
epithets  figured  stones,  petrifactions,  fossils,  organic  remains, 
&c.,  are  commonly  employed  to  denote  the  various  conditions 
in  which  such  relics  occur.  To  avoid  confusion  it  is,  there- 
fore, necessary  to  define  the  sense  in  which  these  terms  are 
used  in  the  following  pages  ;  especially  as  the  words  "  petri- 
factions/' and  "  fossils,"  are  very  generally  regarded  as  syno- 
nymous, even  by  well-educated  persons. 

And  here  we  must  premise  that  the  state  of  preservation  of 
an  organic  body,  and  the  chemical  changes  which  it  may  have 
undergone  in  the  mineral  kingdom,  have  no  necessary  relation 
to  its  antiquity ;  for  in  comparatively  modern  deposits  fossil 
remains  of  animals  and  plants  often  have  acquired  a  stony 
hardness,  while  in  rocks  of  the  most  ancient  epochs  they  are 
sometimes  as  little  changed  as  if  they  had  been  entombed  in 
the  strata  but  a  few  centuries. 

1.  Fossils,  may  be  denned  as  the  durable  parts  of  animal 
and  vegetable  structures  imbedded  in  rocks  and  strata  by 
natural  causes  at  a  remote  period ;  thus  wood  in  the  state  of 
lignite,  bog-wood,  and  coal,  or  of  siliceous  or  calcareous  stone, 
is  fossil  wood  ;  and  bones  or  shells,  whether  in  an  earthy  and 
decaying  state,  or  permeated  by  calc-spar,  flint,  or  iron,  and 
converted  into  a  hard  mineral  substance,  are  alike  fossil  bones 
or  shells. 

2.  Petrifactions,  are  the  remains  of  animals  and  vegetables 
in  which  the  original  structure  is  converted  into  stone,  or,  in 
other  words,  is  petrified;  l  such  are  the  silicified  stems  of  trees 
from  Antigua  and  Germany,  and  the  bones  and  shells  in  the 
Oolitic  and  Wealden  limestones.     Such  petrifactions  may  be 
correctly  termed  fossil  plants,  bones,  or  shells ;  but  similar 
organic  remains,  though  of  equal  antiquity,  which  have  not 
undergone  such  changes,  are  not  petrifactions  in  the  proper 
meaning  of  that  term, 

3.  Incrustations,  are  neither  fossils  nor  petrifactions,  but 
simply  durable  parts  of  animals  or  vegetables  invested  with 

1  The  process  by  which  petrifaction  is  effected  is  still  involved  in 
obscurity ;  mineral  solutions  have  permeated  the  original  tissues,  and 
the  organic  molecules  have  been  replaced  by  mineral  molecules,  but  how 
this  transmutation  is  produced  is  not  understood.  Mr.  Dana's  observa- 
tions and  Mr.  Jeffery's  experiments  have,  however,  elucidated  the  process 
of  silicification. 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

travertine  or  calcareous  deposit,  -which  is  often  compact  and  of 
crystalline  hardness,  but  does  not  permeate  the  structure  of 
the  enclosed  substances ;  such  are  the  so-called  petrified  eggs, 
skulls,  nests,  branches,  &c.,  formed  by  immersion  in  the  in- 
crusting  springs  of  Derbyshire  and  other  localities.1 

These  preliminary  remarks  will  suffice  for  our  present  pur- 
pose, and  prepare  the  observer  to  find  many  of  the  fossil  shells, 
corals,  bones,  &c.  in  the  collection,  presenting  but  little  differ- 
ence in  appearance  from  similar  objects  collected  on  the  sea- 
shore, or  from  the  beds  of  streams  and  rivers ;  while  others  will 
be  seen  to  resemble  masses  of  rock,  having  only  the  forms  of 
organic  bodies.  Certain  peculiar  conditions  in  which  animal 
and  vegetable  remains  occur  will  be  explained  in  the  course 
of  our  investigations,  as  well  as  those  indications  of  former 
beings  observable  on  the  surfaces  of  rocks  and  slabs  of  stone, 
though  all  vestiges  of  the  original  structures  have  perished. 

And  here  it  will  be  necessary  to  remind  the  reader  that  the 
objects  we  are  about  to  examine  possess  a  twofold  interest;  for 
they  are  to  be  regarded  not  merely  as  relics  of  extraordinary 
types  of  animals  and  vegetables  which  nourished  in  the  earlier 
ages  of  our  globe,  and  have  long  since  become  extinct,  but  also 
as  natural  records  of  the  condition  of  the  earth  and  its  inha- 
bitants, affording  indications  of  the  extent  and  duration  of 
the  lands  and  seas,  and  of  climatorial  temperature,  &c., 
through  vast  periods  of  time,  in  ages  long  antecedent  to  the 
creation  of  the  existing  species  and  genera,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  the  present  order  of  animated  nature. 

In  contemplating  the  principal  objects  that  will  come  under 
our  examination,  it  will,  therefore,  be  requisite  occasionally  to 
refer  to  the  geological  characters  of  the  strata  in  which  they 
were  imbedded,  and  describe  the  particular  locality  whence 
certain  fossils  were  obtained ;  these  digressions  will,  I  trust, 
increase  the  interest  of  our  survey,  and  prove  alike  attractive 
and  instructive. 

The  reader  who  is  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  principles 
of  Geology  should  refer  to  some  elementary  work  on  the 
science,  if  he  would  fully  comprehend  and  enjoy  the  marvellous 
histories  of  the  past  which  will  be  placed  before  him  in  the 

1  See  "Medals  of  Creation ;"  or,  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  vol.  i.  p.  75. 
(6th  edit.)  for  details.  Impressions  of  leaves  on  travertine  are  figured 
in  Pict.  Atlas,  pi.  iii.  fig.  2. 


4  PETRIFACTIONS    AND   THEIR  TEACHINGS. 

course  of  this  investigation.  As,  however,  the  arrangement 
adopted  in  the  Gallery  is  botanical  and  zoological,  not  geolo- 
gical, the  uninitiated  visitor  will  have  no  difficulty  in  under- 
standing the  general  descriptions  of  the  most  important 
specimens  submitted  to  his  notice. 

To  remind  the  observer  of  the  relative  age  and  position  of 
the  deposits,  and  the  meaning  of  certain  geological  terms  which 
we  shall  sometimes  have  occasion  to  employ  in  the  following 
narrative,  a  brief  table  of  the  British  strata1  is  subjoined. 

A  TABLE  OF  THE  FOSSILIFEROUS  DEPOSITS  OF  GREAT 
BRITAIN. 


MODERN  OR  HUMAN  EPOCH. 
ALLUVIAL  and  VOLCANIC  deposits. 

POST  PLIOCENE  OR  DILUVIUM.2 
DRIFT;  BOULDER-CLAY,  &c. 

TERTIARY  EPOCHS. 

PLIOCENE  ;  the  upper  and  newest  Tertiary.     (Norwich  Crag.) 
MIOCENE;  or  middle  Tertiary.     (Suffolk  Crag.) 

EOCENE  :  the  lowermost  or  most  ancient  Tertiary.    (London,  Hants,  and  Isle  of 
Wight.    Paris  basin.) 

SECONDARY  EPOCHS. 

IU       r  Ch  Ik     'th  fl'nt    (S°uth  an(*  nor^i  Downs  of  Sussex, 
Chalk  marl  and  firestone;  or  Upper  Green  Sand.     (Godstone, 
Undercliff  of  Isle  of  Wight.) 
Gait  or  blue  chalk— marl.    (Folkstone.) 
(Shanklin   Sands,   (Kentish-Rag.  Kent.     Isle   of 
Green  sandJ     Wight.) 
(.Atherfield  or  Neocomian  beds.    (Isle  of  Wight.) 

(Weald  clay,  and  Sussex  and")  Wealds  of  Sussex  and  Kent,  and 
WEALDEN          )     Petworth  marbles.  V    the  South  coast  of  the  Isle  of 

FORMATION.        j  Hastings  sands  and  clays.     )     Wight. 
VPurbeck  strata.    (Isle  of  Purbeck.) 

1  Strata  are  sedimentary  deposits  that  have  been  formed  in  the  beds 
of  lakes,  rivers,  and  seas,  and  have  subsequently  been  displaced  and 
elevated  above  the  water  by  physical  causes.    A  series,  or  group  of 
strata,  is  termed  a,  formation  ;  and  the  fossil  remains  found  in  one  series 
or  formation  differ  more  or  less  completely  from  those  of  another. 

2  Called  also  the  Quaternary  or  Diluvian  period :  these  deposits  can- 
not be  definitively  separated  from  those  of  the  Modern  or  Human  epoch. 
The  gravel  beds  near  Geneva,  which  closely  resemble  the  newest  tertiary 
drift  in  materials  and  position,  abound  in  bones  of  animals,  almost  all 
of  which  belong  to  existing  species.    See  M.  Pictet's  "  Palceontologie." 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

SECONDARY  EPOCHS— (continued.) 

Portland  beds.    (Isle  of  Portland.     Swindon.) 
l>  Bucks) 

I-, . , ,,    /Coral  rag.    (Wilts.  Gloucestershire,  &c.) 
OOLITIC     \mi(   lie>\0xford  clay.    (Christian  Malford.  Trowbridge,  Wilts.) 

or          )  /Cornbrash.    (Wilts.  Gloucestershire.) 

JURASSIC    }  I  Forest  marble;  Bradford  clay.    (Bradford,  Wilts.) 

FORMATION.]  T._-_  /Great  oolite.    (Bath.) 

I  lj°wer-\  Inferior  oolite.     (Cheltenham.) 

IFluvio-marine  intercalations.   (Scarborough.   Stonesfield,  Ox- 
\  \    fordshke.  Collyweston.    Brora,  Scotland. 

AJpper  Lias.    (Lyme  Regis,  Dorset.) 
LIASSIC  J  Lias  marlstones. 

FORMATION.        j  Lower  lias  clays,  shales,  and  limestones.    (Gloucestershire. 
V    Somersetshire.) 

„  fVariegated  marls,  red  sandstones,  &c.    (Liverpool.) 

IRIAS     c  )  Gypseous  marls;  beds  of  rock  salt. 

)  Fawn-coloured  limestones.  (Upper  Bunter,  and  Muschelkalk, 
FORMATION.        (^    of  Germany.) 

PALAEOZOIC  EPOCHS. 
Lower  red  sandstones. 

T,  \  Magnesian  limestones.    (Zeichstein.  Lower  Bunter,  Keuper- 

fE         i*.          i 


FORMATION  I       {     Schiefer  or  Copper  Schist  of  Mansfeld,  Germany.    County 
.  Marl  slates,  and  brecciated  limestones. 

{Coal  measures.    (The  principal  depositories  of  the  flora  of  the 
Palaeozoic  epochs.) 
Millstone  grits. 
Mountain  or  carboniferous  limestone.    (Derbyshire.) 

P.  '  fRed   and  yellow  sandstones  and   Quartzose  conglomerates. 

(Devonshire.  Cornwall.   Herefordshire.   Forfarshire,  &c.) 
(or  OLD  RED)       ( Cornstones  ^  marls. 
FORMATION.        ^Tiiestones. 

(Ludlow  rocks  and  Aymestry  limestone.    (Herefordshire  and 
/Yr          )     Shropshire.) 

SILURIAN     uPPer-  \  Wenlock  or  Dudley  limestone. 
VShales. 
f  Caradoc  sandstones. 


FORMATION^  VShales. 


T       *~ 
M.ower.    Llandeilo  flags.    (Caermarthenshire.) 

CUMBRIAN         (Slaty  rocks  with  few  traces  of  organic  remains.    (Cumber- 
FORMATION.       \    land.) 

1  The  separation  of  the  strata  now  termed  Permian  from  the  Triassic 
group,  with  which  they  were  formerly  classed,  was  first  proposed  by  Sir 
Roderick  Murchison,  and  is  based  on  the  fact  that  the  fossils  hitherto 
discovered  are  entirely  distinct  from  any  that  occur  in  the  Trias  and 
subsequent  formations  :  it  is,  therefore,  inferred  that  after  the  deposition 
of  the  so-called  Permian  strata,  a  complete  change  took  place  in  the 
faunas  and  floras  of  the  lards  and  seas,  and  the  Trias  is  regarded  as  the 
dawn  of  a  new  system  of  organic  beings.* 

*  The  reader  interested  in  this  subject  should  refer  to  an  able  "Mo- 
nograph on  the  Permian  Fossils  of  England,"  by  Professor  William 
King,  of  Queen's  College,  Galway,  recently  published  by  the  Palaeonto- 
graphical  Society  of  London;  1850.  See  also  Sir  Charles  Lyell's 
"  Manual  of  Elementary  Geology,"  1851,  p.  301. 


6  PETKIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS. 

The  subdivisions  of  the  strata  are  chiefly  founded  on  the 
differences  observable  in  the  faunas  and  floras — that  is  to  say, 
in  the  assemblages  of  animals  and  plants  which,  according  to 
the  present  state  of  our  knowledge,  characterise  the  respective 
series  of  deposits.  A  few  localities  are  inserted  because  they 
will  be  referred  to  hereafter.  I  will  only  remark  that  many 
of  the  details  in  the  above  classification  must  be  considered  as 
arbitrary  and  provisional ;  but  "  hard  lines  are  admissible  in 
Science,  whose  object  is  not  to  imitate  Nature,  but  to  interpret 
her  works." ' 

1  Mr.  Greenough. 


CHAPTER    I. 


PART  I. 

INTRODUCTION — GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  GALLERY  OP  ORGANIC  RE- 
MAINS— PLAN  OF  ROOM  I. —  SYNOPSIS  OP  CONTENTS  OP  ROOM  I. —  FOSSIL 
VEGETABLES— MINERALS — METEORITES. 

INTRODUCTORY. — The  extensive  and  admirably  classified 
Museum  of  Zoology,  presided  over  by  that  eminent  natu- 
ralist, JOHN  EDWARD  GRAY,  Esq.,  through  which  the  visitor 
approaches  the  Gallery  of  Organic  Remains,  presents  a  rich 
assemblage  of  the  principal  types  of  animated  nature  which 
now  inhabit  the  earth,  and  forms  an  appropriate  and  instruc- 
tive introduction  to  the  suite  of  apartments,  in  which  are 
preserved  the  vestiges  of  the  extinct  races  of  Animals  and 
Plants,  that  successively  tenanted  our  planet  during  the  in- 
numerable ages  which  intervened  between  the  earliest  dawn 
of  organic  existences,  and  the  creation  of  the  human  race. 

The  Gallery  of  Organic  Remains  is  situated  on  the  north 
side  of  the  north  wing  of  the  Museum,  extending  from  east 
to  west  in  a  suite  of  six  rooms,  nearly  400  feet  in  length  by 
36  in  width.  The  large  specimens  are  for  the  most  part 
placed  in  upright  cases  affixed  to  the  south  wall ;  and  as  the 
rooms  are  lighted  by  side-windows,  instead  of  by  sky-lights 
as  in  the  Zoological  department,  nearly  half  the  wall  space 
is  rendered  unavailable  for  cabinets.  The  complete  and 
excellently  arranged  Mineralogical  Collection  is  distributed 
in  a  series  of  60  table-cases,  occupying  the  floors  of  the  Rooms 
I.  to  V. ;  the  other  tables  contain  various  organic  remains, 
as  bones,  shells,  corals  and  other  zoophytes,  echinoderms,  &c. 

The  arrangement  of  the  Fossil  Animals  and  Vegetables  is 
still  incomplete :  several  cases  are  almost  empty,  and  the  con- 


8  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

tents  of  others  are  but  provisionally  placed.  This  circum- 
stance has  rendered  it  necessary  to  introduce'  an  arbitrary 
notation  in  the  subjoined  plans  of  the  rooms  which  I  have 
drawn  up  for  the  present  work. 

The  classification  of  the  Organic  Remains  is  botanical,  and 
zoological  j  but  in  consequence  of  the  want  of  space,  and 
the  continual  additions  which  have  been  made  of  late  years 
to  various  departments,  the  arrangement  is  necessarily  some- 
what irregular. 

The  Fossil  Vegetables  are  placed  in  Room  I,  and  occupy 
the  wall-cases:  the  collection  commences  with  the  Crypto- 
gamia,  which  are  deposited  in  the  cases  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  entrance,  and  terminates  with  the  Conifera, 
of  which  there  are  examples  of  large  petrified  stems  in  the 
window-recesses.  The  wall-surface  over  the  upright  cases  is 
for  the  most  part  vacant  and  bare ;  and  the  visitor  who  has 
previously  strolled  through  the  Egyptian  Saloon  and  Gallery, 
the  walls  of  which  are  adorned  with  paintings  illustrative  of 
the  archaeological  treasures  they  contain,  will  doubtless  feel 
surprise  and  regret  that  a  suite  of  rooms  devoted  to  objects 
of  such  surpassing  interest,  and  which  especially  require  pic- 
torial illustrations  to  render  them  intelligible  to  the  unin- 
structed  observer,  and  that  present  a  variety  of  subjects 
suitable  for  such  decorations,  should  be  suffered  to  retain 
their  present  uninviting  and  cheerless  aspect.  If  on  the 
walls  over  the  cases  in  which  the  coal-plants  are  placed  there 
were  figures  of  the  trees  which  nourished  during  the  carbo- 
niferous epoch, — as  for  example,  the  Lepidodendra  and  Sigil- 
larise,  with  their  foliage,  and  fruits,  and  roots;  and  above 
others,  representations  of  Arborescent  Ferns,  Palms,  Conifers, 
Cycadese,  <fec.,  how  greatly  would  the  pleasure  and  instruction 
of  a  visit  to  this  Gallery  of  "  Organic  Remains  of  a  former 
World,"  be  enhanced !  The  same  observation  applies  to  the 
other  apartments,  in  each  of  which  there  are  unoccupied 
spaces,  that  at  a  small  cost  might  be  rendered  pleasing  to 
the  eye,  and  instructive  to  the  mind,  if  restored  figures  of 
the  animals  whose  remains  are  in  the  cabinets,  or  sections 
and  sketches  of  the  strata  and  localities  whence  they  were 
obtained,  were  painted  or  suspended  on  the  walls.1 

1  This  method  was  adopted  in  the  Author's  Museum  at  Brighton,  and 
proved  highly  attractive  and  useful 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

In  Room  II.  commences  the  Fossil  Fauna;  but  the  assem- 
blage of  relics  of  various  classes  and  orders,  provisionally 
deposited  in  the  cases,  forbids  a  general  description.  The 
unique  and  highly  interesting  collection  of  the  Fossil  Remains 
of  Birds  from  New  Zealand,  is  the  most  important  feature  of 
this  apartment. 

Rooms  III.  and  IV.  are  chiefly  appropriated  to  the  Fossil 
Reptiles.  This  is  indeed  a  noble  collection,  unrivalled  for  its 
extent  and  importance:  most  of  the  specimens  are  from 
various  parts  of  England,  and  many  of  them  are  unique. 

The  collection  of  Fossil  Fishes  constitutes  the  grand  fea- 
ture of  Room  V.  It  is  very  extensive,  and  is  admirably 
arranged  and  named,  according  to  the  nomenclature  of  M. 
Agassiz.  A  fine  skeleton  of  the  extinct  gigantic  Elk  of 
Ireland  forms  a  conspicuous  object  in  the  centre  of  this 
room. 

Room  VI.  The  coup  d'ceil  of  this  part  of  the  Gallery, 
which  is  chiefly  devoted  to  Fossil  Mammalia,  is  very  im- 
posing. Immediately  opposite  the  entrance  is  the  model  of 
the  skeleton  of  the  Megatherium,  or  colossal  Sloth  of  South 
America,  from  Buenos  Ayres ;  and  beyond  it,  the  skeleton  of 
the  Mastodon  of  the  Ohio,  from  North  America ;  between  them 
is  placed  a  most  extraordinary  specimen, — the  skull  and  tusks, 
(fourteen  feet  long,)  of  the  Elephas  Gfanesa,  from  India. 

In  the  wall-cases  is  an  unrivalled  series  of  the  crania  and 
jaws  and  teeth  of  Mastodons  and  Elephants  of  numerous 
species,  in  a  marvellous  state  of  preservation.  They  have  been 
cleared  from  the  very  compact  incrustation  which  originally 
surrounded  them,  with  great  skill  and  labour  by  Mr.  Dew. 
The  greater  number  are  from  the  Sewalik  or  Sub-Himalayan 
Mountains  of  India,  and  were  collected  by  Major  Cautley 
and  Dr.  Falconer.  Some  very  fine  specimens  of  the  Mas- 
todon Ohioticus  are  from  Big-bone  Lick,  in  Kentucky,  United 
States  of  North  America. 

This  room  also  contains  many  choice  examples  of  the 
crania,  teeth,  and  bones  of  the  Megatherium,  Dinotherium, 
Sivatherium,  and  other  extinct  genera  of  Mammalia;  and 
the  celebrated  Fossil  Human  Skeleton  in  limestone,  from 
Guadaloupe. 

With  these  cursory  observations,  I  would  introduce  the 
reader  to  Room  I.,  requesting  him  to  notice  on  the  lobby,  to 


10  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIE   TEACHINGS. 

PLAN    OF    ROOM    I. 

NORTH  GALLERY  OF  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM. 
East  End. 


Room  II. 


BOOM  I.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  11 

the  left  of  the  doorway,  an  admirable  model  (executed  by 
Mr.  Dew,  the  palaeontological  modeller  and  sculptor  of  the 
Museum)  of  the  carapace,  or  shell  of  a  young  individual  of 
the  extinct  Colossal  Tortoise  of  India  (Colossochelys  Atlas), 
of  which  there  are  many  fossil  remains  in  the  collection. 
This  specimen  is  ten  feet  long,  twenty-five  feet  in  horizontal 
circumference,  and  fifteen  feet  in  girth  in  a  vertical  direction ; 
gigantic  as  are  these  proportions,  they  are  one-third  less 
than  those  of  the  adult  original. 


ROOM  I. 

(53  feet  long,  Wfeet  wide.) 

SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS. 

ORGANIC  REMAINS. 

WALL-CASES.  Fossil  Vegetables, — Chiefly  on  the  south  and 
west  sides  of  the  room.  The  arrangement  is  botanical ;  the 
simplest  forms  of  vegetable  structure,  the  Algce,  &c.  are  in 
the  first  case,  to  the  right  of  the  entrance. 

A.  [1.  A,  B,  c.]  Algce  and  Fuel  (Fossil  sea-plants). — With 
these  are  several  vegetables  whose  characters  are  not  accu- 
rately determined  j  they  belong  to  a  higher  group,  as  Aster o- 
phyllites,  Annularia,  Pilularites,  &c. 

B.  [2.  B,  c,  D,  E.]    On   the   upper  shelves  are   the  Equi- 
setacece,  i.e.  plants  allied  to  the  Equisetum,  or  Mare's-tail 
(Calamites).     On  the  lower  division  are  Filicites,  or  fossil 
ferns,  of  many  species  and  genera. 

On  the  top  of  this  case  there  are  stems  of  several  species 
of  Calamites,  from  the  Coal  formation. 

C.  [3.  A,  B,  c,  D,  E,  F.]  On  the  shelves  of  the  upper  division 
are   many  beautiful   specimens   of  the   flattened   stems   of 
Sigillarice,  and  of  Lycopodiacece  or  Club-mosses,  from  the 
Coal  strata. 

The  lower  compartment  contains  numerous  species  of  ferns, 
in  clay-slate  or  shale,  from  similar  deposits ;  and  others  from 
the  Oolite. 


12  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  I. 

The  lowermost  shelf  is  devoted  to  silicified  stems  of  trees 
allied  to  the  Palms  (called  Psaronia  by  M.  Cotta),  many 
of  which  are  polished  in  transverse  sections,  to  show  the 
structure. 

On  the  top  of  this  case  there  are  portions  of  large  stems 
of  fossil  Palms,  from  Chemnitz,  and  from  the  State  of  Ohio. 

D.  [4.]  This  case  is  chiefly  allotted  to  the  fossil  Club- 
mosses,  or  Lycopodites,  some  slabs  of  which  are  very  fine  : 
the  fruits  of  these  trees,  termed  Lepidostrobus,  are  arranged 
on  the  lower  shelves.      There  are  many  fine,  specimens  in 
ironstone  nodules,  from  Colebrook  Dale. 

E.  [5.  A,  B,  c.  D.]  The  Sigillarice  and  Lycopodiacece  occupy 
the  upper  division ;  the  lower  contains  fossil  plants  allied  to 
the  Cycadeacece  (labelled  Asphodelece)  :  among  these  are  Stern- 
bergia  ;  and  Claihraria,  Endogenites,  and  Draccena,  from  the 
Wealden  formations  of  Sussex  and  Kent. 

On  one  of  the  shelves  there  are  a  few  fruits  from  the 
London  Clay  of  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  belonging  to  plants 
allied  to  the  Palms  (Nipa) ;  with  leaves  and  stems  of  Palms 
from  other  localities. 

Above  cases  D  and  E,  are  placed  a  silicified  stem  of  a  tree 
from  the  Isle  of  Portland ;  and  several  large  specimens  of 
Endogenites  erosa,  from,  the  Wealden  strata  at  Hastings. 

In  the  narrow  compartment  of  this  case,  on  the  left  of  the 
doorway,  there  is  a  fine  palm-leaf  (Palmacites  Lamanonis), 
from  the  Tertiary  strata  of  Aix,  in  Provence  :  (formerly  in 
the  author's  collection). 

On  the  left  of  the  doorway,  on  the  ground,  there  is  part 
of  a  petrified  stem  of  a  Palm,  from  the  Valley  of  the  Nerbudda, 
in  India. 

On  the  right,  a  slab  of  Lias  limestone,  from  Dorsetshire,  on 
which  is  lying,  in  relief,  a  leafless  branch,  four  feet  long,  of  a 
coniferous  tree. 

F.  [6.  A,  B,  c,  D.]  The  shelves  of  the  upper  division  con- 
tain fossil  Coniferce  (A  and  D),  and  many  fine  specimens  of 
the  vegetables  termed  Stigmarice,  under  the  general  name  of 
EuphorUacew  (B  and  c).     There  are  several  interesting  fossil 
Coniferce,^  Pinus,  Araucaria,  Thuytes,  Voltzia,  &c.  •  and  fir- 
cones from  the  Crag  of  Norfolk. 

The  lower  division  comprises  examples  of  leaves,  fruit,  and 
stems,  of  extinct  plants  allied  to  the  Cycadece  (Pterophyllum) 


ROOM  I.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  13 

and  Zamice  (Ctenis),  chiefly  from  the  fluvio-marine  strata  of 
the  Oolite  of  Scarborough,  in  Yorkshire. 

In  this  case  are  specimens  of  the  extinct  Cycadeous  plants 
of  the  Isle  of  Portland  (named  by  M.  Brongniart,  Mantellia) ; 
and  on  the  top  of  this  case  several  fine  examples,  some  of 
which  are  cut  and  polished,  of  similar  plants  from  the  same 
celebrated  locality  (collected  by  the  author  in  1825). 

On  the  lowermost  shelves  there  is  an  extensive  series  of 
silicified  trunks  of  coniferous  trees;  many  are  cut  trans- 
versely and  polished,  to  exhibit  the  organic  structure,  which 
is  beautifully  preserved. 

On  brackets  between  the  east  windows  there  are  busts  of 
Henry  VIII.  and  of  his  daughter  Mary,  sculptured  in 
brown  jet. 

Meteoric  Iron. — On  a  pedestal  between  the  windows  there 
is  a  mass  of  Meteoric  Iron  from  the  Gran  Chaco,  in  South 
America ;  collected  and  presented  by  Sir  Woodbine  Parish. 
It  weighs  1,400  pounds,  and  is  supposed  to  be  part  of  that  of 
Otumpa,  described  by  Rubin  de  Celis,  in  the  Philosophical 
Transactions  for  1783. 

SMALL  TABLE  CASES,  ETC. 

a.  Under  the  window  at  the  east  end  of  the  room.     Fine 
masses  of   fossil  wood  from  Van  Diemen's  Land,  by  Mrs. 
Howley  :  some  of  these  are  very  beautiful  examples  of  opal- 
ized  wood.     In  the  recesses  of  the  windows  there  are  portions 
of  trunks  of  trees  in  a  similar  state  of  mineralization,  from 
New  Holland ;  presented  by  the  late  Sir  Francis  Chantry. 

b.  (Unoccupied,) 

c.  A  fine  slab  of  jet,  from  Whitby. 

(The  tables  of  minerals  under  the  windows  are  not 
numbered.) 

d.  A  splendid  example  of  the  footprints  of  bipeds,  sup- 
posed to  be  those  of  Birds,  (hence  named  Ornithichnites,)  on 
triassic  sandstone,  from  Turner's  Falls,  Massachusetts,  United 
States  of  North  America.      This  slab  is  8  feet  by  6,  and 
contains  the  foot-tracks  of  ten  or  twelve  individuals  of  various 
sizes,  which  must  have  been  impressed  on  the  stone  when  it 
was  in  the  state  of  plastic  mud,  and  capable  of  retaining  the 
imprints  of  the  feet  till  it  became  indurated.     It  was  ex- 


14  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

tracted  from  the  rock  with  great  labour  and  care  by  Dr. 
Deane  of  Greenfield.  In  the  window  recess  on  the  right, 
there  is  a  slab  with  two  imprints  of  a  colossal  biped,  the 
locality  of  which  is  unknown. l 

On  the  recess  of  the  window  between  d  and  e,  there  is 
a  large  slab  with  foot-tracks  of  a  supposed  reptilian  quadruped 
to  which  the  name  of  Chirotherium  has  been  provisionally 
given,  from  the  hand-like  form  of  the  imprints ;  in  Triassic 
sandstone,  from  Storton  quarries,  near  Liverpool.  Presented 
by  J.  Tomkinson,  Esq. 

e.  Two  slabs  placed  upright  in  a  case  affixed  to  the  wall, 
with  footmarks  of  a  similar  character.  These  are  from  the 
triassic  deposits  at  Hildburghausen  in  Saxony. 

f3F  In  the  recess  of  the  window,  between  c  and  d,  there 
is  a  fine  mass  of  the  mineral  called  Subsulphate  of  Alumina 
or  Websterite,  from  the  Plastic  clay  at  Castle  Hill,  near  New- 
haven,  in  Sussex.  (Collected  and  presented  by  the  author. 
An  account  of  the  only  known  locality  of  this  substance  is 
given  in  the  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs.") 

In  the  centre  of  the  room,  at  the  spot  indicated  by  the 
circle  in  the  plan,  on  an  elegant  table  inlaid  with  choice 
marbles  and  minerals,  there  is  a  beautifully  sculptured  tortoise 
in  Nephrite  or  Jade.  This  curious  specimen  of  Indian  art 
was  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Jumna,  near  the  city  of 
Allahabad  in  Hindostan,  and  brought  to  England  by  Lieut.- 
General  Kyd.  Presented  by  Thomas  Wilkinson,  Esq. 

MINERALS. 

The  mineralogical  arrangement  adopted  by  Mr.  Konig  is 
that  of  Berzelius,  founded  upon  the  electro-chemical  theory 
and  the  doctrine  of  definite  proportions.  The  detail  of  the 
arrangement  is  indicated  by  the  running  titles  on  the  out- 
sides  of  the  cases,  and  the  labels  attached  to  the  specimens 
within.2 

The  cases  containing  the  minerals  are  numbered  and 
arranged  in  order,  the  first  thirty  in  the  Rooms  I.  to  V.  on 

1  These  specimens  were  purchased  for  60£. 

"  An  electro-chemical  arrangement,  in  accordance  with  the  princi- 
ples laid  down  by  the  great  Swedish  chemist  himself  not  long  before 
his  death,  in  a  memoir  on  this  subject,  has  been  given  by  Prof.  Ptam- 
melsberg,  in  his  '  J.  J.  Berzelius'  Neues  Mineral  System,  Nurnberg, 


ROOM  L  MINERALS.  15 

the  south  side,  and  the  other  thirty  in  a  reversed  direction  on 
the  opposite  side.  The  affixed  numbers  are  here  inserted 
between  brackets. 

TABLE  CASE  1.  [60.]  Organico-chemiccd  minerals — Salts  :  Mellite  or 
honey-stone,  found  in  brown  coal  at  Artern  in  Thuringia,  (see  Pictorial 
Atlas  of  Organic  Remains,  pi.  L  fig.  2.;)  oxalate  of  iron:  struvite  ; 
Resins:  amber,  of  which  there  are  beautiful  specimens  from  Prussia 
and  from  the  muschel-sandstone  of  Lemberg  in  Gallieia,  many  with 
insects  and  portions  of  vegetables ;  fossil  copal  from  London  Clay,  High- 
gate  ;  Retinasphalt,  from  Bovey ;  Idriolite.  Bitumens :  mineral  pitch, 
asphalt  and  jet ;  Dapeche  ;  Hatchettine ;  varieties  of  coal. 

(1.)  Meteorites. — In  this  case,  and  in  a  small  table  adjoining,  are 
deposited  a  very  rich  collection  of  native  iron  and  meteorolites.  The 
origin  of  these  substances  is  so  mysterious,  as  to  invest  them  with  a 
high  degree  of  interest,  and  I  therefore  subjoin  from  Mr.  Konig's 
Synopsis,  the  following  chronological  list  of  those  in  the  Museum  whose 
history  is  authenticated. 

Meteorites  or  aerolites,  i.e.  stones  that  fall  from  the  higher  regions  of 
the  atmosphere,  appear  to  be  unquestionably  foreign  to  our  planet,  and 
there  seems  every  reason  to  conclude  that  these  substances  originate 
from  small  cosmical  bodies,  having  orbital  motions  through  space,  and 
which  are  occasionally  drawn  within  the  sphere  of  the  earth's  attrac- 
tion. Baron  Humboldt  states  that  "  their  direction  and  enormous 
velocity  of  projection  render  it  more  than  probable  that  these  masses, 
enveloped  in  vapours,  and  reaching  the  earth  in  a  high  state  of  temper- 
ature, are  small  heavenly  bodies  which  the  attraction  of  our  globe  has 
caused  to  deviate  from  their  previous  path.  The  aspect  of  these  aero- 
lites, and  the  analogy  to  minerals  contained  in  the  crust  of  the  earth,  is 
very  striking.  They  afford  the  only  experimental  knowledge  we  pos- 
sess of  any  of  the  specific  properties  or  qualities  of  matter  not  belonging 
to  our  own  planet."  Meteorites  appear  to  have  fallen  in  the  earlier 
ages  of  our  globe ;  Sir  C.  Lyell  cites  the  discovery  of  a  mass  of  native 
iron  and  nickel  weighing  seventeen  pounds,  in  the  auriferous  alluvium 
of  Altai,  at  a  depth  of  thirty  feet ;  and  other  instances  are  stated  to  have 
been  observed  in  the  Carpathian  mountains. 

2.  Native  Iron. — These  masses  consist  of  upwards  of  90 
per  cent,  of  pure  iron,  with  a  small  proportion  of  nickel,  cop- 
per, cobalt,  <fcc.  Native  iron,  of  undoubtedly  terrestrial  origin, 
is  of  very  rare  occurrence,  almost  all  the  insulated  masses  of 
this  metal  hitherto  fouod  having  proved  to  be  meteoric  ;  and 
of  these  the  following  specimens  are  deposited  nearly  in  the 
order  of  their  discovery,  or  of  the  first  mention  made  of  them. 

1847,'  and  will,  if  circumstances  allow  it,  be  hereafter  adopted  for  the 
collection  contained  in  the  Table  Cases;  the  present  arrangement 
remaining  nearly  as  we  find  it  in  the  4th  ed.  of  Berzelius'  work  on  the 
Use  of  the  .Blowpipe,  published  in  1824."— Mr.  Konig's  Synopsis. 


16  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

A  portion  of  the  celebrated  mass  of  iron  of  the  descent  of  which,  at 
Agram,  in  Croatia,  on  the  26th  of  May,  1751,  detailed  official  accounts 
were  drawn  up  by  the  authorities  of  that  place,  who  presented  it  to  the 
Roman  Emperor,  Francis  I.,  and  to  the  Empress  Maria  Theresa. 

Fragment  of  the  iron  from  the  Upper  Senegal,  in  Africa,  discovered 
between  the  years  1760  and  1770. 

A  large  piece  detached  from  the  celebrated  mass  of  Siberian  native 
iron,  which  was  discovered  in  1772,  by  Pallas,  on  the  summit  of  a  moun- 
tain between  Abakansk  and  Belskoi  Ostrog,  on  the  banks  of  the  Jenisey, 
where  it  was  considered  by  the  Tartars  as  a  sacred  relic:  the  mass, 
which  originally  weighed  about  1,680  pounds,  is  in  the  Museum  of  the 
Imperial  Academy  of  Sciences  of  St.  Petersburg. 

Specimens  of  the  native  iron  from  Otumpa,  in  the  Gran  Chaco 
Gualamba,  in  South  America,  found,  in  1783,  by  Don  Rubin  de  Celis, 
who  estimated  the  weight  of  the  mass  to  be  about  300  quintals,  or  15 
tons. 

A  large  specimen  of  the  Brazilian  iron,  found  at  the  Bemdego  rivulet, 
Capitania  of  Bahia,  in  1784,  described  in  1816. 

Some  of  the  Mexican  meteoric  iron  supposed  to  be  from  that  of  Xiqui- 
pilco,  first  brought  into  notice  in  1784. 

A  large  piece  (presented  by  John  Parkinson,  Esq.)  of  the  iron  of  Zaca- 
tecas,  Mexico,  known  time  out  of  mind,  but  first  described  in  1792  ;  and 
a  small  one  of  that  found  in  the  province  of  Durango,  described  by  Baron 
Alexander  von  Humboldt  (this  has  by  some  been  confounded  with  that 
of  the  preceding  locality). 

Two  pieces  of  the  Cape  meteoric  iron,  found  in  1793,  and  first  made 
known  in  Barrow's  Travels  in  Southern  Africa:  the  mass  is  now  in  the 
cabinet  of  Haarlem. 

A  portion  of  the  mass,  originally  weighing  upwards  of  3,300  pounds, 
found  at  Bitburg,  in  the  Eifel,  N.  of  Treves,  in  1805,  but  which,  from 
ignorance,  was  committed  to  the  smelting  furnace. 

A  portion  of  the  mass  from  Texas  (Red  River),  found  1808,  described 
1845. 

Three  specimens  of  iron  from  Rasgata,  N.E.  of  Santa  F6  de  Bogota, 
South  America;  found  in  1810,  and  described  about  twenty-four  years 
afterwards. 

A  piece  from  the  large  mass  (originally  weighing  191  pounds,  of 
which  upwards  of  two-thirds  came  to  the  Imperial  Collection  at  Vienna) 
of  the  iron  of  Elbogen,  near  Carlsbad  in  Bohemia,  where  from  time 
immemorial  it  had  been  known  by  the  popular  and  legendary  appel- 
lation of  the  Enchanted  Burgrave  (der  verwiinschte  Burggraf) ;  its 
meteoric  origin  ascertained  in  1811. 

Small  portions  of  the  meteoric  iron  from  Texas,  known  to  the  scien- 
tific world  since  1814. 

Two  specimens  of  the  mass  of  iron  found  at  Lenarto  in  Hungary,  in 
1814,  one  of  which,  being  polished  and  treated  with  acid,  exhibits  the 
outlines  of  imperfect  crystals.1 

\  The  delineations  thus  produced  are  known  by  the  appellation  of 
Widmannsted  figures. 


ROOM  I.  MINERALS METEORITES.  17 

A  mass  of  iron  from  Lockport,  New  York  ;  found  in  1818,  described 
in  1845. 

A  specimen  of  the  iron  from  Burlington,  in  the  Otsego  County,  New 
York,  found  in  1819. 

An  Esquimaux  knife  and  harpoon  (from  Davis's  Straits,  Lat.  76°  12' 
N.,  Long.  53°)  the  iron  of  which  is  meteoric  (mentioned  in  Capt.  Ross's 
voyage,  1819,  and  presented  by  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Ad- 
miralty). 

Small  portions  of  the  iron  from  Guildford  County,  North  Carolina, 
discovered  in  1820. 

A  mass  of  iron  from  the  province  of  Atacama,  republic  of  Bolivia, 
resembling  that  of  Siberia,  and,  like  it,  containing  much  of  an  olivine- 
like  substance  within  its  cells;  described  in  18^:7,  and  presented  by  Sir 
Woodbine  Parish. 

A  mass  from  the  N.E.  corner  of  Walker  County,  Alabama,  found 
in  1832. 

A  specimen  of  the  iron  which  was  seen  to  fall,  July  31st,  1835,  in 
Dickson  County,  Tennessee. 

A  portion  of  that  of  Ashville,  Buncombe  County,  N.  Carolina,  found 
and  described  in  1839. 

A  ponderous  piece  of  iron  from  Crosby's  Creek,  in  the  S.  W.  part  of 
Cocke  County,  Tennessee,  found  1839  (with  this  is  placed  a  mass  of 
graphite  found  in  it,  weighing  830  grains). 

A  smaller  piece  from  Greenville,  Green  Countv,  Tennessee,  found 
in  1842. 

The  greater  part  of  the  mass  of  iron  found  in  the  Sevier  County, 
Tennessee,  in  1840. 

Three  characteristic  specimens,  one  containing  much  graphite,  of  the 
iron  from  Arva,  in  Hungary,  discovered  in  1843. 

A  polished  piece  of  the  iron  found  in  the  Otsego  County,  New  York, 
in  1845. 

Mass  of  iron  from  Smithland,  Livingston  County,  Kentucky,  found 
in  the  same  year. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  mass  of  iron,  weighing  280  pouncs, 
found  in  the  same  year  at  Carthage,  Smith  County,  Tennessee ;  as  was 
that  of  Hommoney  Creek,  near  the  base  of  Pisgah  Mountain,  Buncombe 
County,  North  Carolina. 

A  portion  of  the  iron  ploughed  up  about  seven  miles  from  Chester- 
ville,  Chester  County,  S.  Carolina,  described  1849. 

Another  of  that  which  was  seen  to  fall  at  Braunau,  in  Bohemia,  July 
14th,  1847. 

A  portion  of  that  found  in  the  same  year  near  Lake  Lsesgen,  in  Bran- 
denburg. 

Also,  the  greater  portion  of  the  mass  discovered  at  the  close  of  the  same 
year  near  Murfreesboro',  Rutherford  County,  Tennessee. 

Of  Meteoric  stones,  or  Meteorites,  (classed  with  native  iron, 
because  they  all  contain  this  metal,  generally  alloyed  with 
nickel,)  the  following  are  placed  in  chronological  order  : — 

CASE  1*.— A  large  fragment  of  the  stone  which  fell  at  Ensisheim,  in 

C 


18  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

Alsace  Nov  7th  1492,  when  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  then  King  of  the 
Romans,  was  on  the  point  of  engaging  with  the  French  army ;  this  mass, 
which  weighed  270  pounds,  was  preserved  in  the  cathedral  of  Lnsisheim 
till  the  beginning  of  the  French  Revolution,  when  it  was  conveyed  to  the 

PUMeteor?castone  whi&ftU  at  Reichstadt,  in  Bohemia,  June  22d,  1723. 

One  of  the  stones  which  fell,  July  3d,  1753,  at  Plan,  in  the  circle  of 

Bechin,  Bohemia,  and  which  contains  a  great  proportion  of  attractable 

^Portion  of  a  stone  which  fell  at  Maurkirchen,  in  Bavaria,  Nov.  20th, 
A  meteorite  which  fell  at  Bobric,  government  of  Charkow,  Ucraine, 

Specimens  of  those  that  were  seen  to  fall  at  Barbotan,  at  Roquefort, 
and  at  Juliac,  in  the  Landes  of  Gascony,  July  24th,  1790. 

One  of  a  dozen  stones,  of  various  weights  and  dimensions,  that  fell  at 
Sienna  in  Tuscany,  June  16th,  1794. 

The  meteoric  stone,  weighing  56  pounds,  which  fell  near  Wold  Cot- 
tage, in  the  parish  of  Thwing,  East  Riding,  Yorkshire,  Dec.  13th,  1795. 

Fragment  of  a  stone  of  20  pounds,  which  fell  in  the  commune  of  Sales, 
near  Villefranche,  in  the  department  of  the  Rh6ne,  March  12th,  1798. 

Specimens  of  stones  that  fell  near  the  city  of  Benares,  in  the  East  Indies, 
Dec.  19th,  1798 ;  presented  by  Sir  Joseph  Banks  and  W.  Marsden,  Esq. 

Entire  and  broken  specimens  of  the  meteoric  stones  of  which  a  shower 
was  seen  to  descend  at  Aigle,  in  the  department  of  the  Orne,  April  26th, 
1803. 

Meteorite  which  fell  at  Fossil,  near  Glasgow,  April  5th,  1804. 

Fragment  of  that  which  fell,  June  27th,  1807,  near  Timochin,  Smo- 
lensk, Russia. 

Fragment  of  one  of  those  that  were  seen  to  fall  at  "VVeston,  in  Con- 
necticut, Dec.  14th,  1807. 

Fragment  of  one  of  several  meteorites  that  fell,  April  19th,  1S08,  at 
Casiguano,  near  Borgo  St.  Domino,  in  the  Duchy  of  Parma. 

Two  of  the  meteorites  with  shining  black  surfaces,  fallen,  May  22d, 
1808,  at  Stannern,  in  Moravia;  one  of  them  presented  by  H.I.M.  the 
Emperor  of  Austria. 

Two  fragments  of  the  Tipperary  meteorite  which  fell  in  August,  1810 ; 
it  contains  quartz  globules  of  a  green  colour,  owing  to  oxide  of  nickel. 

A  fragment  from  one  of  those  of  Berlanguillas,  in  Catalonia,  July  8th, 
1811. 

A  fragment  of  one  weighing  66  pounds,  which  fell,  August  5th,  1812, 
near  Chantonnay,  between  Nantes  and  La  Rochelle,  Department  of  the 
Vendee. 

Fragment  of  the  meteoric  stone  which  fell  at  Adare,  in  the  county  of 
Limerick,  Ireland,  September  10th,  1813. 

Fragment  of  the  stone  which  fell,  in  March  1814,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Wiburg,  in  Russian  Finland. 

Fragment  of  one  of  those  which  fell,  Sept.  5th.  1814,  at  Agen,  in  the 
Pyrenees. 

A  portion  of  the  meteorite  of  Chassigny,  near  Langres,  Dep.  of  the 
Upper  Marne,  which  fell  on  the  3d  of  October,  1815. 


ROOM  I.  MINERALS.  19 

One  of  those  that  descended  at  Jonsae,  in  the  Department  of  the 
Lower  Charente,  the  13th  of  June,  1819. 

Fragment  of  the  largest  of  those  that  fell  at  Juve"nas,  Dep.  of  the 
Ardeche,  15th  of  June,  1821. 

A  portion  of  the  meteorite  which  descended  at  Nanjenoy,  in  Mary- 
land, February  10th,  1825,  formerly  in  the  possession  of  the  Author,  to 
whom  it  was  presented  by  Professor  Silliman. 

Fragment  of  one  of  the  meteorites  which  fell,  May  9th,  1827,  at 
Drake's  Creek,  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

Another  of  that  of  Richmond,  Chesterfield  County,  Virginia,  observed 
to  fall  June  4th,  1828. 

Another  which  was  seen  to  fall  at  Aldsworth,  12  miles  E.  of  Ciren- 
cester,  August  4th,  1835. 

A  meteorite,  weighing  about  four  pounds,  which  fell  at  the  village  of 
Akburpoor,  in  the  district  of  Saharanpore,  April  18th,  1838;  presented 
by  Major  Cautley,  Bengal  Artillery. 

.  A  fragment  detached  from  one  of  the  three  stones  which,  on  June 
6th,  1838,  simultaneously  fell  at  three  villages,  about  a  mile  distant 
from  each  other,  in  the  valley  of  Berar  (situated  Lat.  21°  N.,  Long.  77° 
20'  E.),  in  the  East  Indies. 

Two  of  those  that  were  seen  to  fall,  October  13th  of  the  same  year,  at 
Old  Bokkeveld,  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  the  larger  presented  by  Sir 
John  Herschel,  Bart.,  the  smaller  by  E.  Charlesworth,  Esq. 

A  fragment  of  that  which  fell  at  Little  Piney,  Missouri,  February 
13th,  1839. 

Two  large  portions  of  the  stone  that  fell,  June  12th,  1841,  at  Triguerre, 
Canton  of  Chateau-Eenard,  Department  of  the  Loire. 

A  large  fragment  of  the  remarkable  meteoric  stone  that  fell  at  Bishop- 
ville,  S.  Carolina,  in  March,  1846,  and  another  of  that  which  descended 
February  25th,  1847,  near  Marion,  in  Linn  County,  State  of  Iowa,  North 
America,  and  of  which  an  account  has  been  published  in  a  late  number 
of  Silliman's  American  Journal. — Mr.  Konig's  Synopsis. 

3.  [59.] — Contains  the  chlorides  :  viz.  chloride  of  sodium,  ammonium, 
lead,  copper,  silver,  mercury,  &c. 

4.  [2.]  Native  silver,  of  which  there  are  some  very  rich  and  beautiful 
forms;  native  mercury,  platinum,  &c. ;  palladium  and  osmiridium  in  a 
wrought  state;  irite  from  the  Ural  Mountains. 

5.  [58.]  Fluorides;   fluor  spar;   chlorophane ;  fluoride  of  calcium, 
yttrium,  and  cerium. 

[58  A.]  Silicates  containing  fluorine.  Saxon,  Brazilian,  and  Siberian 
topazes,  some  imbedded  in  rock  crystal ;  pyrophysalite  from  Fahlun  in 
Sweden ;  choridrodite  from  New  Jersey. 

6.  [3.]  Native  gold,  pure  and  alloyed ;  electrum  from  Schlangenberg 
in  Siberia. 

"  In  this  case  (continued  to  case  12  of  the  minor  notation)  begin  the 
electro-negative  metallic  substances  called  metalloids,  and  their  non- 
oxidized  combinations/' — Mr.  Konigs  Synopsis. 

Tellurium  and  tellurets ;  native  antimony ;  antimonial  silver. 

7.  [57.]  Various  phosphates.    Phosphate  of  iron,  manganese,  copper, 


20  PETBIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

yttria,  and  phosphates  of  alumina,  as  wavellite,  arurite,  the  calaite  or 
real  turquois  from  Persia,1  &c. 

[57  A.]  Phosphates  combined  with  chlorides.  Pyromorphite ;  arse- 
niates  of  lead,  &c. 

[57  B.]  Phosphate  of  lime  combined  with  chloride  of  calcium.  Bare 
crystallizations  of  apatite.  Chloro-carbonate  of  lead.  The  unique  suite 
of  crystals  is  from  Cromford  Level,  near  Matlock  Dale,  Derbyshire. 

8.  [4.]  Native  arsenic,  with  nickel  and  with  cobalt.     In  the  opposite 
half  of  this  case,  substances  belonging  to  the  orders  carbon  and  selenium. 
Diamonds ;  several  illustrations  of  the  various  crystalline  forms  of  this 
pure  state  of  carbon ;  diamonds  imbedded  in  siliceous  breccia,  in  com- 
pact brown  ironstone ;  and  a  specimen  of  the  alluvial  rock  called  cascal- 
hao,  in  which  diamonds  occur  in  the  East  Indies  and  the  Brazils.    An- 
thracite.  Graphite.   Seleniurets  of  lead,  copper,  mercury,  cobalt,  &c. 
Sulphur  from  the  Lipari  Isles.    A  medallion  in  selenium  of  Berzelius, 
the  discoverer  of  this  metal. 

9.  [56.]  Arsenious  acid,  and  arseniates  of  lime,  iron,  copper,  cobalt, 
nickel,  &q. 

10.  [5.]  Splendid  crystallisations  of  sulphur  from  La  Catolica  in  Sicily. 
These  are  succeeded  by  the  sulphurets,  which  occupy  half  of  this,  and 
seven  of  the  next  following  table  cases,  according  to  the  museum  nota- 
tion.   Sulphuret  of  manganese,  zinc  or  blend,  &c. 

11.  [55.]  Sulphates  of  magnesia,  zinc,  iron,  copper,  lead,  &c.  Sulphate 
of  uranium,  oxide  or  johannite,  very  rare,  from  Bohemia.     Sulphates  of 
alumina.  Websterite  from  Sussex  and  Halle.  Beautiful  series  of  examples 
of  lazurite  or  lapis  lazuli. 

12.  [6.]  Sulphurets  of  iron,  or  iron  pyrites.    Sulphuret  of  cobalt,  of 
nickel,  of  cadmium,  &c. 

1  The  oriental  turquois  is  an  hydrate  of  aluminum  coloured  by  oxide 
of  copper  and  iron ;  it  is  found  in  amorphous  masses  in  alluvial  clay, 
and  in  irregular  veins  in  flinty  slate,  in  Persia  and  Siberia.  The  com- 
mon or  accidental  turquois  is  fossil  ivory  or  bone  stained  by  blue  phos- 
phate of  iron  or  carbonate  of  copper. 


ROOM  I. 


CHAPTER   I. 
PART  II.— FOSSIL  YEGETABLES. 

FOSSIL    VEGETABLES — PETRIFIED    VEGETABLES — CARBONIZED     VEGETABLES — 

COAL — AMBER JET  —  DIAMOND  —  FUCOIDES —  ASTEROPHYLLITES — EQUI- 

SETACE.E  —  CALAMITES FILICITES SIGILLARIA STIGMARIA  —  ERECT 

SIGILLARIA LYCOPODIACEJE  —  LEPIDODENDRON CARBONIFEROUS     FLORA 

PSAROLITES— CLATHRARIA — ENDOGENITES — DRAC^NA FOSSIL  PALMS — 

NIPATITES CONIFERS  —  CYCADEACE.E ZAMLJ*— PETRIFIED    FOREST    OF 

PORTLAND — MANTELLIA— FOSSIL   TREES   OF   NEW    HOLLAND. 

FOSSIL  VEGETABLES.  —  Vegetable  remains  occur  in  the 
mineral  kingdom  in  various  states  of  preservation,  and  under 
very  different  conditions;  in  some  cases,  they  are  but  little 
changed  in  aspect  and  composition;  in  others,  they  are  so 
completely  metamorphosed  that  their  vegetable  nature  can 
only  be  detected  by  the  aid  of  the  microscope.  It  will  suf- 
fice for  our  present  purpose  to  consider  two  principal 
states  in  which  the  fossil  remains  of  trees  and  plants  are 
preserved. 

1st.  Petrified  Vegetables  :  In  this  state  the  organic  structure 
is  permeated  by  mineral  matter,  and  oftentimes  the  original 
vascular  tissues  are  transmuted  into  stone  :  it  may  be  calca- 
reous, as  in  some  of  the  fossil  woods  from  the  Lias ;  or  siliceous, 
as  in  the  wood  from  New  Holland,  and  the  palm-stems  from 
Saxony  ;  or  partly  calcareous  and  partly  siliceous,  as  the  trees 
from  the  Isle  of  Portland,  &c.  Iron  is  a  frequent  constituent 
in  the  petrifaction  of  vegetable  substances ;  and  the  sulphuret, 
or  iron  pyrites,  is  very  constantly  present  in  wood,  fruits, 
leaves,  <fec.,  imbedded  in  argillaceous  deposits ;  often  impart- 
ing a  most  beautiful  metallic  lustre  to  the  organic  structures, 
as  in  the  fossil  fruits  from  the  Isle  of  Sheppey. 


22  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

2cL  Carbonized  Vegetables  :  The  other  state  in  which  ve- 
getable substances  are  found  is  that  of  carbonization — that 
peculiar  transmutation  which  dead  vegetable  structures  un- 
dergo when  buried  in  the  earth,  and  subjected  to  heat  and 
moisture  :  a  specific  fermentation  or  putrefaction  (the  bitu- 
minous) then  takes  place,  and  either  bog-wood,  lignite,  brown 
coal,  jet,  or  true  mineral  coal,  containing  combustible 
oils,  is  the  result,  accordingly  as  the  necessary  conditions  are 
more  or  less  perfectly  fulfilled ;  for  the  formation  of  coal  ap- 
pears to  depend  on  the  engulfing  of  large  quantities  of  recent 
vegetable  substances  beneath  deposits  of  clay,  mud,  silt,  and 
sand,  which  shall  exclude  the  air,  and  prevent  the  escape  of 
the  gaseous  elements,  when  released  by  decomposition  from 
their  organic  combination.  Such  has  been  the  origin  of  the 
immense  accumulations  of  fossil  fuel,  or  coal,  in  various 
parts  of  the  world ;  and  of  the  delicate  fern-leaves  and 
other  foliage,  which  appear  as  pellicles  or  films  of  carbona- 
ceous matter  adherent  to  the  surfaces  of  the  slabs  of 
slate  and  stone  in  the  cases  A,  and  B,  before  us :  these  are 
the  leaves  of  vegetables  converted  into  carbon  or  charcoal ; 
some  of  these  leaves  even  retain  their  flexibility,  and  may 
be  removed  from  the  surface,  like  the  specimens  in  a  hortus 
siccus. 

COAL. — But  though  the  vegetable  origin  of  all  coal  is  un- 
questionable, yet  evidence  of  the  original  structure  of  the 
plants  or  trees  whence  it  was  derived  is  not  always  attainable. 
The  most  perfect  coal  seems  to  have  undergone  a  complete 
liquefaction,  and  if  any  portions  of  the  vegetable  tissues 
remain,  they  appear  as  if  imbedded  in  a  bituminous  mass. 
The  slaty  coal  generally  preserves  traces  of  cellular  or  vascu- 
lar tissue,  and  the  spiral  vessels  and  dotted  cells  of  coniferous 
trees  may  often  be  detected  by  the  microscope.  In  many 
instances  the  cells  are  filled  with  an  amber-coloured  resinous 
substance  ;  in  others  the  organization  is  so  well  preserved,  that 
on  the  surface  of  a  block  of  coal  cracked  by  heat,  the  dotted 
glands  may  be  observed.  Some  beds  of  coal  are  wholly  com- 
posed of  minute  leaves  or  disintegrated  foliage,  and  if  a  mass 
recently  extracted  from  the  mine  be  split  asunder,  the  ex- 
posed surfaces  will  be  found  covered  with  delicate  lamina?  of 
carbonized  leaves  and  fibres  matted  together,  and  flake  after 
flake  may  be  peeled  off  through  a  thickness  of  many  inches. 


ROOM  I.  AMBER — JET DIAMOND.  23 

Rarely  are  any  large  trunks  or  branches  of  trees  observable 
in  the  beds  of  coal ;  the  general  appearance  of  the  carbon- 
iferous mass  is  that  of  an  immense  deposit  of  delicate  foliage 
which  has  been  shed  and  accumulated  in  a  forest,  and  conso- 
lidated by  great  pressure,  while  undergoing  that  peculiar  pro- 
cess by  which  vegetable  matter  is  converted  into  carbon.  In 
fine,  a  gradual  transition  may  be  traced  from  the  peat-wood 
and  submerged  forests  of  modern  times,  in  which  leaves, 
fruits,  and  trunks  of  indigenous  trees  are  preserved,  to  those 
vast  deposits  of  mineral  coal,  formed  by  the  bitumination  of 
the  now  extinct  plants  and  trees  of  the  floras  which  flou- 
rished in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  globe. 

AMBER,  JET,  DIAMOND.  —  Table-cases  1,  and  8. — Before  de- 
scribing the  fossil  plants  whose  stems,  foliage,  and  fruit,  are 
displayed  in  the  wall-cases  of  this  room,  we  must  direct  atten- 
tion to  the  table-cases  that  contain  a  fine  suite  of  specimens 
of  Amber  [60],  Jet,  and  Diamond  8,  [4],  for  these  substances 
are  unquestionably  of  vegetable  origin. 

Amber,  so  remarkable  for  its  electrical  properties,  and 
so  much  in  request  for  ornamental  purposes,  is  a  fossil  resin, 
the  product  of  an  extinct  species  of  pine  (Pinus  succinifer), 
most  nearly  allied  to  Pimis  abies,  and  P.  picea,  but  essen- 
tially distinct.  The  Amber  in  the  European  markets  is 
principally  collected  from  the  shores  of  the  Baltic,  between 
Memel  and  Konigsberg,  being  washed  out  of  submerged  beds 
of  lignite,  and  thrown  up  on  the  strand  by  the  waves.  Amber 
is  occasionally  found  on  the  eastern  and  northern  shores  of 
England.  The  forests  of  Amber-pines  appear  to  have  been 
situated  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  what  is  now  the  bed  of 
the  Baltic,  in  about  55°  north  latitude,  and  37°  to  38°  east  lon- 
gitude, and  were  probably  destroyed  at  the  commencement 
of  the  diluvial  period.  Insects,  spiders,  small  crustaceans, 
leaves,  and  fragments  of  vegetable  tissue,  are  often  imbedded 
in  amber  ;  and  a  few  hairs  and  feathers  of  mammalia  and 
birds  have  been  detected  :  these  organic  bodies  must  have 
become  immersed  in  this  substance  when  it  exuded  from  the 
trees  in  a  soft  or  viscid  state,  for  they  are  often  preserved  as 
fresh  and  beautiful  as  if  recently  embalmed  in  the  liquid 
resin.  Upwards  of  800  species  of  insects  have  been  dis- 
covered, chiefly  Aptera,  Diptera,  Neuroptera,  Coleoptera,  Li- 
bellula,  &c. ;  by  far  the  greater  part  belong  to  extinct  forms. 


24  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

The  vegetable  remains  comprise  four  species  of  pine,  and 
species  of  cedar,  cypress,  juniper,  yew  ;  and  of  oak,  poplar, 
beech,  ash,  &c.  ;  and  a  few  ferns,  mosses,  liverworts,  con- 
fervee,  and  fungi.  The  amber  appears  to  have  chiefly  exuded 
from  the  root-stock,  but  also  from  the  bark  and  the  wood,  as 
is  the  case  with  the  Copal  and  Anime,  which  are  resinous  sub- 
stances obtained  from  certain  trees  in  India  and  America, 
and  largely  employed  for  varnish :  these  resins  are  often  sub- 
stituted for  true  amber,  especially  when  they  contain  insects, 
&c.;  but  these  are  always  of  the  existing  indigenous  species 
of  the  country.  There  are  many  examples  of  copal  and 
anime,  containing  insects,  placed  in  the  case  with  genuine 
fossil  amber,  for  comparison.  The  difference  observable  in 
the  colour  of  the  various  species  of  amber,  is  attributable  to 
accidental  chemical  admixtures. 

Jet. — This  substance  is  so  evidently  wood  in  a  carbonized 
state  (many  species  showing  coniferous  structure),  that  it  is 
only  necessary  to  direct  attention  to  the  specimens  in 
dase  1.  Some  of  the  most  productive  beds  of  this  fossil 
in  England  are  those  in  the  Lias  shale,  near  Whitby,  in 
Yorkshire. 

In  this  case  there  is  an  interesting  example  of  Hessian 
brown  lignite  passing  into  bituminous  coal. 

Diamond.  — In  Case  8  [4]  there  are  many  varieties  of  the 
precious  gem — the  diamond — illustrating  its  varied  colours 
and  crystalline  forms ;  among  these  are  diamonds  imbedded 
in  siliceous  breccia,  and  in  brown  ironstone,  and  an  octa- 
hedral crystal  with  alluvial  gold;  and  models  of  some 
of  the  largest  diamonds.  The  diamond,  as  is  now  gene- 
rally known,  is  nothing  more  than  carbon  or  charcoal  in  a 
pure  crystalline  state ;  of  its  vegetable  origin  there  is  no  doubt. 
At  a  heat  less  than  the  melting  point  of  silver  it  burns  and 
is  volatilized,  yielding  the  same  elementary  products  as  char- 
coal. By  voltaic  action  it  has  been  converted  (by  Jacquelin, 
Faraday,  Gassiott)  into  a  substance  possessing  the  appear- 
ance, physical  characters,  and  electrical  properties  of  coke  or 
graphite,  losing  its  insulating  power,  and  becoming  a  conduc- 
tor :  its  ordinary  specific  gravity  is  3.368  ;  when  changed  into 
coke,  2.679.  The  diamond,  like  amber,  is  probably  a  vege- 
table secretion,  and  has  acquired  its  crystalline  structure  by 
electro-chemical  action.  In  Southern  India  and  in  the 


ROOM  I.  ALG-E FUCOIDES.  25 

Brazils  diamonds  occur  in  breccia,  composed  of  quartzose  and 
opaline  pebbles,  united  by  an  arenaceous  ferruginous  cement ; 
in  Bundel  Kaand,  in  sandstone,  supposed  to  belong  to  the 
Triassic  deposits,  for  there  are  strata  of  that  age  400  feet  in 
thickness  beneath  the  lowest  diamond  beds,  and  indications  of 
coal  underlying  the  whole.1 

ALG^,  Fuci,  <fcc. — Case  A. — Remains  of  several  kinds  of 
vegetables  of  the  simplest  structure,  as  Fuci,  Algae,  Fungi, 


LlGK    1. — FOSSIL   FCCtJS    IX    M AIM-ROCK,    BIGKOR,    SUSSEX. 

Fucoides  Targionii. 

(NAT.  SIZE.) 

<tc.,  occur  in  a  fossil  state,  and  even  some  minute  parasitical 
species  have  been  detected  on  the  leaves  of  fern  in  coal  shale. 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  6th  edit.  pp.  703—706,  for  an  account 
of  Amber,  Diamond,  Bitumen,  Petroleum,  Anthracite,  Plumbago,  &c^ 
"  Medals  of  Creation,"  vol  i.  p.  83. 

A  most  important  acquisition  has  very  recently  been  made  to  the 
Cabinet  of  Diamonds ;  an  unique  series  of  crystallized  specimens, 
purchased  of  Professor  Tennant,  comprising  upwards  of  sixty  examples 
of  rare  modifications  of  form,  and  of  various  colours.  It  formed  part 
of  the  celebrated  cabinet  of  precious  stones  formed  with  great  taste  and 
judgment,  and  regardless  of  expense,  by  the  late  Henry  Phillip  Hope, 
Esq.  Of  the  cubic  crystal  there  are  six  ;  of  the  octohedron,  sixteen  or 
eighteen ;  of  the  hemitrope,  or  macled  crystals,  four ;  of  grouped  crys- 
tals, thirty.  This  most  interesting  suite  of  gems  includes  also  several 
fine  specimens  of  what  are  termed  "diamonds  of  nature,"  which  are 
diverging  fibrous  concretions  of  this  crystalline  substance.  A  model  of 
the  matchless  Indian  diamond,  known  as  the  Koh-i-noor,  or  Mountain 
of  Light,  and  now  exposed  to  public  view  in  the  Great  Exhibition,  by 
Her  Majesty's  gracious  permission,  will  shortly  be  added  to  this  unri- 
valled collection. 


26  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

The  case,  A,  contains  several  species  of  Algse  and  Fuci, 
and  many  fossil  plants  belonging  to  a  higher  class,  but 
whose  natural  affinities  are  not  accurately  determined.  Much 
of  the  space  is  occupied  by  fossil  ferns,  and  specimens  of 
a  common  and  elegant  tribe  of  coal-plants  (named  Aster o- 
phyllites,  Annular  ia,  &c.),  whose  verticillate  foliage  is  too 
remarkable  to  escape  notice,  and  is  often  seen  on  the  slabs  of 
coal-shale  associated  with  ferns. 

Fucoides.  Of  fossil  fuci  there  are  specimens  from  Big- 
nor,  in  Sussex,  of  a  species  peculiar  to  the  firestone  of  the  chalk 
formation, — the  Fucoides  (Chondrites)  Targionii ;  and  an 
elegant  species  named  Fucoides  arcuatus.  With  the  fucoides 
are  specimens  of  fossil  algse,  labelled  Spherococcites,  which  are 
sea-weeds  with  thick  membranous  and  coriaceous  fronds, 
divided  into  digitated  lobes,  wide  or  narrow,  often  irregular 
and  elongated,  without  nervures,  and  with  a  smooth  surface, 
bearing  irregular  tubercles ;  from  the  Oolite  of  Solenhofen. 

On  the  shelves  there  are  pieces  of  ironstone  with  vestiges 
of  carbonized  vegetables,  from  the  Wealden  (of  Heathfield, 
Sussex),  some  of  which  are  probably  referable  to  fresh-water 
aquatic  plants  ;  others  to  trees  allied  to  the  yew  or  cypress 
(Thuyites). 

Asterophyllites.1 — Case  A. — The  specimens  of  elegant  foli- 
age on  slabs  of  coal-shale,  labelled  Asterophyllites,  Annularia, 
and  Sphenophyllum,  belong  to  a  tribe  of  extinct  dico- 
tyledonous plants,  which,  like  the  existing  Cycadese,  had 
their  seeds  exposed  ;  hence  the  name  of  the  order,  Gymno- 
sperms,  or  naked  seeds. 

The  Asterophyllites,  so  named  from  the  star-like  disposition 
of  their  foliage,  had  branched  articulated  stems,  with  verti- 
cillate leaves  arranged  perpendicularly  to  the  branches  which 
supported  them  ;  but  as  the  foliage  is  in  most  examples  par- 
tially imbedded  and  concealed  in  the  stone,  the  natural  ap- 
pearance of  the  plant  is  but  seldom  observable.  The  fossils 
known  as  Volkmannia  are  now  ascertained  to  be  Asterophyl- 
lites in  fructification. 

The  Annularia  were  herbaceous  plants,  with  verticillate 
foliage,  like  the  former ;  but  the  whorls  were  arranged  on 

>  Figured  in  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  152;  and  "Wonders  of  Geo- 
logy," 6th  edit.  p.  717. 


ROOM  I. 


EQUISETUM ANNULARIA. 


27 


the  same  plane  with  the  stems  whence  they  proceeded,  and, 
in  consequence,  their  remains  present  a  very  elegant  appear- 
ance when  expanded  on  the  schist. 
Each  whorl  is  composed  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  linear  lanceolate 
leaves,  which  are  united  at  their 
base,  so  as  to  form  a  zone  around 
the  stem:  it  is  supposed  that  they 
were  aquatic,  or  marsh  plants,  the 
stems  and  leaves  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  water.1  Both  these 
extinct  types  of  plants  are  common 
in  the  carboniferous  strata.2 


1  2  3 

LIGN.  3. — EQTTISETUM  LYELLII.    POUNCEFOKD. 
Fig.  1.  Stem  \vith  two  sheaths,  and  a  head  at  the  lowermost  joint. 

2.  Stem  of  a  young  plant,  pyritified. 

3.  Stem  with  the  cryptogamous  head.     (Nat.  size.) 

EQUISETACE^;. — Case  A. — Fossil  plants  allied  to  the  Equi- 
setum  (Mare's-tail).    The  family  of  the  Equisetacese  comprises 

1  See  "  Tableau  des  Genres  de  Yggetaux  Fossiles."    Par  M.  Adolphe 
Brongniart.     Paris,  1849. 

2  Plate  V.  of  "Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains"  contains  coloured 
figures  of  both  genera. 


28  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

but  one  genus,  the  common  species  of  which  (Eq.  fluviatile) 
abounds  in  marshy  tracts,  and  on  the  banks  of  our  ditches 
and  rivers.  It  has  a  jointed  stalk,  encircled  by  elegant 
cylindrical  dentated  sheaths,  and  garnished  with  verticillate 
linear  leaves.  In  a  fossil  state  several  species  of  this  genus 
are  known,  of  which  there  are  specimens  in  Case  A.  Those 
of  the  Equisetum  Lyellii,  from  Pounceford  in  Sussex,  were 
collected  by  the  Author  in  1825.  This  species  is  peculiar  to 
the  Wealden  deposits;  it  has  a  cylindrical  and  articulated 
stem,  the  articulations  of  which  are  embraced  by  regularly 
dentated  sheaths.  It  was  a  slender  elegant  plant,  of  the 
proportions  of  the  common  existing  Mare's- tail.1 

EQUISETITES. — Case  E. — These  are  the  stems  of  gigantic 
equisetaceous  plants,  which,  though  allied  by  their  general  cha- 
racters to  the  diminutive  existing  Equisetum,  differ  in  some 
essential  particulars.  They  are  named  by  M.  Brongniart,  the 
eminent  botanist,  Equisetites.  These  stems  are  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  from  ten  to  fourteen  inches  in 
diameter.  The  surface  is  smooth,  not  striated,  and  is  not  im- 
pressed by  the  denticulations  of  the  sheath,  as  in  the  Mare's- 
tail.  The  fructification  is  unknown.  These  plants,  of  which 
there  are  many  specimens  in  Case  B.  (of  Eq.  columnare,  Eq. 
later  ale,  &c.),  are  common  in  the  inferior  oolite  of  Yorkshire, 
and  are  frequently  discovered  in  an  upright  position.  Exten- 
sive areas  covered  by  the  roots  and  erect  stems,  apparently 
occupying  the  spots  where  they  originally  grew,  have  been 
laid  bare  in  the  Cleveland  Hills.  A  few  freshwater  bivalves 
are  the  only  fossil-shells  observed'in  the  laminated  sandstone 
in  which  the  stems  are  imbedded. 

CALAMITES. — Case  £,  Upper  Shelves. — These  large  stems 
belong  to  a  tribe  of  plants  which  abounded  in  the  carboni- 
ferous epoch,  and  must  have  constituted  an  impdrtant  fea- 
ture in  its  flora,  for  their  remains  are  abundant  in  the  coal 
deposits  of  every  country.  *  Though  bearing  a  general  re- 
semblance to  the  Equisetacese,  they  are  entirely  distinct; 
their  stems  are  articulated  and  regularly  striated,  and  some- 
times arborescent;  the  articulations  are  in  general  marked 
with  annular  depressions,  and  studded  with  tubercles;  in 

1  Pounceford,  near  Burwash,  in  Sussex,  is  an  interesting  locality  of 
the  Wealden.  See  "  Geology  of  the  South-Eabt  of  England,"  p.  221. 


ROOM  I. 


CALAMITES. 


29 


some  examples,  there  are  remains  of  a  stellate  sheath  en- 
circling the  joints,  but  this  is  altogether  different  from  the 


Lies.  4.— CALAMITES,  FROM  THE  COAL  FORMATIOK. 
Fig.  1.  Calamites  radiatus.    (^  not.  size.) 

2.  Stem  with  roots.    (^  not.  size.) 

3.  Calamites  approximates.    (|  not.  size.) 

cylindrical  sheath  of  the  Equisetacese.  The  stems 
attain  a  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet,  and  a  diameter  of 
one  to  three  feet.  When  specimens  are  lying  in  the  sam 
plane  with  the  lines  of  stratification,  they  are  generally 
pressed  flat;  but  when  found  in  an  erect  position,  they  re- 
tain their  natural  cylindrical  form.  The  bark,  in  the  state 
of  a  carbonaceous  crust,  frequently  invests  the  stem;  but  I 
have  not  been  able  to  detect  any  traces  of  internal  structure. 
The  axis  of  the  stem  appears  to  have  perished,  and  its  place 
is  occupied  by  clay  or  sand.  Yestiges  of  the  roots  are  some- 
times preserved.1  The  case  comprises  several  species:  as 
Calamites  approximatus,  C.  canniformis,  C.  nodosus,  0.  deco- 
ratus,  &G. 

1  Specimens  are  figured  in  "Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  110;  and  seven 
species  in  "Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains,"  PI.  XIII.— XVII. 
p.  43. 


30  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.   I. 

FILICITES,  OR  FOSSIL  FERNS. — Cases  A.  B,  C.  [1,  2,  3.] — This 
numerous  and  interesting  tribe  of  vascular  cryptogamous 
plants,  the  living  species  of  which  confer  a  peculiar  elegance 
on  the  flora  of  the  countries  in  which  they  abound,  prevailed 
in  great  numbers  and  variety  during  the  carboniferous  period ; 
several  hundred  extinct  species,  belonging  to  many  genera, 
have  been  determined.  Ferns  are  distinguished  from  other 
vegetables  by  the  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  veins  of  the 
fronds,  and  the  development,  in  most  species,  of  the  fructifi- 
cation on  their  leaves.  Although  the  largest  British  species 
scarcely  exceeds  four  or  five  feet  in  height,  many  of  the  tribe 
peculiar  to  hot  climates  are  arborescent,  and  attain  an  altitude 
of  thirty  or  forty  feet ;  their  stems  are  cylindrical  and 
without  branches,  and  the  foliage  spreads  out  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  tree  and  expands  into  an  elegant  canopy.  The 
leaves  on  the  stems  are  not  persistent,  and  the  petioles  soon 
become  detached  from  their  base,  and  leave  permanent  cica- 
trices, or  scars,  on  the  trunk ;  and  these  imprints  are  so 
durable,  and  so  symmetrically  arranged,  as  to  afford  characters 
by  which  the  stem  of  a  tree-fern  may  easily  be  recognised  in 
a  fossil  state  ;  for  though  the  stem  may  be  pressed  quite  flat, 
and  its  foliage  entirely  wanting,  the  configuration  and  dis- 
position of  the  scars  afford  a  certain  means  of  identification. 
The  leaves  are  characterised  by  the  form,  regularity,  and 
peculiar  mode  of  subdivision  of  the  segments,  and  by  the 
delicacy,  evenness,  and  distribution  of  the  veins  or  nervures. 
^f  rom  the  elegance  and  diversity  of  form  of  the  foliage,  fossil 
ferns  are  the  most  remarkable  and  attractive  vegetable  re- 
mains in  the  ancient  strata  •  and  in  the  collection  before  us, 
a  considerable  number  of  the  most  important  and  cha- 
racteristic species  are  exhibited.  The  greater  part  are  from 
the  coal  deposits,  the  fern-leaves  generally  occurring  in  the 
schists  or  shales  that  form  the  roof  of  the  beds  of  coal.1 
Many  of  the  strata  of  shale  are  made  up  of  carbonized  fern- 
leaves  and  stems  closely  pressed  together.  The  roof  of  a  coal 
mine,  when  newly  exposed,  often  presents  the  most  interesting 
appearance  from  the  abundance  and  variety  of  leaves,  branches, 
and  stems,  that  appear  sometimes  in  relief,  sometimes  im- 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  Sixth  Edition,  pp.  666—677  :  "  On  the 
nature  of  Coal  Deposits." 


ROOM  I. 


FOSSIL   FERXS. 


31 


pressed,  on  the  dark  shining  surface.  When  the  shale  or 
stone  is  of  a  light  colour,  the  contrast  of  the  black  carbonized 
foliage  increases  the  striking  effect  of  these  subterranean 
floras  of  the  ancient  world.  The  specimens  in  coal-shale 
exhibited  in  Cases  B  and  C,  are  for  the  most  part  from  the 
coal-shales  of  Great  Britain  ;  the  series  comprises  a  con- 
siderable number  of  the  genera,  and  many  of  the  species  that 
have  been  identified  by  M.  Brongniart,  Sternberg,  Lindley, 
Hutton,  and  other  eminent  botanists.  (Pecopteris,  Pachyp- 
teris,  Sphenopteris,  Cyclopteris,  Neuropteris,  Glossopteris, 
Odontopteris,  Phlebopteris,  &C.1) 


LlGN.  5. LOKCHOPTERIS  MANTELLI.       WEA1DEK. 

Figs.  1  and  2.  Leaflets  magnified  to  show  the  venation. 

FERNS  of  the  WEALDEN. — Case  B, — There  are  here  speci- 
mens of  two  species  of  fern  which  require  especial  notice,  be- 
cause they  were  obtained  from  the  ancient  freshwater  deposits 
of  the  south-east  of  England — the  Wealden — associated  with 
the  reptilian  remains  of  which  we  shall  have  occasion  to  treat 
hereafter. 

Lonchopteris. — One  of  these,  named  Lonchopteris  (L.  Man- 
telli),  from  the  spear-shaped  fronds,  is  characterised  by  the 
peculiar  reticulation  of  the  venation.  There  are  three  fossil 

1  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  TO!  i.  pp.  113—124,  for  figures  and  de- 
scriptions of  these  genera  of  fossil  ferns.  Several  kinds  are  represented 
in  the  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  pp.  4,  and  28—32  inclusive. 


LIGN.  6. — SPHENOPTEHIS 

MAN  TELL  i.  WEALDEN. 

(Natural  size.) 


32  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  I. 

species  of  this  genus,  and  these  resemble 
the  living  ferns  of  the  genera  Lonchitis 
and  Woodwardia  ;  two  occur  in  the  Coal 
deposits ;  the  other,  the  one  under  con- 
sideration, in  the  Wealden  and  Green- 
sand.  The  latter  appears  to  have  been 
a  delicate  plant,  for  though  vestiges  of 
the  carbonized  foliage  are  very  generally 
distributed  through  the  Wealden  de- 
posits, it  is  rarely  that  any  considerable 
portion  of  a  frond  can  be  obtained. 
Sphenopteris. — The  other  character- 
istic Wealden  plant  is  the  Sphenopteris 
(S.  Mantelli),  or  wedge-leaf  fern,  re- 
markable for  its  elegant  and  simple 
fronds,  as  shown  in  the  annexed  figure. 
(Lign.  6.) 

ANOMOPTERIS  MOUGEOTTI. — Case  B. — On  the  front  of  one 

of  the  middle  shelves,  on 
a  block  of  fawn-coloured 
sandstone,  are  remains 
of  the  foliage  of  a  large 
species  of  fern,  labelled  as 
above.  These  fossil  leaves 
are  remarkable  for  their 
peculiar  structure  and 
great  size  :  some  speci- 
mens are  estimated  to 

\  V/°/A  V,°/A7*/  have  been  three  or  four 

feet  in  length ;  they  are 
supposed  to  be  the  foliage 
of  an  arborescent  fern. 
Thisspeciesis  only  known 
in  the  Triassic  formation 
of  the  Yosges.  The  spe- 
cimen in  the  Museum 
shows  the  fructification, 
2  and  was  collected  and 
LIGN.  T.-ANOMOPTERIS  MOUGEOTTI.  THE  TRIAS,  presented  to  me  by  the 

NEAR   SALTZBURGH.  Iat6      M 

Fig.  1.  Portion  of  a  frond  in  fructification.         •, 

2.  A  part  of  the  same  magnified.  burg. 


ROOM  I. 


SIGILLARIA, 


33 


FERN-STEMS — (Caulopteris). — Case  D. — Flattened  stems, 
marked  with  discoidal,  oblong,  or  ovate  scars,  arranged  longi- 
tudinally ;  these  are  in  all  probability  the  trunks  of  the 
arborescent  ferns  whose  foliage  abounds  in  the  carboniferous 
deposits. 

SIGILLARIA. — Case  C.  Upper  Shelves. — Among  the  most 
common  and  striking  objects  that  arrest  the  attention  of  a 
person  who  visits  a  coal-mine  for  the  first  time,  and  examines 
the  fossil  vegetable  remains  which  lie  profusely  scattered 
among  the  heaps  of  shale,  are  long,  flat,  narrow  slabs,  with  a 
black  glossy  surface,  fluted  longitudinally,  and  uniformly 
pitted  with  deep  symmetrical  imprints,  disposed  with  great 


LlGX.  8.— SlGTLLARIA    SAULLII.       COAL   DEPOSITS.       A    PORTION   OF    A    FLATTEHED 

STEM. 

a.  External  surface  marked  by  the  scars  of  the  petioles. 

b.  The  inner  surface  exposed  by  the  removal  of  the  bark. 

regularity  between  the  grooves.  There  are  many  fine  speci- 
mens on  the  upper  shelf  in  Case  0.  These  slabs  are  commonly 
from  half-an-inch  to  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  have  similar 
markings  on  both  sides.  They  are  the  flattened  trunks  of 
large  trees  covered  by  the  bark  in  the  state  of  coal,  the 
markings  on  the  surface  being  the  scars  left  by  the  separation 
of  the  leaf-stalks,  like  the  cicatrices  on  the  stems  of  arborescent 
ferns.  The  name  Sigillaria  has  been  given  to  these  trees  from 

D 


34  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

the  uniformity  of  the  imprints  suggesting  the  idea  of  impres- 
sions made  by  a  seal.  The  stems  vary  from  a  few  inches  to 
several  feet  in  diameter,  and  attain  a  length  of  fifty  or  sixty 
feet.  They  are  often  found  erect,  and  uncompressed ;  in 
general,  all  vestiges  of  internal. structure  are  lost,  the  cylinder 
of  carbonized  bark  being  filled  up  with  clay  or  sand,  and 
giving  rise  to  large  cylindrical  casts  of  stone,  slightly  im- 
pressed with  the  longitudinal  furrows  and  leaf-pits.  A  few 
examples  of  silicified  stems  have  been  discovered,  and  by 
sections,  and  a  microscopical  examination  of  these  fossils,  the 
internal  organization  of  these  remarkable  extinct  types  of 
vegetation  has  been  ascertained.  The  Sigillariee  were  tall 
erect  trees,  with  a  regular  and  cylindrical  stem,  having  no 
side  branches,  but  becoming  dichotomous  at  the  summit. 
Their  superficial  bark  was  hard  and  durable,  channelled  longi- 
tudinally, bearing  leaf -scars  that  are  of  a  rounded  form  above 
and  below,  and  angular  at  the  sides,  often  oblong  in  relation 
to  the  stem,  and  having  three  vascular  pits,  one  central  and 
small,  and  two  lateral  of  a  larger  size.  The  internal  structure 
bears  most  analogy  to  that  of  the  Cycadese,  and  the  foliage 
consisted  of  long  linear  carinated  leaves.  The  Sigillarise, 
therefore,  differ  essentially  from  the  arborescent  crypto- 
gamia,  which  they  somewhat  approach  in  having  scalari- 
form  vascular  tissue,  symmetrical  and  regular  leaf-scars,  and 
branchless  trunks.  More  than  fifty  species  have  been  •  deter- 
mined.1 

Sigillaria  (or  Sagenaria)  caudata. — Case  O. — On  the  front 
of  the  middle  shelf  of  this  case,  immediately  above  the  label — 
Filicites — there  is  a  sandstone  cast  of  an  uncompressed  Sigil- 
laria, deeply  imprinted  with  the  cicatrices  left  by  the  petioles, 
which  is  remarkable  for  the  extraordinary  sharpness  of 
the  scars,  and  the  geological  position  ascribed  to  it.  It 
was  discovered  (as  I  was  informed  by  the  Dean  of  West- 
minster, when  examining,  with  him  the  fossil  plants  in  this 
case)  in  the  Greensand,  which  is  the  lowermost  group  of  the 
chalk  formation.  Now,  as  the  Sigillarise  are  peculiar  to  the 
carboniferous  epoch,  no  other  instance  being  known  of  any 
vestiges  of  this  tribe  of  vegetables  in  subsequent  deposits,  it  is 

1  Figures  of  Sigillariae  in  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  719  ;  "Medals 
of  Creation,"  p.  129,  PL  V.;  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  PI.  XIX.,  XX.,  XXIV. 


ROOM  I. 


STIG  MARIA. 


important  that  the  habitat  of  this  fossil  should  be  ascertained, 
and  its  geological  age  determined. 

STIGMARIA.  —  Cases  E,  F.  —  On  the  upper  shelves  of 
these '  cases  are  deposited  numerous  specimens  of  certain 
fossil  vegetables  which  are  abundant  in  most  coal  fields, 
and  are  commonly  known  as  Spotted-stems,  or  Stigmarise. 
These  bodies,  when  uncompressed,  are  of  a  cylindrical  form, 
from  one  to  six  or  seven  inches  in  diameter,  and  of  great 
length — sometimes  twenty  or  thirty  feet — gradually  lessening, 
and  dividing  and  subdividing,  as  they  extend.  The  surface 
is  marked  with  distinct  pits  or  areolse,  which  are  either  oval 


LlGN.  9.— SriGMARIA   FtCOIDES.      COAL   DEPOSITS. 

Fig.  1.  Portion  of  a  root.  (\  nat.  size.)  The  internal  axis  is  seen  at  a. 

2.  One  of  the  rootlets,  with  a  tubercle,  to  show  the  mode  of  articulation. 

or  circular,  with  a  slight  elevation  or  tubercle  in  the  centre  of 
each  ;  they  are  disposed  around  the  stem  in  a  quincunx  order 
somewhat  regularly.  When  these  fossils  are  observed  in  situ, 
or  are  compressed  and  imbedded  in  shale  or  stone,  as  in  some 
of  the  specimens  in  Case  F,  long,  tapering,  subcylindrical 
fibres,  are  seen  to  proceed  from  the  pits  or  depressions  with 
which  the  surface  is  studded,  each  being  attached  by  its  base 
to  the  tubercle  or  eminence  in  the  centre  of  the  areola.  When 


36  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

broken  transversely,  a  small  cylindrical  core  or  axis  is  found 
extending  longitudinally  throughout  the  stem  like  a  medullary 
column,  \a,  Lign.  9.)  and  there  is  generally  a  depression  or 
furrow  running  parallel  with  it  on  the  outer  surface.1 

The  nature  of  these  fossil  vegetables  was  long  a  perplexing 
question,  for  no  specimens  had  been  found  in  connexion  with 
any  of  the  stems,  branches,  or  foliage,  that  abound  in  the 
coal  deposits.  At  length,  the  discovery  of  a  dome-shaped 
mass,  from  which  radiated  numerous  stigmariae,  seemed  to 
afford  a  clue  to  the  solution  of  this  botanical  problem,  and  it 
was  concluded  by  the  eminent  Authors  of  the  "  Fossil  Flora  of 
Great  Britain,"  that  the  original  belonged  to  a  tribe  of  plants 
which  inhabited  swamps,  or  still  and  shallow  lakes,  and  were 
characterised  by  a  low  truncated  stem,  having  long  horizontal 
branches  beset  with  cylindrical,  and,  probably,  succulent 
leaves,  that  either  trailed  on  the  surface  of  the  swamp,  or 
floated  in  the  water.2  , 

But  within  the  last  few  years,  the  occurrence  in  various  car- 
boniferous deposits,  of  erect  stems  of  Sigillarise,  has  shown  that 
the  Stigmariae  are  nothing  more  than  the  roots  of  these  and 
other  congenerous  trees ;  an  opinion  maintained  by  the  Rev. 
H.  Steinhaur  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and  subsequently 
affirmed  by  M.  Adolphe  Brongniart,  who  found,  on  examining 
microscopically  the  internal  structure  of  a  silicified  specimen 
in  which  the  vascular  tissue  was  preserved,  that  the  organiza- 
tion bore  as  close  an  analogy  to  that  of  the  Sigillarise,  as 
exists  between  the  roots  and  trunks  of  certain  dicotyledonous 
trees.3 

Upright  stems  of  Sigillarice,  with  Stigmaria-roots. — To  the 
sagacity  and  persevering  researches  of  Mr.  Binney  of  Man- 
chester, science  is  indebted  for  the  establishment  of  this  highly 
interesting  fact.  In  1844,  Mr.  Binney  discovered  at  St. 
Helen's,  near  Liverpool,  an  erect  trunk  of  a  Sigillaria  nine 
feet  high,  to  which  were  attached  ten  roots  that  extended 
several  feet  into  the  under  clay,  in  their  natural  position,  and 

1  Figured  in  "  Medals  of  Creation/'  p.  140,  PI.  III.  fig.  1 ;  "  Pictorial 
Atlas,"  PI.  XXI. — XXIII. 

2  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  this  erroneous  conjecture  is  reprinted  from 
Dr.  Buckland's  Essay,  in  the  recent  work  of  Messrs.  Chambers  on  the 
British  Museum,  p.  251. 

3  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  143. 


ROOM 


SIGILLABIA. 


37 


these  roots  were  unquestionable  Stigmariae ;  the  tubercles  with 
the   attached   rootlets  (the   supposed   leaves),  being  clearly 


This  stem  is  a  solid  cast  in  claystone,  the  carbonized  bark  retaining  the  character- 
istic markings,  only  remaining  in  a  few  places. 

c,  the  decorticated  part  of  the  stem,  which  is  covered  with  minute  scales  as  far  as 
the  point  k,  which  is  a  few  inches  below  the  first  ramification  of  the  roots.  The  car- 
bonaceous crust  that  enveloped  the  roots  was  thick  at  the  upper  part,  but  gradually 
became  thinner  towards  the  extremities,  and  at  a,  and  b,  was  a  mere  pellicle  that  fell 
off  on  the  slightest  touch.1 


Journal  of  the  Geological  Society  of  London,  1847  and  1849. 


38 


PETRIFACTIONS  AHD   THEIR  TEACHING. 


CHAP.  I. 


laid  bare  a  magnificent  trunk  of  a  Sigillaria,  with  Stigmaria- 
roots  extending  upwards  of  twenty  feet  in  the  clay. 

In  the  Pictou  coal-field  of  Cape  Breton,  in  Nova  Scotia, 
many  similar  instances  have  been  brought  to  light ;  the  re- 
markable phenomenon  existing  in  that  locality,  of  successive 


BOOM  I.  STI&MARIA.  39 

carboniferous  deposits  containing  scores  of  erect  trees  with 
their  roots  spreading  into  their  native  soil,  presenting  peculiar 
facilities  for  verifying  the  observations  made  in  England.  In 
an  interesting  memoir  on  the  coal-fields  of  Nova  Scotia,  Mr. 
Richard  Brown  has  given  a  detailed  account  of  numerous 
examples  of  stems  of  Sigillariee,  and  of  Lepidodendra,  (a  tribe 
of  gigantic  club-mosses  of  which  we  shall  treat  in  the  sequel,) 
with  the  roots  attached  ;  these  roots  having,  in  every  instance, 
the  character  and  structure  of  Stigmariae.  The  annexed 
figure  (Lign.  10)  represents  an  erect  trunk  of  Sigillaria 
alternans,  with  roots  (Stigmarise)  extending  into  the  surround- 
ing clay. 

In  another  example  (Lign.  11.)  discovered  by  Mr.  Brown,  the 
stem  of  the  tree  was  broken  off  close  to  the  roots,  and  the  hollow 
cylinder  of  bark  (a,)  was  bent  down  and  doubled  over  by  the 
pressure  of  the  surrounding  mud,  so  as  effectually  to  close  up 
the  aperture,  and  leave  only  a  few  irregular  cicatrices  con- 
verging near  the  apex  ;  the  structure,  arrangement,  and 
number  of  the  tap-roots,  as  well  as  the  horizontal  ramifications, 
were  similar  to  those  in  Lign.  10.  This  fossil  explains  the  true 
nature  of  the  "  dome-shaped"  plant  figured  in  the  Fossil  Flora, 
and  in  Dr.  Buckland's  Essay.1 

I  subjoin  another  sketch  from  the  same  memoir  in  illustra- 

Roof  of  Shale  full  of  leaves,  &c. 


Main  coal  seam,  6  feet  thick. 


Under  Hav  with  Stigmariae. 


LIGN.  12.— STEM  OP  A  LEFIDODENDRON,  WITH  STIGMARIA-ROOTS. 
(From  Mr.  Brown's  Memoir.) 

tion  of  this  subject :  the  stem  of  a  Lepidodendron  with  roots, 
which  are  Stigmarise. 

The  stems  and  the  roots  of  this  tree  were  similar  t 

1  See  "  Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains/'  pp.  198—202. 


40 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  I. 


fossils  in  Cases  D,  E,  and  F,  which  are  respectively  labelled 
Lepidodendron,  and  Stigmaria. 

Besides  the  fine  specimens  of  Stigmarise  in  the  cases  above 
referred  to,  there  is  an  instructive  example  of  these  trailing 


LlON;    13.— PORTION   OF   A   BRANCH   OF   LEPIDODENDRON:    IN    COAL   SH4LE, 
NEWCASTLE. 

Fig.  2.  A  scar  of  a  petiole.    (Nat.  size.) 

roots,  twenty-six  feet  long,  attached  to  a  board,  placed  over 
the  doorway  of  Room  I.  at  the  entrance  from  the  Zoological 
Gallery. 

Calamitia.—Case  E.— On  the  left  hand  of  the  lower  com- 
partment, there  are  placed  on  some  shallow  ledges,  many  spe- 
cimens of  the  silicified  stems  named  Calamitia  by  M.  Gotta 


ROOM  I.  LEPIDODENDRON.  41 

ind  Calamodendron  by  M.  Brongniart.  These  are  tbe  re- 
mains of  plants  altogether  different  from  any  known  living 
vegetables  in  their  internal  organization.  The  disposition  of 
the  ligneous  cylinder  and  of  the  medullary  rays,  indicate  a 
dicotyledonous  structure ;  but  the  vascular  tissue  approaches 
that  of  the  gymnosperms,  and  is  still  more  analogous  to 
that  of  the  Sigillariae. 

LYCOPODIACE^J  —  (Lepidodendron,  Lepidostrobus,  Lepido- 
phyllum). — Cases  C,  b,  E. — The  upper  compartments  of  these 
cases  [marked  3,  4,  and  o,  in  the 
room]  contain  a  rich  assemblage  of 
the  stems,  leaves,  and  fruits,  of  a  = 
gigantic  tribe  of  club-mosses  (or 
Lycopodiaceae),  named  Lepidoden- 
dron (or  scaly-tree),  from  the  tri- 
angular scars  of  the  petioles  with 
which  the  surface  of  the  stem  is 
covered.  These  plants  rivalled  in 
number  and  magnitude  the  Calamites 
and  Sigillariae,  and  their  remains 
are  profusely  distributed  in  the  coal- 
shales,  occurring,  like  the  stems  of 
the  former,  both  erect  and  cylin- 
drical, and  prostrate  and  compressed, 
as  in  the  examples  before  us.  Some 
of  these  trees  have  been  discovered 
almost  entire,  from  their  roots  to  the 
topmost  branches.  Near  Newcastle 
in  the  Jarrow  coal-mine,  a  tree  was 
laid  bare  that  measured  forty  feet  in 
height,  and  above  thirteen  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  base ;  it  divided 
towards  the  summit  into  about 
twenty  branches.  The  foliage  (Lepi- 
dophyllum)  of  these  trees  consisted 
of  simple  linear  leaves,  spirally 
arranged  around  the  stem  ;  and  these 

appear  to  have   been   shed   from   the  LEPIDODEXDRON  STEHNBERGU. 

base  of  the  trunk  by  age.    The  scars  ^£S£?&S£3l£ 

produced  by  the  attachment  of  the  castle. 

petioles  were  persistent,  and  are .  seldom  obliterated  in  the 


42  PETRIFACTIONS    AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

fossils ;  the  branches  and  twigs  are  generally  covered  with 
foliage.1 

Lepidostrobus. — Case  D. — The  seed-vessels  are  cylindrical 
cones  composed  of  winged  scales,  their  axis  being  tra- 
versed by  a  longitudinal  cavity  or  receptacle,  and  terminating 
in  rhomboidal  disks,  imbricated  from  above  downwards. 
They  occur  of  various  sizes — from  two  to  six  inches  long, 
and  one  or  two  inches  in  circumference.  These  fruits,  like 
the  fronds  of  ferns,  often  form  the  nuclei  of  the  ironstone 
nodules  so  abundant  in  the  carbonaceous  clays,  and  are  fre- 
quently mineralized  by  brilliant  pyrites,  and  galena  or  sulphuret 
of  lead.  There  is  a  beautiful  suite  of  these  fossils  (the  greater 
part  from  the  Author's  collection)  in  Case  D  :  they  were 
obtained  from  Coalbrook  Dale.  When  imbedded  in  the  rock, 
the  cones  are  often  fringed  with  linear-lanceolate  bractese. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  disparity  in  size  between  the 
existing  family  of  club-mosses  or  Lycopodiacese,  most  of  which 
trail  on  the  ground,  and  none  exceed  three  or  four  feet  in 
height,  and  the  Lepidodendra,  M.  Brongniart,  Dr.  Joseph 
Hooker,  and  other  eminent  botanists,  concur  in  regarding  these 
gigantic  trees  of  the  coal  flora  as  belonging  to  the  same  tribe, 
and  only  generically  distinct.2 

The  visitor's  attention  should  be  directed  to  the  beautiful 
specimens  of  Lepidodendron  selaginoides  on  coal-shale,  on  the 
upper  shelf  of  Case  D  ;  and  of  L.  punctatum. 

Ulodendron,  Boihrodendron,  ffalonia,  Megaphyton. — Case 
E. — The  specimens  to  which  these  names  are  attached,  are  the 
stems  of  plants  belonging  to  the  same  family  as  the  Lepidoden- 
dra, but  supposed  to  be  generically,  or  sub-generically,  distinct. 
The  Bothrodendron  (pitted-stem)  is  remarkable  for  two  vertical 
rows  of  deep  oval  depressions,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  stem, 
which  more  resemble  the  attachment  of  the  bases  of  cones, 
than  of  leaves.  In  Megaphyton  the  stem  is  not  furrowed,  the 
leaf-scars  are  very  large  and  of  a  horse-shoe  form,  and  dis- 
posed in  two  vertical  rows  on  each  side.3 

1  Figured  in  "Medals  of  Creation,"  pp.  146,  149 ;  "  Wonders  of  Geo- 
logy," p.  718;  "Pictorial  Atlas,"  PI.  I.  III.  IX.  XXVI.  XXVII.  XXXIII. 

2  The  botanical  reader  interested  in  .the  subject  is  referred  to  "  Me- 
moirs of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Great  Britain,"  vol.  ii. ;  and  "Diet. 
Univ.  d'  Hist.  Nat.,"  Article,  "  Tableau  des  Genres  de  Vggetaux  Fos- 
siles,"  Paris,  1849. 

3  "Pictorial  Atlas,"  PL  XXV. 


ROOM  I.  -•'        CARBONIFEROUS   FLORA.  43 

On  the  uppermost  shelves  are  the  Halonias;  these  fossils  are 
sandstone  casts  with  a  thin  carbonaceous  crust,  of  cylindrical 
stems,  which  are  beset  with  large  elevated  knobs  or  projections 
disposed  in  quincunx  ;  these  are  not  produced  by  the  attach- 
ment of  petioles,  but  are  sub-cortical  protuberances  :  the  bota- 
nical affinities  of  these  plants  are  not  satisfactorily  determined.1 

iSternbergia  ;  Artesia. — Case  E. — The  fossil  stems  thus 
labelled  are  on  the  shelves  below  the  Halonise ;  they  are  sup- 
posed to  be  the  carbonized  medullary  axis  of  a  genus  of  plants 
distinct  from  the  Lepidodendra,  and  named  Lepidophloios  by 
Count  Sternberg.2 

THE  CARBONIFEROUS  FLORA. — Although  there  are  vestiges 
of  many  coniferous  trees,  and  of  some  endogenous  plants,  in 
the  coal-strata,  yet  as  the  vegetables  we  have  cursorily  exa- 
mined constitute  the  essential  features  of  the  flora  of  the 
carboniferous  epoch,  a  few  general  remarks  on  the  subject  will 
not  be  irrelevant  in  this  place. 

The  peculiarity  of  this  flora  is  the  great  number  of  the 
vascular  cryptogamous  plants,  which  amount  to  two-thirds 
of  the  species  of  vegetables  discovered  in  the  carboniferous 
deposits.  With  these  are  associated  a  few  palms,  coniferee, 
cycadeee,  and  some  dicotyledons,  allied  to  the  cactese  and 
euphorbiacese.  The  magnitude  and  numerical  preponderance 
of  plants  analogous  to  the  Ductulosce,  but  differing  in 
species  and  genera  from  existing  forms,  constitute,  therefore, 
the  most  striking  botanical  feature  of  the  flora  of  this  epoch. 
Thus  we  have  trees  allied  to  the  equisetaceee,  thirty  or  forty 
feet  high,  and  eighteen  inches  or  more  in  circumference 
(Catamites)  ;  arborescent  club-mosses  (Lepidodendra),  attain- 
ing an  altitude  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet :  and  zamia-like 
coniferse  (Sigillarice),  fifty  feet  high.  Of  these  ancient 
and  extinct  types,  the  latter  tribe  is  especially  remark- 
able in  consequence  of  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  the  erect  stems  and  roots  occur,  and  which  it  will 
here  be  necessary  to  consider,  as  the  phenomenon  is  highly 
interesting,  and  bears  strongly  on  the  question  as  to  the 
mode  in  which  the  tads  of  coal,  clays,  and  shales,  that 

1  Figured  in  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  150. 

2  See  M.  Brongniart's  "Tableau  de  Veg.  Foss."  p.  43;  "Pictorial 
Atlas,"  Pi.  XVIII. 


44  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

constitute  the  deposits  termed  coal-measures,  were  accumu- 
lated. Every  coal-field  (as  a  group  of  these  strata  is  generally 
termed)  is  composed  of  a  succession  of  a  triple  series  of 
beds ;  viz.  —  firstly,  the  lowermost  :  a  tough  argillaceous 
earthy  stratum,  termed  under-clay,  on  which  the  bed  of  coal 
invariably  rests;  and  it  is  in  this  deposit  that  the  roots 
(Stigmaria3)  of  the  trees  are  always  found,  and  commonly 
parallel  with  the  pkne  of  the  strata  ;  these  are  generally  the 
only  vegetable  remains  contained  in  this  bed,  though  the  clay 
is  occasionally  black  from  an  intermixture  of  carbonaceous 
matter.  Secondly,  the  coal,  which  is  composed  of  the  stems 
and  foliage  of  trees  transmuted  into  a  bituminous  carbon- 
ized mass :  large  stems,  branches,  or  leaves,  are  but  seldom 
found  in  it.  Thirdly,  the  roof,  or  overlying  stratum,  con- 
sisting of  slaty  clay,  and  water-worn  detritus  of  other  rocks 
transported  from  a  distance,  and  full  of  detached  leaves,  and 
flattened  and  broken  trunks  and  branches  :  it  contains  layers 
and  nodules  of  ironstone  enclosing  leaves,  insects/  and  crus- 
taceans. In  some  localities  beds  of  fresh-water  shells — as 
mussels, — in  others  marine  shells,  are  intercalated  :  finely 
laminated  clays,  micaceous  sand,  grit,  pebbles  of  limestone  and 
sandstone,  are  sometimes  imbedded  in  it.  Thus  it  seems 
probable  that  the  under-clay  is  the  natural  soil  in  which  the 
coal-trees  grew,  the  roots  often  remaining  in  their  original 
position  and  spreading  out  from  the  trunk  :  the  coal  is  formed 
of  the  carbonized  stems  and  foliage ;  and  the  roof,  or  upper 
bed  of  shale  and  clay,  is  composed  of  the  leaves  and  branches 
of  a  forest  that  was  overwhelmed  and  engulfed  beneath  an 
accumulation  of  transported  detritus.1 

PSAROLITES  or  PsARONius. — Cases  C,  D,  E.  Lower  Shelves. 
[3  to  5.]  —  On  these  shelves  is  an  extensive  series  of  sili- 
cified  stems,  many  of  them  cut  transversely  and  polished ; 
the  specimens  labelled  as  above  are  chiefly  from  the  Triassic 
or  New  Red  Sandstone  deposits  of  Chemnitz,  near  Hillersdorf, 
in  Saxony.  They  are  portions  of  petrified  trunks  of  trees 
allied  to  the  arborescent  ferns  and  club-mosses,  and  possess  a 
remarkable  internal  structure,  that  is  exquisitely  preserved  in 
many  of  the  petrifactions  before  us.  The  transverse  sections 

1  For  a  fall  consideration  of  this  subject  see  "  Wonders  of  Geolo^v," 
pp.  669,  718,  731 :  "Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains,"  p.  181. 


BOOM  L  PSAROLITES.  45 

exhibit  the  arched  bundles  of  vascular  fibres  which  compose 
the  ligneous  cylinder,  surrounded  by  the  cellular  tissue. 
From  the  stellated  markings  produced  by  sections  of  the 
vessels  that  compose  the  tissues,  and  are  visible  to  the 
unassisted  eye,  these  fossils  have  obtained  the  popular  name 
of  Staar-stein  or  Star-stones. 

Recent  investigations  have  shown  that  these  stems  consist  of 
two  distinct  parts ;  namely,  an  inner  axis,  surrounded  by  a  zone 
composed  of  numerous  cylindrical  bundles  of  vessels,  which  are 
supposed  to  be  roots  that  proceeded  from  the  stem  near  its  base. 
In  the  exterior  portion  the  air-foots  have  a  vascular  tissue, 
but  there  is  in  many  examples  a  delicate  interstitial  cellular 
tissue.  In  the  axis,  the  vessels  form  zigrag  or  vermiform 
bands  resembling  those  in  ferns,  and  which  are  entirely  com- 
posed of  barred  or  scalariform  vessels.  The  Psarolites  are 
therefore  considered  by  M.  Adolphe  Brongniart  to  be  the 
bases  of  the  trunks  of  lycopodiaceous  trees ;  while  M.  Cotta 
and  others  regard  them  as  true  arborescent  ferns.  The 
external  surface  of  the  specimens  I  have  examined  has  a  lig- 
neous structure,  and  is  of  a  dark  reddish  brown ;  internally 
they  are  of  a  dull  red  colour  mottled  with  various  tints  of 
blue  and  yellow,  from  the  infiltrated  chalcedony  with  which 
the  vessels  of  the  tissues  are  more  or  less  permeated-* 

ASPHODELE^ — (Clathraria,  JZndogenites,  Dracaena). —  Case 
E. — On  the  lower  shelves  of  this  case  there  are  specimens 
of  three  remarkable  fossil  plants;  two  of  which  were  first 
discovered  by  the  Author  in  the  Wealden  deposits  of  Tilgate 
Forest ;  the  other  by  Mr.  Bensted  in  the  Kentish-rag  near 
Maidstone.  They  are  placed  under  the  name  Asphoddeve. 

CULTHRARIA  (C.  Lyettii). — Case  E  [5]. — The  Clathraria  (lat- 
ticed-etem),  so  named  from  the  appearance  of  the  cicatrices 
left  by  the  petioles,  is  a  remarkable  tribe  of  terrestrial 
plants  allied  to  the  Cycadeae,  that  flourished  during  the  period 
when  the  Wealden  beds  of  the  south-east  of  England,  and  the 
lowermost  and  middle  cretaceous  strata  were  deposited;  for 
remains  of  these  plants  occur  in  the  greensand  and  chalk  marl 

All  the  specimens  in  the  Case  were  collected  by  the  Author 

1  Beautiful  coloured  figures  are  given  in  K  Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic 
Remains,"  PL  VIH.  M.  Cotta  has  published  an  able  work  on  the  sub- 
ject, in  which  nearly  thirty  species  are  described.  See  also  M.  Brong- 
niart's  "  Tableau  des  Genres  de  Teg.  Foss."  p.  44. 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  I. 


from  the  calciferous  grit  of  Tilgate  Forest ;  and  they  form 
a  highly  instructive  series,  comprising  portions  of  stems 
scored  with  the  imprints  of  the  petioles,  the  internal  im- 
bricated axis,  leaf-stalks,  and  indications  of  the  foliage  and 
flower-buds. 

The  stem  of  the  Clathraria 
is  composed  of  an  axis  or  in- 
ternal column,  the  surface  of 
which  is  covered  with  reticu- 
lated fibres.  The  large  branched 
fossil  lying  on  a  slab  of  stone 
in  the  middle  of  the  case,  is 
the  finest  specimen  of  this  part 
hitherto  obtained:  it  was  dis- 
covered, with  bones  of  the 
Iguanodon,  in  a  quarry  near 
Cuckfield,  Sussex,  in  1820. 
The  axis  is  invested  with  a  very 
thick  bark  formed  of  the  con- 
solidated bases  of  the  leaf- 
stalks, the  insertions  of  which 
are  rhomboidal  and  transverse. 
The  outer  surface  of  the  bark  is 
in  consequence  marked  with  elevated  lozenge-shaped  cicatrices, 
separated  from  each  other  by  a  marginal  furrow,  which  is 
suiTounded  by  a  parallel  ridge  or  band  of  a  fibrous  structure. 
The  cortical  portion  of  the  stem  is  in  general  converted  into  a 
cylinder  of  stone,  which  in  some  instances  will  separate  from  the 
axis.  There  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  this  kind  in  the  case ;  and 
likewise  one  in  which  the  axis  projects,  and  is  surrounded  by 
the  bark.1  The  axis  is  solid,  and  has  its  surface  strongly 
marked  with  interrupted  reticulated  ridges.  This  surface  has 
generally  patches  of  vascular  tissue  adhering  to  it ;  and  on 
some  parts  there  are  deep  pits  or  lacunae,  which  probably  con- 
tained a  resinous  secretion.  I  have  spared  neither  trouble 
nor  expense  in  endeavouring  to  detect  the  organization  of  this 
plant ;  scores  of  sections  of  stems  have  been  made  and  exa- 
mined microscopically,  but  very  few  specimens  exhibit  any 


LIGN.  15. — WATERWORN  SPECIMEN, 
SHOWING  THE  EXTERNAL  SURFACE 
OF  THE  STEM  OF  CLATHRARIA  L\r- 
ELLII.  WEALDEN. 

(|  nat.  size.) 


1  This,  and  the  large  branched  specimen  of  the  axis,  were  first 
described  and  figured  in  my  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PI.  I. 


ROOM  I. 


CLATHRARIA. 


47 


traces  of  structure ;  and  in  those  which  retain  some  vestiges  of 
organization,  the  siliceous  mass  into  which  the  vascular  tissue 
is  transmuted,  is  not  sufficiently  transparent  to  yield  satis- 
factory results ;  it  can  only  be  inferred  that  in  their  internal 
organization,  as  in  their  external  characters,  the  Clathrarise 
were  most  nearly  allied  to  the  Cycadeae  or  Zamise.  A  remark- 


LTGN.  16.— CLATHKARIA  LYELLII.    CHALK  MARL.1 
(J  not.  size.) 

The  summit  of  a  stem  garnished  with  petioles;  the  lower  part  shows  the  cicatrices 
left  by  the  removal  of  some  of  the  petioles :  a,  the  internal  axis. 

able  specimen  discovered  in  a  stratum  of  chalk  marl  near 
Bonchurch,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  throws  much  light  on 
these  interesting  plants :  and  I  insert  a  figure,  to  illustrate 
the  fossils  in  the  case  before  us.  It  consists  of  the  summit 


This  specimen  is  in  the  collection  of  Captain  Ibbetson,  F.R  S. 


48  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

of  a  stem  garnished  with  persistent  petioles  or  leaf-stalks  ; 
it  is  fifteen  inches  in  length,  is  perfect  at  the  top,  and 
at  the  fractured  end  the  internal  axis,  surrounded  by 
the  false  bark  formed  by  the  confluence  and  consolidation 
of  the  bases  of  the  petioles,  is  exposed.  (See  Lign.  16, 
a).  The  stem  at  the  lower  part  is  bare,  and  exhibits  the 
characteristic  lattice-like  scars.  The  petioles  are  for  the  most 
part  entire  ;  some  of  them  are  abortive,  and  others  which  have 
supported  leaves  are  marked  on  the  summits  with  vascular 
pits,  indicating  that  the  foliage  was  shed  naturally.1 

There  is  a  fragment  of  an  internal  axis,  about  six  inches  in 
length,  that  is  placed  near  the  large  slab,  which  will  interest 
the  botanical  observer,  and  requires  a  passing  notice.  This 
specimen  is  naturally  separated  transversely  into  two  por- 
tions; the  lower  one  is  convex  on  the  upper  part,  and  is 
traversed  by  fibres,  which  extend  from  the  outer  surface 
across  to  the  opposite  side ;  the  corresponding  face  of  the 
other  portion  is  concave,  and  closely  adapted  to  the  convexity, 
leaving  on  one  side  an  oval  hollow,  which  denotes  the  origin 
of  a  floral  axis  or  panicle,  as  is  proved  by  the  direction  of 
the  fibrous  structure.2 

From  the  obscure  traces  of  leaves  that  have  been  observed 
in  some  examples,  it  seems  probable  that  the  foliage  resembled 
that  of  the  Yucca.  Small  kernels  or  seed-vessels  somewhat 
resembling  those  of  certain  palms,  as  for  example  the  Areca, 
are  often  associated  with  the  stems  of  Clathrarise,  and  may 
have  belonged  to  those  plants.  The  remains  of  these  vege- 
tables are  generally  deposited  among  gravel,  or  sand,  with 
water-worn  bones  of  reptiles  ;  and  are  occasionally  imbedded 
in  the  fluviatile  conglomerate  of  the  Wealden. 

Endogenites  Erosa. — Case  E. — The  stems  thus  labelled  are 
also  from  the  Wealden  deposits ;  they  often  occur  in  the 
layers  of  lignite  which  traverse  the  clay-beds  in  some  parts  of 
Sussex.  These  stems  are  from  one  to  eight  inches  in  diame- 
ter, and  five  or  six  feet  in  length,  and  of  a  very  irregular 
shape ;  there  are  no  indications  of  branches.  Some  are 
subcylindrical  in  the  middle,  and  gradually  taper  to  a  point 

1  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  182  ;  "Wonders  of  Geology/'  p.  395; 
"  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  p.  292. 

2  Figured  in  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  183. 


ROOM  I.  WEALDEN   PLANTS.  49 

at  each  end  ;  others  are  of  a  depressed  clavated  form,  like 
some  of  the  Cacteae  or  Euphorbise.  These  fossils  are  gene- 
rally transmuted  into  a  hard  and  fine  siliceous  grit,  and, 
when  in  situ,  are  invested  with  a  friable  carbonaceous  bark  of 
a  glossy  lustre,  which  soon  falls  to  pieces  on  exposure  to 
the  atmosphere ;  so  that  cabinet  specimens  seldom  retain 
any  vestiges  of  this  integument.  When  this  crust  of  coaly 
matter  is  removed,  the  surface  of  the  silicified  stem  is  seen  to 
be  traversed  by  numerous  fine  meandering  grooves,  and  deep, 
tortuous,  tubular  channels,  disposed  in  an  irregular  manner 
in  a  longitudinal  direction.  These  channels  or  vessels,  which 
are  generally  lined  with  quartz  crystals,  give  the  surface 
that  eroded  appearance  whence  the  specific  name  erosa  was 
derived  :  they  are  not,  however,  the  effect  of  erosion,  but  of 
the  original  structure  of  the  plant ;  they  traverse  the  sub- 
stance of  the  stems,  and  although  no  symmetrical  arrange- 
ment is  apparent,  this  anomaly  is  probably  attributable  to  the 
changes  which  the  vegetable  organization  has  undergone  during 
its  mineralization.  In  one  instance  (a  specimen  from  the  Weal- 
den  of  the  Isle  of  Wight),  bundles  of  vascular  tissue,  ar- 
ranged in  a  flexuous  zone  round  the  margin  of  the  cylinder, 
are  observable  in  polished  sections  under  the  microscope ; 
the  structure  approaches  more  nearly  that  of  the  Cycadese 
than  of  the  Euphorbiacese,  with  which  some  botanists  have 
associated  these  enigmatical  plants  of  the  Wealden  flora.1 

DRACAENA  (D.  Benstedi). — Case  E. — In  the  lowest  depart- 
ment of  the  same  case  are  fragments  of  a  large  fossil  stem 
allied  to  the  Draccena,  or  Dragon-blood  Tree,  discovered  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Bensted,  of  Maidstone,  in  a  quarry  of  Kentish  Rag, 
near  that  town  ;  a  locality  to  which  we  shall  more  particularly 
allude  in  the  sequel.  The  largest  portion  is  two  and  a  half 
feet  in  length,  and  eight  inches  in  diameter ;  the  surface  is 
marked  with  interrupted  annular  ridges,  indicating  amplexi- 
caul  leaves.  These  fossils  were  found  associated  with  drifted 
coniferous  wood,  and  bones  of  turtles  and  iguanodons. 

Medullosce. — Case  />. — In  the  lower  division,  beneath  the 
Lepidostrobi,  there  are  many  specimens,  some  cut  and  po- 


1  Figured  in  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PI.  III.;  "  Geology  of  the  S.E. 
of  England,"  PL  I. :  by  Dr.  Fitton,  in  "  Geol.  Transactions,"  vol.  ir. 


50  ranarAcnam  AMD  THEIR  TEACHISG&.       CHAP.  i. 

feted,  of  small  sflicified  stems,  from  Chemnitz  in  Saxon j  (I 
beliere,  from  the  carboniferous  deposits),  the  internal  structure 
of  which  IB  peculiar.  The  Tascular  tissue  resembles  that  of 
Dracaena  bat  witii  essential  differences,  which  render  it  diffi- 
euft  to  establish  an  v  relatiou  with  existing  types.  M.  Broug- 
niart  is  of  opinion  that  they  will  be  found  to  belong  to  the 
Cymdmam. 

PMHL  PAOWL— Cata  D,  E.  [5.  c.D.J-r-The  trees  of  this . 
family,  the  greater  number  of  which  inhabit  intertropical 
regions,  are  remarkable  for  their  elegant  form  and  pecu- 
liar aspect  They  hare  a  single  cylindrical  stem,  which  rises 
to  a  great  height,  and  is  crowned  with  a  canopy  of  foliage, 
the  leaves  being  Tery  large,  and  either  pinnated  or  flabel- 
fiform,  and  plaited  in  regular  folds.  The  Date  and  CocoA-nut 
are  well-known  examples  of  the  fruit  'The  surface  of  the 
stem  is  scored  with  transverse  scars  left  by  the  petioles. 

Ina  foj»dl  state,  the  remains  of  this  family  are  Tery  abun- 
dant ;  the  stems  with  their  external  characters  and  internal 
organization  preferred,  and  the  leaves  and  the  fruit,  of  several 
extinct  species,  hare  been  discovered ;  chiefly  in  tertiary  de- 
posits,* From  the  manner  in  which  the  specimens  are 
arranged  in  the  collection,  it  will  be  convenient  to  notice  in 
the  first  place  the  fossil  Palm-nuts  in  the  case  before  us. 

FRUITS  OF  PALMS,  from  the  Isle  of  Sheppey.—Cose  E.—Qn 
the  right  hand  of  the  central  compartment  in  this  case,  there 
is  a  Tery  small  collection  of  fossil  fruits,  from  the  well-known 
productiTe  locality  of  this  class  of  organic  remains,  the  Isle  of 
Sheppey ;  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  our  National 
Museum  is  so  deficient  in  these  most  interesting  relics  of  this 
ancient  tertiary  flora;  especially  when  from  the  unriTalled 
and  inexhaustible  mine  of  these  botanical  treasures  hi  the 
little  Island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  there  might  be  ob- 
tained in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  and  at  a  trifling  cost, 
a  more  extensive  and  important  series  of  the  fruit*  of  the 
Eocene  periods,  than  is  contained  in  all  the  museums  of 
Europe. 

Kderring  the  reader  to  « Medals  of  Creation,"  pp.  176, 
897,  for  a  particular  account  of  the**  fruits,  and  the  cir- 

1  See  *  MedaU  of  Creation,"  p,  173. 


BOOM  L  FOSSIL  PALMS.  51 

cumstances  under  which  they  occur,  I  proceed  to  notice  the 
only  specimens  worthy  of  remark.  These  are  two  or  three 
examples  of  the  nuts  of  an  extinct  genus  of  palm,  closely 
allied  to  the  recent  JTtpa,  which  is  a  low  shrub-like  plant 
that  inhabits  the  Moluccas,  growing  in  marshy  tracts  near  the 
mouths  of  rivers,  where  the  water  is  brackish.  The  Nipa  has 
borne  fruit  hi  the  conservatory  of  Mr.  Yates,  of  Lauderdale 
House,  Highgate.  The  fossil  fruits  (named  Xipatite*  Parkin- 
soni),  are  known  to  the  resident  dealers  and  collectors  at  Shep- 
pey  as  u  petrified  jig*?  The  nut  or  seed,  and  its  pericarp  or  husk* 
are  often  well  preserved,  as  in  one  of  the  specimens  in  the 
case  before  us.1  Mr.  Bowerbank,  who  some  yean  since  assidu- 
ously collected  the  fossil  fruits  of  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  and 
published  three  numbers  of  a  work  on  the  subject,  whose  ex- 
cellence renders  its  discontinuance  muMi  to  be  regretted,  has 
figured  and  described  several  species,*  Mr.  B.  observes,  that 
"if  the  habits  of  the  plants  to  which  the  fossil  fruits  belonged 
were  similar  to  those  of  their  recent  analogue,  the  *V«;*i,  it 
will  account  for  their  abundance  in  the  London  clay  in  the 
Isle  of  Sheppey ;  which  formation,  from  the  great  variety  of 
the  fossilized  stems  and  branches,  mixed  up  with  star-fishes, 
shells  of  mollusks,  and  bones  of  fishes,  crustaceans,  and  rep- 
tiles of  numerous  marine  and  fresh-water  genera,  is  strikingly 
characterized  as  having  been  the  delta  of  an  immense  river, 
which  probably  flowed  from  near  the  equator  towards  the 
spot  where  these  interesting  relics  are  deposited."* 

PalwuKite*  Lamanani*.— Cote  E.  [5.] — In  the  narrow  recess 
in  this  case,  on  the  left  of  the  door-way,  there  is  a  palm-leaf 
imbedded  in  cream-coloured  limestone,  from  the  Eocene  de- 
posits of  Aix,  in  Provence  (this  specimen  was  formerly  in  the 
Author's  collection).  The  leaves  of  several  extinct  species  of 


*  Figured  in  "Pictorial  Atla*,"  PL  VL  VIL 
»  -  History  of  the  Foanl  Fnutoand  Seeds  of  the  Londom  Clay W  tie 
We  of  Sheppey."    1840:  London. 
»  As  the  aeed-vemeb  and  other  vegetable  remain*  in  the  fefe  «f0h*f- 


pey  are  aU  of  a  tropical  character,  while  taoce  found  inthe  Boeene 
ateUof  Alra  Bay ,  BoomemoaUi.  and  Kcwharen,  are  of  a  temperate 

•hoold  be*re^rded  a«  tran^orted  from  dUtent  land,  by  cnrrenU  and 
the  latter  m  tlu  tne  iam  of  *•  mmtoj  inhabited  by  tne  PalieoUiena 


52  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP  I. 

palms  have  been  collected  from  the  tertiary  strata  of  various 
parts  of  the  Continent,  but  the  first  example  discovered  in 
England  was  obtained  a  few  months  since,  from  the  fresh- 
water tertiary  deposits  at  White- Cliff  Bay,  in  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  by  Mr.  Fowlstone,  of  Hyde.1 


LIGN.  17. — PALM-LEAF  FROM  EOCENE  STRATA.    ISLE  OF  WIGHT. 
Palmacites  Lamanonis.    (\nat.  size.) 

Palm-stems. — Cases  D.  and  E. — The  lower  shelves  of  Case 
E,  beneath  the  fossil  fruits  from  Sheppey,  contain  many  spe- 
cime^s  of  silicified  stems  of  palms ;  and  on  the  top  of  Case 
Z>,  there  are  several  very  large  petrified  trunks  from  Antigua, 
and  from  the  Eocene  deposits  of  India.  Some  of  these  fossils  re- 
tain vestiges  of  the  air  roots  which  proceed  from  the  lower  part 

1  See  "Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  &c.,  2d  edit. 
1851,  p.  431. 


ROOM  I.  FOSSIL   CONIFERS.  53 

of  the  stem  in  this  tribe  of  vegetables.  The  internal  structure 
is  in  most  instances  exquisitely  preserved,  and  sections  under 
the  microscope  exhibit  the  organization  of  the  original  as  dis- 
tinctly as  in  the  recent  state.  Some  of  these  fossils  are  very 
beautiful  objects  under  a  'slightly  magnifying  power,  whether 
viewed  by  reflected  or  transmitted  light,  owing  to  the  rich 
tints  of  crimson,  yellow,  brown,  &c.  of  the  silex  into  which 
the  vascular  tissue  is  transmuted,  i 

CONIFERS. — Case  F.  [6.  A.D.E.] — The  trees  and  plants  that 
are  comprised  under  the  term  Coniferse,  or  cone-bearing,  from 
the  form  of  their  fruit,  constitute  an  extensive  and  most 
important  tribe,  which  is  divided  into  two  families :  the 
Coniferce,  strictly  so  called,  as  the  Pine,  Fir,  Larch,  Cypress, 
&c. ;  and  the  Cycadece,  of  which  the  Cycas  and  Zamia  of 
our  conservatories  are  familiar  examples.  These  families  are 
distinguished  from  all  other  dicotyledons  by  the  remarkable 
peculiarity  of  the  seeds  being  originally  naked  or  exposed, 
and  not  enclosed  within  an  ovary ;  hence  the  botanical  name 
of  the  order — Gymnospermous  Phanerogamice . 

The  conifers  are  all  arborescent,  dividing  into  numerous 
branches,  which  are  disposed  with  considerable  regularity ; 
many  are  among  the  loftiest  trees  on  our  globe.  The  leaves 
are  in  most  species  acicular,  or  needle-shaped,  narrow  and 
linear  ;  in  two  or  three,  however,  they  are  broad  and  flat.  The 
structure  of  the  wood,  though  dicotyledonous,  is  so  peculiar, 
that  it  may  be  readily  detected  in  a  fossil  state.  There  are 
no  true  vessels,  and  the  ligneous  fibres  are  disposed  in  series 
which  extend  parallel  with  the  medullary  rays,  having  on  the 
corresponding  surfaces,  or  laterally,  rows  of  regular  punctua- 
tions or  ducts,  with  a  central  pore  surrounded  by  a  discoidal 
areola.  These  ducts  or  glands,  when  in  double  rows,  are 
placed  side  by  side  in  the  European  pines  and  firs  ;  but  in  the 
Araucaria  (Norfolk  Island  pine)  they  are  arranged  alternately ; 
and  such  is  generally  the  case  in  the  fossil  coniferous  wood  of 
the  secondary  and  palaeozoic  formations  of  England.2  Vestiges 
of  the  coniferse  occur  in  the  various  deposits  from  the  earliest 

1  A  specimen,  as  seen  by  reflected  light,  is  figured  in  "  Medals  of 
Creation,"  PI.  V.,fig.  1. 

2  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  PI.  Y.  p.  162;   and  "Wonders  of  Geo- 
logy/' 6th  edit.  pp.  696,  724. 


54  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP  I. 

traces  of  terrestrial  vegetation  to  the  present  time.1  The 
trunks  and  branches,  leaves,  and  the  fruits  or  cones,  of  nume- 
rous trees  of  this  family  abound  in  a  fossil  state,  and  in  the 
Case  before  us,  there  are  many  interesting  specimens  which 
our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  dwell  upon.  There  are  fruits 
of  pines  and  firs  from  the  Crag  deposits,  and  from  the  green- 
sand  of  Kent ;  and  foliage  and  stems  of  pines,  araucarise, 
thuytes,  £c.,  from  the  Lias  and  Oolite. 

'Voltzia. — The  Case  ^also  contains  some  fine  specimens  of 
Voltzia,  a  genus  peculiar  to  the  Triassic  deposits,  and  one  of 
the  most  characteristic  of  the  extinct  fossil  coniferse.  The 
leaves  of  these  plants  are  alternate,  and  have  much  analogy 
in  their  form  and  arrangement  with  the  foliage  of  the  Arau- 
carise.  The  fruits  are  oblong  cones,  with  scales  slightly  im- 
bricated, which  do  not  appear  to  have  been  contiguous,  are 
cuneiform,  and  generally  have  from  three  to  five  obtuse 
lobes  :  the  disposition  of  the  seeds  or  grains  is  not  determined.2 

Fossil  Cycadeom  Plants. — The  Zamise  and  Cycadese  are 
plants  with  cylindrical  stems,  beset  with  thick  scales,  which 
are  the  bases  of  petioles  that  have  been  shed  :  the  summit  of 
the  stem  is  crowned  with  elegant  pinnated  leaves  with  simple 
veins,  and  which  in  the  young  state  are  coiled  up  like  a  crosier, 
as  in  the  ferns.  The  Zamiae  are  generally  short  and  robust 
plants,  but  the  Cycadese  are  longer,  and  some  species  are  bifur- 
cated, and  attain  a  height  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  The 
fruits  bear  a  general  resemblance  to  the  cones  of  the  pines, 
but  the  seeds  are  naked.  The  Cycadeae  are  natives  of  hot  and 
humid  climates,  and  inhabit  the  West  Indies,  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  the  Molucca  Islands,  Australia,  &c. 

Numerous  extinct  species  and  genera  of  this  family  occur 
in  a  fossil  state,  and  they  are  especially  abundant  in  the 
secondary  deposits— the  Lias  and  Oolite.  In  England  the 
most  fruitful  locality  is  the  Yorkshire  coast,  near  Scarborough, 
where,  in  the  intercalated  fluvio-marine  clays  and  shales  of 
the  Oolite,  leaves  and  fruits  of  numerous  species  are  found  in 
great  variety  and  perfection.  The  foliage  is  changed  into 

'  The  association  of  coniferae  with  palms  and  arborescent  ferns  in 

the  tertia^eaSUreS'  C0ntinues  throuSh  a11  the  subsequent  formations  to 

2  Two  species  of  Voltzia  are  figured  in  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  547. 


ROOM  I. 


CTCADEOUS  PLANTS  OF  PORTLAND. 


carbon,  but  the  venation  is  distinctly  preserved.  In  the 
Stonesfield  Slate,  and  in  the  Portland  and  Wealden  strata, 
remains  of  this  tribe  are  met  with.  The  Museum  con- 
tains many  beautiful  specimens  of  the  leaves  and  fruits  or 
cones  of  the  ordinary  species,  which  are  arranged  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  Case  before  us — Case  F  of  the  plan,  p.  10. 

Of  these  the  most  striking  is  a  well-known  fossil  plant  of 
the  Scarborough  Oolite,  whose  leaves  and  fruits  occur  in  pro- 
fusion in  some  of  the  strata.  This  species  has  been  described 
under  the  names  of  Zamia  gigas,  and  Z.  Mantelli,  and  has 
lately  formed  the  subject  of  an  interesting  paper  read  before 
the  Yorkshire  Philosophical  Society,  by  Professor  Williamson 
of  Manchester.  Several  specimens  of  the  fossils  locally  termed 
"  collars,"  are  in  the  case  before  us  :  these  bodies  Professor  W. 
has  shown  to  be  a  zone  formed  by  a  scaly  bud  which  origi- 
nally enclosed  the  germ  of  these  plants :  in  the  progress  of 
development  the  fruit  burst  through  the  upper  part  of  the 
investing  sheath,  and,  as  it  grew  to  maturity,  rose  above  the 
incurved  elongated  scales,  till  the  latter  literally  formed  a 
zone  or  "  collar"  around  the  pedicle  of  the  cone. 


LIGN.  18.— LEAVES  AND  FRUIT  OF  ZAMIA  LANCEOLATA,  FROM  SCARBOROUGH. 
(±nat.  size.) 

Zamia  lanceolata. — Case  .P.— On  a  slab  of  sandstone  there 
is  a  beautiful  example  of  the  foliage  of  this  plant,  with  a 
detached  cone  imbedded  immediately  above  one  of  the  leaves. 


56  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

TREES  AND  CYCADEOUS  PLANTS  OF  PORTLAND. — Case  F. — 
In  this  Case,  and  on  the  top  of  the  same,  are  many  subcom- 
pressed,  spheroidal,  and  sub-cylindrical  silicified  bodies,  hav- 
ing the  surface  covered  with  lozenge-shaped  scales  ;  these  are  • 
fossil  plants  closely  allied  to  the  recent  Zamiee,  and  were 
obtained  from  a  remarkable  stratum  in  the  Isle  of  Portland, 
named  the  dirt-bed,  which  occurs  in  the  quarries  on  the  north 
of  the  island,  a  few  feet  above  the  layer  of  building-stone  for 
which  Portland  has  so  long  been  celebrated.  These  fossils  are 
found  associated  with  the  erect  stems  and  prostrate  trunks 
and  branches  of  large  coniferous  trees,  of  which  there  is  an 
example  twelve  feet  long  on  the  top  of  Case  D.  The  circum- 
stances under  which  these  petrified  trees  and  plants  occur  are 
so  extraordinary,  as  to  warrant  a  brief  notice  of  the  pheno- 
menon in  this  place. 

The  Isle  of  Portland  is  a  bold  headland  to  the  south  of 
Weymouth,  about  four  and  a  half  miles  in  length  and  two  in 
breadth,  and  is  united  to  the  mainland  by  a  bar  of  shingle, 
called  the  Chesil  Bank.  It  presents  on  its  northern  aspect 
a  precipitous  escarpment  about  three  hundred  feet  high ;  and, 
declining  towards  the  south,  appears  when  viewed  from  the 
east  or  west,  as  an  inclined  plane  rising  abruptly  from  the 
sea.  The  base  of  the  island  consists  of  Kimmeridge  clay, 
which  is  surmounted  by  beds  of  sand  and  thick  layers  of  the 
oolitic  limestone  or  Portland-stone.  The  strata  dip  to  the 
south  at  an  angle  corresponding  with  the  outline  of  the  surface. 
The  coasts  are  steep ;  the  base  of  Kimmeridge  clay  forming 
a  talus  surmounted  by  perpendicular  crags  of  oolite.  The 
southern  extremity  consists  of  low  limestone  cliffs,  which  are 
worn  into  numerous  caverns  by  the  constant  action  of  the 
waves. 

The  summit  of  the  northern  brow,  to  a  depth  of  about 
thirty  feet,  is  composed  of  beds  of  laminated  calcareous  shale, 
locally  termed  "the  Gap ;"  and  sections  of  these  strata  are 
exposed  in  the  quarries  that  are  opened  for  the  extraction  of 
the  building-stone  which  lies  beneath. 

Immediately  upon  the  uppermost  bed  of  limestone,  which 
is  a  coarse  rock,  full  of  cavities  and  imprints  left  by  the  decay 
of  the  usual  species  of  marine  univalve  and  bivalve  shells  of 
the  Oolite,  are  layers  of  calcareous  shale  a  few  feet  in  thick- 
ness, in  which  no  vestiges  of  marine  fossils  have  been  observed; 


ROOM  I.  PETRIFIED    FOREST   OF   PORTLAND.  57 

and  whose  laminated  structure,  and  the  presence  of  horizontal 
seams  of  carbonaceous  earthy  matter,  with  interspersions  of 
vegetable  remains,  indicate  a  fluviatile  or  fresh-water  origin. 
Upon  these  deposits  is  a  layer,  from  one  to  two  feet  thick,  of 
a  dark  brown  friable  loam  abounding  in  lignite,  and  so  similar 
in  appearance  to  common  vegetable  earth  or  mould,  as  to  have 
acquired  the  name  of  dirt-bed  from  the  quarrymen.  In  and 
upon  this  bed  are  numerous  petrified  stems  and  branches  of 
coniferous  trees,  and  plants  allied  to  the  Zamiae.  Many  of 
the  trees  and  plants  are  standing  erect,  as  if  petrified  while 
growing  on  the  spot ;  the  trunks  of  the  trees  extending 
upwards  into  the  limestone  above,  and  vestiges  of  the  roots 
being  traceable  into  the  dirt-bed.  The  upright  stems  are  in 
general  a  few  feet  apart,  and  but  three  or  four  feet  high,  and 
are  broken  and  splintered  at  the  top  as  if  they  had  been 
wrenched  off  at  a  few  feet  from  the  ground.  They  are  from 
a  few  inches  to  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter;  portions  of 
prostrate  trunks  have  been  collected,  indicating  a  total  height 
of  the  originals  of  thirty  or  forty  feet.  In  many  instances 
fragments  of  branches  remain  attached  to  the  stem.  The 
cycadeous  plants  occur  in  the  intervals  between  the  upright 
trees,  and  the  dirt-bed  is  so  little  consolidated  that  specimens, 
evidently  standing  in  the  position  in  .which  they  originally 
grew,  may  be  dug  up  with  a  spade.  The  strata  above  the  dirt- 
bed  consists  of  finely  laminated  cream-coloiired  shaly  lime- 
stone, in  which  casts  of  the  fresh-water  crustaceans  (Gyprides) 
so  abundant  in  the  Wealden,  are  the  only  organic  remains 
hitherto  noticed.  These  deposits  are  covered  by  the  modern 
vegetable  soil,  which  but  little  exceeds  in  depth  the  ancient 
one  above  described,  and  instead  of  supporting  cycadese  and 
pine -forests,  barely  maintains  a  scanty  vegetation.  Here, 
then,  we  have  the  remains  of  a  petrified  forest  of  the  ancient 
world,  the  trees  and  plants,  like  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  in 
Arabian  fable,  being  changed  into  stone,  yet  still  retaining  the 
places  they  occupied  when  alive.1 

MANTELLIA — (M.  nidiformis  and  M.  cylindrica). — Case  F. 
— Such  are  the  remarkable  conditions  under  which  the  fossil 
cycadeous  plants  named  Mantellia,  by  M.  Ad.  Brongniart 

1  For  geological  details  see  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  6th  edit.  p.  385; 
or,  "Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  2d  edit.  p.  393. 


58  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

usually  occur,  and  which  invest  them  with  a  peculiar  interest. 
These  vegetables  are  from  one  to  two  feet  in  height,  the 
circumference  of  the  largest  not  exceeding  three  feet.  The 
stem  is  sub-cylindrical,  without  a  distinct  central  axis,  and  the 
surface  is  scored  with  rhomboidal  scars,  which  are  widest  in 
the  horizontal  direction.  There  are  two  species,  distinguishable 
by  the  form  of  the  stems  and  the  size 
of  the  cicatrices  of  the  petioles.  In  one 
the  stem  is  short  and  spheroidal,  and 
the  leaf-scars  are  relatively  broader. 
(M.  nidiformis)  :  this  species  is  named 
"crow's  nest"  by  the  workmen,  who 
believe  these  plants  to  be  nests  built 
by  crows  in  the  trees  with  which 
they  are  collocated,  and  that  the  trees 
and  nests  have  become  petrified  toge- 
.  ther-  ^e  other  species  ( M.  cylindrica) 
isle  of  Portland,  ffl  sub-cylindrical,  and  relatively  higher 
than  the  former,  and  the  cicatrices  of 

the  petioles  are  much  smaller,  indicating  a  more  delicate 
foliage.  The  fruit  of  these  plants  is  unknown ;  one  cone  has 
been  found  which  it  is  supposed  belonged  to  the  Mantellia, 
or  some  allied  species ;  it  is  figured  in  the  Fossil  Flora  of 
Great  Britain  as  Zamta  crassa.1 

FOSSIL  WOOD  AND  TREES  OF  AUSTRALIA. — Table-case  a. — 
In  the  recesses  of  the  east  windows,  and  in  the  table-cases 
beneath,  there  are  many  choice  specimens  of  the  wood,  and 
two  portions  of  very  large  trunks  of  coniferse,  from  Van 
Diemen's  Land  and  New  Holland.  This  fossil  wood  is  partly 
calcified,  and  partly  silicified ;  some  portions  being  very  earthy 
and  friable,  and  effervescing  strongly  with  acid,  while  other 
parts  of  the  same  stem  are  converted  into  chalcedony  and 
semi-opal ;  in  both  states  the  organic  structure  may  be 
detected  by  the  aid  of  the  microscope. 

The  trees  from  which  the  specimens  brought  to  England 

1  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  160,  lign.  38. 

The  fossil  plants  of  the  Isle  of  Portland  are  admirably  described  and 

illustrated  by  Dr.  Buckland,  in  Bridgewater  Essay,  p.  497,  and  pi.  60, 

v    nr  Se  8Pecies  described  in  the  text  under  the  names  assigned  to  them 

f  D    Bkf niart'  are  the  Cycadites  nwatoptyttus  and  C.  microphyllus 


ROOM  I.  FOSSIL   WOOD    OF  AUSTRALIA.  59 

were  obtained,  appear  to  occur  under  similar  conditions,  and 
to  have  been  subjected  to  the  same  changes,  as  those  of  the 
Isle  of  Portland  above  described.  They  are  found  with  the 
trunks  erect,  to  the  height  of  a  few  feet,  in  a  bed  of  arid  sand, 
apparently  on  the  spots  where  they  grew ;  the  branches  and 
upper  part  of  the  stems  being  scattered  around.  They  so 
entirely  preserve  their  natural  ligneous  appearance,  that  an 
agricultural  colonist  mentioned  as  among  the  extraordinary 
sights  he  witnessed  on  his  first  arrival  in  New  Holland,  the 
burning  of  trees  into  excellent  lime  to  manure  the  ground. 

A  forest  of  these  silicified  trees  occurs  on  the  eastern  coast 
of  Australia  under  the  following  circumstances.  At  the 
base  of  a  mountain  range  composed  of  conglomerates  and 
sandstones,  with  subordinate  beds  of  lignite,  terminating  on 
one  side  of  Lake  Macquarrie,  an  alluvial  flat  extends  to  the 
water's  edge,  covering  the  sandstone  rock,  which  lies  in  situ 
beneath.  Over  this  plain  stumps  of  petrified  trees  project 
a  few  feet  above  the  soil,  presenting  the  appearance  of  a  forest 
in  which  the  trees  are  all  cut  or  broken  off  at  the  same  level. 
At  the  distance  of  a  few  yards  from  the  shore,  a  reef  is 
formed  by  vertical  rows  of  stems,  which  project  above  the 
water.  Many  of  the  fossil  trees  on  the  shore  have  the  remains 
of  roots  extending  into  the  sandstone  below  the  alluvial 
deposit ;  and,  like  those  in  the  Isle  of  Portland,  are  in  some 
instances  surrounded  by  an  accumulation  of  stone  that  forms 
a  mound  of  a  higher  level  than  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
These  trees  are  of  a  large  size ;  often  six  feet  in  diameter. 
The  concentric  annular  rings,  and  the  medullary  rays  and  the 
coniferous  ducts,  are  beautifully  preserved  in  silex  and  chalce- 
dony ;  in  several  examples,  from  60  to  120  annual  circles  of 
growth  were  observable. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Derwent  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  opal- 
ized  coniferous  trees  of  a  similar  character  were  observed 
under  conditions  yet  more  extraordinary,  by  the  distin- 
guished philosophical  traveller,  Count  Strzelecki.  Truncated 
stems  of  trees  are  standing  erect  in  a  bed  of  porous  and 
scoriaceous  basalt,  and  trachytic  conglomerate  :  but  in  some 
instances  these  are  only  casts  of  trunks  that  were  consumed 
by  the  melted  basalt  when  first  ejected.  This  curious  pheno- 
menon can  only  be  explained  by  supposing  that  the  silicified 
stems  were  able  to  resist  the  intensity  of  heat  of  the  incan- 


60  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

descent  lava,  while  trees  placed  in  circumstances  unfavourable 
to  their  petrifaction  were  consumed  :  but  the  latter,  being 
either  saturated  with  water,  or  fresh  and  green,  were  con- 
sumed slowly,  and  left  cylindrical  moulds  in  the  cooled 
basaltic  scoriae,  with  impressions  of  the  external  surface  of  the 
bark ;  and  these  moulds  being  filled  up  by  a  subsequent 
eruption,  formed  casts  of  the  consumed  trees  in  basalt.1 


With  this  notice  of  the  petrified  forests  of  Portland  and  of 
Australia,  our  survey  of  the  collection  of  fossil  vegetables 
contained  in  the  British  Museum  is  brought  to  a  close ;  for 
the  objects  that  remain  to  be  noticed  in  this  room  belong  to 
a  very  different  subject.  Desultory  and  somewhat  uncon- 
nected as  the  descriptions  and  illustrations  have  neces- 
sarily been,  I  would  fain  hope  that  this  imperfect  attempt  to 
invest  with  a  higher  interest  these  relics  of  the  extinct  tribes 
of  vegetables  that  flourished  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  earth's 
physical  history,  will  not  prove  unsuccessful. 

1  "  Physical  Description  of  New  South  Wales,"  by  Count  Strzelecki. 


ROOM  I. 


CHAPTER    I. 
PART  III. 

FOOTPRINTS    AND   RIPPLEMARKS    ON    STONE — FOOTMARKS   OP  QUADRUPEDS  ON 
TRIASSIO  SANDSTONE — CHIROTHERIUM — ICHNOLITES  FROM  NEAR  LIVERPOOL 

ICHNOLITES    FROM    SAXONY— ORNITHICHNITES,  OR   FOOTMARKS  OF   BIRDS, 

FROM    NORTH  AMERICA — SPECIMENS    IN    THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM — IMPRESSION 

OF  THE   SKIN  OF  THK  FOOT SIR  C.  LYELL   ON    THE  ORIGIN  AND  NATURE   OF 

THE   IMPRINTS. 

FOOTPRINTS  AND  RIPPLEMARKS  ON  STONE. — The  intelligent  ob- 
server who  has  strolled  along  the  strand  of  the  sea-shore  at 
low  water,  must  have  often  seen  the  surface  of  the  exposed 
sands  deeply  rippled  by  the  waves  of  the  ebbing  tide,  and 
have  noticed  the  trails  of  mollusks,  and  the  meandering 
furrows  and  ridges  produced  by  worms  or  annelides,  and 
the  tracks  of  crabs,  and  sometimes  the  footprints  of  birds,  and 
of  dogs  or  other  quadrupeds,  that  have  walked  over  the  soil 
whilst  it  was  plastic,  yet  sufficiently  firm  to  retain  the 
markings  impressed  on  it.  Under  certain  conditions,  these 
apparently  evanescent  characters  are  indelibly  fixed  on  the 
stratum,  and  in  rocks  of  immense  antiquity  successive  layers 
of  sandstone  and  shale,  through  a  thickness  of  many  hundred 
feet,  are  found  deeply  furrowed  with  the  ripples  of  the  waves 
that  flowed  over  them,  and  pitted  by  the  rain  that  has  fallen 
upon  them,  and  impressed  with  the  footmarks  of  bipeds  and 
quadrupeds  that  traversed  the  sands  whilst  the  surface  was  in 
a  moist  and  yielding  state.  Referring  the  reader  to  Sir 
C.  Lyell's  "  Elements  of  Geology,"  *  or  my  "  Wonders  of 
Geology,"  a  for  a  full  consideration  of  the  physical  conditions 
under  which  these  phenomena  must  have  been  produced, 
I  proceed  to  describe  the  slabs  of  sandstone  traversed  by 
footprints  of  bipeds  and  quadrupeds,  that  are  affixed  to  the 
north  wall,  immediately  opposite  to  the  entrance  of  Room  I. 

1  "  Elements  of  Geology,"  p.  297.  2  Vol.  i.  p.  372. 


62  ~  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

FOOTPRINTS  OF  QUADRUPEDS  ON  TRIASSIC  SANDSTONE.' — 
Window  recess  between  c  and  d,  and  upright  case  e. — The 
Ichnolites  (as  petrified  footprints  are  scientifically  termed)  to 
which  I  would  first  call  the  visitor's  attention,  are  those  on 
the  larger  slab  of  sandstone,  from  near  Storton,  that  is  placed 
in  the  window  recess,  between  c  and  d,  and  the  two  from 
Hildburghausen,  in  Saxony,  that  are  deposited  in  an  upright 
wall  case  at  e. 

About  twenty  years  since,  much  interest  was  excited  by  the 
discovery  of  footmarks,  resembling  those  of  land  tortoises,  on 
the  exposed  surfaces  of  slabs  of  Triassic  sandstone,  in  a  quarry 
at  Corncockle  Muir  in  Dumfriesshire,  of  which  an  interesting 
account  was  published  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Duncan.  Regular 
tracks  of  footprints,  indicating  the  slow  progression  of  a  small 
four-footed  animal  over  the  surface,  while  the  stone  was  in  the 
state  of  moist  sand,  were  traced  on  the  blocks  of  sandstone 
when  separated  in  the  lines  of  stratification  by  the  quarrymen. 
In  one  instance  there  were  twenty-four  consecutive  impres- 
sions, forming  a  track  with  six  distinct  repetitions  of  the 
marks  of  each  foot,  the  front  feet  differing  from  the  hind  feet ; 
the  appearance  of  five  claws  was  discernible  on  each  fore  paw. 
These  foot-tracks  most  nearly  resemble  those  made  by  land 
tortoises  of  a  moderate  size.  Another  discovery  of  footprints 
was  soon  afterwards  made  in  strata  of  the  same  geological  age 
at  Hildburghausen,  in  Saxony  ;  but  these  were  evidently  of 
very  large  unknown  quadrupeds,  in  which  the  fore  paws  were 
much  smaller  than  the  hind  ones.  Subsequently,  similar 
fossil  tracks  were  observed  on  slabs  of  triassic  sandstone  in  the 
quarries  at  Storton,  near  Liverpool.  These  foot-tracks  are  on 
the  face  of  each  successive  stratum  of  sandstone,  the  cor- 

1  The  following  notice  of  the  specimens  is  given  in  the  British 
Museum  Catalogue:  — 

"  The  slabs  of  sandstone  on  the  north  wall  of  this  Room,  with  the 
supposed  tracks  of  an  unknown  animal  called  Chirotherium,  are, — that 
on  the  left,  from  the  quarries  of  Hildburghausen  in  Saxony ;  and  that  in 
the  centre,  from  those  of  Storton  Hill,  near  Liverpool,  (the  latter  pre- 
sented by  J.  Tomkinson,  Esq.)  On  the  right  hand  are  placed  slabs 
from  the  same  New  Red  Sandstone  formation,  with  equally  enigmatical 
imprests  of  various  dimensions,  called  Ornithichnites,  being  very  like 
footmarks  of  birds  :  they  occur  in  the  sandstone  beds  near  Greenfield, 
Massachusetts,  at  a  cataract  in  the  Connecticut  river,  known  by  the 
name  of  Turner's  Falls." 


ROOM  I. 


FOOTPRINTS   ON   STONE. 


63 


responding  surface  of  the  overlying  stone  presenting,  in  relief, 
casts  of  the  imprints,  and  other  markings.  Some  of  the 
recently  exposed  slabs  are  covered  with  small  hemispherical 
depressions  or  pits,  produced  by  rain-drops  that  fell  while  the 
surface  was  soft  and  impressible. 

CHIROTHERIUM. — The  quadrupedal  Ichnolites  at  Hildburg- 
hausen  and  Storton  are  of  various  kinds.  Some  appear  to 
have  been  produced  by  crabs  or  other  crustaceans,  and  by 
small  reptiles ;  but  the  most  remarkable  imprints  are  those 
of  large  quadrupeds  whose  hind  feet  were  nearly  twice  the 
size  of  the  fore  feet ;  a  disproportion  that  prevails  in  certain 
marsupial  mammalia,  and  in  batrachian  reptiles. 


LION.  20.— CHIROTHERIUM  FOOTPRINTS  ox  SANDSTONE.    HILDBURGHAUSE*, 
SAXONY. 

(£  not.  size.) 

a,  b.  Imprints  of  a  hind  foot  and  fore  foot  of  the  same  animal. 
c,  d.  Similar  imprints  of  another  individual  on  the  same  stone. 

The  two  slabs  of  sandstone  from  Saxony  (in  the  wall  case) 
have  well-marked  tracks  of  similar  footsteps,  the  surface  of 
one  exhibiting  them  in  relief,  or  as  casts,  and  the  other 
in  intaglio,  or  impressed.  The  hollow  impressions  of  the 
feet  are  always'  on  the  upper  surfaces  of  the  slabs  of 
stone,  and  the  convex  casts  on  the  under  side  of  each 
layer  or  stratum,  the  latter  fitting  closely  into  the  former. 


64  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

On  a  stone  six  feet  long  by  five  wide,  there  were  the  foot- 
steps of  several  animals  of  various  sizes.  The  largest  im- 
prints are  generally  eight  inches  long,  and  five  wide.  Near 
each  large  footmark,  and  at  the  distance  of  an  inch  and 
a  half  beyond  it,  is  the  imprint  of  the  forefoot,  which  is  but 
four  inches  long  and  three  wide.  These  footsteps  follow  one 
another  in  pairs,  each  pair  being  in  the  same  line,  and  fourteen 
inches  in  advance  of  one  another.  Each  footmark  has  five 
toes,  and  the  first  or  great  toe  is  bent  inwards  like  a  thumb, 
and  is  alternately  on  the  right  and  left  side  of  both  the  large 
and  small  footprints,  which,  except  in  size,  closely  resemble 
each  other. 

M.  Kaup,  who  first  described  these  remarkable  fossils, 
proposed  the  name  Chirotherium  for  the  unknown  animal 
whose  existence  'is  indicated  by  these  hand-like  footmarks. 
No  certain  remains  of  the  beings  whose  footsteps  are  the 
subject  of  these  remarks  have  hitherto  been  discovered. 
There  have,  however,  been  obtained  from  the  same  deposits 
in  Germany  and  England,  skulls,  teeth,  and  bones,  of  several 
species  of  an  extinct  genus  of  reptiles,  supposed  to  be  related 
to  the  Batrachians,  or  frog-tribe,  and  which  have  been  named 
Ldbyrinthodon,  from  the  peculiar  character  of  the  intimate 
structure  of  the  teeth.1  Some  of  these  Saurians  must  have 
attained  a  magnitude  equal  to  that  indicated  by  the  largest 
Chirotherium  tracks,  while  other  species  corresponded  in  size 
with  the  lesser  Ichnolites.  There  is,  therefore,  much  pro- 
bability in  the  conjecture  that  the  Labyrinthodons  were  the 
originals  of  the  hypotnetical  Chirotheria ;  but,  unfortunately, 
the  form  and  structure  of  the  feet  is  unknown,  for  no  bones 
of  the  extremities  have  been  discovered  j  the  presumed  iden- 
tity cannot,  therefore,  be  determined,  till  more  instructive 
specimens  are  brought  to  light. 

ORNITHICHNITES.  (Footprints  of  Birds  on  stone.} — North 
Wall. — The  river  Connecticut,  in  part  of  its  course  through 
the  country  which  bears  its  name,  and  in  the  northern  dis- 
tricts of  the  adjoining  State  of  Massachusetts,  flows  through  a 
valley  formed  of  argillaceous  sandstone,  probably  of  the  age 
of  the  Triassic  formation,  resting  unconformably  on  the  in- 


See  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  554. 


ROOM  I.  OKNITHICHNITES.  65 

clined  edges  of  primary  or  palaeozoic  rocks.  These  deposits  are 
traversed  from  north  to  south,  through  an  extent  of  eighty  or  a 
hundred  miles,  by  basaltic  dykes,  which  have  elevated  the  sand- 
stone beds  on  the  east,  and  partially  overspread  them  on  the 
west,  the  strata  dipping  in  the  latter  direction  at  an  angle  of 
from  20"  to  50°;  successive  layers  of  sandstone  are  thus  exposed, 
and  accessible  along  considerable  tracts  of  country.  From  this 
circumstance,  and  from  the  facility  of  transport  afforded  by  the 
proximity  of  the  river,  numerous  quarries  have,  for  many  years, 
been  profitably  worked  near  the  water's  edge  in  various  locali- 
ties in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut.  About  fifteen  years  ago, 
attention  was  directed  to  numerous  tracks  of  trifid  imprints 
which  appeared  on  the  upper  surface  of  the  sandstone,  with 
the  corresponding  figures  in  relief  on  the  under  face  of  the 
superincumbent  layers,  and  which  were  thought  to  resemble 
the  footsteps  of  gigantic  birds.  At  length  some  well-marked 
specimens  came  under  the  notice  of  Dr.  Deane  of  Greenfield, 
who  communicated  the  fact  to  Professor  Hitchcock  (the  Pre- 
sident of  Amherst  College),  and  other  naturalists,  and  the 
origin  of  these  problematical  appearances  became  a  subject  of 
earnest  inquiry.  Dr.  Deane  diligently  collected  specimens 
from  various  localities,  and  Professor  Hitchcock  scientifically 
worked  out  the  subject,  and  in  1836  published  the  first 
account  of  these  fossil  footprints  in  the  American  Journal  of 
Science.  To  this  eminent  observer  is  due  the  merit  of  having 
established,  upon  scientific  grounds,  the  true  nature  of  these 
enigmatical  inscriptions  on  the  Triassic  rocks,  and  reduced 
a  mass  of  vague  observations  and  conjectures  to  a  systematic 
arrangement  of  the  phenomena  in  question.1  The  foot-tracks 
are,  for  the  most  part,  tridactylous  (three-toed) ;  but  many 
have  a  fourth  toe  directed  backwards.  Some  resemble  those 
made  by  the  feet  of  small  birds,  others  of  birds  of  moderate 
size  ;  the  greater  number,  however,  must  have  been  made 

1  In  England,  Dr.  Buckland  was  the  first  to  admit  the  correctness  of 
Professor  Hitchcock's  interpretation  of  the  facts  observed :  see  Bridge- 
water  Treatise,  1836,  vol.  ii.  p.  39.  I  must  refer  the  reader  for  further 
particulars  to  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  556.  Dr.  Deane  (who  first 
directed  the  attention  of  naturalists  to  the  fact)  has  communicated 
several  interesting  memoirs  to  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  and  the 
Trans.  Acad.  Americ.  The  most  complete  and  scientific  memoir  on 
the  subject  is  that  by  Professor  Hitchcock,  in  Trans.  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Science  for  1848,  with  numerous  plates.  See  also  Sir 
Charles  Lyell's  "  Travels  in  the  United  States,"  vol.  iii. 

F 


66  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  I. 

by  bipeds  much  larger  than  the  ostrich,  or  any  known  living 
types,  and  are  comparable  in  magnitude  with  the  footsteps  of 
the  extinct  Moas  of  New  Zealand,  of  which  we  shall  treat  in 
the  next  chapter.  Tracks  of  small  quadrupeds  are  oftentimes 
associated  with  those  of  the  bipeds,  and  appear  to  be  referable 
to  reptiles — possibly  of  the  batrachian  order,  and  related  to 
the  Labyrinthodon,  or  Rhynchosaurus.  The  fossil  footprints 
occur  in  many  localities,  extending  upwards  of  eighty  miles 
from  north  to  south,  and  have  been  found  in  New  Jersey  and 
Pennsylvania.  In  general  they  are  abundant  wherever 
extensive  explorations  have  been  conducted  in  the  laminated 
argillaceous  sandstones.  Dr.  Deane  states  that  the  most  per- 
fect and  distinct  specimens  have  been  discovered  in  the  beds 
at  "  Turner's  Falls,"  the  northern  termination  of  the  sand- 
stones. 

SPECIMENS  IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM. — It  was  from  this 
locality  that  the  three  fine  specimens  affixed  to  the  wall 
before  us  were  obtained  by  Dr.  Deane,  of  whom  they  were 
purchased  by  the  Author  for  the  Trustees  of  the  British 
Museum,1  and  added  to  the  collection  in  1844.  The  foot- 
tracks  are  not  confined  to  any  particular  beds,  but  are  re- 
peated through  the  entire  series  of  strata,  which  in  some 
places  attains  a  total  thickness  of  nearly  1,000  feet. 

The  laminated  structure  of  the  deposits  indicates  a  slow 
and  gradual  accumulation  of  fine  sediment,  like  the  deposit 
of  the  mud  of  the  Nile  ;  and  the  period  through  which  the 
same  phenomena  were  repeated  must  have  embraced  thousands 
of  years.  But  though  the  vertical  extension  of  the  tracks  is 
so  great,  their  horizontal  distribution,  so  far  as  hitherto  ob- 
served, is  very  limited.  Professor  Hitchcock  states  that  they 
are  generally  restricted  to  a  belt  of  rock  only  a  few  yards 
wide,  and  which  seems  to  have  formed  the  shore  of  an  estu- 
ary; and  that  along  this  strand  are  the  footsteps  of  all  the 
animals  that  frequented  that  ancient  shore. 

I  subjoin  a  figure  of  one  of  the  small  footprints,  (Lign. 
21,)  to  show  that  the  structure  of  the  toes  is  analogous  to 
that  in  birds ;  the  number  of  phalanges  in  the  respective 
digits  exactly  corresponding;  thus  there  are  three  in  the 
great  or  inner  toe,  a  ;  four  in  the  middle,  b ;  and  five  in  the 
outer  toe,  c.  The  lobes  apparent  at  the  junction  of  the 

1  At  the  cost  of  £60. 


ROOM  I. 


FOOTPRINTS   ON   STONE. 


67 


three  digits  are  produced  by  the  distal  extremity  of  the 
metatarsul  bone  :  the  hemispherical  and  circular  spots  with 

b 


LIGN.  21.— FOOTPRINT  OP  A  TRIDACTYLE    BIRD,    AND  IMPRESSIONS  op   RAIN- 
DROPS, ON  SANDSTONE.    CONNECTICUT. 
(Nat.  size.) 

which  the  surface  of  the  stone  is  sprinkled,  are  the  effect  of 
rain,  which  must  have  fallen  before  the  footprint  was  made. 

The  following  is  Dr.  Deane's  account  of  the  specimens 
before  us  : — 

"  It  is  rare  to  find  a  stratum  containing  these  foot-prints 
exactly  as  they  were  impressed  by  the  animals ;  for  they  are 
usually  more  or  less  distorted  and  obliterated  by  the  soft 
nature  of  the  mud,  the  coarseness  of  the  materials,  and  other 
circumstances,  which  have  partially  defaced  them  ;  so  that 
although  the  general  form  of  the  foot  may  be  apparent,  the 
minute  traces  of  its  appendages  are  almost  invariably  lost.  In 
general,  distinct  evidence  of  the  peculiar  phalangeal  structure 
of  the  toes  of  birds  is  wanting,  and  each  toe  appears  to  be 
formed  of  a  single  joint,  without  the  terminal  claw.  But  a 
few  specimens  have  been  discovered  in  which  the  true  charac- 


68  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

ters  of  the  foot  are  clearly  developed,  with  its  rows  of  pha- 
langes, and  its  claws,  and  integuments.  So  far  as  my  obser- 
vations extend,  the  sharpest  impressions  are  on  the  shales  of 
the  finest  texture,  with  a  smooth  glossy  surface,  such  as  would 
retain  the  impressions  of  rain-drops  (as  in  Lign.  21).  The 
layers  of  stone  do  not  often  present  this  kind  of  surface;  but 
recently  I  have  discovered  a  stratum  containing  in  all  more 
than  one  hundred  most  beautiful  impressions  of  the  feet  of 
four  or  five  varieties ;  the  whole  surface  having  also  been 
pitted  by  a  shower  of  rain.  The  impression  of  a  medallion 
is  not  more  sharp  and  clear  than  are  most  of  these  imprints  ; 
their  remarkable  preservation  may  probably  be  ascribed  to 
the  circumstance  that  the  surface  of  the  stratum  was  in- 
crusted  with  a  layer  of  micaceous  sandstone,  which  adhered 
so  firmly  that  it  could  not  be  removed  without  the  laborious 
and  skilful  application  of  the  chisel.  The  appearance  of  this 
glossy  layer,  which  is  of  a  grey  colour,  while  the  slab  is  of  a 
dark  red,  seems  to  indicate  that  it  was  washed  or  blown  over 
the  latter  while  in  a  state  of  loose  sand  ;  thus  filling  up  the 
foot-prints  and  rain-drops,  and  preserving  them  unchanged 
in  the  smallest  particular ;  the  form  of  the  nails  or  claws, 
and  joints,  and  the  deep  impressions  of  the  distal  extremity 
of  the  tarso-metatarsal,  or  shank-bone,  being  exquisitely  dis- 
played. The  great  slab  (Lign.  22),  which  is  about  six  by 
eight  feet  in  dimensions,  and  two  inches  in  thickness,  contains 
above  seventy-five  impressions.  There  are  five  rows  of  the 
species  called  by  Professor  Hitchcock  Ornithichnites  fuli- 
coides?  of  five  and  six  foot-marks  each;  three  rows  of  the 
medium  size,  of  four  imprints  each ;  one  row  of  the  small 
size,  of  fourteen  consecutive  imprints;  besides  several  others, 
ranging  from  two  to  six  impressions  each.  It  is  worthy  of 
remark,  that  of  these  numerous  footprints,  with  but  one  or 
two  exceptions,  two  or  more  nowhere  occur  on  the  same  spot." 
The  direction  and  disposition  of  these  footsteps  on  the 
largest  stone  are  shown  in  Lign.  22 ;  and  lines  are  drawn 
from  one  imprint  to  another  in  the  course  of  the  consecutive 
tracks,  to  render  the  illustration  more  intelligible.  The 
principal  tracks  on  this  slab  are  as  follow ;  viz. — 

1  O.fulicoides,  so  named  from  the  resemblance  to  the  footprints 
made  by  the  recent  Cinereous  Coot  (Fulica  Americana).  See  "  Trans. 
American  Geologists,"  p.  259,  1  vol.  8vo.  Boston,  1843. 


LIGS.  22.— ORNITHIC-NITES,  oa  FOOT- 


ROOM  I.  ORNITHICHNITES.  69 

Fig.  1  to  1,  directed  from  below  upwards,  is  a  track  consisting  of  six 
large  footsteps. 

2  to  2,  from  above  downwards ;  a  track  of  four  footprints,  dis- 

posed almost  in  a  right  line,  and  very  far  apart. 

3  to  3,  a  track  of  five  footprints,  from  above  downwards,  of  a  large, 

heavy  bird,  like  fig.  1. 

4  to  4,  from  above  downwards,  four  footprints  like  fig.  2,  disposed 

in  a  nearly  straight  track,  and  far  apart. 
5,  a  track  of   five  heavy  footprints,  directed  obliquely  up- 
wards. 

6  to  6,  five  footprints  of  a  large  bird,  in  a  track  from  below  up- 
wards. 
7,  a  series  of  five  delicate  footprints. 

8  to  8,  a  track  of  eleven  very  small  footprints,  disposed  in  zigzag, 

and  extending  obliquely  from  the  right  extremity  to  the 
upper  edge  of  the  slab. 

9  to  9,  a  track  of    four  large  and  distant    footprints,  passing 

obliquely  across  the  stone  from  left  to  right. 

This  description  will  suffice  to  convey  a  general  idea  of  the 
nature  of  these  extraordinary  remains. 

A  few  shapeless  fragments  of  bones  are  the  only  vestiges 
of  the  skeletons  of  any  animals,  with  the  exception  of  fishes, 
that  have  been  found  in  the  strata  which  have  furnished  the 
slabs  of  Ornithichnites ;  but  some  coprolites  have  been  dis- 
covered, which,  from  a  chemical  analysis,  are  supposed  to  have 
belonged  to  omnivorous  birds.  The  enormous  size  of  some 
of  the  foot-marks  are  calculated  to  excite  much  surprise.  I 
have  in  my  possession  (through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Deane) 
imprints  that  prove  the  size  of  the  foot  in  one  species  to  have 
been  fifteen  inches  in  length,  and  ten  inches  in  width,  exclu- 
sively of  the  hind  claw,  which  is  two  inches  long.  The  foot- 
prints of  this  bird,  when  in  a  consecutive  series  of  five  or  six, 
are  from  four  to  five  feet  apart,  which  must  have  been  the 
length  of  the  stride  of  the  bird  :  the  longest  stride  was  pro- 
bably made  by  the  animal  when  running  ;  the  shortest,  when 
walking  at  a  moderate  pace.  These  footsteps  indicate  pro- 
portions so  far  exceeding  those  of  all  known  living  bipeds, — 
for  the  foot  of  the  African  Ostrich  is  but  ten  inches  long, — 
that  geologists  hesitated  to  adopt  the  opinions  of  the 
American  naturalist,  in  the  absence  of  any  relics  of  the 
osseous  structure  of  the  supposed  birds,  although  sanctioned 
by  the  high  authority  of  Dr.  Buckland,  who,  from  the  first, 
concurred  in  the  views  of  Professor  Hitchcock ;  and  I  can- 
didly confess  my  incredulity,  until  a  series  of  specimens  sent 
to  me  by  Dr.  Deane,  accompanied  with  a  graphic  description 
of  the  circumstances  connected  with  their  position  in  the 


70  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  I. 

strata,  brought  conviction  to  my  mind.  Professor  Hitch- 
cock's last  memoir  on  this  subject  embraces  figures,  and  de- 
scriptions of  footprints,  which  he  considers  as  referable  to 
twelve  kinds  of  quadrupeds ;  viz. — four  probably  Saurians, 
two  Chelonians,  and  six  Batrachians.  The  bipedal  imprints 
belong  to  eight  species  of  thick-toed  tridactylous  birds; 
fourteen  to  narrow-toed  tridactylous  or  tetradactylous  spe- 
cies ;  two  are  probably  of  bipedal  batrachians ;  and  eight 
are  not  determinable. 

I  have  described  the  bipedal  imprints  as  those  of  birds,  in 
conformity  with  the  opinion  entertained  by  the  most  eminent 
observers,  who  have  carefully  investigated  the  phenomena  on 
the  spot. 

IMPRESSION  OF  THE  SKIN  OF  THE  TOES.  —  Unfortunately, 
the  footprints  very  rarely  exhibit  any  traces  of  the  struc- 
ture of  the  dermal  integument,  or  skin,  a  character  which 
would  yield  important  evidence  as  to  the  reptilian  or  or- 
nithic relations  of  the  original.  It  may,  therefore,  be  in- 
teresting to  state  that  on  a  slab  collected  by  Dr.  Deane,  and 
presented  to  me,  there  are  two  or  three  foot-marks  with  distinct 
impressions  of  the  skin  of  the  under  surface  of  the  toes ; 
and  this  structure  appears  to  resemble  that  of  the  Ostrich.1 

1  This  specimen  is  in  my  possession ;  the  following  note  from  Dr. 
Deane  accompanied  it : — 

"  The  slab  is  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  and  half  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness. On  the  upper  surface  there  are  two  rows  of  small  elegant  foot- 
marks, of  the  species  termed  by  Professor  Hitchcock  Ornithichnites 
gracillimus  ;  one  row  consists  of  five,  and  the  other  of  six  consecutive 
impressions.  There  is  also  a  row  of  four  footprints  of  a  much  larger 
species,  the  0.  fulicoides.  These  are  arranged  around  the  circum- 
ference of  the  specimen,  and  their  alternate  order  proves  that  they 
have  been  impressed  by  the  same  individual.  There  is  a  rare  pecu- 
liarity displayed  in  these  larger  impressions  that  adds  greatly  to  their 
interest;  it  is  the  markings  of  the  papillae,  and  folds  of  the  cutaneous 
integument,  which  are  very  distinct;  and  this  character  I  have  only 
observed  in  two  other  examples.  The  papillee  may  be  seen  most  dis- 
tinct in  the  first,  second,  and  fourth  footstep ;  particularly  in  the 
last  of  the  series,  on  the  top  of  the  slab.  The  three  tracks  em- 
brace fifteen  impressions,  and  exhibit  the  articulations  of  the  toes 
perfectly.  The  surface  of  the  stone  is  pitted  by  rain-drops,  from  a 
shower  which  must  have  fallen  before  the  birds  walked  over  the  soft 
mud,  and  made  the  foot-prints.  There  are  also  indistinct  traces  of 
the  trails  of  worms,  and  of  an  Annelide.  On  the  reverse  of  the 
slab  there  are  the  casts  of  four  consecutive  impressions  of  Ornithich- 
nites  gracillimus;  and  a  row  of  two,  of  dimensions  intermediate 
between  those  of  the  preceding  varieties." 


ROOM  I.  ORNITHICHNITES.  71 

But  although  the  weight  of  evidence  is  in  favour  of 
the  ornithic  character  of  these  footsteps  on  the  sands  of 
Time,  the  idea  of  such  a  development  of  the  highly  organ- 
ized class  Aves,  during  the  Triassic  epoch,  is  so  utterly  at 
variance  with  what  is  known  as  to  the  existence  of  warm- 
blooded, air-breathing  vertebrata  on  the  lands  of  the  second- 
ary formations,  that  until  bones  of  birds  are  discovered  in 
strata  of  the  same  age,  we  would  repeat  the  salutary  caution 
of  an  eminent  palaeontologist :  —  "  Footprints  alone,  like 
those  termed  Ornithichnites,  are  insufficient  to  support  the 
inference  of  the  progression  of  the  highly  developed  organ- 
ization of  birds  of  flight,  by  the  creatures  that  have  left 
them.  The  Rhynchosaurs,  and  the  biped  Pterodactyles, 
already  warn  us  how  nearly  the  ornithic  type  may  be  ap- 
proached without  the  essential  characters  of  the  Saurian 
being  lost;  and  by  the  Cheirotherian  ichnolites  we  learn  how 
closely  an  animal,  in  all  probability  a  batrachian,  may  re- 
semble a  pedimanous  mammal  in  the  form  of  its  foot- 
prints." ' 

Notwithstanding,  therefore,  the  presumptive  proofs  lately 
obtained  of  the  ornithic  origin  of  the  footsteps  on  the 
Connecticut  sandstones,  I  do  not  think  we  are  warranted 
in  concluding,  in  the  absence  of  all  vestiges  of  the  skeletons 
of  the  animals,  that  the  countries  of  the  Triassic  epoch 
rivalled  the  islands  of  New  Zealand,  in  the  abundance,  va- 
riety, and  magnitude  of  that  highly  organized  class,  of  which 
no  certain  relics  are  known  in  formations  of  a  much  later 
period. 

SIR  C.  LTELL  ON  ORNITHICHNITES. — I  will  conclude  this 
notice  of  a  subject  involving  questions  of  such  deep  interest, 
with  the  following  extract  from  the  admirable  address  of  the 
late  President  of  the  Geological  Society,  which  embodies  the 
most  recent  observations  and  opinions  of  that  eminent  phi- 
losopher on  the  phenomena  in  question. 

"  When  I  first  examined  these  strata  of  shale  and  sand- 
stone near  Jersey  city,  in  company  with  Mr.  Eedfield,  I  saw 
at  once  from  the  ripple-marked  surface  of  the  slabs,  from  the 
casts  of  cracks,  the  marks  of  rain-drops,  and  the  imbedded 
fragments  of  drift-wood,  that  these  beds  had  been  formed 
precisely  under  circumstances  most  favourable  for  the  recep- 

1  "  Brit,  Assoc.  Report  on  Fossil  Reptiles,"  1841,  p.  203. 


72  PETRIFACTIONS   AXD    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  I. 

tion  of  impressions  of  the  feet  of  animals,  walking  be- 
tween high  and"  low  water.  In  the  prolongation  of  the  same 
beds  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  there  have  been  found, 
according  to  Professor  Hitchcock,  the  footprints  of  no  less 
than  thirty-two  species  of  bipeds  and  twelve  of  quadrupeds. 
They  have"  been  observed  in  more  than  twenty  localities,  which 
are  scattered  over  an  area  of  nearly  eighty  miles  from  north  to 
south  in  the  States  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  After 
visiting  several  of  these  places,  I  entertained  no  doubt  that 
the  sand  and  mud  were  deposited  on  an  area  which  was  slowly 
subsiding  all  the  while,  so  that  at  some  points  a  thickness  of 
more  than  1,000  feet  of  superimposed  strata  had  accumulated 
in  very  shallow  water,  the  footprints  being  repeated  at  vari- 
ous intervals  on  the  surface  of  the  mud  throughout  the  entire 
series  of  superimposed  beds. 

"When  I  first  examined  this  region  in  1842,  Professor 
Hitchcock  had  already  seen  2,000  impressions,  each  of  them 
indented  on  the  upper  sides  of  layers  of  shale,  while  the 
casts  of  the  same,  standing  out  in  relief,  always  protruded 
from  the  lower  surface  of  the  incumbent  strata.  Had  they 
been  concretions,  as  some  geologists  at  first  contended,  they 
would  have  been  occasionally  found  projecting  from  the  upper 
sides  of  strata  of  sandstone.  I  was  also  much  struck  when 
following  each  single  line  of  foot-marks,  to  find  how  uniform 
they  were  in  size  and  how  nearly  equidistant  from  each  other, 
whereas  on  turning  to  a  larger  or  smaller  set  of  impres- 
sions, the  distance  separating  any  two  tracts  in  the  same 
series  immediately  increased  or  diminished,  there  being 
an  obvious  proportion  between  the  length  of  the  stride 
and  the  dimensions  of  the  creature  which  walked  over  the 
mud. 

"There  are  also  a  great  number  of  examples  where  the  trifid 
impressions  exhibit  three  marks  of  phalangeal  bones  for  the 
inner  toe,  four  for  the  middle,  and  five  for  the  outer  one,  as  in 
the  feet  of  living  tridactylous  birds,  and  in  each  continuous 
line  of  steps  the  three-jointed  and  five-jointed  toes  are  seen  to 
turn  alternately  right  and  left.  In  one  slab  found  at 
Turner's  Falls,  on  the  Connecticut,  by  Dr.  Deane,  the  fine 
matrix  has  retained  marks  of  the  integument  or  skin  of  the 
foot.  This  specimen  is  now  in  the  museum  of  Dr.  Mantell, 
and  the  impression  was  recognised  by  Prof.  Owen  as  resem- 
bling the  skin  of  an  ostrich,  and  not  that  of  a  reptile.  Such 


ROOM  I.  ORXITHICHNITES.  73 

a  test,  in  addition  to  the  other  evidence  before  mentioned, 
should,  I  think,  remove  all  scepticism  in  regard  to  the 
ornithic  nature  of  most  of  these  bipeds.  The  size  indeed 
of  some  of  the  fossil  impressions  seemed  at  first  to  raise 
an  objection  against  their  having  belonged  to  birds,  as  it 
far  exceeded  that  of  any  living  Ostrich ;  but  the  Dinornis 
and  other  feathered  giants  of  New  Zealand  have  removed  this 
difficulty. 

"  The  footprints  are  accompanied  by  numerous  coprolites, 
and  Mr.  Dana  has  derived  an  ingenious  argument  from  the 
analysis  of  these  bodies,  the  proportion  they  contain  of  uric 
acid,  phosphate  of  lime,  carbonate  of  lime,  and  organic  mat- 
ter, showing  that,  like  guano,  they  are  the  droppings  of  birds 
rather  than  of  reptiles.1  Still  it  is  asked,  whether,  if  birds 
were  so  abundant,  we  ought  not  to  meet  with  some  of  their 
bones  in  a  fossil  state, — a  remark,  be  it  observed,  which  is 
equally  applicable  to  the  associated  quadrupedal  imprints. 
In  reference  to  this  question,  I  took  pains,  when  on  the  shores 
of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  after  I  had  examined  the  red  sand- 
stone of  the  Connecticut,  to  inquire  whether,  in  digging 
trenches  through  the  red  mud  of  recent  origin,  from  which 
the  tide  has  been  excluded  by  sea-banks,  they  had  ever  found 
the  bones  of  birds,  and  I  could  hear  of  no  instance,  although  I 
saw  the  sandpiper,  or  Tringa  minuta,  making  every  day  those 
lines  of  impressions  in  the  mud  bordering  the  estuary  which 
I  have  described  and  figured  in  my  '  Travels.' 2  My  friend 
Dr.  Webster,  of  Kentville,  Nova  Scotia,  has  recently  sent  me 
some  fine  examples  of  rain-drops,  which  he  saw  formed  during 
a  shower  on  this  modern  mud,  and  casts  of  which  project  in 
relief  from  the  under-side  of  an  incumbent  layer  of  the  same 
argillaceous  deposit,  thrown  down  during  a  subsequent  rise  of 
the  tides.  Thus  marked  and  traversed  by  cracks  caused  by 
shrinkage,  and  containing  the  footprints  of  birds,  they  pre- 
sent a  perfect  counterpart  of  many  of  the  old  triassic  shales 
above  described.*** 

1 "  Amer.  Journ.  of  Science,"  vol.  xlviii.  p.  46. 

2  Sir  Charles  Lyell  has  presented  specimens  of  the  foot-tracks  of 
these  birds  on  the  sandy  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  the  British 
Museum,  for  comparison  with  the  fossils. 

8  Sir  C.  Lyell's  Anniversary  Address,  pp.  44,  45. 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


PLAN    OF    ROOM    II. 

Entrance  from  Room  I. 


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Room  Til. 

CHAPTER    II. 
PART  I. 

PLAN     OF    ROOM   II.  —  SYNOPSIS     OP    CONTENTS   OP    ROOM   II.  —  MAMMALIAN 

REMAINS  —  MEGALONYX MOA  —  HEXAPROTODOK M YLODON MACRAU- 

CHKNIA  —  SCELIDOTHERICM — MEGALOCHELYS— STARFISHES — CRINOIDKA  — - 
MINERALS — FOSSIL    BIRDS   OF    NEW   ZEALAND. 

THE  arrangement  of  the  objects  in  the  apartment  we  shall 
next  survey  is  but  temporary ;  some  of  the  cases  are  empty, 
and  others  contain  fossil  remains  of  Mammalia,  Birds,  and 
Reptiles  ;  and  of  Starfishes,  and  Crinoidea.  The  subjoined 
synopsis  will  therefore  suffice  to  direct  the  visitor  to  the  spe- 
cimens most  worthy  of  attention  in  this  miscellaneous  col- 
lection, and  our  descriptions  will  embrace  but  two  classes  of 
objects,  namely, — the  fossil  Starfishes  and  Crinoidea  in  Case  G  \ 
and  the  remains  of  the  Moa  or  Dinornis,  and  other  extinct 
birds  of  New  Zealand,  contained  in  Wall-cases  B  and  C,  and 
Table-cases  15, 16,  and  17.  The  latter  comprise  relics  of  several 
extraordinary  ornithic  types,  presenting  osteological  characters 
previously  unknown  in  animals  of  this  class,  and  which  de- 
mand minute  examination ;  while  the  geological  history  of 
the  deposits  in  which  these  bones  were  contained  invests  the 
subject  with  a  high  degree  of  interest  and  importance. 

ROOM    II. 

(62  feet  long.) 

SYNOPSIS    OF    CONTENTS. 
ORGANIC  REMAINS. 

WALL-CASES. — These  are  only  partially  filled,  and  the  ar- 
rangement is  but  provisional.  Those  on  the  left,  or  south 
side,  contain  a  miscellaneous  assemblage  of  bones  and  teeth 


76  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR    TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

of   Mammalia  and  Reptiles,  and    many  bones  of    colossal 
Birds  from  New  Zealand. 

A.  [1.]  Bones  of   Mammalia  from  the  drift  and  alluvial 
deposits  of  England.     Among  them  are  teeth  of  Elephants, 
Horses,  Deer,  Ox,  &c.  (collected  by  the  Author),  from  the  strata 
overlying  the  Chalk  along  the  Sussex  Coast,  between  Brighton 
and  Rottingdean.     The  ungueal  bone,  cannon  or  metatarsal 
bone,  and  teeth,  of  an  extinct  species  of  Horse  (Equus  fos- 
silis),  imbedded  in  masses  of  conglomerated  pebbles  from  the 
ancient  shingle  bed,  are  especially  worthy  of  notice.1 

Near  these  fossils  are  several  bones  (of  a  bluish  black  co- 
lour, from  phosphate  of  iron)  of  a  Deer,  discovered  in  the 
alluvial  silt  of  Lewes  Levels. 

B.  [2.]  Megalonyx.  — On  a  shelf  on  the  upper  part  of  this 
case  there  is  a  series  of  models  of  bones  of  the  Megalonyx, 
a  colossal  extinct  Edentate  mammalian ;  the  originals  were 
discovered  in  the  celebrated  Mammoth  Cave,  in  Kentucky, 
United  States.2 

Moa  or  Dinornis. — On  the  upper  shelves  of  this  case,  to  the 
right  of  the  above  specimens,  are  many  bones  of  the  extremi- 
ties, and  several  pelves,  of  extinct  colossal  birds  from  New 
Zealand,  called  Moa  by  the  natives,  but  more  generally  known 
by  the  scientific  name,  DINORNIS.  All  these  specimens 
were  collected  by  Mr.  Percy  Earle,  from  the  submerged 
deposit  at  Waikouaiti,  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Middle 
Island,  which  will  hereafter  be  particularly  described.  The 
enormous  size  of  some  of  these  bones  cannot  fail  to  arrest 
the  visitors'  attention  :  a  tibia,  or  leg-bone,  in  this  collection 
is  one  of  the  largest  known,  and  indicates  a  bird  eleven  or 
twelve  feet  high. 

C.  [3.]  On  one  of  the  shelves  is  placed  the  anterior  portion 
of  the  upper  and  lower  jaws,  with  teeth,   of  an  enormous 
Gamal,  from  the  Eocene  deposits  of  the  Sewalik  Hills. 

Skulls  with  teeth,  and  other  bones  of  Mammalia,  and  por- 


1  See  "Medals  of  Creation ;— Excursion  to  Brighton  Cliffs,"  vol.  ii. 
p.  913. 

2  Originally  in  the  Author's  Museum ;  presented  by  Dr.  Morton,  of 
Philadelphia.      An  interesting  account  of  a  late  exploration  of  this 
remarkable  cave,  by  Prof.  Benjamin  Silliman,  Jun.,  and  Mr.  Reginald  N . 
Mantell,  is  given  in  the  "  American  Journal  of  Science  "  for  May,  1851. 


ROOM  II.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  77 

tions  of  the  carapaces  of  Chelonian  reptiles,  from  the  same 
strata,  presented  by  Major  Cautley  and  Dr.  Falconer,  are  also 
deposited  in  this  case.  Among  the  former  are  specimens  of 
the  Hexaprotodon,  an  animal  allied  to  the  Hippopotamus, 
and  characterised  by  the  presence  of  six  incisor  teeth  in  each 
jaw  :  hence  the  generic  name. 

Mylodon. — There  are  likewise  bones  of  colossal  Edentata, 
from  the  Pampas  of  South  America  :  the  skull  and  bones  of 
Mylodon  Darwinii  (so  named  in  honour  of  Charles  Darwin, 
Esq.)  are  particularly  interesting. 

D.  [4.]  Macrauchenia. — In  this  compartment  are  bones  of 
the  Macrauchenia   Patachonica,  an    extinct  Pachyderm,  as 
large  as  a  Rhinoceros,  uniting  characters  connecting  it  with 
the  Camel  and  Palaeotherium,  from  Patagonia;  presented  by 
Charles  Darwin,  Esq. 

In  the  same  case  are  the  skull,  vertebrae,  scapula,  humerus, 
femur,  and  other  bones  of  the  Scelidotkerium  (S.  leptocepha- 
lum),  an  extinct  Edentate  related  to  the  Mylodon :  from 
South  America ;  collected  and  presented  by  Mr.  Darwin.1 

E.  [o.]  This  case  is  filled  with  the  remains  of  the  carapace, 
plastron,   &c.    of    several    individuals  of  the  Megalochelys 
Atlas;    a  stupendous   fossil  tortoise,   discovered  by  Major 
Cautley  and  Dr.  Falconer  in  the  Eocene  strata  of  the  Sewa- 
lik  Hills ;  with  the  bones  of  Mastodons,   Elephants,  &c.,  to 
be  described  in  the  sequel.     A  model  of  a  young  individual, 
constructed  by  Mr.  Dew,  is  placed  near  the  entrance  of  Room 
I.,  and  is  described  ante,  p.  11.     Some  of  these  relics  show 
that  the  length  of  the  carapace  was  upwards  of  twelve  feet 
in  adult  specimens. 

F.  [6.1    This  case  is  unoccupied. 

G.  [7.J  Stetterida. — On  the  right  of  the  entrance.     This 
case  is  assigned  to  fossil  Starfishes  and  Crinoidea,     Some  of 
the  Starfishes  and  Marsupites  from  the  chalk  of  Sussex,  on 
the  right-hand  shelf,  are  unusually  perfect. 

Pentacrinites. — In  the  centre  of  this  cabinet  there  is  affixed 
to  the  wall  a  slab  of  Lias  limestone,  about  five  feet  square, 
from  Bohl  in  Wirtemburg,  on  which  is  disposed  in  relief  a 

1  As  these  Mammalian  Kemains  will  probably  be  removed  to  Boom 
VI.,  it  will  be  convenient  to  notice  them  more  particularly  when 
treating  of  the  contents  of  that  apartment. 


78  PETEIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

group  of  Pentacrinites,  upwards  of  thirty  in  number,  in  the 
most  graceful  attitudes,  as  if  the  creatures  were  sporting  in 
their  native  element :  a  matchless  specimen. 

Apiocrinites. — In  the  lowermost  compartment  there  are 
choice  examples  of  the  Bradford  Encrinite  (Apiocrinites 
Parkinsoni),  collected  by  the  late  Channing  Pearce,  Esq.  A 
recent  Pentacrinus  caput  medusae  from  the  West  Indies,  is 
placed  in  this  case  for  comparison  with  the  fossil  remains. 
On  the  right-hand  shelf  are  fossil  Starfishes  of  the  genera 
Aster ias,  Goniaster,  Amphiura,  Comatida,  &c. 

Lily  Encrinite. — On  the  left  there  are  examples  of  various 
genera  of  Crinoidea,  viz.  Eugeniacrinites,  Cyathocrinites, 
Apiocrinites  (A.  Prattii,  from  the  Author's  collection), 
Encrinus  Townsendi;  and  of  the  beautiful  Lily  Encrinite 
(E.  liliiformis),  from  the  Muschelkalk  of  Brunswick. 

On  the  uppermost  shelf  are  some  fine  specimens  of  casts 
of  Crinoideal  stems  (commonly  called  screw  or  pulley-stones), 
in  chert ;  from  the  mountain  limestone  of  Derbyshire. 

MINERALS. 

TABLE  CASE  1. — [54.]  Contains  the  sulphates  of  lime.  Selenite  or 
sparry  gypsum,  from  Montmartre,  Bex,  Oxford,  &c. ;  anhydrite ;  bar- 
diglione  ;  and  tripe-stone,  a  fibrous  compact  variety. 

On  the  table  near  the  window,  beneath  a  glass  shade,  there  is  a  re- 
markably fine  group  of  selenitic  crystals,  from  Kemhardsbrunn,  Saxe 
Coburg:  presented  by  his  H.  K.  H.  Prince  Albert. 

2.  [7.]  Sulphuret  of  copper,  copper  glance,  or  vitreous  copper. 

In  this  case  are  specimens  of  the  so-called  "  Frankenberg  corn-ears," 
•which  are  fossil  vegetables  mineralized  by  vitreous  and  grey  copper  ; 
sulphuret  of  copper  and  iron ;  copper  pyrites ;  variegated  copper  ore  ; 
Tennantite. 

3.  [53.]  Sulphates  of  barytes  and  strontian.     Celestine,  &c. 

4.  [8.]  Sulphuret  of  lead  or  galena. 

5.  [52.]  Nitrates  and  sulphates.     Sulphates  of  baryta  or  heavy  spar ; 
Bolognese  spar ;  ketten-spaths  or  chain-spar,  from  the  Hartz ;  cawk,  of 
Derbyshire ;  hepatite  or  fetid  baroselenite ;  wolnyne,  from  Muzsay  in 
Hungary. 

6.  [9.]  Sulphurets  of  bismuth,  of  copper  and  bismuth,  of  copper 
and  tin,  or  tin  pyrites. 

The  remainder  of  this  case  is  filled  with  sulphuret  of  mercury,  or 
cinnabar. 

7.  [51.]   Green  carbonates  of  copper.      Fine  and  rare  varieties  of 
malachite ;  compact  malachite,  from  the  Ural  Mountains. 

8.  [10.]  Sulphuret  of  silver;  common  silver  glance,  massive,  crystal- 
lized, &c.     Sulphurets  of  antimony. 

9.  [50.]  Carbonates  of  copper;  copper  azure,  &c. 


ROOM  II.  ORGANIC    REMAINS.  79 

10.  [11.]  Simple  and  double  sulphur  salts,  formed  by  the  sulphurets 
of  antimony  or  arsenic,  with  basic  sulphurets  of  electro-positive  metals. 
Jamesonite ;   geocronite  ;    kobelite ;    boulangerite  ;  zinkenite  ;   silver- 
blende,  red  or  ruby  silver,  &c. ;  bournonite ;  polybasite. 

11.  [49.]  One  half  is  occupied  by  carbonate  of  zinc  or  zinc-spar; 
calamine.      The  other  half  contains  carbonates  of  lead  or  lead-spar; 
carbonate  of  bismuth ;  rare  carbonates  of  cerium ;  of  yttria  on  orthite 
from  Ytterby,  Sweden. 

12.  [12.]  Grey  copper  or  fahl-ore.   Sulphurets  of  arsenic ;  yellow  and 
red  orpiment ;  arsenio- sulphurets. 

13.  [48.]  Brown  spar.     Carbonate  of  iron  ;  carbonate  of  manganese, 
crystallized  and  in  globular  and  botryoidal  shapes,  of  various  shades  of 
rose  colour,  on  sulphuret  of  manganese,  &c. 

14.  [13.]  Oxides  and  hydrous  oxides  of  manganese. 

*»*  There  is  one  table  of  minerals,  near  the  north-east  window,  not 
labelled. 

The  four  following  tables  in  this  room  stand  parallel  with 
the  windows,  and  are  numbered  consecutively  from  east  to 
west. 

ORGANIC  REMAINS. 

TABLE  CASES  15,  16,  17.  Fossil  Birds  of  New  Zealand. — 
These  three  cases  contain  a  fine  series  of  vertebrae,  bones  of 
the  extremities,  <fcc.,  dug  up  by  Walter  Mantell,  Esq.,  of  Wel- 
lington, from  a  bed  of  volcanic  sand  (menaccanite),  on  the 
west  coast  of  the  North  Island  of  New  Zealand,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Waingongoro. 

15.  Among  the  interesting  relics  in  this  case  the  visitor 
should  notice  the  femur,  tibia,  and  fibula  of  the  same  young 
individual  of  one  of  the  most  gigantic  species  of  Moa.     The 
bones  of  the  hind  limbs  in  this  case  belong  to  several  species 
of  birds,  and  are  in  a  remarkably  perfect  state. 

16.  Contains  the  only  known  skull  of  a  most  extraordinary 
type  of  bird,  which  is  referred  to  the  genus  Dinornis :  the 
other  cranium,  with  mandibles   approaching   somewhat    in 
configuration  to  those  of  the  Cassowary,  is  the  generic  type  of 
Palapteryx. 

In  this  case  are  the  skull,  and  bones  of  the  sternum,  wings, 
and  legs,  of  the  Notornis  Mantelli,  of  which  genus  the  only 
known  recent  example  has  lately  been  obtained  by  Mr.  Walter 
Mantell.  (See  Frontispiece  of  this  Volume.) 

There  are  also  tarsometatarsals  of  a  remarkable  extinct  genus 
named  Aptornis :  bones  of  a  species  of  Nestor,  and  of  the 


80  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

existing  Apteryx  ;  and  portions  of  egg-shells  of  three  distinct 
kinds  of  birds,  which  were  dug  up  with  the  fossil  bones. 

Other  remarkable  objects  in  this  case  are  a  femur  or  thigh- 
bone of  a  Dog  :  the  only  relic  of  a  terrestrial  mammalian  found 
in  the  most  ancient  ossiferous  deposits ;  and  calcined  bones 
of  Men,  Moas,  and  Dogs,  that  were  dug  up  by  Mr.  Walter 
Mantell  from  the  ancient  fire-heaps  of  the  natives,  at 
Waingongoro. 

17.  A  fine  series  of  vertebrae,  and  tarsal,  and  phalangeal 
bones,  of  various  species  and  genera  of  Birds,  from  the  same 
locality. 

18.  This  table-case  has  been  removed  since  the  plan  was 
engraven. 


%*  The  intelligent  attendant  to  whose  surveillance  Rooms  I.  and  II. 
are  entrusted,  is  MR.  SAUNDERS,  who  has  for  many  years  been  attached 
to  this  department  of  the  British  Museum. 

Rooms  II.  and  III.  are  superintended  by  MR.  THOMAS  PRIESTLEY. 

Rooms  IV.  and  Y.  are  under  the  custody  of  MR.  LINGARD. 

Rooms  Y.  and  VI.  are  taken  charge  of  by  MR.  DAVIES. 

The  civility  and  intelligence  of  these  officers,  and  their  obliging 
attention  to  me  on  all  occasions,  I  am  gratified  in  having  this  oppor- 
tunity of  acknowledging ;  and  I  may  add,  that  the  visitor,  desirous  of 
examining  any  particular  specimen,  will  have  no  difficulty  in  accom- 
plishing his  object  by  application  to  the  attendant  of  the  Room  in  which 
it  is  contained. 


CHAPTER    IT. 
PART  II. 

FOSSIL  STELLERIDJE  —  STARFISHES  —  CRINOIDEA  —  ENCRINITES PULLEY- 
STONES — MARSUP1TES — APIOCRINITES — LILY  ENCRINITE  —  PENTACRINITES — 
PETREMITES. 

FOSSIL  STELLERID.E. —  WaU-Cose  G. — Under  this  name  are 
comprised  two  groups  of  radiated  animals;  namely,  the 
Aster  idee,  or  Starfishes,  and  the  Crinoidece,  or  Lily-shaped 
zoophytes,  of  which  there  are  specimens  of  many  species  and 
genera  in  the  case  to  which  I  would  now  direct  attention. 

The  zoophytes,  popularly  called  Starfishes,  from  their 
stellular  forms,  are  so  generally  diffused  through  the  seas 
surrounding  our  Island,  that  the  common  five-rayed  Asterias 
must  be  familiar  to  every  one,  and  will  serve  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  general  appearance  and  structure  of  the  beings 
whose  petrified  remains  are  the  subject  of  examination.  This 
species  belongs  to  the  division  in  which  the  rays  are  elongated 
and  far  exceed  in  length  tne  diameter  of  the  disc  ;  in  another 
group  (the  Cushion-stars),  the  body  is  angular,  and  the  lobes 
or  rays  are  short,  and  not  longer  than  the  diameter ;  while  in 
a  third  subdivision  (Comatula  and  Ophiura),  the  arms  are 
distinct  from  the  body,  and  elongated  and  articulated,  as  in 
the  Crinoidece. 

The  external  surface  of  the  common  Starfish  is  soft,  and 
attached  to  a  tough  coriaceous  integument,  investing  a  skele- 
ton composed  of  numerous  calcareous  ossicula,  arranged  in 
regular  series  along  the  margins  of  the  rays.  Each  ray  has 
a  longitudinal  furrow  or  groove,  perforated  at  the  sides  by 
alternating  rows  of  pores  through  which  tubular  tentacula  are 
protruded.  The  mouth  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  under 


82  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

surface.  Now,  if  we  imagine  a  Starfish  placed  with  its  mouth  up- 
wards and  the  five  rays  fringed  with  long  articulated  tentacula, 
and  fixed  by  the  centre  of  its  dorsal  surface  upon  a'  jointed 
stem,  we  shall  have  the  essential  characters  of  a  Crinoidean ; 
and  the  animals  of  one  recent  genus  of  Asteridce  are  actually 
in  this  condition  in  the  earlier  stage  of  their  existence  :  these 
are  the  Comatulce,  or  Feather-stars.1 

From  the  importance  of  the  Crinoidese  in  the  economy  of 
the  ancient  world,  the  history  of  this  only  crinoideal  type  at 
present  inhabiting  the  European  seas,  which  once  swarmed 
with  these  beautiful  creatures,  presents  many  points  of  inte- 
rest to  the  naturalist.  The  receptacle  of  the  soft  body  of  the 
Comatulce,  like  that  of  the  crinoideans,  consists  of  a  cup- 
shaped  calcareous  base,  which  sends  off  from  its  margin  five 
arms,  that  quickly  subdivide,  and  are  beset  on  each  side 
with  rows  of  articulated  pinnae ;  on  the  convexity  there  are 
also  numerous  slender-jointed  simple  tentacula.  The  mouth 
is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  area  surrounded  by  the  arms, 
and  is  capable  of  being  elongated.  In  the  young  state,  the 
Comatulse  are  attached  by  a  jointed  stem  to  other  bodies.2 
The  stem  is  composed  of  about  eighteen  joints,  which  are 
pentangular.  After  a  few  weeks  the  Feather-star  becomes 
detached  from  its  peduncle,  and  ranges  the  sea  in  freedom. 

Four  fossil  species  of  Comatula  have  been  discovered  in  the 
Solenhofen  slate ;  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  some  of  the 
numerous  Crinoideans  may  be  species  of  this  genus  in  the 
early  stages  of  development. 

In  another  group  of  Asteridse  (named  Ophiura  or  Serpent- 
stars)  the  rays  are  long  and  slender,  and  without  grooves  or 
tentacula,  and  are  distinct  from  the  body.  These  organs  are 
extremely  flexuous,  and  in  some  species  beset  with  spines,  and 
enable  the  animal  to  seize  and  entwine  round  its  prey.  There 
are  several  fossil  Ophiura  from  the  lias  in  this  Case. 

Goniaster. — These  Starfishes  are  of  a  pentagonal  form,  and 
bordered  by  marginal  plates ;  several  fossil  species  occur  in 
the  white  chalk,  and  in  this  collection  there  are  some  beautiful 

1  The  reader  interested  in  this  subject  should  peruse  the  elegant  and 
charming  volume  on  British  Starfishes  and  other  Echinoderms,  by 
Professor  Forbes.     1  vol.  8vo.    John  Van  Voorst.    1841. 

2  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  333. 


ROOM  II.  CRINOIDEA.  83 

examples  from  Sussex  and  Kent.  The  chalk-flints  often  have 
remains  of  Goniasters  attached  to  the  surface  ;  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Northfleet,  specimens  of  this  kind  of  great  beauty 
have  been  collected.1 

CRINOEDEA. — Encrinites  and  Pentacrinites. — Wall-Case  G. 
— The  Crinoidese  have  a  fixed  pedicle  or  process  of  attach- 
ment, an  articulated  stem  composed  of  numerous  separate 
pieces  of  a  solid  calcareous  substance,  and  a  receptacle  formed 
of  a  series  of  plates,  to  the  upper  margin  of  which  are  attached 
arms  or  tentacula.  They  consist  of  two  groups ;  one  with 
smooth,  subcylindrical  stems — the  Encrinites;  the  other  in 
which  the  stems  are  pentangular — Pentacrinites. 

The  fossil  remains  of  the  Crinoidese  have  received  the  name 
of  Stone-lilies,  from  the  resemblance  of  the  receptacle  of  some 
species  when  the  animal  is  in  a  state  of  repose  to  a  closed  lily 
or  tulip.  Only  one  living  species  is  known,  namely,  the  Pen- 
tacrinus  Caput-Medusw,  an  inhabitant  of  the  Caribbean  Sea, 
of  which  there  is  a  specimen  at  the  bottom  of  this  Case.  This 
animal  has  a  long  jointed  stem,  which  is  fixed  at  its  base  by 
a  pedicle  or  root-like  processes,  and  supports  a  vase  or  recep- 
tacle, formed  of  a  series  of  calcareous  plates  closely  adjusted 
to  each  other,  in  which  the  viscera  are  contained.  The  upper 
part  of  the  receptacle  is  covered  by  a  plated  integument,  in 
which  there  is  an  opening  for  the  mouth.  From  the  brim  or 
margin,  proceed  ten  multiradiate  arms,  which  subdivide  into 
branches  of  extreme  tenuity  ;  the  upper  and  inner  side  of  the 
arms  support  numerous  articulated  cirri,  or  feelers.  The 
ossicula  composing  the  column  of  support  are  pentangular, 
very  numerous,  and  articulated  by  striated  pentapetelous 
surfaces,  and  have  a  central  perforation ;  and  there  are  arti- 
culated side-arms,  or  tentacula,  that  radiate  from  the  column 
in  groups  of  five,  at  different  points.  In  a  living  state  the 
skeleton  is  covered  by  the  integuments  which  secrete  it ;  the 
mouth  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  plated  integument  of 
the  receptacle,  and  surrounded  by  the  arms,  which,  when 
spread  out,  with  their  numerous  cirri,  form  a  net  for  the 
capture  of  the  prey,  and  are  the  organs  by  which  it  is  conveyed 
to  the  mouth. 

The  fossil  remains  consist  of  the  ossicula,  or  bones  of  the 

1  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  PL  LIIL  figs.  1  and  3. 


84  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

column,  arms,  and  tentacula  ;  of  the  plates  of  the  receptacle  ; 
anji  of  the  peduncle,  or  process  of  attachment  by  which 
the  animal  was  permanently  fixed  to  the  rock.  The  peduncle 
is  in  some  species  flat  and  expanded,  like  that  of  the  Gor- 
gonice;  in  others,  it  consists  of  long  jointed  processes.  These 
several  parts  are  commonly  found  detached,  and  intermingled 
with  detritus  in  the  strata;  throughout  extensive  beds  of 
encrinital  marble,  vestiges  of  the  receptacle  are  but  seldom 
discoverable.  In  some  localities  the  skeletons  are  pre- 
served entire,  and  spread  out  on  the  surface  of  the  layers 
of  shale,  clay,  or  limestone,  as  if  the  animals  had  been  enve- 
loped by  the  soft  deposit  when  alive  in  their  native  seas, 
as  is  the  case  in  many  of  the  beautiful  specimens  before  us. 

These  remarks  will  convey  a  general  idea  of  the  nature  of 
the  beings  whose  remains  are  scattered  through  certain  rocks 
in  such  inconceivable  quantities ;  for,  much  as  the  columns 
may  differ  in  form,  the  ossicula  in  their  markings,  and  the 
plates  of  the  receptacle  in  their  configuration  and  ornament, 
the  same  type  of  structure  prevails  throughout  the  family. 

These  durable  parts  of  the  animal  fabric  occur  in  immense 
quantities  in  the  ancient  secondary  deposits ;  and  in  many 
parts  of  England,  and  of  northern  Europe  and  America, 
entire  mountain-chains  are  chiefly  composed  of  the  bones  and 
detritus  of  Crinoidece,  belonging  to  numerous  extinct  species 
and  genera. 

Screw  or  Pulley-stones. —  Upper  Shelf  F. — The  circular, 
or  pentagonal  channel  formed  by  the  united  ossicula  of  the 
column,  has  given  rise  to  the  curious  fossils  called,  in  Derby- 
shire, Screw,  or  Pulley-stones,  which  are  flint  casts  of  these 
cavities.  These  bodies  occur  in  the  chert,  which  is  interstra- 
tified  with  the  mountain  limestone ;  the  siliceous  matter, 
when  fluid,  having  filled  up  the  channels,  and  invested  the 
calcareous  stems :  the  latter  have  since  been  dissolved,  and 
consequently  solid  cylinders  of  flint,  resembling  a  pulley, 
alone  remain ;  the  masses  of  chert  are  often  impressed  with  the 
ornamented  articulating  surfaces  of  the  ossicula,  or  trochites. 
These  fossils  are  sometimes  mineralized  by  galena,  or  sulphuret 
of  lead,  as  in  the  specimens  in  this  cabinet. 

In  the  quarries  on  Middeton  Moor,  near  Cromford,  Derby- 
shire, where  extensive  beds  of  limestone  composed  of  crinoideal 
remains  are  worked  for  chimney-pieces,  and  other  ornamental 


ROOM  II.  MARSUPITES.  85 

purposes,  beautiful  examples  of  these  fossils  may  be  obtained. 
The  cavities  of  the  columns  and  ossicula  are  often  filled  with 
white  calcareous  spar ;  while  the  ground  of  the  marble  is  of 
a  dark  reddish  brown  colour.  In  other  varieties  of  the 
Derbyshire  entrochal  limestones,  the  substance  of  the  fossils  is 
white,  and  the  ground  dark  grey  or  brown  ;  both  kinds,  when 
worked  into  ornaments,  are  very  beautiful  and  interesting.1 

MARSUPITES  (M.  Miller i). —  Wall-Case  G.  On  the  upper 
and  right-hand  Shelf. — The  chalk  fossils  labelled  Marsupites 
in  the  upper  compartment  of  this  cabinet  belong  to  an  inte- 
resting extinct  type  of  Stelleridse,  that  forms  a  connecting 
link  between  the  Starfishes  and  the  Crinoideans.  Like  the 
former,  it  is  free,  and  destitute  of  a  column  of  support  or 
pedicle  ;  while  it  has  the  receptacle  composed  of  articulated 
plates,  and  flexible  arms,  as  in  the  lily-shaped  animals.  These 
fossils  are  peculiar  to  the  white  chalk  deposits,  and  were  first 
described  by  Mr.  Parkinson  in  the  "Organic  Remains  of 
a  Former  World,"  under  the  name  of  "  Tortoise  Encrinite," 
that  excellent  observer  having  supposed,  from  the  sculpturing 
of  the  plates  of  certain  specimens,  that  they  were  related  to 
the  Actinocrinites,  and  had  a  jointed  column.  The  true 
characters  of  the  original  were  first  pointed  out  in  my  "  Fossils 
of  the  South  Downs  ;"2  and  the  name  Marsupites,  suggested 
by  the  purse-like  form  of  the  closed  specimens,  was  adopted. 

The  receptacle  of  the  Marsupite  is  of  a  subovate  shape, 
rounded  and  entire  at  the  dorsal  aspect,  consisting  of  a  large 
central  plate,  and  a  series  of  polygonal  plates,  with  five  arms 
attached  to  the  margin.  The  opening  of  the  receptacle  was 
covered  by  an  integument  supported  by  numerous  small 
seniilunar  ossicula,  in  the  centre  or  side  of  which  the  buccal 
aperture,  or  mouth,  was  placed.  The  external  surface  of  the 
receptacle  is  smooth  in  some  examples  ;  in  others  it  is  deeply 
sculptured  with  granulated  lines  and  furrows,  disposed  in 
a  radiated  manner  ;  and  in  a  few  instances  the  sculpturing  is 
rugous  and  irregular.  The  Marsupites  vary  in  size  from  one 
to  three  inches  in  length.  The.  receptacle  is  very  capacious 

1  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  PI.  XLIX.  for  figures  of  pulley-stones  and  encri- 
nital  marbles:  and  PI.  XLVII.  for  representations  of  a  great  variety  of 
stems  of  Encrinites  and  Pentacrinites. 

2  "  The  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs/'  or  "  Illustration  of  the  Geology 
of  Sussex,"  p.  184,  pi.  x?i. 


86  PETRIFACTIONS   AND  THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

compared  with  that  of  the  Crinoideae.  The  central  plate  is 
large  and  of  a  pentagonal  form,  without  the  slightest  trace  of 
a  process  of  attachment :  five  pentagonal  pieces  are  united  to 
the  sides  of  the  central  plate,  and  above  these  a  like  number 
of  hexagonals,  which  receive  the  five  upper  plates  that  form 
the  margin  ;  each  of  the  latter  has  a  semilunar  depression  to 
articulate  with  the  first  joint  of  the  arm. 

Detached  plates  and  ossicula  of  marsupites  are  not  un- 
common in  the  chalk  of  Kent  and  Sussex ;  nearly  entire 
receptacles,  filled  with  chalk  or  flint,  are  occasionally  found  in 
the  pits  near  Lewes  and  Brighton ;  but  examples  with  re- 
mains of  the  arms  are  extremely  rare  ;  and  I  have  seen  but 
one  specimen  (the  one  in  the  Case  before  us,  which  I  collected 
from  the  Sussex  chalk),  in  which  .the  plates  of  the  integu- 
ment that  covered  the  opening  of  the  receptacle  are  pre- 
served.1 

APIOCRINITES.  (A.  Parkinsnni.) — Pear-Encrinite  of  Brad- 
ford.—  Wall-case  G. — The  "Pear-Encrinite,"  from  its  size, 
and  the  abundance  of  its  remains  in  one  particular  locality, 
is  the  most  generally  known  of  all  the  British  fossil  Crinoidese. 
It  abounds  in  the  beds  of  oolite,  especially  in  the  quarries  on 
the  heights  above  the  picturesquely  situated  town  of  Brad- 
ford, in  Wiltshire.  The  receptacle,  detached  ossicula,  and 
the  pedicles  or  roots,  are  very  common ;  and  in  some  in- 
stances the  entire  skeleton  from  the  peduncle  to  the  extre- 
mities of  the  arms,  is  met  with.  The  late  Channing  Pearce, 
Esq.,  of  Bradford,  by  unremitting  attention  to  the  collecting 
of  these  fossils,  obtained  the  beautiful  specimens  deposited 
in  this  Case. 

This  Apiocrinite  has  a  smooth  receptacle  of  a  pyriform  shape, 
composed  of  large  plates  with  radiated  articulating  surfaces  ; 
the  stem  is  short  and  strong  ;  the  arms  simple,  resembling  those 
of  the  marsupite ;  the  peduncle  spreads  out  into  an  expanded 
base,  which  is  firmly  attached  to  the  rock,  like  that  of  the 
Gorgonia,  and  is  generally  of  a  rich  purple  colour.2  Sir  Charles 
Lyell  mentions  an  interesting  fact  relating  to  the  occurrence 
of  these  fossils  in  the  oolite  strata  at  Bradford.  In  Bur- 


1  See  " Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  319,  Lign.  70;   "Pictorial  Atlas," 
PI.  XL VI.,  fig.  24 ;  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  652. 

2  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  653;  "Pict.  Atlas,"  PI.  L. 


ROOM  II.  LILY   ENCRINITE.  87 

field  quarry,  on  the  heights  that  overlook  the  town,  a  bed  of 
limestone  was  exposed,  the  upper  surface  of  which  was  in- 
crusted  with  the  stony  peduncles  or  roots  of  Apiocrinites ; 
upon  this  stratum  was  a  layer  of  clay,  in  which  were 
innumerable  remains  of  receptacles  and  ossicula  of  stems 
and  arms ;  some  of  the  stems  were  erect,  others  prostrate, 
and  throughout  the  clay  were  the  dismembered  remains. 
This  submarine  forest  of  Crinoideans  must  therefore  have 
nourished  in  the  clear  sea-water,  till  invaded  by  a  current 
loaded  with  mud  that  overwhelmed  the  living  zoophytes,  and 
entombed  them  in  the  argillaceous  deposit  in  which  their 
fossil  remains  are  embedded. 

LILY  ENCRINITE.  (Encrinus  liliiformis.)  Wall-case  Gf.  Left 
upper  Shelf. — This  exquisite  species  of  Crinoidea  is  equally 
interesting  and  attractive  to  the  amateur  collector  and  the 
naturalist.  Its  remains  do  not  occur  in  the  British  strata, 
and  are  only  known  in  the  muschelkalk  of  Lower  Saxony. 
The  specimens  in  this  country  are  chiefly  from  Erkerode,  in 
Brunswick ;  they  are  found  in  a  layer  about  eighteen  inches 
thick,  of  a  soft  argillaceous  cream-coloured  limestone,  which 
is  chiefly  made  up  of  trochites,  (i.e.  detached  ossicula  of  the 
stem),  and  a  few  fragile  shells  and  corals. 

The  receptacle  of  the  Lily  Encrinite  is  smooth,  and  in  the 
form  of  a  depressed  vase ;  its  base  is  composed  of  five  plates, 
upon  which  are  placed  three  successive  series  of  other  plates, 
with  the  uppermost  of  which  the  arms  articulate.  The  stem 
is  formed  of  numerous  perforated  round  ossicles,  articulated  to 
each  other  by  radiated  grooved  surfaces,  and  becoming  some- 
what pentangular,  and  alternately  larger  and  smaller  towards 
the  summit,  to  which  the  receptacle  is  fixed  \  a  construction 
admitting  of  great  freedom  of  motion. 

This  Encrinite  when  lying  in  relief  on  the  rock,  with  its 
receptacle  entirely  or  partially  closed,  so  strikingly  resembles 
a  bud  or  expanding  flower  of  a  lily  or  tulip,  as  to  justify  the 
popular  name  of  Stone  Lily.  An  exquisite  specimen  is 
figured  by  Mr.  Parkinson.1  There  are  a  few  beautiful  exam- 
ples in  the  Case  before  us. 

PENTACRINITES. — Wall-case  G. — In  this  group  of  Crinoideans 
the  ossicles  of  the  columns  are  angular,  generally  pentagonal, 

1  See  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  PL  XLVIII.;  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  651. 


88 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 


but  occasionally  with  only  four  angles  ;  in  some  species  the 
sides  are  acute,  in  others  rounded  :  the  articulating  surfaces 
are  for  the  most  part  richly  chased  with  floreal  or  radiated 
striae,  and  grooved.1  The  arms  in  some  species  are  very  long 
and  greatly  subdivided,  becoming  extremely  attenuated, 
and  the  ossicula  proportionably  minute.  The  exquisite  beauty 
of  the  plumose  encrinites  when  expanded  on  slabs  of  limestone 
and  petrified  by  pyrites,  is  exemplified  in  several  examples  in 
the  Case  under  review.2 


LiGN.23. — PENTACRINITES  HIEMERI;  PART  OF  A  GROUP  ON  LIAS  LIMESTONE,  FROM 

BOHL,  WlRTEMBURG.* 

(J-  Nat.  size.) 

PENTACRINITES  HIEMERI. —  Wall-Case  G. — On  the  large  slab 
of  Lias  limestone  affixed  to  the  wall  in  the  centre  of  this  Case, 
is  an  exquisite  group  of  thirty  Pentacrinites,  exposed  in  relief 
on  the  surface  of  the  stone,  in  as  perfect  a  state  as  if  just 

1  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  PI.  XLVII.       The  Briarean  Pentacrinite  is  fully 
illustrated  and  described  in   detail  in   Dr.  Buckland's  Bridgewater 
Essay,  p.  484. 

2  "Pictorial  Atlas,"  PI.  LI.  LIT. 

3  This  species  was  named  and  figured  by  M.  Konig  in  his  "  Icones 
Fossilium  sectiles"  PI.  III.,  fig.  29,  in  1826* 


ROOM  II.  PENTREMITES.  89 

dredged  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  The  reduced  sketch 
of  a  small  portion  will  serve  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  elegant 
forms  of  these  petrified  zoophytes  of  the  Jurassic  ocean ; 
the  contemporaries  of  the  Ichthyosauri  and  other  marine  rep- 
tiles, of  which  we  shall  treat  hereafter.  The  Pentacrinites 
on  this  slab  are  for  the  most  part  entire ;  the  peduncle  being 
affixed  to  the  base,  and  the  column  extending  upwards  in  gen- 
tle undulations,  and  supporting  the  receptacle,  which  has  the 
arms  gracefully  outspread  in  various  attitudes*.  The  struc- 
ture of  the  receptacle,  and  of  the  arms,  and  the  extreme  deli- 
cacy of  the  finer  tentacula  made  up  of  countless  minute 
ossicula,  are  admirably  shown  in  this  unique  and  most 
instructive  specimen. 

This  Case  also  contains  illustrative  examples  of  the  Actino- 
crinites  (Nave  Encrinite),1  Cyathocrinites  (Cup  Encrinite),2^- 
geniacrinites  (Clove  Encrinite),  and  several  other  genera. 

Pentremites. — One  peculiar  type  of  Crinoidea  requires  a 
brief  notice,  as  it  was  supposed  to  be  without  arms,  and  to  form 
a  connecting  link  between  the  lily-shaped  zoophytes  and  the 
sea-urchins.  The  Pentremites  has  a  receptacle  supported  by 
a  short  pedicle,  and  composed  of  polygonal  plates,  divided  by 
five  perforated  grooves  or  furrows,  which  are  of  an  elongated 
petalous  form,  and  converge  in  a  rosette  on  the  summit. 
The  marginal  longitudinal  rows  of  minute  pores  are  not  how- 
ever for  the  passage  of  soft  membranous  feelers,  as  in  the 
ambulacra  of  echinoderms,  as  was  formerly  conjectured,  but 
are  channels  for  the  transit  of  vessels  that  supply  an  infinite 
number  of  delicate  simple  tentacula,  composed  of  extremely 
minute  calcareous  ossicula,  as  in  the  other  Crinoidea,  but  not 
subdivided  as  in  the  Pentacrinites -and  Encrinites.  These 
tentacula  are  directed  upwards  towards  the  vertex  of  the 
receptacle,  and  are  supposed  to  have  been  organs  for  seizing 
and  conveying  food  to  the  mouth.3 

These  Crinoideans  abound  in  the  mountain  limestone, 
especially  in  some  districts  of  the  United  States,  where  certain 
strata  are  distinguished  by  the  name  of  pentremital  limestone.4 


1  "Medals  of  Creation," p.  324.        2  Ibid.  p.  326. 

3  See  Dr.  Fred.  Roemer  on  Jointed  Tentacles  found  on  the  ambulacra! 
spaces  of  Pentremites,  "  Geol.  Journal,"  vol.  v.  p.  8. 

4  "Medals  of  Creation/'  p.  327. 


CHAPTER   II. 

PART  III.     , 
THE  FOSSIL  BIRDS  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  BIRDS— MOA  OF  NEW  ZEALAND— NATIVE  TRADITIONS- 
HISTORY  OF  THE  DISCOVERY — GEOLOGY  OF  NEW  ZEALAND — MOA-BED  AT 
WAIKOUAITI— OSSIFEROUS  DEPOSITS  IN  THE  NORTH  ISLAND— BONE  OAVES 
— FLORA  AND  FAUNA  OF  NEW  ZEALAND — THE  APTERYX — MOA,  OR 
DINORNIS  —  CRANIUM— BONES  OF  EXTREMITIES  OF  DINORNIS— FOOT  OF 
DINORNIS — PALAPTERYX— CRANIUM  — FOSSIL  EGGS  OF  DINORNIS — APTORNIS 
— FOSSIL  BONES  OF  NOTORNIS — DISCOVERY  OF  A  LIVING  NOTORNIS — FOSSIL 
PARROT — APTERYX — ALBATROSS — PENGUIN — DOG — SEALS — BURNT  HUMAN 
BONES — RETROSPECTIVE  SUMMARY. 

FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  BIRDS. — Before  describing  the  speci- 
mens which  form  the  immediate  subject  of  the  present 
section,  I  would  offer  a  few  general  observations  on  the 
occurrence  of  the  remains  of  Birds  in  a  fossil  state,  as  intro- 
ductory to  the  interesting  phenomena  that  will  shortly 
engage  our  attention. 

Relics  of  birds  are  of  extreme  rarity  in  the  mineral  king- 
dom ;  throughout  the  immense  series  of  palaeozoic  and 
secondary  formations,  the  accumulated  deposits  of  innumer- 
able ages,  no  unquestionable  indications  of  the  existence  of 
this  class  of  highly  organized  beings  have  been  brought  to 
light. 

Triassic  Epoch. — In  the  Triassic  or  New  Red  argillaceous 
sandstones  of  the  Valley  of  the  Connecticut  River,  the 
remarkable  foot-tracks  described  in  a  previous  chapter,  and 
of  which  there  are  illustrative  examples  in  Room  I.  (ante, 
p.  13),  seem  to  render  it  highly  probable  that  birds  of 
great  size,  and  referable  to  numerous  species  and  genera, 
existed  during  the  period  when  the  Triassic  strata  of  the 


ROOM    II.  FOSSIL   REMAINS   OF  BIRDS.  91 

United  States  were  deposited ;  but,  unfortunately,  notwith- 
standing the  preponderance  of  the  evidence  in  favour  of  the 
ornithic  origin  of  these  mysterious  imprints  on  the  rocks,  the 
only  certain  proofs — remains  of  the  skeleton — are  still 
wanting  :  no  bones  of  animals  of  a  'higher  class  than  fishes 
and  reptiles  having  been  discovered. 

Oolitic  and  Wealden  Epochs.  —  In  the  vast  fluviatile 
formation,  the  Wealden  of  the  South-East  of  England,  which 
abounds  in  the  remains  of  terrestrial  plants  and  reptiles, 
numerous  fragments  of  bones  of  such  tenuity  as  to  show  that 
they  belonged  to  animals  capable  of  flight,  have  from  time  to 
time  been  collected,  since  my  discovery  and  announcement,  in 
1822,  of  the  occurrence  of  supposed  bones  of  birds  in  the 
strata  of  Tilgate  Forest.  Some  of  the  bones  in  my  collection 
were  regarded,  by  Baron  Cuvier,  and  subsequently  by  other 
eminent  anatomists,  as  unquestionably  those  of  birds ;  one  spe- 
cimen especially  was  conceived  to  be  decisive  of  the  question, 
for  Professor  Owen  supposed  it  to  be  the  tarso-metatarsal  of 
a  wader,  with  the  oval  cicatrix  for  the  attachment  of  the  hind 
toe ;  but  this  fossil  ultimately  proved  to  be  the  distal  end  of 
a  humerus. 

Later  observations  have  shown  that  it  is  probable  all  the 
presumed  ornithic  remains  from  the  Wealden  belong  to 
Pterodactyles,  as  well  as  those  from  the  oolitic  strata  of 
Stonesfield.  The  microscopic  examination  of  some  of  the 
thin  cylindrical  bones  from  each  of  these  formations,  by  Mr. 
Quekett  and  Mr.  Bowerbank,  has,  however,  revealed  a  struc- 
ture which  these  gentlemen  regard  as  exclusively  ornithic. 

Cretaceom  Epoch. — In  the  Chalk  formation  many  osseous 
remains  of  animals  capable  of  flight,  as  indicated  by  the 
articulations,  and  the  extreme  tenuity  of  the  walls  of  the 
bones,  have  been  obtained  from  Burham  quarries,  near 
Maidstone.  Some  of  these  specimens  have  been  figured  and 
described  by  Professor  Owen  as  those  of  a  bird  allied  to  the 
Albatross,  under  the  name  of  Cimoliornis  Diomedeiis  ; l  but  the 
occurrence  in  the  same  strata  of  the  skull,  jaws  with  teeth,  and 
other  unquestionable  bones  of  gigantic  Pterodactyles,  and  the 
absence,  in  the  fossils,  of  osteological  characters  exclusively 

i  "  British  Fossils,  Mammals,  and  Birds,"  p.  545 ;  and  Dixon's  «  Fossils 
of  Sussex,"  p.  403. 


92  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.    II. 

ornithic,  support  the  conclusion  that  these  also  must  be 
ascribed  to  flying  reptiles. 

The  enormous  size  of  the  bones,  however,  indicating  an 
expanse  of  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  extremity  of  one  wing 
across  to  that  of  the  other,  and  suggesting  the  idea  of  a  flying 
reptile  equal  in  magnitude  to  the  fabled  Roc  of  Arabian 
story,  threw  doubts  on  the  pterodactylian  nature  of  these 
remains ;  but  Mr.  Bowerbank  has  lately  obtained  from  the 
same  quarry  portions  of  an  upper  jaw  with  teeth,  so  large, 
that  the  head  of  the  creature  to  which  it  belonged  could  not 
have  been  less  than  sixteen  or  seventeen  inches  in  length ; l  a 
size  proportionate  to  that  of  the  bones  of  the  extremities 
above  alluded  to. 

But  although  no  certain  vestiges  of  birds  have  yet  been 
discovered  in  the  Wealden  or  Cretaceous  formations,  I  think 
there  are  good  reasons  for  supposing  that  such  remains  will 
sooner  or  later  be  brought  to  light :  for  independently  of  the 
ornithic  structure  detected  by  the  microscope,  I  had  from  the 
Wealden  a  portion  of  an  ulna,  on  which  there  was  a  row  of 
distinct  eminences,  as  in  birds,  for  the  attachment  of  the 
large  wing-feathers ;  this  specimen  was  in  the  collection 
purchased  by  the  Trustees  of  the  British  Museum. 

Tertiary  Epoch. — In  the  most  ancient  tertiary  strata,  bones 
of  several  genera  of  birds  occur ;  in  the  Sub-Himalayan 
deposits  they  are  associated  with  relics  of  the  extinct  probosci- 
dean mammalia  of  India  :  in  those  of  the  Paris  Basin,  with 
remains  of  Paleeotheria,  &c.  From  the  miocene  and  pliocene 
lacustrine  deposits  of  Auvergne,  bones,  and  even  egg-shells, 
of  several  kinds  of  aquatic  birds  have  been  obtained. 

The  ossiferous  caverns  which  abound  in  the  bones  and 
teeth  of  numerous  carnivora,  often  contain  the  remains  of 
existing  genera  of  birds.  In  the  Cave  of  Kirkdale,  Dr. 
Buckland  discovered  bones  of  species  of  raven,  pigeon,  duck, 
lark,  snipe,  &c.2 

The  fossil  bones  of  birds,  however,  even  in  the  most  recent 
deposits,  were  of  such  rare  occurrence,  as  to  be  ranked  by  the 


1  Described  by  Mr.  Bowerbank  under  the  name  of  Pterodactyls 
giganteus.     Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society. 

2  See  "Reliquiae  Diluvianae,"  p.  34;  "Medals  of  Creation,"  A  rt.  "  OIINI- 

THOLITES/'  p.  795. 


ROOM  II.         THE  MOA  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  93 

collector  of  organic  remains  among  the  most  precious  of  his 
acquisitions  :  until  a  few  years  ago,  when  a  most  extraordinary 
discovery  in  New  Zealand  astonished  and  delighted  the  palae- 
ontologist, by  placing  before  him  hundreds  of  bones  of  extinct 
genera  of  birds,  some  of  which  must  have  far  surpassed  in 
stature  the  most  gigantic  living  biped — the  Ostrich. 

THE  MOA  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. — Native  Traditions.1 — In 
various  districts  of  New  Zealand  there  had  been  occasionally 
observed  in  the  beds  of  the  mountain-torrents  and  rivers, 
bones  of  several  kinds  of  birds,  of  almost  incredible  magni- 
tude. 

The  Maoris,  or  natives,  were  acquainted  with  the  occurrence 
of  such  bones  long  ere  the  country  was  visited  by  Europeans  ; 
and  traditions  were  rife  among  them  that  a  race  of  gigantic 
birds  formerly  existed  in  great  numbers,  and  served  as  food  to 
their  remote  ancestors.  They  also  believed  that  some  of  the 
largest  species  had  been  seen  alive  within  the  memory  of 
man,  and  that  individuals  were  still  existing  in  the  unfre- 
quented and  inaccessible  parts  of  the  country.  They  called 
the  bird  MOA,  and  stated  that  its  head  and  tail  were  adorned 
with  plumes  of  magnificent  feathers,  which  were  worn  and 
much  prized  by  their  ancient  chiefs  as  ornaments  of  dis- 
tinction. The  bones  were  sought  for  with  avidity,  and  were 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  lures  for  fish-hooks,  and  other 
implements. 

The  first  European  who  appears  to  have  taken  cognizance 
of  these  facts,  and  paid  attention  to  the  native  traditions  on 
the  subject,  was  the  intelligent  and  active  missionary,  the 
Rev.  W.  Colenso,  who  in  a  journey  to  the  East  Cape  District 
with  the  Rev.  J.  Williams,  had  his  curiosity  strongly  excited 
by  the  accounts  given  by  the  natives  of  the  prodigious 

1  The  following  account  of  the  Fossil  Birds  of  New  Zealand  comprises 
the  substance  of  a  Lecture  delivered  by  the  Author  before  the  BRITISH 
ASSOCIATION  OP  SCIENCE  at  Edinburgh,  August  5th,  1851.  The  history 
of  the  discovery  is  drawn  up  from  various  sources ;  principally  from 
the  letters  of  my  eldest  son,  MR.  WALTER  MANTELL,  of  Wellington,  who 
has  resided  in  the  colony  upwards  of  eleven  years  :  the  geological  facts 
"are  entirely  the  result  of  his  personal  observations.  The  anatomical 
descriptions,  and  the  determination  of  ihe  zoological  characters  and 
relations  of  the  various  species  and  genera,  are  chiefly  abstracts  of  the 
valuable  "  Memoirs  on  the  Di  norms,  &c.,"  by  PROFESSOR  OWEN,  in  the 
"  Zoological  Transactions"  vols.  iii.  and  iv. 


94  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.    II. 

size  and  strength  of  the  Moa,  which  they  affirmed  was  still 
living ;  and  they  alleged  in  proof  of  the  accuracy  of  their 
statements,  the  enormous  bones  occasionally  discovered  in 
the  neighbouring  river-channels.  After  much  labour  and 
research,  Mr.  Colenso  at  length  procured  a  few  specimens, 
and  subsequently  a  considerable  number  were  collected  by 
the  Rev.  W.  Williams,  a  masterly  account  of  which  was 
drawn  up  by  the  former  gentleman,  and  published  in  the 
Tasmanian  Journal.1 

HISTORY  OF  THE  DISCOVERY. — In  November,  1839,  British 
naturalists  were  first  made  acquainted  with  the  discovery  of 
bones  of  colossal  ostrich-like  birds  in  New  Zealand,  by  the  frag- 
ment of  a  thigh-bone  of  a  bird  much  larger  than  that  of  the 
Ostrich,  which  had  been  brought  to  England  by  a  Mr.  RULE,  who 
lent  the  specimen  to  Professor  Owen,  by  whom  it  was  described 
in  the  "Zoological  Transactions."  This  bone  was  part  of  the  shaft 
of  a  femur,  with  both  extremities  wanting ;  it  was  about  six 
inches  in  length,  and  five  and  a  half  inches  in  its  smallest 
circumference.  From  the  form  and  structure  of  this  frag- 
ment, it  was  inferred  that  it  belonged  to  a  struthious  bird, 
heavier  and  more  sluggish  than  the  Ostrich,  with  thighs 
and  legs  shorter  and  thicker ;  its  proportions  mor,e  nearly 
resembling  those  of  the  Dodo,  than  of  any  of  the  existing 
Struthionidee.  "The  discovery  of  this  relic  of  a  large 
struthious  bird  in  New  Zealand,"  observes  Professor  Owen, 
"is  one  of  peculiar  interest  on  account  of  the  remarkable 
character  of  the  existing  fauna  of  that  island,  which  still 
includes  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  and  anomalous  genera 
of  the  order — the  Apteryx  ;  and  because  of  the  close  analogy 
which  the  event  indicated  by  the  present  relic  offers  to  the 
extinction  of  the  Dodo  of  the  islands  of  the  Mauritius  and 
Rodrigue."2 

In  Dr.  Dieffenbach's  "Travels  in  New  Zealand,"  (1843,) 
under  the  article  Apteryx  Australis,  there  is  the  following 
notice: — "To  this  order  (Struthionidse)  probably  belongs 
a  bird,  now  extinct,  called  Moa  or  Movie  by  the  natives.  The 

1  See  Appendix  A.  Mr.  Colenso's  Memoir. 

2  "Zoological  Transactions,"  Vol.  111.  Part  I.     It  is  much  to  be 
regretted  that  this  first  specimen  was  not  preserved  in  the  College  of 
Surgeons ;  but  Mr.  Rule  informed  me  the  purchase  of  it  was  declined, 
and  he  afterwards  sold  it  for  3Z.  to  Mr.  Bright,  of  Bristol. 


ROOM  II.         GEOLOGY  OP  NEW  ZEALAND.  95 

evidences  are  a  bone  very  little  fossilized,  which  was  brought 
from  New  Zealand  by  Mr.  Rule  to  Mr.  Gray,  and  by  him  sent 
to  Professor  Richard  Owen.  I  possess  drawings  of  similar 
bones,  and  of  what  may  possibly  be  a  claw  of  the  same  bird, 
which  are  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  R.  Taylor,  of  Waimate. 
They  were  found  on  the  east  coast  of  the  North  Island,  and 
were  brought  down  by  rivulets  from  a  neighbouring  mountain 
called  Hikorangi."1 

In  1843,  a  collection,  comprising  vertebrae,  and  bones  of 
the  hinder  extremities,  pelvis,  &c.,  were  transmitted  by  the 
Rev.  W.  Williams  to  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  (Dr.  Buck- 
land ;)  and  in  1846  many  specimens  were  sent  to  England  by 
Dr.  Mackellar,  Mr.  Percy  Earle,  and  Colonel  Wakefield. 
These  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  Professor  Owen,  and  form 
the  subject  of  his  first  and  second  "  Memoirs  on  the  Dinornis," 
in  the  "Zoological  Transactions,"  Vol.  III.,  in  which  the 
genera  Dinornis,  Palapteryx,  <fcc.,  were  established. 

In  1846  and  1847,  my  eldest  son,  Mr.  Walter  Mantell,  of 
Wellington,  who  had  resided  several  years  in  the  colony, 
explored  every  known  locality  of  these  fossil  bones  within  his 
reach,  in  the  North  Island ;  and  went  into  the  interior  of  the 
country,  and  located  with  the  natives,  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  specimens,  and  of  ascertaining  whether  any  of  these 
gigantic  birds  were  still  in  existence  ;  resolving,  if  there 
appeared  to  be  the  least  chance  of  success,  to  penetrate  into 
the  unfrequented  regions,  and  obtain  a  live  Moa.  The  infor- 
mation gathered  from  the  natives  offered  no  encouragement 
to  follow  up  the  pursuit,  but  tended  to  confirm  the  idea  that 
this  race  of  colossal  bipeds  was  extinct ;  the  last  individuals 
having,  in  all  probability,  like  the  Dodo,  been  exterminated 
by  human  agency,  within  a  comparatively  recent  period  :  or 
that  if  any  of  the  species  whose  bones  occur  in  a  fossil  state 
are  still  living,  they  will  prove  to  be  of  comparatively  small 
types  related  to  the  Apteryx,  the  living  diminutive  represen- 
tative of  the  stupendous  ostrich-like  birds  which  once  trod 
the  soil  of  New  Zealand. 

My  son  succeeded,  however,  in  forming  the  most  interesting 
collection  of  these  remains  hitherto  obtained.  It  comprised 
between  seven  and  eight  hundred  bones  belonging  to  birds  of 

1  "  Travels  in  New  Zealand,"  vol.  ii.  p.  195. 


96  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

various  species  and.  genera,  and  differing  considerably  in 
magnitude  and  age ;  some  belonging  to  very  young  individuals 
in  which  the  epiphyses  of  the  long  bones  are  distinct  from  the 
shaft ;  while  others  are  those  of  adult  and  aged  birds.  The 
chief  part  of  this  collection  is  deposited  in  the  Table-Cases 
15,  16,  17.1 

GEOLOGY  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. — The  fossil  bones  of  birds 
from  New  Zealand,  in  the  British  Museum,  have  been 
obtained  from  two  localities,  which  are  several  hundred  miles 
distant  from  each  other;  one  being  in  the  North,  and  the 
other  in  the  South  Island ;  and  the  deposits  in  which  they 
occur  differ  considerably  in  their  geological  and  mineral ogical 
character. 

As  the  interest  of  these  fossil  remains  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  physical  conditions  under  which  they  were 
deposited,  we  will  first  briefly  explain  the  geological  structure 
of  the  country,  and  afterwards  .describe  the  localities  whence 
the  bones  were  obtained. 

NEW  ZEALAND  is  situated  in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean,  lying 
between  the  thirtieth  and  fiftieth  degrees  of  south  latitude, 
and  forming  a  group  of  three  mountainous  islands,  which  in 
their  aggregate  extent  equal  that  of  England  and  Wales.  Its 
geological  structure  is  with  difficulty  determined,  owing  to  the 
primeval  forests  which  fringe  the  coasts ;  and  where  these 
have  been  destroyed  by  ancient  conflagrations,  by  impenetrable 
thickets  of  esculent  ferns.  The  fundamental  rock  is  clay- 
slate,  and  this  is  frequently  traversed  by  greenstone  dykes,  as 
at  Port  Nicholson,  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  and  "Cloudy 
Bay. 

On  the  banks  of  the  rivers  Eritonga,  Waibo,  and  along 
some  parts  of  the  sea-coast,  there  are  horizontal  terraces  of 
trap-boulders  fifty  feet  high.  Anthracite  crops  out  in  the 
harbour  of  Wangarua ;  and  there  is  a  seam  of  the  same 
mineral  intercalated  in  the  sandstone  on  the  east  shores  of  the 
North  Island. 

The  coasts  are  in  many  places  skirted  by  recent  horizontal 
sediments,  consisting  of  loam  with  fragments  of  wood  and 
fern,  &c.  The  small  rocky  islets  of  trachyte  off  the  coast  of 

1  This  collection  was  purchased  hy  the  Trustees  of  the  British  Museum 
for  200?.    See  Appendix  B.  Mr.  Walter  ManteU's  Collection. 


ROOM  II.         GEOLOGY  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  97 

the  Northern  Island,  bear  marks  of  wave-action  to  the  height 
of  100  feet  above  the  present  sea-level.  In  the  interior  of  this 
island  there  is  a  lofty  central  group  of  volcanic  mountains, 
some  of  the  cones  being  still  in  activity ;  the  ancient  lava- 
streams  appear  to  have  been  erupted  from  the  base  of  the 
craters.  The  highest  mountains  are  Tongariro,  which  is  esti- 
mated at  six  thousand  feet  in  height,  and  Mount  Egmpnt,  at 
nine  thousand  feet :  the  summits  are  covered  with  perpetual 
snow.  There  are  many  lakes  which  appear  to  occupy  extinct 
ancient  craters.  Earthquakes  are  not  unfrequent,  and  of  late 
years  some  have  occurred  of  unusual  violence,  from  which  the 
town  of  Wellington  suffered  considerably. 

The  comparatively  modern  terraces  of  loam  and  gravel  which 
stretch  along  the  coasts  at  an  elevation  of  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  attest  that  great  changes  in  the 
relative  level  of  land  and  water  have  taken  place  at  no  very 
distant  period.  The  existing  rivers  of  New  Zealand  almost 
everywhere  cut  deeply  through  accumulations  of  volcanic 
detritus  which  in  some  places  contain  birds'  bones ;  and 
these  beds  are  here  and  there  covered  by  marine  and  fresh- 
water deposits  of  very  modern  origin.  All  these  phenomena 
indicate  the  oscillations  to  which  the  land  has  recently  been 
subjected. 

In  the  Middle  Island,  according  to  my  son's  observations, 
as  in  the  Northern,  the  lowermost  visible  rocks  are  clay-slate 
and  metamorphic  schists,  intersected  by  dykes  of  greenstone, 
and  compact  and  amygdaloidal  basalt;  and  in  some  places 
there  are  intruded  masses  of  obsidian,  and  other  volcanic 
products.  Hornblende  and  porphyritic  rocks,  gneiss  and 
serpentine  occur ;  but  granite  has  not  been  observed. 

Mountain  ranges  of  schistose  and  metamorphic  rocks  extend 
through  the  country,  from  near  Cloudy  Bay  on  the  north- 
east, to  the  south-western  extremity  of  the  Island,  a  distance 
of  between  three  and  four  hundred  miles ;  their  crests  every- 
where attain  an  elevation  above  the  line  of  perpetual  snow, — 
hence  they  were  named  the  Southern  Alps  by  Captain  Cook. 
These  hills  are  flanked  by  volcanic  grits,  and  covered  at  their 
base  by  alluvial  deposits,  that  have  evidently  originated  from 
the  decomposition  of  trachytic  rocks  and  earthy  lavas. 

No  active  volcanoes  are  known  in  the  Middle  Island,  nor 
have  any  extinct  craters  been  discovered :  but  as  the  physical 


98  PETRIFACTIONS    AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.   II. 

structure  of  the  interior  of  the  country,  and  especially  of  the 
Alpine  districts,  has  been  but  imperfectly  explored  by  Euro- 
peans, no  conclusive  inferences  can  be  drawn  from  this  nega- 
tive evidence. 

Beds  of  limestone,  composed  of  organisms  similar  in  their 
generic  types  to  those  which  prevail  in  certain  cretaceous 
strata  wof  Europe,  appear  in  a  few  places  along  the  eastern 
coast,  from  near  Morakura  to  Kakaunui :  but  their  relation 
to  the  adjacent  plutonic  and  metamorphic  rocks  has  not  been 
ascertained. 

A  pleistocene,  or  modern  tertiary  blue  clay,  abounding  in 
shells  of  species  existing  in  the  neighbouring  ocean,  overlies 
the  limestone  at  Onekakara ;  and  is  in  many  places  covered 
by  alluvial  deposits  of  gravel,  sand,  conglomerate,  and  loam, 
which  form  the  superficial  soil  of  the  vast  plains  that  are 
spread  over  the  eastern  side  of  the  central  mountain-chain. 
On  the  western  shore  of  the  North  Island,  beds  of  clay  with 
similar  fossil  shells  occur  beneath  the  ossiferous  deposits,  as 
we  shall  presently  have  occasion  to  notice. 

In  many  places  there  are  alluvial  plains  of  loam,  clay,  and 
gravel,  overgrown  by  ancient  forests ;  and  extensive  mud  and 
sand-flats,  formed  by  the  existing  streams  and  rivers,  at  their 
embouchures,  and  in  their  tortuous  course  from  the  mountain 
ranges  whence  they  take  their  rise,  till  they  reach  the  sea- 
shore.1 

OSSIFEROUS  DEPOSIT  AT  WAIKOUAITI.  The  fossil  birds' 
bones  in  the  Wall-case  B,  were  collected  by  Percy  Earle,  Esq.2 
and  like  those  transmitted  to  England  by  Dr.  Mackellar,  and 
the  late  Col.  Wakefield,  are  for  the  most  part  of  a  dark 
brown  colour,  strongly  impregnated  with  tannin,  and  more 
or  less  permeated  by  phosphate  and  carbonate  of  iron  ;  they 
resemble  in  their  appearance  and  state  of  mineralisation,  the 
bones  of  the  Irish  Elk,  Mastodon,  and  Mammoth,  &c.  dug  up 
from  peat-bogs  and  morasses.  They  were  obtained  from 
a  submerged  swamp,  visible  only  at  low  water,  that  is  situated 

1  See  "  Memoirs  on  the  Geology,  and  Fossil  Remains  of  Birds  of  New 
Zealand,  from  Notes  and  Observations  by  Walter  Mantell,  Esq."   "  Geo- 
logical Journal,"  Vol.  IV.  Part  I.  and  Vol.  VI.  p.  319. 

2  This  collection  was  purchased  of  Mr.  Percy  Earle  by  the  Trustees 
of  the  British  Museum,  for  130/.     Many  of  the  specimens  are  figured 
and  described  in  "  Zoological  Transactions,"  Vol.  III.  pp.  313—319. 


ROOM  II. 


MOA-BED   AT   WAIKOUATI. 


99 


afl 


on  the  south-eastern  shore  of  the  Middle  Island.  The  fol- 
lowing account  of  this  locality  is  extracted  from  Mr.  Walter 
Mantell's  notes  : — 

"  Near  Waikouaiti,  seventeen  miles  north  of  Otago,  there 
is  a  headland  called  Island  Point,  about  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  in  length  and  150  feet  in  height ; 
it  consists  of  sandy  clay,  distinctly  stra- 
tified, and  traversed  by  dykes  of  columnar 
trap,  the  columns  being  at  right  angles 
to  the  sides  of  the  veins.     In  a  little 
bight  south   of    Island   Point,  on  the 
side  of  the  bar  which  unites  that  head- 
land to   the  mainland  at  the  entrance 
of  the  river  Waikouati,  in  front  of  the 
^  native  Kaika,  named  Makuku,  is  situated 
w   the  exposed  part  of  the  so-called  turbary 
H   deposit,  whence  bones  of  Moas  and  other 
I   birds  of  various  kinds,  have  been   ob- 
tained in  such  number  and  perfection. 
This  bed  is  about  three  feet  in  depth 
<      and  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  in 
s  ^   length,  and  lies  immediately  on  a  stratum 
of  tertiary  blue  clay  j  its  inland  boundary- 
is  obscured  by  vegetation,  and  appears 
to  be  of  very  limited  extent ;  the  bed 
is  entirely  submerged,  and  only  visible 
when  the  tide  has  receded. 

"  It  consists  almost  wholly  of  decayed 
vegetable   matter,   and    its    surface    is 
studded  with  the  undisturbed  roots  of 
small  trees  which  appear  to  have  been 
burnt   to  the  ground  at   some  remote 
period.  It  is  a  light,  sandy,  elastic  earth, 
of  a  blackish  brown  colour,  and  emits  a 
strong  fetid  odour  when  first  collected, 
from    the    large    quantity   of    animal 
matter  it  contains.      I  conceive  it  was 
originally  a  swamp  or  morass,  in  which  the  New  Zealand  flax 
(Phormium  tenax,)  once  grew  luxuriantly.     It  is  now  covered 
by  a  thin  layer  of  sand  when  exposed  at  low  water. 
"  "  The  above  sketch  of  the  coast,  (Lign.  24,)  will  serve  to  illus- 


100  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIE   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

trate  the  position  of  this  remarkable  ossiferous  deposit  of 
the  colossal  birds  of  New  Zealand.  The  appearance  and  con- 
dition of  the  bones  are  similar  to  those  of  mammalia  im- 
bedded in  peat-bogs.  They  have  acquired  a  rich  umber 
colour,  and  their  texture  is  tough  and  firm  ;  they  contain 
a  large  proportion  of  animal  matter,  even  the  periosteum  is 
in  some  instances  preserved. 

"  Although  bones  of  several  species  of  Moa,  especially  of  the 
largest  kinds,  have  been  collected  from  this  locality  in  consi- 
derable numbers  and  in  great  perfection,  yet  as  the  bed  is 
rapidly  diminishing  from  the  inroads  of  the  sea,  there  is 
great  reason  to  fear  that  it  will  be  entirely  washed  away, 
without  yielding  to  the  palaeontologist  all  the  desired  in- 
formation respecting  the  extinct  animals  whose  relics  it 
enshrines  ;  for  the  natives  and  whalers  are  well  aware  of  the 
interest  attached  to  the  bones  by  Europeans,  and  they  seize 
indiscriminately  on  any  specimen  exposed  by  the  receding 
tide,  and  if  it  cannot  be  readily  extracted  they  break  it  off, 
and  thus  many  a  valuable  relic  has  been  destroyed.  Their 
cupidity  and  avarice  have  too  been  so  much  excited  by  the 
large  rewards  injudiciously  given  by  casual  visitors,  that  the 
cost  of  specimens  has  increased  to  an  unreasonable  amount." 

An  earnest  of  the  invaluable  treasures  that  might  be 
obtained  by  careful  research,  is  afforded  by  the  entire  series 
of  bones  (26  in  number)  of  a  pair  of  feet  and  legs  of  the 
largest  species  of  Moa  (Dinornis  robustus),  that  were  found 
standing  erect,  the  one  about  a  yard  in  advance  of  the  other, 
with  the  proximal  ends  of  the  two  shank-bones  just  visible 
above  the  soil.  These  were  carefully  extracted  bone  by  bone, 
and  ticketed  on  the  spot  by  my  son,  so  that  I  was  enabled  to 
have  them  articulated  as  in  a  recent  skeleton  ;  and  they  now 
constitute  an  unique  example  of  the  bones  of  the  feet  found  in 
natural  connexion,  and  show  the  original  form  and  structure 
of  these  organs  in  the  extinct  colossal  birds  of  our  Antipodes.1 
From  the  position  of  these  bones,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  as 
my  son  observes,  that  the  unfortunate  Moa  was  mired  in  the 
swamp,  and  unable  to  extricate  itself,  perished  on  the  spot : 

1  The  frontispiece  of  the  "  Pictorial  Atlas,"  is  a  beautiful  lithograph 
of  one  of  these  feet  by  Mr.  Diiikel,  one-third  nat.  size.  See  pp.  10—12 
of  that  work. 


ROOM  II.        OSSIFEROUS   DEPOSITS   OF   NEW   ZEALAND.  101 

in  like  manner  as  the  groups  of  Irish  Elks  occasionally  found 
in  England,  and  the  mammoths  and  mastodons  in  the  bone- 
licks  or  ancient  swamps  of  America, 

OSSIFEROUS  DEPOSIT  IN  THE  NORTH  ISLAND.  The  bones 
collected  by  my  son  from  the  North  Island  (deposited  in  the 
Table-cases,  15,  16,  17,)  present  a  very  different  appearance 
from  those  of  Waikouaiti  above  described.  Instead  of  being 
heavy  and  of  a  dark  colour,  and  permeated  by  silt  and  iron, 
they  are  light  and  porous,  and  of  a  delicate  fawn-colour  ;  the 
most  fragile  processes  are  entire,  and  the  articulating  surfaces 
of  the  joints  smooth  and  uninjured ;  even  portions  of  egg- 
shells, and  mandibles,  and  the  bony  rings  of  the  tracheae  or 
air-tubes,  are  preserved. 

In  their  general  aspect  these  bones  resemble  those  of  the 
carnivora  from  the  ossiferous  caverns  of  Germany.  Their 
state  of  preservation  is  evidently  due  to  the  material  in  which 
they  were  imbedded,  which  is  a  loose  volcanic  sand  (termed 
menaccanite)  containing  titaniferous  iron,  crystals  of  horn- 
blende and  augite,  &c,  the  detritus  of  volcanic  rocks  and 
earthy  tuff.  The  sand  has  filled  all  the  cavities  and  cancelli 
that  have  external  openings,  but  is  in  no  instance  consoli- 
dated or  aggregated  together;  it  is  easily  removed  by  a 
soft  brush.  The  following  extract  from  my  son's  letter,  dated 
Wellington,  June,  1847,  details  the  circumstances  under 
which  this  most  interesting  collection  was  formed  : — 

"  On  the  western  shore  of  the  North  Island,  about  sixty 
miles  south-west  of  New  Plymouth,  there  is  a  stream  called 
Waingongoro,  which  empties  itself  into  the  sea  at  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Waimate  in  the  Ng£tirtianui  dis- 
trict. Part  of  the  neighbouring  country  is  elevated  table- 
land, with  deep  tortuous  gullies,  through  which  the  torrents 
and  streams  take  their  course  to  the  sea.  That  of  Waingon- 
goro, which  is  as  tortuous  as  any  of  them,  takes  its  rise  in 
the  neighbouring  volcanic  ridge,  and  has  evidently  at  a 
former  period  discharged  itself  far  distant  from  its  present 
embouchure,  as  is  proved  by  the  existence  of  a  line  of  cliffs 
which  extends  inland,  and  has  manifestly  been  produced  by 
the  corroding  action  of  the  river.  Driven  from  its  course, 
probably,  by  a  change  in  the  relative  level  of  the  land  and 
sea,  the  stream  has  formed  its  present  channel,  which  cuts 
through  a  bed  of  loose  conglomerate,  100  feet  thick,  over- 


102  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

lying  a  deposit  of  finely  laminated  sand,  which  covers  a  thick 
stratum  of  blue  clay  full  of  shells.  The  conglomerate  con- 
sists of  pebbles  and  large  boulders  of  an  infinite  variety 
of  volcanic  rocks  :  the  clay  is  the  lowermost  visible  bed ;  the 
shells  it  contains  are  marine,  and  resemble  species  existing 
in  the  South  Pacific  Ocean ;  but  I  suspect  many  will  be 
found  specifically  distinct  from  any  recent  forms. 

"  Between  the  two  bluffs  near  the  embouchure  of  the  river, 
there  is  a  sand-flat,  about  200  yards  across,  and  this  on  my 
first  visit  was  strewn  with  bones  of  men,  moas  and  other 
birds,  and  two  species  of  seals.  I  had  some  deep  openings 
made  near  the  foot  of  the  ancient  cliff,  on  the  top  of  which 
is  the  Pa,  or  native  village  of  Ohawetokotoko  ;  and  at  the 
same  level  as  the  flat  on  which  I  had  observed  the  strewn 
fragments  of  bones,  I  came  to  a  regular  ossiferous  deposit. 
The  bones,  however,  though  perfect,  were  as  soft  and  plastic 
as  putty,  so  that  if  grasped  strongly  they  changed  as  it  were 
by  magic  into  pipe-clay,  and  it  was  necessary  to  dig  them  up 
with  great  care,  and  expose  them  to  the  air  and  sun  to  dry, 
before  they  could  be  packed  up  and  removed. 

"  Unfortunately  the  natives  soon  caught  sight  of  my  opera- 
tions, and  came  down  in  swarms, — men,  women,  and  children, 
— trampling  on  the  bones  I  had  carefully  extracted  and  laid 
out  to  dry,  and  seizing  upon  eveiy  morsel  exposed  by  the 
spade.  My  patience  was  tried  to  the  utmost,  and  to  avoid 
blows,  I  was  obliged  to  retreat  and  leave  them  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  field;  and  to  work  they  went  in  right  earnest, 
and  quickly  made  sad  havoc.  No  sooner  was  a  bone  per- 
ceived than  a  dozen  natives  pounced  upon  it,  and  began 
scratching  away  the  sand,  and  smashed  the  specimen  at  once.  • 
It  was  with  great  trouble,  and  by  watching  the  opportunity 
of  working  in  the  absence  of  the  Maoris,  that  I  procured 
anything  worth  having. 

"  The  natives  told  me,  and  their  assertion  was  borne  out  by 
the  appearance  of  the  place,  that  within  their  memory  the 
entire  area  had  been  covered  by  drift-sand ;  in  fact  the  bones 
seemed  always  to  be  imbedded  on  or  beneath  an  old  surface 
level.  Columns  of  vertebrae,  when  the  sand  was  carefully 
removed,  were  lying  in  situ  and  perfect,  with,  in  rare  in- 
stances, the  skull  and  pelvis;  but  to  preserve  these  precious 


ROOM  II.  OSSIFEROUS   CAVES   IN   NEW   ZEALAND.  103 

relics  was  impossible  while  beset  by  the  hordes  of  Maoris 
and  I  could  neither  bribe  nor  drive  them  away. 

"  The  largest  femur,  tibia,  and  fibula,  (in  Table-case  15) 
were  lying  in  their  natural  connexion,  the  leg  slightly  bent 
at  the  knee :  a  chain  of  vertebrae  of  corresponding  size  was 
discovered  near  them,  and  I  doubt  not  the  whole  belonged 
to  the  same  colossal  bird. 

"  Mixed  with  the  bones,  but  exceedingly  rare,  were  the 
fragments  of  the  egg-shells.  I  also  found  six  oval  rings  and 
one  broad  circular  ring  of  tracheae.  In  coming  down  from 
Ngamotu,  I  discovered  a  few  more  remains  of  egg-shells: 
one  fragment  is  four  inches  long,  and  affords  a  chord  by 
which  to  estimate  the  size  of  the  original ;  as  a  rough  guess, 
I  may  say  that  a  common  hat  would  have  served  as  an  egg- 
cup  for  it :  what  a  loss*  for  the  breakfast  table  !  And  if 
native  traditions  are  worthy  of  credit,  the  ladies  have  cause 
to  mourn  the  extinction  of  the  Moa :  the  long  feathers  of  its 
crest  were  by  their  remote  ancestors  prized  above  all  other 
ornaments;  those  of  the  White  Crane,  which  now  bear  the 
highest  value,  were  mere  pigeon's  feathers  in  comparison. 

"  The  Maoris  informed  me  that  the  sand-flat  at  Te  Ranga- 
tapu  was  one  of  the  first  spots  on  which  their  ancestors 
located;  and  this  seems  not  improbable,  for  in  digging  in 
various  places  I  found  small  circular  beds  of  ashes,  with 
charcoal  and  bones,  very  ancient,  and  such  as  are  generally 
left  by  the  native  fires  that  have  long  been  burning  on  the 
same  place.  They  contained  calcined  bones  of  men,  dogs, 
and  moas.  Fragments  of  obsidian,  flint,  two  fishing-line 
stones,  and  a  whalebone  meri  (a  sort  of  weapon),  were  also 
dug  up." 

Ossiferous  Caves  in  New  Zealand. — In  a  later  commu- 
nication, my  son  mentions  having  seen  stalactites  from 
limestone  caves,  which  were  said  to  contain  moas'  bones  in 
their  sparry  floors,  but  he  had  not  been  able  to  visit  them. 
This  account  proved  to  be  correct,  and  I  am  indebted  to  the 
kindness  of  Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  Inspector-General  of  the  Army 
Medical  Department,  for  the  following  notice  by  Dr.  A.  S. 
Thompson,  Surgeon  of  the  58th  Regiment: — 

"During  the  month  of  September  (1849),  Servantes,  the 
interpreter  to  the  General  here,  was  told  by  a  native  that  he 
had  discovered  a  cave  in  which  were  many  bones  of  moas. 


104  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIE   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

I  accompanied  him  in  search  of  this  place,  and  was  rewarded 
by  getting  many  curious  specimens,  and  several  skulls  with 
mandibles.  The  beak  very  much  resembles  that  of  the  Os- 
trich or  Emeu. 

"  This  cave  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  North  Island,  in  the 
limestone  formation  which  extends  along  the  coast.  The 
country  around  is  wild,  and  there  are  many  similar  caves, 
which,  we  were  told,  also  contained  bones.  The  popular 
opinion  is  that  the  country  has  been  set  on  fire  by  an  erup- 
tion of  Tongariro,  and  that  all  the  moas  fled  to  the  caves  for 
refuge,  and  there  perished.  From  traditions  and  other  cir- 
cumstances, it  is  supposed  that  the  present  natives  of  New 
Zealand  came  to  these  islands  not  more  than  600  years  ago. 
However  this  may  be,  that  the  Moa  was  alive  when  the  first 
settlers  came  is  evident  from  the 'name  of  this  bird  being 
mixed  up  with  their  songs  and  stories.  One  of  the  bones  I 
obtained  bore  marks  of  having  been  cut  or  chopped,  perhaps 
to  get  at  the  marrow." 1 

FAUNA  AND  FLORA  OP  NEW  ZEALAND. — Before  entering 
upon  the  examination  of  the  relics  of  the  extinct  bipeds  of 
the  Islands  of  the  South  Pacific,  let  us  briefly  consider  the 
characters  of  the  existing  fauna  and  flora,  which  are  as  pecu- 
liar and  remarkable  as  those  we  are  endeavouring  to  decipher 
from  their  fossil  remains. 

New  Zealand  at  the  present  time  offers  the  most  striking 
example  of  a  now  acknowledged  fact  in  every  department  of 
natural  history,  namely,  that  different  areas  of  dry  land  are 
endowed  with  peculiar  forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  exis- 
tences; they  are  centres,  or  foci  of  creation,  so  to  speak,  of 
certain  organic  types.  And  this  law,  with  whose  effects 
through  countless  ages,  geological  researches  have  made  us 
familiar,  appears  to  have  continued  in  unabated  energy  to 
the  present  time. 

Dr.  Dieffenbach  has  the  following  remarks  on  this  sub- 
ject : — 

"  Although  in  its  flora  New  Zealand  has  some  relationship 
with  the  two  large  continents  between  which  it  is  situated, 
— America  and  Australia, — and  even  possesses  some  species 
identical  with  those  of  Europe,  without  the  latter  being 

1  Letter  to  Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  dated  Auckland,  October,  1849. 


ROOM  II.          FAUNA  AND   FLORA   OF   NEW   ZEALAND.  105 

referable  to  an  introduction  by  human  agency,  yet  the 
greater  number  of  species,  and  even  genera,  are  peculiar  to 
the  country.  In  fact,  New  Zealand,  with  the  adjacent 
islands,  Chatham,  Auckland,  and  Macquarrie,  form  a  botanical 
centre,  which  is  sufficiently  distinct  from  both  continents  to 
preserve  its  peculiarities :  and  it  offers  in  this  respect  the 
most  striking  instances  of  the  fact,  that  different  regions  of 
the  earth  are  endowed  with  peculiar  forms  of  animals  and 
vegetables. 

"  The  number  of  species  of  plants  at  present  known 
is  about  650;  of  which  320  are  dicotyledonous,  and  the 
remainder  monocotyledonous  and  cellular,  the  latter  very 
largely  predominating.  The  grasses  have  given  way  to  the 
ferns;  for  ferns,  and  fern-like  plants,  are  the  most  nume- 
rous in  New  Zealand,  and  extend  over  immense  districts. 
They  hold  the  same  place  here  as  do  the  grasses  in  other 
countries.  Some  of  the  arborescent  ferns  grow  to  Upwards 
of  thirty  feet  in  height;  and  the  variety  and  elegance  of 
their  forms,  from  the  minutest  species  to  the  giants  of  their 
kind,  are  most  remarkable."  l 

But  the  fauna  of  New  Zealand  is  yet  more  extraordinary. 
Instead  of  quadrupeds  constituting  a  prominent  feature  in 
the  zoology  of  these  islands,  they  are  almost  entirely  want- 
ing ;  even  of  the  cold-blooded  class, — the  reptiles, — a  few 
diminutive  forms  are  the  sole  representatives.  Of  the  mam- 
malia, there  is  but  one  known  animal  that  can  with  certainty 
be  regarded  as  an  indigenous  species,  namely,  a  frugivorous 
rat ;  and  which  has  rapidly  diminished  in  numbers  since  the 
introduction  of  that  universal  pest,  the  Norway  rat. 

The  natives  affirm  there  is  another  indigenous  terrestrial 
quadruped,  which  they  call  "  Kaurehe :"  but  no  specimen 
has  been  seen  by  the  English  colonists.2 

1  Dr.  Dieflfenbach's  "  New  Zealand." 

2  The  KaurShe.—^  son,  in  his  "  Notes  on  the  Middle  Island,"  has 
the  following  remarks  on  this  subject : — 

"  About  ten  miles  inland  of  Arowenua  Bush  there  is  a  lake  where 
an  indigenous  terrestrial  quadruped,  called  Kaurehe,  is  said  to  exist  ; 
another  reported  habitat  of  this  animal  is  inland  two  days'  journey 
from  Te  Taumutu.  The  KaurZhe  is  the  only  indigenous  quadruped, 
besides  a  species  of  Rat,  that  there  are  any  reasonable  grounds  for  believ- 
ing to  have  been  known  to  the  Maoris  before  the  advent  of  Europeans. 


106  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

With  this  solitary  exception,  the  warm-blooded  vertebrata 
of  these  islands  exclusively  belong  to  the  class  Aves,  or  Birds, 
of  which  there  are  upwards  of  fifty  genera,  comprising  nu- 
merous species,  and  some  very  peculiar  types  :  of  these  the 
well-known  Apteryx  (Kiwi-kiwi  of  the  Maoris)  is  the  most 
remarkable. 

APTERYX  (Ap.  Mantelli.)  —  This  genus  comprises  three 
known  species,  all  of  which  are  restricted  to  the  Islands  of 
New  Zealand.  It  is  referred  by  ornithologists  to  the  group 
or  family  of  Struthionidce,  or  brevipennate  birds,  the  anterior 
extremities  being  quite  rudimentary  in  all  the  species. 

The  largest  kind  (Ap.  Australis)  is  equal  in  bulk  to  a 
small  turkey;  the  second  species  (Ap.  Owenii)  is  smaller,  arid 
measures  eighteen  inches  in  total  length;  the  third  species 
(Ap.  Mantelli,  Lign.  25)  is  of  an  intermediate  size.  The 
colour  of  the  common  species  is  of  a  greyish  chestnut ;  the 

The  native  descriptions,  though  vague  and  fanciful  on  some  points, 
still  appear  to  be  founded  on  facts.  The  first  account  I  obtained  was 
as  follows  :— '  Maopo,  headman  at  Te  Taumutu,  states  that  the  Kaurehe 
lays  eggs  as  large  as  those  of  the  duck.'  (This  suggested  to  me  the  idea 
of  the  Ornithorhynchus.)  '  Our  forefathers  used  to  catch  them,  and  keep 
them  as  pets  :  when  they  broke  loose,  as  they  frequently  did,  they  would 
return  to  the  place  they  had  been  taken  from.  They  still  exist  a  day 
and  a  half's  journey  inland.  We  are  afraid  of  them.  There  are  two 
kinds,— one  living  on  the  land ;  the  other  is  amphibious.' 

"From  Tarawata,  the  principal  person  at  the  Umukaha,  and  who  is 
descended  maternally  from  the  Ngatimanu  (the  first  settlers  in  the 
Middle  Island,  and  who  were  exterminated  by  the  Ngaitahu)  I  received 
a  more  definite  account.  He  informed  me  that  the  length  of  the  animal 
i*  about  two  feet  from  the  point  of  the  nose  to  the  root  of  the  tail ;  the 
fur  grisly  brown— thick  short  legs— bushy  tail— head  between  that  of  a 
dog  and  a  cat— lives  in  holes— the  food  of  the  land  kind  is  lizards,  of 
the  amphibious  kind,  fish— does  not  lay  eggs.  Thinking  of  Marsupials, 
from  our  neighbour-land  New  Holland,  1  made  especial  inquiry  as  to 
an  abdominal  pouch.  The  reply  was  in  the  negative ;  and  altogether 
the  account  pointed  to  an  animal  resembling  the  Otter  or  Badger, 
rather  than  to  the  Beaver,  which  some  persons  have  thought  it  might 
prove  to  be. 

"  I  offered  this  native  a  handsome  remuneration  if  he  would  obtain 
me  a  specimen,  dead  or  alive,  to  be  taken  to  Akaroa,  and  await  my 
arrival;  but  I  saw  him  no  more.  Both  of  the  above  localities  have 
lately  (March,  1849)  been  travelled  over  by  Mr.  Torlesse,  one  of  the 
Surveyors  of  the  Canterbury  Association  ;  but  though  I  especially 
directed  this  gentleman's  attention  to  the  subject,  he  was  unable  to 
obtain  any  more  satisfactory  information  as  to  this  unknown  (to  Euro- 
peans) quadruped."— Letter  from  Mr.  Walter  Mantell. 


ROOM  II.  APTERTX    MANTELLI.  107 

feathers  are  long,  lanceolate,  and  of  hair-like  structure,  as  in 
the  Emeu,  but  each  shaft  bears  only  a  single  plume.  The 
beaks  are  long,  slender,  and  gently  curved,  with  the  nasal 
apertures  at  the  base,  as  in  other  birds  with  a  conformation 
of  bill  adapted  for  plunging  into  water,  or  soft  earth,  or  mud, 
in  quest  of  worms  or  insects ;  by  a  strange  mistake  the 
nostrils  are  stated  by  authors  to  be  at  the  extremity  of  the 
beak.  The  tongue  is  short  and  simple ;  the  hinder  limbs  are 
extremely  powerful ;  the  tarsometatarsals  or  shanks  are  very- 
thick  and  short,  and  covered  with  strong  scales.  There  are 
four  toes ;  the  three  anterior  ones  are  robust  and  armed  with 


LlGN.  25.— APTERYX  MANTELLI:  OF  NEW  ZEALAND. 

(Ap.  Australia,  of  Authors.) 

strong  claws,  well  adapted  for  scratching  up  the  ground :  the 
hind  toe  is  a  thick,  sharp,  horny  spur,  used  as  a  weapon  of 
defence. 

The  wings  are  quite  rudimentary,  and  are  not  visible  in 
the  ordinary  movements  of  the  bird.  There  are  no  vestiges 
of  a  tail. 

These  birds  are  nocturnal  and  burrowing  in  their  habits, 
feeding  on  worms  and  insects,  which  they  readily  detect, 
their  olfactory  nerves  being  highly  developed.  They  inhabit 
densely  wooded  districts.  The  largest  and  the  smallest  species 
are  of  excessive  rarity.  Of  the  former  (Ap.  Australia),  two 
examples  only  are  known ;  namely,  the  original,  figured  and 
named  by  Dr.  Shaw,  and  now  in  the  museum  of  the  Earl 
of  Derby;  and  a  specimen  sent  to  me  by  my  son,  who 
captured  it  in  the  Middle  Island.  Of  the  second  species 
(Ap.  Owenii),  the  skins  of  but  two  or  three  individuals  have 
been  brought  to  England. 


108  PETKIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

The  third  species,  (named  Ap.  Mantelli  by  Mr.  Bartlett),1 
though  not  abundant,  and  asserted  to  be  rapidly  decreasing 
from  the  destruction  occasioned  by  the  native  hunters,  and 
yet  more  from  the  ravages  of  the  wild  cats,  still  exists  in  con- 
siderable numbers  in  the  impenetrable  thickets  of  fern  in  the 
unfrequented  districts  of  the  North  Island.  Thirty  or  forty 
skins  are  said  to  have  been  imported  to  England  last  year, 
and  distributed  among  the  museums  of  Europe  and  America. 
In  the  Zoological  Gallery  of  the  British  Museum,  there  are 
several  examples  of  this  bird  ;  and  one  specimen  of  the 
smallest  species,  which  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Walter  Mantell  in 
the  Middle  Island.2  Many  fossil  bones  of  the  existing  species 
of  Apteryx  were  discovered  by  my  son  at  Waingongoro.3 

These  observations  on  the  living  representatives  of  the 
Struthionidge  of  New  Zealand,  will  prepare  us  for  the  exami- 
nation of  the  fossil  remains  of  the  extinct  giants  of  their  class, 
contained  in  the  cases  in  Room  II. 

DINORNIS.—  Wall-Case  B.— Table-Case  16.  Lign.  26,  27.— 
The  name  Moa  is  applied  indiscriminately  by  the  New  Zea- 
landers  to  all  the  bones  of  a  large  size,  though  belonging  to 
birds  of  very  different  stature  and  configuration.  The 
scientific  term  Dinornis  (indicating  the  prodigious  gigantic 

1  Apteryx  Mantelli. — "Mr.  Bartlett8  exhibited  a  series  of  stuffed 
specimens  of  the  genus  Apteryx,  including  the  original  bird  figured  by 
Dr.  Shaw,  which  was  lent  by  the  Earl  of  Derby  for  this  purpose.     The 
result  of  Mr.  Bartlett's  investigation  goes  to  prove  that  the  Apteryx  in 
the  possession  of  Lord  Derby  was  unique  until  the  arrival  of  the  specimen 
exhibited  to  the  Society,  and  which  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Walter  Mantell 
in  Dusky  Bay,  and  is  now  in  his  father's  collection.    The  species  which 
is  commonly  seen  in  museums,  and  has  hitherto  been  confounded  with 
the  original  Apteryx  Aiistralis  of  Dr.  Shaw,  is  in  reality  distinct,  and 
consequently  without  a  specific  designation ;  Mr.  Bartlett,  after  entering 
fully  into  the  consideration  of  the  distinctive  characters  of  this  species, 
proposed  to  name  it  Apteryx  Mantelli,  in  honour  of  the  young  naturalist 
whose  researches  had  enabled  the  error  to  be  detected." — Proceedings  of 
the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  December  10,  1850. 

2  On  the  structure  of  the  Apteryx,  see  Professor  Owen's  Memoirs  in 
the  "  Zoological  Transactions." 

3  Apteryx  Owenii  and  Ap.  Mantelli,  are  figured  and  described  by 
Mr.  Gould  in  his  splendid  work  on  the  "  Birds  of  Australia ;"  the  latter 
species  under  the  name  of  A.  Australia. 

a  Mr.  Bartlett  is  the  eminent  taxidermist  of  No.  23,  Great  College 
Street,  Camden  Town;  to  whom  I  entrusted  the  skins  of  Notornis, 
Apteryx,  &c.  to  be  stuffed  and  mounted. 


110  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  II. 


LIGN.  26.    SIDE  VIEW  OF  THE  CRANIUM. 


a      a 
LIGN.  27.  BACK  VIEW  OF  THE  CRANIUM. 

a.  a.  Basi-occipitals. 

b.  b.  Par-occipitals. 


ROOM  II.  MOA  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  Ill 

proportions  of  the  largest  species),  is  now  restricted  to  the  most 
remarkable  ornithic  type  hitherto  observed  either  in  a  recent 
or  fossil  state,  and  of  which  there  is  in  the  case  before  us  the 
only  cranium  and  upper  mandible  that  has  been  discovered. 

As  the  typical  crania  and  many  of  the  bones  in  this  collec- 
tion are  figured  and  minutely  described  in  Vol.  III.  of  the 
Zoological  Transactions,  I  would  refer  the  scientific  observer 
to  the  original  memoirs,  and  confine  myself  to  a  concise  com- 
mentary on  the  anatomical  characters  of  a  few  of  the  principal 
specimens.1 

Of  the  Dinornis  there  is  a  nearly  perfect  cranium,  with  the 
upper  mandible  and  portions  of  two  other  skulls,  in  Table-Case 
1 6.  This  specimen  is  represented  in  profile  (half  the  natural 
size  in  linear  dimensions)  in  Lign.  26  :  and  the  occipital 
region  or  hind  part  of  the  cranium  in  Lign.  27. 

Cranium  of  Dinornis. — The  cranium  of  the  Dinornis,  espe- 
cially in  the  temporal  and  occipital  regions,  is  wholly  unlike 
any  hitherto  observed  in  the  class  of  Birds,  and  approaches 
that  of  Reptiles.  It  is  characterized  by  the  nearly  vertical 
occipital  plane,  the  elevated  form  and  position  of  the  foramen 
magnum,  the  great  development  below  the  occipital  con- 
dyle,  and  the  strong  ridges  which  border  the  basi-occipitals, 
and  indicate  an  extraordinary  power  in  the  muscles  that 
moved  the  head.  (See  Lign.  27.)  The  temporal  fossae  are  very 
deep,  and  are  strengthened  by  a  prolongation  of  the  mastoid 
process,  which  is  united  to  the  frontal,  and  forms  what  may 
be  termed  a  lateral  zygomatic  arch.  The  tympanic  bone  has 
two  distinct  cusps  for  articulation  with  the  double  condyle  of 
the  os  quadratum. 

In  no  bird  is  the  extent  of  surface  for  the  attachment  of 
muscles  at  the  back  of  the  head  so  great,  or  so  strongly 
marked  by  ridges  and  depressions,  as  in  the  Dinornis.  The 
extension  of  the  occipital  surface  in  breadth  by  the  expansion 
of  the  paroccipitals,  (Lign.  27,  6.  6.)  and  downwards  by  the 
thick  wedge-shaped  development  and  abrupt  descent  of  the 
basi-occipital  sphenoidal  area  (Lign.  27,  a.  a.),  and  by  its  lateral 
backwardly  produced  ridges,  is  altogether  peculiar.  The 
nearest  approach  to  this  structure  is  observable  in  the  large 

1  See  Appendix  C.    Memoirs  on  the  Dinornis,  by  Professor  Owen. 


112  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

Bustard  (Otis  tarda),  in  the  ridges  that  connect  the  sides  of 
the  basisphenoids  with  the  paroccipital  processes. 

The  form  of  the  foramen  magnum  is  that  of  a  vertical 
ellipse  with  straight  sides  divided  by  a  small  tubercle  sent  off 
from  the  ex-occipitals.  (Lign.  27.)  The  occipital  condyle  is 
a  hemispherical  tubercle  supported  on  a  short  pedicle,  and  is 
situated  in  the  centre  of  the  hinder  surface  of  the  skull,  the 
foramen  magnum  occupying  the  upper  half;  these  are  cha- 
racters hitherto  unknown  in  the  air-breathing  vertebrata,  and 
approach  those  observable  in  the  crania  of  crocodilian  reptiles. 

The  upper  mandible  is  broad,  depressed,  and  sub-elongate, 
gently  curved  downwards,  and  altogether  of  a  very  peculiar 
configuration;  it  has  been  aptly  compared  to  a  cooper's 
adze,  or  pickaxe.  (See  Lign.  26.)  It  must  have  been  well 
adapted  for  grubbing  up  roots  and  tubers ;  and  there  is  proof 
in  the  indications  of  strong  muscles  attached  to  the  occipital 
region,  and  to  the  large  spinous  processes  of  the  cervical 
vertebrae,  that  it  was  a  very  efficient  instrument,  and  capable 
of  being  used  with  great  effect. 

The  lower  mandible  is  not  known ;  but  there  is  in  Table- 
Case  16,  the  articular  part  of  a  very  large  lower  jaw,  that 
probably  belongs  to  the  Dinornis. 

From  the  form  and  structure  of  these  characteristic  parts  of 
the  skull  and  upper  mandible,  Professor  Owen  observes  that 
it  is  manifest  the  Dinornis  cannot  be  assigned  to  any  known 
family  of  birds ;  and  in  referring  the  genus  to  the  Struthio- 
nidae  little  more  is  implied  than  a  feeble  development  of  the 
wings,  and  large  and  powerful  hinder  limbs  for  progression  on 
dry  land :  and  although  some  of  the  anatomical  characters 
above  specified  exhibit  an  analogy  with  those  observable  in 
the  Bustard,  yet  the  Dinornis  is  entirely  separated  from  the 
Otidce  by  such  striking  peculiarities  of  organization,  as  to  show 
that  this  genus  of  the  extinct  colossal  birds  of  New  Zealand, 
must  be  regarded  as  constituting  a  distinct  family  of  the 
order  Grallce,  or  Stilt-birds.1 

Femur,  tibia  and  fibula :  in  Case  15. — To  the  genus  Dinornis 
many  of  the  vertebrae,  ribs,  bones  of  the  pelvis  and  hinder  ex- 
tremities, and  portions  of  sterni  in  Wall-Cases  B&L  C,  and  in  the 
Table-Cases  15,  16,  and  17,  belong.  In  Table-Case  15,  there 

1  Memoir  on  the  Dinornis. 


ROOM  II.  SPINAL   COLUMN   OF   DINORNIS.  113 

are  a  femur,  tibia,  and  fibula,  and  some  cervical  vertebrae  of 
the  same  bird,  dug  up  by  my  son  from  the  menaccanite  bed  at 
the  base  of  the  inland  cliff  at  Te  Rangatapu ;  though  belonging 
to  a  young  individual,  as  is  shown  by  the  still  incomplete  union 
of  the  proximal  epiphysis  of  the  tibia,  they  are  of  gigantic 
proportions.  The  femur  is  fourteen  inches  long,  and  nine 
inches  in  circumference ;  the  tibia,  thirty  inches  in  length, 
six  inches  round  the  shaft,  and  fourteen  inches  in  circum- 
ference at  the  distal  end.  The  entire  skeleton  of  this  bird 
was  exposed  on  removing  the  soil ;  the  skull  and  vertebra?  of 
the  neck  lying  extended,  and  the  spinal  column,  pelvis,  and 
bones  of  the  hind  limbs  disposed  in  their  natural  relative 
position ;  but,  owing  to  the  sudden  inroad  of  the  natives, 
a  few  bones  only  could  be  rescued  from  destruction,  and  in 
the  confusion  that  ensued,  the  identification  of  the  bones  of 
the  same  individual  could  not  with  certainty  be  determined. 
The  femur,  tibia  and  fibula,  however,  unquestionably  belonged 
to  the  same  bird. 

As  a  guide  to  the  scientific  observer,  or  the  student  in 
palaeontology,  I  will  point  out  a  few  of  the  most  striking 
peculiarities  of  the  respective  parts  of  the  skeleton  contained 
in  this  collection ;  but  without  reference  to  specific  distinc- 
tions. It  will  be  sufficient,  for  example,  in  reference  to  the 
tarso-metatarsal  bone,,  to  state  that  in  the  genus  Dinornis  it 
has  three  trochlear  articulations  ;  while  in  that  of  Palapteryx 
there  is  a  posterior  depression  for  the  articulation  with  the 
metatarsal  of  the  hind  toe ;  the  birds  of  this  genus  being 
tetradactyle,  or  four-toed,  like  the  Apteryx. 

Spinal  Column. — Table-Case  17. — The  bones  composing 
the  spinal  column  are  characterized  by  their  massive  propor- 
tions, the  remarkably  thick  quadrate  spinous  processes,  espe- 
cially of  the  cervical  vertebrae,  and  the  small  size  of  the  neural 
canal,  indicating  a  very  slender  medullary  chord.  "  We  may 
associate  with  such  a  condition  of  the  spinal  marrow,"  Pro- 
fessor Owen  remarks,  "less  delicate  perception,  and  less 
energetic  muscular  action ;  thus  the  characters  of  the  vertebrae 
confirm  the  original  induction  from  the  texture  of  the  femur, 
that  the  Dinornis  was  a  more  sluggish  bird  than  the  Ostrich."1 

1  Consult  the  commentary  on  the  anatomical  characters  of  the 
Dinornis,  &c.  in  "  Zool.  Trans."  vol.  iii.  p.  307,  and  p.  345. 

I 


114  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

Sternum. — Portions  of  several  large  sternal  bones  have  been 
obtained.  The  most  perfect  example  is  that  figured  in 
Zool.  Trans.  Vol.  iv.  PL  IV.  It  is  of  a  shield-like  form, 
entirely  destitute  of  a  keel,  and  very  slightly  convex  :  it  is 
remarkable  for  its  breadth ;  the  anterior  border  from  one  costal 
angle  to  the  other  is  seven  inches ;  it  has  a  broad  median 
process,  and  two  very  long  diverging  lateral  ones.  As  these 
characters  resemble  those  of  the  Apteryx,  this  sternum  is 
referred  to  Palapteryx  rather  than  to  Dinornis.1 

Pelvis. — There  are  in  the  wall-cases  portions  of  pelves  of 
great  size,  and  which  in  all  probability  are  referable  to  the 
most  colossal  species  of  Dinornis  or  Palapteryx.  In  respect 
to  this  part  of  the  skeleton  the  extinct  birds  approach  nearer 
to  the  tridactyle  Grallce  than  to  the  living  Struthionidce. 

In  the  table-cases  there  are  several  delicate  pelves  of  birds 
of  small  size,  belonging  to  several  genera;  they  are  ex- 
tremely fragile,  and  were  broken  to  pieces  during  their  long- 
transport,  and  have  been  repaired  with  much  trouble.  Some 
of  them  belong  to  the  genus  Apteryx  ;  apparently  the  exist- 
ing species :  others  to  the  bustard-like  bird,  the  Aptornis. 
There  are  many  specimens  of  the  coalesced pubis  andischium 
of  different  kinds  of  birds. 

Femur  or  thigh-lone. — Table-Case  15. — The  femur  of  the 
Dinornis  is  remarkable  for  its  great  strength.  The  trochanter 
is  very  broad,  thick,  and  elevated ;  the  distal  extremity  is  of 
great  size,  and  the  rotular  cavity  very  broad.  The  shaft  is 
rounded,  and  the  muscular  ridges  and  tuberosities  are  more 
strongly  developed  than  in  any  other  birds.  There  is  no 
aperture  for  the  admission  of  air  into  the  interior  of  the  shaft 
of  the  bone ;  and  both  the  weight  and  cancellous  structure 
prove  the  accuracy  of  Prof.  Owen's  original  statement  in  his 
description  of  Mr.  Rule's  fragment  of  the  shaft,  that  the 
Dinornis  at  all  ages  retained  the  medullary  contents  of  the 
cavities  of  the  femur,  as  in  the  Apteryx ;  the  only  other  ex- 
ample of  a  terrestrial  bird  in  which  the  air  is  not  admitted 
into  any  of  the  bones  of  the  extremities. 

The  absence  of  the  pneumatic  foramen  and  canal,  the  great 
thickness  of  the  dense  osseous  wall  of  the  medullary  cavity  of 
the  shaft,  the  great  size  of  the  distal  end  of  the  bone,  and  the 

1  See  "Zool.  Trans."  vol.  iv.  p.  17. 


ROOM  II.  BONES   OF   THE   DINORNIS.  115 

breadth  of  the  rotular  cavity,  are  the  chief  generic  characters 
of  the  femur  of  the  Dinornis.1  The  largest  femur  is  sixteen 
inches  long,  and  the  shaft  seven  inches  and  a  half  in  circum- 
ference. 

Tibia  and  Fibula. — Table-Case  15. — The  Tibia,  even  in 
the  species  in  which  it  is  of  great  length,  is  relatively 
thicker  and  stronger  than  in  the  Ostrich  or  Cassowary.  It  is 
distinguished  from  the  corresponding  bone  in  the  Struthi- 
onidse  by  an  oblique  bony  process  that  extends  across  above 
the  distal  trochlea,  on  the  anterior  and  inner  side  of  the  bone, 
and  forms  a  canal  for  the  extensor  tendon,  as  in  the  Bustard. 
The  longest  specimen  of  a  tibia  is  nearly  three  feet  in  length, 
and  the  circumference  of  the  middle  of  the  shaft  is  six  inches 
and  a  half.  The  tibia  is  strongly  marked  by  a  ridge  for  arti- 
culation with  the  fibula,  which  is  a  long  and  very  slender 
bone  extending  two-thirds  down  the  shaft  of  the  leg-bone,  and 
entirely  free.  My  son  collected  several  very  large  fibula 
belonging  to  Dinornis  and  Palapteryx  ;  and  many  that  are 
referable  to  other  and  much  smaller  birds.  It  is  remarkable 
that  such  delicate  fossil  bones  (as  those  in  the  table-cases) 
should  have  arrived  from  the  Antipodes  in  so  perfect  a  state. 

Tarso-metatarsals. — Table-Cases  15,  16,  17. — The  tarso- 
metatarsal  (shank-bone)  is  so  named  because  it  is  formed  by 
the  coalescence  of  the  tarsus  and  the  three  primary  metatar- 
sals into  a  single  bone,  which  at  the  distal  end  is  divided  into 
three  trochlear  articulations  for  the  corresponding  number  of 
toes.  In  the  Dinornis  this  bone  is  remarkably  strong  and 
broad,  and  of  great  width  at  the  distal  or  trochlear  extremity. 
The  proximal  end  has  two  concavities,  the  inner  one  the 
deepest,  for  articulation  with  the  tibia.  There  are  no  indica- 
tions of  a  posterior  toe :  the  Dinornis  being  a  tridactyle,  or 
three-toed  bird. 

In  the  unique  specimens  of  the  entire  series  of  bones  of 
both  feet  with  the  two  metatarsals  of  the  same  individual  of 
Dinornis  robustus,  collected  by  my  son  at  Waikouaiti,  there 
is  not  the  slightest  trace  of  an  articulating  surface  for  a  hind 
toe. 

The  ossification  of  the  metatarsals  in  the  Dinornis  appears 
not  to  have  been  perfected  till  a  late  period,  as  in  the  existing 

1  See  "  Zool.  Trans."  vol.  iii.  p.  248. 


116  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  II. 

struthious  birds  ;  for  in  the  specimens  alluded  to,  the  division 
of  the  original  three  metatarsals  is  strongly  marked,  and 
one  of  the  bones  has,  unfortunately,  cracked  by  drying,  along 
the  line  of  separation  of  the  primitive  ossicles ;  and  yet 
these  bones  appear  to  have  belonged  to  a  mature  individual. 

The  longest  tarso-metatarsal  bones  I  have  seen  are  eighteen 
inches  and  a  half  in  length,  the  circumference  of  the  shaft 
being  five  inches  and  a  half.1 

Phalangeal  Bones. — The  bones  of  the  feet  bear  a  closer  re- 
semblance to  those  of  the  largest  species  of  Apteryx,  Ap.  Aus- 
tralis,  than  to  any  of  the  other  existing  struthious  birds.  The 
phalanges  present  the  ordinary  numerical  progressive  increase, 
viz.  the  inner  toe  is  composed  of  three  bones,  the  middle  of 
four,  and  the  outer  of  five.  The  proximal  articular  surface  of 
the  first  phalangeal  of  the  middle  toe  is  symmetrically  divided 
by  a  slight  ridge,  as  in  the  Cassowary  ;  but  in  the  inner  and 
outer  toes  the  corresponding  bone  has  the  proximal  end 
deeply  notched,  and  the  inner  half  greatly  produced  to  em- 
brace the  corresponding  trochlear  surface  of  the  metatarsal.2 

The  ungueal  or  claw-bones  are  large  and  strong,  of  a  sub- 
trihedral  form,  and  gently  arched. 

In  his  last  visit  to  Waikouaiti,  my  son  dug  up  the  entire 
series  of  phalangeals  with  the  corresponding  metatarsal  of  a 
smaller  species  of  Dinorriis  ;  but  whether  referable  to  D. 
dromioides  or  D.  rheides,  or  to  a  distinct  species,  is  uncertain, 
for  the  metatarsal  corresponds  with  that  assigned  to  the  for- 
mer in  Zool.  Trans,  vol.  iv.  Plate  III.  fig.  1,  while  the 
series  of  phalangeals  are  unquestionably  of  the  same  species 
as  those  figured  in  PL  II.,  and  ascribed  to  D.  dromioides.3 
In  the  reconstruction  of  the  foot  of  the  Dinornis  robustus,  my 
son's  specimens  have  afforded  a  certain  guide. 

Several  phalangeals  were  discovered,  in  which  the  trochlear 
articulation  of  the  proximal  bone  of  the  middle  toe  is  as  un- 
equally divided  as  in  the  Ostrich  ;  a  character  which  seems  to 
indicate  that  a  didactyle,  or  two-toed  wingless  bird,  may  have 

1  These  specimens  are  figured  as  the  frontispiece  of  the  "  Pictorial 
Atlas  of  Organic  Remains." 

2  See  figs.  1  &  3  of  the  same  plate. 

3  As  the  restoration  of  these  parts  is  based  on  detached  specimens,  it 
is  probable  the  metatarsal  does  not  belong  to  the  series  of  phalanges 
with  which  it  is  associated. 


ROOM    II.  FOOT    OF    DINORNIS.  117 

inhabited  New  Zealand  contemporaneously  with  the  tridactyle 
Dinornis,  and  tetradactyle  Palapteryx,  Aptornis,  and  Apteryx. 

Foot  of  Dinornis. — The  structure  of  the  locomotive  organs 
of  one  of  the  largest  of  the  extinct  ostrich-like  birds  is  de- 
monstrated by  the  entire  series  of  bones  of  both  feet  of  the 
same  individual  discovered  at  Waikouaiti :  the  dimensions  of 
the  several  elements  are  given  in  the  Appendix.1  Allowing 
the  usual  proportion  of  the  soft  parts  and  integuments,  the 
length  of  the  foot  in  the  living  bird  may  be  estimated  at 
about  sixteen  inches,  and  its  breadth  at  eighteen  inches. 

According  to  the  relative  proportions  of  the  bones  com- 
posing the  hinder  extremities  of  the  gigantic  species  of 
Dinornis,  the  height  of  the  bird  to  which  these  feet  belonged 
was  probably  nine  and  a  half  or  ten  feet. 

From  the  great  width  and  solidity  of  the  metatarsals,  and 
the  form  and  corresponding  size  and  strength  of  the  phalan- 
geals  and  ungueals,  it  is  certain  that  the  feet  of  the  Dinornis 
must  have  constituted  powerful  instruments  for  scratching, 
digging,  and  uprooting  subterrestrial  vegetable  substances, 
which,  from  the  structure  of  the  crania  and  beaks,  have 
with  much  probability  been  supposed  to  have  constituted  the 
principal  sustenance  of  the  original. 

Bones  of  the  thigh,  leg,  and  feet,  of  larger  proportions  than 
those  above  described,  are  in  the  Wall-case  C}  and  in  my 
own  collection.  Some  of  these  indicate  birds  of  eleven  or 
even  twelve  feet  high ;  dimensions  exceeding  by  one-third  the 
stature  of  the  tallest  Ostrich  :  while  in  other  species,  as  Dinor- 
nis struthioides,  D.  dromioides,  D.  curtus,  and  D.  didiformis, 
the  stature  is  respectively  seven,  five,  and  four  feet. 

Palapteryx.— Wall-Case  <?.;  Table-Case  16.  Lign.  28,  29. 
— The  other  generic  type,  which  comprises  some  of  the 
largest  species  of  the  extinct  birds,  has  been  named  Palap- 
teryx; but  it  is  not,  as  the  term  would  seem  to  imply,  so 
nearly  related  to  the  existing  wingless  bird  of  New  Zealand, 
the  Apteryx,  as  to  the  Dromaius  or  Emeu, 

Of  this  genus  there  is  a  nearly  entire  cranium,  with  the  upper 
and  lower  mandibles,  and  several  imperfect  skulls  and  beaks, 

1  Appendix  D.  Dimensions  of  the  bones  of  the  foot  of  Dinornis 
robustus.  See  also  "  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  Geological  Society,"  vol.  vi. 
p.  338. 


118  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

in  Table-case  16,  from   Waingongoro  ;    and  I  have   lately 
received  from  the  same  locality  other  examples. 

Cranium  of  Palapteryx. — The  cranium  (Lign.  28)  bears 
a  general  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Emeu,  but  is  broader  in 
proportion  to  its  height,  especially  in  the  occipital  and  inter- 
orbital  regions.  It  is  remarkably  depressed,  of  a  subquad- 
rate  form,  with  two  lateral  emarginations  for  the  temporal 
fossae  ;  and  both  in  size  and  shape  corresponds  more  with  the 
skull  of  the  Dodo  than  with  that  of  any  living  struthious 
bird.  It  partakes  of  the  general  osteological  modifications 
observable  in  that  of  Dinornis,  as  previously  pointed  out, 
but  differs  in  the  lesser  expansion  of  the  basi-occipitals  (Lign. 
29,  a.  a.),  and  par-occipitals  (Lign.  29,  b.  b.),  and  the  greater 
development  of  the  mastoid  processes  (Lign.  29,  c.  c.) ;  and  in 
having  a  large  oblong  depression  beneath  the  mastoid  for  the 
single  superior  condyle  of  the  tympanic  bone. 

The  foramen  magnum  is  subcircular,  its  plane  vertical,  and 
the  single  occipital  condyle  projects  backwards  on  a  short 
pedicle,  beyond  the  upper  margin  of  the  foramen.  The 
skull  of  no  existing  bird  has  this  peculiarity,  which  resembles 
the  cranial  character  of  some  of  the  chelonians  or  turtles. 
The  occipital  region  is  very  wide  and  low,  and  slopes  forwards 
as  it  rises  to  join  the  upper  surface  of  the  skull,  which  is 
almost  flat.  (See  Lign.  29.) 

The  upper  mandible  resembles  that  of  the  Emeu,  but  the 
nasal  process  is  shorter  and  broader  than  in  that  bird.  The 
anterior  part  (premaxillary)  is  more  obtuse  than  in  the 
Emeu,  and  its  palatal  surface  has  a  distinct  perforated  alveo- 
lar border,  which  is  grooved  along  its  outer  part.  The  lower 
jaw  has  the  symphysis  concave  above  from  side  to  side, 
instead  of  flat  as  in  existing  struthious  birds,  and  the  outer 
part  of  the  alveolar  border  is  convex  and  the  inner  furrowed, 
thus  presenting  a  surface  adapted  to  the  corresponding 
palatal  aspect  of  the  upper  mandible. 

The  ethmoid  cavities,  or  upper  nostrils,  are  very  large,  as 
in  the  Apteryx  ;  a  peculiarity  denoting  a  great  development 
of  the  organs  of  smell. 

The  skull  with  these  cranial  characters  is  that  described  in 
Professor  Owen's  second  memoir,  as  the  type  of  his  genus 
Dinornis,  and  from  which  the  outline  of  the  restored  head  of 
the  original  was  designed ;  but  on  the  discovery  of  the  cranium 


ROOM  II. 


CRANIUM  OF  PALAPTERYX. 


119 


LIGN.  28.    SIDE  VIEW  OF  THE  CRANIUM. 


LIGN.  29.    BACK  VIEW  OF  THE  CRAXIUM. 

a.  a.  Basi-occipitals. 

b.  b.  Par-occipitals. 

c.  c.  Mastoid  processes. 


SKULL  OF  PALAPTERYX  OF  NEW  ZEALAND:  DISCOVERED  BT  MR.  WALTER 
MANTELL,  IN  THE  MENACCANITE-SAND  DEPOSIT  AT  WAINGONGORO,  IN  TH« 
NORTH  ISLAND  OF  Nsw  ZEALAND. 

(|  not.  size.) 


ROOM  II.  FOSSIL   EGG-SHELLS   OF   MOA.  121 

with  the  enormously  developed  occipital  region,  and  adze- 
like  upper  mandible  delineated  in  Lign.  26,  and  which  devi- 
ates so  remarkably  from  all  known  ornithic  forms,  the  name 
Dinornis  was  transferred  to  this  type,  and  the  former  cra- 
nium was  assigned  to  the  new  genus  named  Palapteryx. 

The  bones  of  the  hinder  extremities  referred  to  this  genus 
are  characterised  by  their  nearer  approach  to  those  of  the 
Apteryx,  than  is  preserved  by  the  analogous  parts  in  Dinornis. 
The  tarso-metarsals,  which  belonged  to  a  colossal  tetradactyle, 
or  four-toed  bird,  as  shown  by  a  posterior  articular  depression 
for  connexion  with  a  hind  toe,  are  ascribed  to  Palapteryx ; 
only  one  metatarsal  of  a  fourth  toe  has  been  observed  among 
the  many  hundred  specimens  of  bones  of  the  feet  that  have 
been  collected.  Until  other  series  of  bones  are  found  collo- 
cated in  their  natural  positions  or  relations,  like  those  of  the 
pair  of  feet  of  D.  robustus  (ante  p.  116),  the  ascription  of 
isolated  bones  to  definite  species,  and  the  restoration  of  thoir 
several  members,  however  skilful  the  adaptation,  must  be 
received  with  due  caution  and  regarded  only  as  provisional. 
In  many  instances,  Prof.  Owen's  application  of  the  Cuvierian 
principles  of  correlation  of  structure,  has,  however,  been  sig- 
nally successful,  and  warrants  full  confidence  in  his  general 
deductions. 

Bones  of  the  wings. — Notwithstanding  the  great  number  of 
bones  of  the  hinder  extremities  and  of  other  parts  of  the 
skeleton  that  have  been  sent  to  England,  one  fragment  only, 
of  the  humerus,  has  been  detected,  that  could  have  belonged 
to  any  of  the  large  struthious  birds  of  New  Zealand  ;  it  is  sup- 
posed to  be  referable  to  a  species  of  Palapteryx,  and  indicates 
as  rudimentary  a  condition  of  the  wing  as  in  the  living 
species  of  Apteryx. 

FOSSIL  EGG-SHELLS  OF  THE  MOA. — Table-Case  16. — In  the 
deposit  of  menaccanite-sand  at  Waingongoro,  so  rich  in  the 
osseous  remains  of  the  extinct  birds  of  New  Zealand,  Mr.  Walter 
Mantell  discovered  the  only  vestiges  of  eggs  hitherto  obtained. 
They  are  small  fragments  ;  the  largest  specimen  is  four  inches 
long  and  two  wide,  and  the  chord  it  describes  shows  it  to  be 
part  of  an  egg  very  much  larger  than  that  of  the  ostrich. 
These  precious  relics  are  relatively  thin,  of  a  pale  cream 
colour,  and  of  three  distinct  types.  In  one  species  the  ex- 
ternal surface  is  smooth  ;  in  another,  the  surface  approaches 


122  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

that  of  the  Rhea  or  Cassowary ;  the  third  is  marked  with 
delicate  interrupted  linear  grooves.  The  sculpturing  in  these 
two  species  is  distinct  from  that  observable  on  any  of  the 
eggs  of  existing  struthionidee  with  which  I  have  been  able  to 
compare  them. 

Fossil  Eggs  from  Madagascar. — As  intimately  connected 
with  this  subject,  I  am  induced  to  append  the  following 
notice  of  a  recent  discovery  in  Madagascar  of  eggs  of  enor- 
mous magnitude  : — 

"  In  a  Report  to  the  French  Academic  des  Sciences, 
M.  Isidore  Geoffroy  St.  Hilaire  described  three  enormous  fossil 
eggs  from  Madagascar,  and  some  bones  belonging  to  the  same 
bird.  The  captain  of  a  merchant  vessel  trading  to  Mada- 
gascar, one  day  observed  a  native  using  for  a  domestic  purpose 
a  vase  which  much  resembled  an  egg,  and  upon  examination 
proved  to  be  one.  The  native  stated  that  many  such  were 
to  be  found  in  the  interior  of  the  island,  and  eventually  pro- 
cured the  eggs  and  bones  exhibited  by  M.  St.  Hilaire.  The 
largest  of  these  eggs  is  equal  in  bulk  to  135  hens'  eggs,  and 
will  hold  two  gallons  of  water.  M.  St.  Hilaire  proposes 
the  name  of  Epiornis  for  the  monster  biped  of  which  these 
marvellous  eggs  and  bones  are  the  first  evidence  brought 
under  the  notice  of  naturalists." * 

APTORNIS. — (A.  otidiformis). — Table-Case  16.  (Lign.  30.) — 
Among  the  bones  collected  by  Mr.  Walter  Mantell  from  the 
ossiferous  deposit  at  Te  Rangatapu,  and  transmitted  to  me  in 
1847,  there  were  femora,  a  tibia  and  fibula,  and  several  tarso- 
metatarsals,  of  a  cursorial  bird,  to  which  he  directed  special 
attention,  because  he  thought  the  latter  strikingly  resembled 
the  corresponding  bones  of  the  Dodo.  Upon  allowing  Prof. 
Owen  the  use  of  my  son's  collection  as  soon  as  it  arrived, 
the  metatarsals  in  question  were  recognised  as  belonging  to 
a  species  of  Dinornis  established  in  1843,  from  a  tibia  and 
femur  sent  over  by  the  Rev.  W.  Williams,  and  named  D. 
otidiformis? 

In  the  "  Memoir  on  the  Ornithic  Remains  discovered  by  Mr. 
Walter  Mantell  at  Waingonyoro"  (Zool.  Trans,  vol.  iii.  p. 
345),  these  specimens  are  alluded  to  in  the  following  terms  : — 

"There  are  not  fewer  than  190  phalanges  of  the  toes,  refer- 

1  Athenaeum,  March  22,  1851.        2  Zool.  Trans,  vol.  iii.  PL  xxv.  xxvi. 


ROOM  II.  APTORNIS.  123 

able  to  five  or  six  species  of  Dinornis,  Palapteryx,  and 
Notornis  ;  and  there  are  eight  tarso-metatarsals  with  the  arti- 
cular surface  for  a  very  strong  hind  toe,  and  of  a  conforma- 
tion more  nearly  resembling  those  of  the  Dodo  than  of  the 
Dinornis  and  Palapteryx,  but  shorter  and  thicker  in  propor- 
tion, and  appertaining  to  the  same  bird  as  the  tibia  and 
femora  described  in  my  Memoir  of  1843,  under  the  name  of 
Dinornis  otidiformis. 

"The  proximal  articulation  of  this  remarkable  form  of 
tarso-metatarsal  exactly  fits  the  distal  end  of  the  tibia  figured, 
(vol.  iii.  pi.  xxvi.  fig.  5,)  and  also  that  of  a  corresponding 
fractured  tibia  in  Mr.  Mantell's  collection ;  which  also  con- 
tains the  proximal  end  of  another  tibia,  a  fibula,  an  entire 
femur,  and  distal  ends  of  two  other  femora,  of  the  same 
species. 

"  The  large  surface  for  the  hind  toe,  the  strong  calcaneal 
process  forming  a  complete  bony  canal  for  the  flexor  tendons 
at  the  back  part  of  the  proximal  end  of  the  tarso-metatarsal, 
the  perforation  above  the  interspace  between  the  outer  and 
middle  metatarsals  for  the  tendon  of  the  adductor  muscle 
of  the  fourth  toe,  and  the  more  posterior  position  of  the 
condyle  for  the  inner  toe,  all  concur  to  indicate  the  generic 
distinction  of  the  bird  to  which  it  belonged,  from  either 
Dinornis  or  Palapteryx ;  and  I  propose  to  distinguish  the 
new  genus  by  the  name  of  Aptornis ;  and  the  present 
species  A.  otidiformis"1 

All  the  specimens  above  described  are  deposited  in  Table- 
Case  1 6  ;  I  have  since  received  other  bones  belonging  to  the 
same  remarkable  generic  type.  The  annexed  figures  of  one 
of  the  metatarsals  in  my  collection,  though  on  a  small  scale, 
will  serve  to  impress  the  peculiar  characters  of  this  bone  on 
the  observer's  memory. 

The  length  from  the  intercondyloid  prominence  to  the  end 
of  the  middle  trochlea  is  four  inches  ;  the  transverse  diameter 
of  the  metatarsal  articulation  is  If  inches  (Lign.  30.  2). 
The  great  relative  width  of  this  bone,  the  strength  of  the 
proximal  and  distal  ends,  the  greatly  produced  calcaneal 
process,  the  large  and  deep  excavation  for  articulation  with 


Zool.  Trans.  Vol.  iii.  p.  347. 


124 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 


the  hind  toe,  (Lign.  30.  1,)  are  characters  that  remark- 
ably distinguish  it  from  the  metatarsals  of  any  other  genus 
that  have  been  found  in  the  bone-beds  of  New  Zealand. 


i 

LIGN.  30. — TARSO-METATAKSAL  BONE  OF  APTORNIS  OTIDIPORMIS;   FROM  THE 

BONE  DEPOSIT  OF  WAINGONGORO,  NEW  ZEALAND. 

(£  nat.  size.) 

1.  Back  view,  showing  the  calcaneal  process,  and  articulating  depression  for  the 
hind  toe. 

2.  Front  view ;  exhibiting  the  intercondyloid  prominence,  a. 

The  length  of  the  femur  is  6^  inches ;  of  the  tibia  8^ 
inches.  The  size  of  the  original  bird  equalled  that  of  the 
Great  Bustard,  (Otis  tarda.)"1 

There  are  in  the  collection  a  series  of  vertebrae,  and  por- 
tions of  the  pelvis,  as  for  example  the  coalesced  pubis  and 
ischium,  which  are  probably  referable  to  this  bird  •  but 
neither  the  sternum  nor  any  portion  of  the  cranium  has 
been  recognised. 

FOSSIL  BONES  OF  NoTORNis — (N.Mantelli). — Table-Case  16. 
Lign.  31. — In  this  case  are  the  cranium  and  mandibles,  the 
sternum,  kumerus,  femur,  tibia,  and  tar so-metatar sals  of  a  bird 
of  the  Kail  family,  collected  by  Mr.  Walter  Mantell  in  1847, 


1  A  fine  pair  of  living  Bustards  (now  very  rare  in  England)  may  be 
seen  in  the  Zoological  Society's  Gardens,  Regent's  Park. 


ROOM   II.  FOSSIL   CRANIUM    OF   NOTORNIS.  125 

with  the  remains  of  the  Dinornis,  <fec.,  from  the  menaccanite 
sand  at  Waingongoro,  which  a  recent  discovery  has  unex- 
pectedly invested  with  peculiar  interest  and  importance. 

The  fossils  in  question  furnished  the  data  on  which  Pro- 
fessor Owen  established  the  genus  Notornis  (Southern  Bird).1 

The  cranium  (Lign.  31)  is  4|  inches  long,  and  1|  inch 
wide,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  quadrate  form  ;  the  front,  back, 


LIGN.  31.— CRANIUM  AND  MANDIBLES  OF  NOTORVIS  MANTELLI  :  FROM  THK 

BONE    BED    OF    WAIXGONGORO.      (|  fiat.  Size.) 

and  sides  being  nearly  equal  in  breadth.  The  extent  of  the 
temporal  fossae  are  relatively  greater  than  in  any  other  known 
bird. 

The  mandibles  are  sharp,  like  those  of  the  raven,  but  more 
compressed  laterally,  and  closely  resemble  in  shape  and 
structure  those  of  the  Purple  Coot,  or  Sultana  (Porphyrio), 
except  in  size.  The  general  form  of  the  skull  approaches 
nearest  that  of  the  Brachypteryx,  or  short-winged  Rail  of  New 
Zealand.2 

The  sternum  (figured  in  "  Zool.  Trans.,"  PL  IV.  fig.  5  and  6) 
is  remarkably  narrow,  and  its  keel  is  less  prominent,  even 

1  These  specimens  are  figured  and  described  in  *'  Zool.  Trans."  vol. 
iii.  PI.  LVL;  vol.  iv.  PI.  IV.  fig.  20. 

2  Brachypteryx. — "  Besides  a  species  of  true  Porphyrio  (P.  melanotus) 
in  New  Zealand,  there  exists  in  that  island  a  peculiar  and  highly  interest- 
ing form  of  the  Rallidse,  in  which  the  wings,  although  not  so  rudimentary 
as  in  the  Apteryx,  are  nevertheless  so  contracted  in  their  development, 
as  to  be  useless 'for  the  purpose  of  flight.    This  bird  is  the  type  of  the 
genus  Brachypieryx—  a  genus  as  characteristic  of  New  Zealand  as  is 
the  Apteryx  itself.— PROF.  OWEN  in  "  Zool.  Trans."  vol.  iii.  p.  370. 

The  anatomical  characters  of  the  skull  of  Notornis  are  given  in  detail 
in  "  Zool.  Trans."  vol.  iii.  p.  367. 


126  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  II. 

than  in  the  Brachypteryx.  There  are  no  styliform  appendages, 
and  the  median  portion  of  the  bone  contracts  into  an  obtuse 
pointed  extremity.  The  coracoid  grooves  are  very  shallow  ; 
the  costal  border  has  depressions  for  five  sternal  ribs.  The 
general  form  and  proportions  of  this  bone  are  indicative  of  a 
bird  of  the  same  natural  family,  but  with  wings  less  developed 
than  in  Brachypteryx. 

From  the  osteological  characters  above  stated,  it  may  be 
inferred  that  the  Notornis  was  a  large  modified  form  of  the 
same  natural  family  of  the  Grallce  as  the  Porphyrio  and  Brachy- 
pteryx ;  and  from  the  configuration  of  the  sternum,  it  must 
have  been,  like  the  latter  peculiar  bird  of  New  Zealand,  with- 
out the  powers  of  flight. 

DISCOVERY  OF  A  LIVE  NOTORNIS. — (See  Frontispiece .) — The 
soundness  of  the  physiological  inferences  relating  to  the 
structure  and  habits  of  the  presumed  extinct  genus  of  brevi- 
pennate  Kails,  whose  bones  were  discovered  by  Mr.  Walter 
Mantell,  with  those  of  the  stupendous  Moa,  in  the  menaccanite- 
sands  of  Waingongoro,  has  recently  been  confirmed  by  very 
unexpected  evidence — a  specimen  of  Notornis,  captured  alive 
in  a  remote  and  unfrequented  part  of  the  South  Island  of 
New  Zealand.  The  following  account  of  this  discovery  was 
laid  by  the  Author  before  the  Zoological  Society  in  November, 
1850. 

According  to  the  traditions  of  the  Maoris,  there  formerly 
existed  in  the  Islands  of  New  Zealand,  contemporaneously 
with  the  gigantic  Moas,  several  smaller  birds  of  various 
species;  and  a  kind  of  Swamp-hen,  or  water-rail,  was  par- 
ticularised as  having  been  abundant,  and  a  favourite  article 
of  food  with  their  remote  ancestors.  This  bird  was  believed 
to  be  extinct,  and  to  have  been  exterminated  by  the  wild  cats 
and  dogs,  which  at  the  present  time  are  a  great  pest  to  the 
colonists,  destroying  the  young  poultry  and  other  domestic 
birds,  as  well  as  the  indigenous  species.  It  was  known  to  the 
North  Islanders  by  the  name  of  Moho,  to  the  natives  of  the 
South  by  that  of  Takahe  ;  but  not  an  individual  had  been  seen, 
or  heard  of,  since  the  arrival  of  the  English  in  the  country. 

The  Rev.  Richard  Taylor,  who  has  long  resided  in  the 
Islands,  had  never  seen  this  bird  •  but  in  his  little  work,  "  A 
Leaf  from  the  Natural  History  of  New  Zealand,"  under  the 
head  of  " Moho"  there  is  the  following  note  ;  "Mono,  Rail : 


ROOM    II.  DISCOVERY    OF   A   LIVE    NOTORXIS.  127 

colour,  black  ;  said  to  be  a  wingless  bird  as  large  as  a  fowl, 
with  red  beak  and  legs  ;  it  is  nearly  exterminated  by  the  cats : 
its  cry  was  Keo  !  keo  ! "  The  vagueness  and  inaccuracy  of 
the  description  prove  it  to  be  derived  from  report,  and  not 
from  actual  observation.  On  my  son's  second  visit  to  the 
southern  part  of  the  Middle  Island  (as  Government  Com- 
missioner for  the  settlement  of  native  claims),  he  fell  in  with 
some  sealers,  who  had  been  pursuing  their  avocations  along 
the  little  frequented  islets  and  gullies  of  Dusky  Bay,  on  the 
south-western  shores,  and  from  them  obtained  the  skin  of  a 
recent  specimen  of  Notornis  Mantelli. 

It  appeared,  that  when  frequenting  the  coasts  in  search  of 
seals  and  other  game,  these  men  observed  on  the  snow,  with 
which  the  ground  was  then  thickly  covered,  the  foot-tracks  of 
a  large  and  strange  bird,  and  after  following  the  trail  for  a 
considerable  distance,  they  caught  sight  of  the  object  of  their 
search,  which  ran  with  great  speed,  and  for  a  long  while 
distanced  their  dogs,  but  was  at  length  driven  up  a  gully  in 
Resolution  Island,  and  captured  alive.  It  uttered  loud  screams, 
and  fought  and  struggled  violently :  it  was  kept  ah' ve  three 
or  four  days  on  board  the  schooner,  and  then  killed,  and  the 
body  roasted  and  eaten  by  the  crew,  each  partaking  of  the 
dainty,  which  was  said  to  be  delicious.  The  skin,  with  the 
skull  and  bones  of  the  feet  and  legs,  was  preserved,  and  for- 
tunately obtained  by  my  son  while  in  good  condition,  and 
thus,  perhaps,  the  last  of  the  race  of  Mohos  was  preserved 
for  the  naturalists  of  Europe. 

Upon  comparing  the  head  of  the  bird  with  the  fossil 
crania  and  mandibles,  my  son  was  at  once  convinced  of 
the  specific  identity  of  the  recent  and  fossil  specimens  ;  and  so 
delighted  was  he  by  the  discovery  of  a  living  example  of  one 
of  the  supposed  extinct  contemporaries  of  the  Moa,  that  he 
wrote  to  me  and  stated  that  the  skull  and  beaks  were  alike 
in  both,  and  that  the  abbreviated  and  feeble  development  of 
the  bones  and  plumage  of  the  wing  were  in  perfect  accordance 
with  the  indications  afforded  by  the  humerus  and  sternum 
found  by  him  at  Waingongoro,  and  now  in  the  British 
Museum,  as  pointed  out  in  the  Zoological  Transactions, 
vol.  iii.  To  the  natives  of  the  pahs  or  villages  my  son 
visited  on  his  homewanj  route  to  Wellington,  the  Notornis 
was  a  perfect  novelty,  and  excited  great  interest.  No  one 


128  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

had  seen  such  a  bird,  but  all  agreed  that  it  was  the  tradi- 
tional Moho  or  Takahe,  which  they  had  believed  was  utterly 
extinct. 

This  beautiful  bird  is  about  two  feet  high,  and  much  re- 
sembles in  its  general  form  the  Porphyrio  melanotus,  but  it 
is  larger  and  stouter,  and  generically  distinct  :  the  characters 
predicated  by  Professor  Owen  from  the  fossil  remains,  being 
clearly  marked  in  this  recent  example. 

The  beaks  are  short  and  strong,  and,  as  well  as  the  legs, 
were  of  a  bright  scarlet  in  the  living  animal.  The  neck  and 
body  are  of  a  dark  purple  colour,  the  wings  and  back  being 
shot  with  green  and  gold.  The  wings  are  short  and  rounded, 
and  remarkably  feeble  both  in  structure  and  plumage.  The 
tail  is  scanty,  and  white  beneath.  The  specific  identity  of 
the  recent  and  fossil  Notornis  is  confirmed  by  Mr.  Gould, 
who  has  published  a  coloured  figure,  the  size  of  the  original, 
in  a  supplementary  number  of  his  splendid  work  on  the 
"  Birds  of  Australia." 

Thus  we  have  at  length  obtained  a  recent  example  of  one 
of  the  supposed  lost  types  that  were  coeval  with  the  gigantic 
bipeds,  whose  stupendous  proportions,  and  mighty  strength, 
are  celebrated  in  the  songs  and  traditional  tales  of  the  New 
Zealanders,  and  whose  bones,  and  even  eggs,  have  been 
transmitted  to  Europe,  and  excited  the  wonder  and  delight 
of  the  natural  philosopher  and  the  multitude. 

This  discovery  is  of  the  highest  interest  alike  to  the  orni- 
thologist and  the  palaeontologist,  for  this  extraordinary  form 
of  Rallidse  was  previously  only  known  by  its  fossil  remains, 
and  would,  probably,  like  the  Dodo  of  the  Mauritius  (of 
which  the  only  vestiges  are  a  head  and  foot),  have  soon 
become  wholly  traditional. 

It  is  possible  that  another  living  Moho  may  be  obtained, 
but  the  latest  communication  from  my  son  forbids  the 
sanguine  expectation  that  such  will  be  the  case. 

FOSSIL  PARROT— (Nestor). — Table-Case  16. — The  islands  of 
the  South  Pacific  are  inhabited  by  a  very  remarkable  genus 
of  nocturnal  Parrots  (Nestor),  of  which  but  two  species  are 
known.  One  of  these  (N.  hypopolius),  is  restricted  to  New 
Zealand ;  the  other  (N.  productus)  to  Philip  Island,  a  mere 
speck  of  dry  land  in  the  vast  Southern  Ocean,  being  only 
five  miles  in  extent ;  and  yet,  as  the  eminent  ornithologist 


ROOM  II.  FOSSIL   APTERYX  ;    ALBATROSS.  129 

Mr.  Gould  observes,  so  exclusively  is  the  latter  bird  confined 
to  that  isolated  spot,  and  so  rare,  that  many  persons  who 
have  resided  in  Norfolk  Island  many  years,  assured  him  its 
occurrence  there  was  totally  unknown,  although  the  distance 
from  one  island  to  the  other  is  not  more  than  three  or  four 
miles  : l  recent  accounts  state  that  this  species  has  now 
become  extinct. 

Among  the  bones  discovered  by  Mr.  Walter  Mantell  at 
Waingongoro  are  portions  of  a  skull,  and  two  examples  of 
the  bony  part  of  the  upper  beak  of  a  Parrot,  which  closely 
resemble  in  size  and  structure  those  of  the  genus  Nestor. 

The  beak,  by  its  deep,  subcompressed,  curved,  and  pointed 
form,  its  seeming  solidity,  pierced  by  small  subcircular  nos- 
trils close  to  its  base,  attests  the  family  character  of  Psitta- 
cidse  ;  whilst  the  proportional  length  as  compared  with  the 
depth,  the  narrow  upper  surface,  where  it  suddenly  expands 
above  the  nostrils  to  join  the  cranium,  the  absence  of  the 
notch  on  the  under  border,  the  very  narrow  elongated  tri- 
angular palatal  surface,  with  the  medium  linear  notch  at  its 
base,— all  demonstrate  that  in  this  characteristic  part  of  the 
skull,  the  New  Zealand  bird  represented  by  it  most  resembled 
the  living  species  of  Nestor.2 

FOSSIL  APTERYX;  ALBATROSS;  PENGUIN. — In  the  last  col- 
lection received  from  my  son  there  are  fossil  bones  of  two 
species  of  Apteryx;  those  of  the  largest  equal  in  size  the 
homologous  elements  in  the  Ap.  Auslralis;  the  lesser  bones 
accord  with  the  corresponding  parts  of  the  skeleton  of  Ap. 
Owenii;  but  until  more  perfect  examples  of  crania  and  other 
characteristic  bones  are  obtained,  the  specific  identity  of  the 
ancient  and  existing  birds  cannot  be  determined.  The  fact, 
however,  that  the  living  type  of  tetradactyle  struthious  birds, 
known  only  in  New  Zealand,  was  coeval  with  the  stupendous 
brevipennate  Moa,  is  highly  interesting. 

Albatross. — Part  of  a  cranium  with  the  upper  mandible, 
not  distinguishable  from  the  beak  of  the  yellow-billed  Alba- 
tross (Diamodea  chlororhyncus)  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
portions  of  other  bones,  dug  up  at  Waikouaiti,  prove  that  this 
powerful  and  rapacious  bird  of  flight  inhabited  the  seas  and 

1  "  Birds  of  Australia." 

2  "Zoological  Transactions,"  vol.  iii.  p.  371,  PL  LIII.,figs.  11, 12,  13. 

K 


130  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

soared  over  the  land,  when  the  Moa  and  its  kindred  were  the 
denizens  of  New  Zealand. 

Penguin.— The  remote  antiquity  and  contemporaneity  with 
the  Moa  of  another  indigenous  brevipennate  genus  are  esta- 
blished by  the  discovery  of  the  humerus,  ulna,  metatarsals, 
and  other  bones  of  Penguins ;  the  partial  union,  and  dis- 
tinct separation  of  the  shafts  of  the  three  primitive  ossicles 
of  the  metatarsals,  are  characters  that  leave  no  question  as  to 
the  generic  relations  of  the  birds  to  which  these  remains 
belonged. 

FOSSIL  SEALS. — A  considerable  number  of  vertebrae,  ribs, 
femora,  scapulae,  lower  jaws  with  teeth,  and  fragments  of 
crania,  belonging  to  two  species  of  Seal,  were  found  in  the 
ornithic  bone-beds  of  the  North  and  Middle  Island ;  and 
the  mineralized  condition  of  these  fossils — those  from  Wain- 
gongoro  being  filled  with  menaccanite  sand,  and 
those  from  Waikouaiti  with  the  earthy  bitu- 
minized  materials  of  the  submerged  morass, — 
and  their  intermixture  with  the  relics  of  the 
Moa,  &c.j  leave  no  doubt  of  their  contempo- 
raneity with  the  superficial  ossiferous  deposits. 
Whether  these  remains  belong  to  the  same  species 
as  now  frequent  the  shores  of  the  Islands  of  the 
Pacific  (Phoca  leptonyx,  and  P.  leonina),  I  have 
not  had  the  opportunity  of  ascertaining. 

FOSSIL  DOG. — In  the  most  ancient  ossiferous 
deposits  at  Waingongoro,  and  at  so  considerable 
a  depth  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  the  animal 
to  which  it  belonged  coexisted  with  the  colossal 
species  of  Moa,  my  son  discovered  the  femur  of  a 
Dog  (Lign.  32) ;  the  only  vestige  of  a  terrestrial 
FOSSIL  FEMUR  mammalian  hitherto  observed  in  these  beds. 

This  bone  is  in  the  same  condition  as  those  of 
.  '  the  birds  from  that  locality,  and  the  cancellee  are 
$natsizeW'  filled  with  menaccanite  sand.     (This  interesting 
and  unique  relic  should  be  placed  in  the  same 
cabinet  as  the  cranium  with  which  it  was  found  associated.) 
Burnt  bones  of  Man,  Moa,  and  Dog. — Table-case  16. — 
The  natives  directed   my  son's   attention  to  some  mounds 
covered  with  herbage  and  ferns,  which  they  informed  him 
contained  bones  and   ashes,   the  refuse   of  feasts  held  by 


ROOM  IT.  RETROSPECTIVE   SUMMARY.  131 

their  ancestors  a  long  while  ago.  Upon  excavating  some 
of  these  hillocks,  they  were  found  to  be  made  up  of  ashes 
and  calcined  bones  of  men,  dogs,  and  large  moas,  indiscrimi- 
nately mingled. 

In  Case  15,  there  are  fragments  of  a  human  clavicle,  ra- 
dius, and  some  phalangeal  bones  ;  lower  jaw,  teeth,  and  other 
bones  of  dogs ;  and  some  pieces  of  moa-bones.  These  relics, 
which  have  manifestly  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  fire, 
contained  no  traces  whatever  of  the  earthy  powder  or  ferru- 
ginous impregnation,  so  constant  in  the  fossil  bones  from  the 
fluviatile  deposits  ;  nor  of  the  menaccanite  with  which  all  the 
bones  from  the  sand-beds  are  more  or  less  permeated. 

My  son,  in  proof  that  the  birds'  remains  as  well  as  those 
of  men  and  dogs,  had  been  exposed  to  great  heat  whilst 
recent,  sent  me  portions  of  egg-shells  charred  and  bent 
inwards. 

The  Rev.  J.  Taylor  mentions  having  opened  similar  heaps 
of  bones  and  ashes  in  the  valley  of  the  Wanganui,  and  he 
describes  their  appearance  "  as  though  the  flesh  of  the  birds 
had  been  eaten,  and  the  bones  thrown  indiscriminately 
together."  If  such  was  the  origin  of  these  heaps,  and  they 
are  to  be  regarded  as  the  rejectamenta  of  the  feasts  of 
the  Aborigines,  cannibalism  must  have  prevailed  among  the 
New  Zealanders  at  a  very  remote  period,  and  ere  the  gigantic 
species  of  Moas  were  extinct.  The  practice  was  doubtless 
then,  as  in  modern  times,  connected  with  superstitious  rites, 
and  did  not  originate  from  the  want  of  animal  food,  as  some 
authors  have  suggested  in  extenuation  of  the  horrid  prac- 
tice by  so  intelligent  a  race  as  the  Maoris. 

RETROSPECTIVE  SUMMARY. — From  the  facts  which  have  been 
brought  under  our  consideration  in  the  course  of  this  exami- 
nation of  the  fossil  remains  of  Birds  from  our  Antipodean 
Colony,  contained  in  the  British  Museum,  we  are  led  to  con- 
clude that  at  a  period  geologically  recent,  but  of  immense 
antiquity  in  relation  to  the  human  inhabitants  of  those 
islands,  New  Zealand  was  densely  peopled  by  tribes  of  co- 
lossal brevipennate  birds,  belonging  to  species  and  genera 
that  have  long  since  become  extinct.  I  believe  that  ages 
ere  the  advent  of  the  Maori  tribes,  the  Moa  and  its  kindred 
were  the  chief  inhabitants  of  the  country;  and  that  from 
the  period  when  those  islands  were  taken  possession  of  by 


132  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  II. 

Man,  the  race  gradually  diminished,  and  the  colossal  types 
were  finally  annihilated  by  human  agency. 

That  some  of  the  gigantic  species  of  Dinornis  were  con- 
temporary with  the  Maoris,  there  can  now  be  no  reasonable 
doubt.  Apart  from  native  traditions,  and  songs  and  tales 
in  which  allusions  are  made  to  the  magnitude  and  flowing 
plumage  of  the  Moa,  the  collocation  of  calcined  and  roasted 
bones  of  these  birds,  with  those  of  dogs,  and  of  the  human 
species,  in  the  ancient  fire-heaps  of  the  Aborigines,  and  the 
unequivocal  marks  of  the  celt  or  axe  of  jade  on  some  of  the 
leg-bones, — the  incisions  having  evidently  been  made  on  the 
bones  when  recent, — afford  incontrovertible  proof  that  the 
last  of  the  Moas,  like  the  last  of  the  Dodos,  was  extirpated 
by  man. 

From  the  great  size  and  strength  of  the  thighs,  legs,  and 
feet  of  the  Moa,  it  is  clear  that  the  hinder  limbs  were  powerful 
locomotive  organs;  and  when  we  consider  the  vast  swarms 
of  the  largest  species  which  at  one  period  must  have  existed, 
it  seems  highly  probable  that  this  family  of  colossal  birds, 
— a  family  unknown  either  in  a  recent  or  fossil  state  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world, — was  not  originally  confined  within 
the  narrow  geographical  limits  of  modern  New  Zealand,  but 
ranged  over  an  extensive  continent  now  submerged,  and  of 
which  Philip  and  Norfolk  Islands,  and  Chatham  and  Auck- 
land Islands,  and  those  of  New  Zealand,  are  the  culminating 
points. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  result  of  future  discoveries  as 
to  the  relative  age  of  the  bone-deposits,  or  the  existence  or 
total  extinction  of  any  of  the  colossal  species  of  Moas,  or  the 
former  geographical  distribution  of  the  race  over  countries 
now  submerged,  one  most  remarkable  fact  must  remain  un- 
assailable,— namely,  the  vast  preponderance  of  the  class  Aves, 
or  Birds,  which  prevailed,  and  still  prevails  in  the  fauna 
of  New  Zealand,  to  the  almost  entire  exclusion  of  mam- 
malia and  reptiles.  Any  palaeontologist  who  saw  the  collec- 
tions formed  by  my  son  alone,  must  have  been  astonished 
at  their  extent  and  variety.  I  may  venture  to  affirm  that 
such  an  assemblage  of  the  fossil  bones  of  birds  was  never 
before  seen  in  Europe;  upwards  of  fifteen  hundred  speci- 
mens, collected  from  various  parts  of  the  country,  with 
scarcely  any  intermixture  of  the  relics  of  any  other  class; 


ROOM  II.  RETROSPECTIVE    SUMMARY.  133 

it  is  a  phenomenon  as  startling  as  the  exclusively  reptilian 
character  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  dry  land  during  the 
Wealden  epoch. 

But  the  existing  fauna  of  New  Zealand  presents  a  cha- 
racter as  exclusively  ornithic  and  anomalous  as  the  ancient 
one ;  for  while  there  are  upwards  of  fifty  or  sixty  genera  of 
birds,  there  is  but  one  species  of  indigenous  mammalian  known 
to  naturalists, — a  frugivorous  Rat.  The  highest  representatives 
of  the  warm-blooded  air-breathing  classes,  are  the  Apteryx 
and  Brachypteryx ! 

In  this  respect,  therefore,  as  well  as  in  its  flora,  in  which 
ferns  and  other  cellulosse  prevail  to  an  extent  unknown  else- 
where, New  Zealand  is  a  most  remarkable  instance  of  a  centre 
of  creation  of  peculiar  organic  types.  (See  ante  p.  104.) 

An  important  general  conclusion  of  another  kind  has  been 
deduced  by  Professor  Owen  from  the  amount  of  agreement  be- 
tween the  fossil  genera  and  species  of  birds,  and  the  existing 
forms  peculiar  to  New  Zealand.  For  example,  the  affinity  of 
the  fossil  Parrot  of  Waingongoro  to  the  living  nocturnal  genus 
Nestor;  of  the  Notornis  (now  known  recent)  with  the  Bra- 
chypteryx ;  of  Palapteryx  with  Apteryx :  and,  we  may  add, 
of  species  of  Apteryx,  Albatross,  and  Penguin,  apparently 
identical  with  living  species. 

The  Dinornis,  if  it  have  no  near  ally  in  any  known  exist- 
ing bird  of  New  Zealand,  appears  to  have  but  little  affinity 
to  any  of  the  struthious,  or  other  types,  in  the  rest  of  the 
world. 

The  same  general  accordance  in  the  existing  and  recently 
extinct  forms  of  the  warm-blooded  vertebrata  is  exemplified 
in  the  newest  tertiary  deposits  of  Europe  and  Asia,  by  the 
remains  of  Elephants,  Rhinoceroses,  Hysenas,  <fec.,  and  by  the 
absence  of  those  families,  and  the  occurrence  of  gigantic  Sloths, 
Anteaters,  Armadillos,  &c.  in  the  pleistocene  beds  of  South 
America;  and  has  recently  been  yet  more  strikingly  eluci- 
dated by  the  discovery  of  fossil  gigantic  Kangaroos,  Wom- 
bats, and  Daysures,  in  the  bone-caves  and  freshwater  deposits 
of  Australia.1 


1  Dr.  Andrew  Smith  informs  me  that  he  has  just  received  notice  of 
the  discovery  of  fossil  bones  of  a  marsupial  animal  related  to  the  Kan- 
garoo, exceeding  five  times  in  magnitude  those  of  any  living  species. 


134  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  II. 

One  fact  is  especially  remarkable,  and  must  have  excited 
the  surprise  of  the  thoughtful  observer, — the  contrast  pre- 
sented by  the  vast  accumulations  of  fossil  bones  of  birds  in 
the  swamps,  morasses,  and  pleistocene  beds  of  New  Zealand, 
with  the  excessive  rarity  of  ornithic  remains,  not  only  in  the 
formations  of  the  secondary  and  ancient  tertiary  epochs,  but 
also  in  the  most  recent  alluvial  deposits  of  every  other  country 
in  the  world. 

Sir  Charles  Lyell  has  commented  on  the  probable  causes 
of  the  scarcity  of  relics  of  so  numerous  and  important  a  class 
of  vertebrated  animals  in  a  fossil  state,  and  suggested,  in 
explanation  of  the  phenomenon,  the  peculiar  organization  of 
birds ;  their  powers  of  flight  necessarily  rendering  them  less 
liable  to  be  imbedded  in  the  deltas  of  rivers,  or  in  the  bed 
of  the  ocean,  than  quadrupeds;  whilst  the  relatively  small 
specific  gravity  of  their  bodies,  owing  to  the  tubular  struc- 
ture of  the  bones,  and  the  lightness  of  their  feathery  dermal 
integuments,  occasions  the  carcases  of  such  as  die  or  fall  into 
the  water,  to  float  on  the  surface  till  they  are  devoured  or 
decomposed. 

But  this  argument  is  scarcely  applicable  to  the  colossal 
brevipennate  tribes  possessing  massive  and  solid  skeletons, 
as  the  Dinornis  and  other  extinct  Struthionidse,  of  whose 
bones  the  ossiferous  deposits  of  New  Zealand  in  a  great 
measure  consist.  The  anomaly  is  probably  attributable  to  a 
very  different  cause,  namely,  the  peculiar  character  both  of 
the  ancient  and  modern  faunas  of  that  country,  in  the 
entire  absence  of  terrestrial  mammalia.  The  stupendous  Moas 
of  the  earlier  ages  of  those  Islands  had  no  indigenous  ene- 
mies or  devourers,  save  the  carnivorous  tribes  of  their  own 
class. 

In  the  fluviatile,  littoral,  and  marine  deposits,  now  in 
progress  in  New  Zealand,  the  skeletons  of  birds  are  not  likely 
to  be  imbedded  and  preserved  more  frequently  than  in  the 
secondary,  tertiary,  and  alluvial  strata,  of  other  parts  of  the 
world.  No  such  accumulations  of  ornithic  remains  as  the  bone- 
beds  of  Waingongoro  or  Waikouaiti  can.  possibly  be  formed 
under  existing  circumstances ;  for  since  the  advent  of 
Europeans,  a  new  element  of  destruction  has  been  introduced 
into  the  Islands  of  the  South  Pacific  ;  and  the  apterous  birds, 
and  those  possessing  but  feeble  powers  of  flight,  and  the 


ROOM    II.  RETROSPECTIVE   SUMMARY.  135 

young  and  the  disabled  of  other  families,  whether  volant  or 
cursorial,  now  become  the  easy  prey  of  the  cats,  dogs,  and 
rats,  which  accompany  the  Anglo-Saxon  races  wherever  they 
fix  their  habitations. 

The  most  rare  and  interesting  indigenous  species  are  at  the 
present  moment  rapidly  diminishing,  and  must,  ere  long,  be 
exterminated  by  the  carnivorous  predatory  mammalia,  which 
have,  unfortunately,  been  added  to  the  fauna  of  the  Antipodes 
within  the  last  half  century  ;  and  the  wild  cats,  (the  progeny 
of  the  European  domestic  species)  are  so  numerous  and 
destructive,  that  it  is  vain  to  hope  the  Notomis  (if  any  of  the 
genus  still  exists),  or  the  rarer  kinds  of  Apteryx,  will  long 
escape  the  fate  of  the  Dodo  and  its  kindred ;  their  final 
extinction  cannot  be  very  remote.  Possibty,  ere  many  years, 
have  passed  away,  the  only  known  recent  example  of  the 
NOTORNIS,  the  individual  which  forms  the  subject  of  the  fron- 
tispiece of  these  unpretending  pages,  will  be  the  sole  relic  of 
its  race,  save  the  fossil  bones  preserved  in  the  ancient  deposits 
of  its  country,  and  become  as  precious  in  the  estimation  of 
the  palaeontologist  and  ornithologist,  as  the  head  and  foot  of 
the  frugivorous  pigeon  of  the  Mauritius.1 

1  See  Messrs.  Strickland  and  Melville's  splendid  and  charming  work, 
"  The  Dodo  and  its  kindred"  1  vol.  4to  ;  and  "  Wonders  of  Geology," 
p.  130. 


CHAPTER   III. 
PAKT  I. 

PLAN  OP  ROOM  III. — SYNOPSIS  OF  CONTENTS  OP  ROOM  III. — FOSSIL  REPTILES 
—  SWANAGE  CROCODILE — MEGALOSAURUS — OBNINGEN  SALAMANDER  —  CHE- 
LONIAN  REPTILES  — GEOSAURUS — PTERODACTYLES—  CROCODILIAN  REPTILES 

MOSASAURUS — HYL.EOSAURUS  —  IGUANODON REGNOSAURUS —  FELORO- 

SAURUS  —  POLYPTYCHODON  —  PLESIOSAURUS —  FOSSIL    MAMMALIA     OF    AU- 
VERGNE — MINERALS — MAIDSTONE   IGUANODON. 

THE  Room  we  have  next  to  survey  is  more  inconveniently 
crowded  even  than  the  apartments  we  have  passed  through  : 
the  floor  being  occupied  by  twenty-six  Table-cabinets,  so  that 
the  objects  in  the  Wall-cases  cannot  be  seen  to  advantage; 
and  as  is  the  case  in  the  other  rooms  of  this  Gallery,  there  are 
neither  seats  nor  tables  for  the  convenience  of  the  visitor 
desirous  of  noting  the  objects  of  interest  that  may  particularly 
engage  his  attention. 

The  collection  in  this  Room,  though  offering  but  few  attrac- 
tions to  the  uninstructed  eye,  contains  many  objects  of  exces- 
sive rarity  and  great  interest ;  and  a  full  description  of  its 
varied  contents  would  extend  through  several  volumes.  To 
economise  space,  the  specimens  are  deposited  so  as  to  leave  no 
part  of  the  cases  unoccupied  ;  and  arrangement  is  consequently 
in  some  measure  sacrificed  to  convenience. 

In  the  subjoined  synoptical  notice,  the  principal  objects  are 
enumerated  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  placed  in  the 
cabinets ;  and  in  the  detailed  description  that  follows,  I  have 
classified  them  under  a  few  general  heads,  for  the  convenience 
of  the  student,  without  strict  regard  either  to  zoological  or 
geological  arrangement. 

The  Wall-cases  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  F,  [1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,]  on  the 
south  side,  or  left  hand,  of  the  Room,  contain  the  remains  of 


ROOM  III.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  137 

Turtles,  Batrachians,  Crocodilians,  and  Saurians,  and  some 
splendid  specimens  of  Plesiosauri ;  these  fossils  are,  for  the 
most  part,  from  the  tertiary  and  secondary  formations  of 
England. 

This  department  of  Palaeontology  is  of  surpassing  interest 
in  a  physiological  point  of  view,  for  it  reveals  to  us  colossal 
forms  of  the  class  Reptilia,  presenting  anomalous  and  most 
unexpected  modifications  of  structure,  belonging  to  species  and 
genera  which  inhabited  the  lands  and  waters  through  count- 
less ages,  and  have  long  since  been  obliterated  from  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Of  the  remains  of  many  of  these  remarkable 
types  of  cold-blooded  vertebrata,  the  collection  in  the  British 
Museum  contains  most  valuable  and  instructive  examples. 


ROOM  III. 

(85  feet  long.) 

SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTEXTS. 

ORGANIC  REMAINS. 

WALL-CASES — A.  [1.]  —  Swanage  Crocodile.  (Goniopholis 
crassidens.) — Affixed  to  the  wall  are  two  slabs  of  fresh- water 
limestone,  being  the  corresponding  parts  of  the  same  block  of 
stone,  exposing  a  considerable  number  of  the  detached  parts 
of  the  skeleton  of  a  reptile  allied  to  the  Crocodile.  This  is 
a  most  interesting  specimen  from  the  Wealden  strata  at 
Swanage.  Detached  bones  and  dermal  plates  of  the  same 
species  from  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest  are  placed  on  the 
shelves  below.  On  the  lowest  shelf  is  the  cast  of  a  portion  of 
the  lower  jaw  with  teeth  of  the  Megalosaurus  Bucklandi, 
from  the  lower  Oolite  of  Stonesfield ;  the  original  is  in  the 
museum  at  Oxford. 

In  the  angle  of  the  case  (marked  Batrachians)  on  the  upper 
shelf,  is  the  celebrated  (Eningen  Salamander,  (Cryptobranchw 
diluvii  testis,)  the  subject  of  Scheuchzer's  treatise,  "Homo 
Diluvii  Testis  et  Theoscopos." 

On  the  middle  shelves  there  are  many  fine  examples  of 


138 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 


PLAN  OF  ROOM  III. 


Room  IT. 


To  the 

381^ — ^~  Zoological 
Gallery. 


Room  IV. 


ROOM  III.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTEXTS.  139 

fossil  Chelonians,  or  Turtles  and  Tortoises,  from  the  Tertiary 
deposits  at  Sheppey,  Harwich,  <fcc. ;  and  some  interesting 
detached  bones  and  plates  of  Turtles  from  the  Wealden  of 
Tilgate  Forest,  especially  of  Tretosternum  Bakewelli,  (formerly 
in  the  Author's  collection.). 

Below  there  are  two  specimens  of  a  small  Crocodilian 
reptile — the  Geosaurus,  from  Solenhofen. 

On  the  left  of  the  above  are  casts  of  three  species  of  Ptero- 
dactyles,  or  Flying  Reptiles,  from  Solenhofen,  viz. — P.  longi- 
rostris,  P.  brevirostris,  P.  Munsteri. 

In  a  small  frame  is  the  unique  specimen  of  Pterodactyle, 
(P.  macronyx)  from  the  Lias  of  Lyrne  Regis ;  discovered  by 
Miss  Mary  Anning,  and  described  by  Dr.  Buckland  in  "  Geolog. 
Trans."  Vol.  III.  PL  XXVII.  p.  220. 

B.  [2.] — On  the  upper  shelf  are  a  beautiful  head,  with 
part  of  the  vertebral  column  of  Macrospondylus,  and  below 
a  fine  cranium  of  Crocodilus  toliapicm  from  the  Isle  of 
Sheppey ;  and  a  portion  of  skull,  with  the  jaws  and  teeth 
perfect,  of  a  large  Teleosaurus. 

To  the  right  of  the  Teleosaurus  is  the  cranium  of  Crocodilus 
Spenceri,  from  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  (figured  in  Dr.  Buckland's 
"Bridgewater  Treatise,"  PL  XXV.) 

On  the  shelf  below,  (immediately  above  the  Hylososaurus,) 
is  a  very  fine  example  of  Teleosaurus  prisons,  or  Aelodon,  from 
Monheim.  On  the  right  of  the  Hylceosaurus  are  specimens 
of  Teleosaurus  Chapmanni,  and  remains  of  other  extinct 
crocodilian  reptiles. 

Mosasaurus  or  Fossil  Reptile  of  Maastricht. — In  the  lower 
division  of  Case  B,  near  the  angle,  is  a  model  of  the  celebrated 
specimen  of  the  Mosasaurus  Hoffmanni,  now  in  the  Jardin 
des  Plantes.  (Presented  to  the  Author  by  Baron  Cuvier.) 
Above  it  are  two  fine  portions  of  the  jaws  with  teeth,  of  the 
same  species  of  gigantic  reptile,  presented  in  1784  by  Dr. 
Peter  Camper.  On  the  frame  of  the  Geosaurus  are  some 
detached  vertebrae  of  Mosasaurus  from  Maestricht ;  and  a 
small  slab  of  chalk  in  which  are  imbedded  two  caudal  vertebras 
and  a  detached  dorsal  vertebra  of  a  species  of  Mosasaurus, 
(M.  stenodon,)  from  the  chalk  near  Lewes.  (Figured  in 
"  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs."  1822.) 

Hylceosaurus. — In  the  lowest  department  in  the  centre  of 
Case  B,  is  the  first  discovered  specimen  of  Hyl&osaurus, 


140  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP,  III. 

(figured  in  the  "Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England," 
PL  V.) ;  above  it  is  a  remarkably  interesting  portion  of  the 
vertebral  column,  with  many  dermal  bones  of  another  Hylce- 
osaurus,  (figured  in  "Phil.  Trans."  for  1849,  PL  XXXIL). 

By  the  side  of  the  first  specimen,  to  the  left  of  the  spec- 
tator, are  a  very  large  scapula,  and  other  bones  ;  and  on  the 
right,  the  proximal  end  of  the  corresponding  scapula,  and  the 
humerus,  with  many  portions  of  ribs,  and  a  phalangeal  bone, 
belonging  to  the  same  individual ;  from  a  bed  of  Wealden 
Clay,  near  Bolney,  in  Tilgate  Forest. 

On  the  right  hand  is  a  model  of  a  nearly  perfect  dorsal 
dermal  spine  of  the  Hylceosaurus,  (the  original,  fourteen 
inches  long,  discovered  by  Mr.  Peter  Fuller,  of  Lewes,  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  Author,)  figured  in  "Phil.  Trans." 
1850,  PL  XXVII. 

(7.  [3.]  Iguanodon. — The  contents  of  this  Case  are  chiefly 
bones  and  teeth  of  reptiles  of  the  genus  Iguanodon,  from  the 
strata  of  Tilgate  Forest,  in  Sussex,  discovered  and  developed 
by  the  Author. 

Upper  Shelf. — On  the  left  a  very  fine  Coracoid  bone  im- 
bedded in  Tilgate  grit ;  and  a  portion  of  another  Coracoid. 

A  scapula,  eighteen  inches  long,  of  an  unknown  reptile; 
(figured  and  described  in  "Phil  Trans."  1841,  PL  IX.  X.). 

Portions  of  a  very  large  Scapula,  probably  of  Pelorosaurus ; 
(figured  in  "Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PL  XVI.). 

Fragment  of  the  shaft  of  a  Femur  twenty-three  inches  in 
circumference.  (Marked  No.  4.)  See  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate 
Forest,"  PL  XVIII.  ;  this  was  the  first  portion  of  a  colossal 
bone  discovered  by  the  Author  in  the  Wealden  of  Sussex,  in 
1820. 

Two  pieces  of  a  femur,  tibia,  fibula,  and  two  metatarsal 
bones,  of  the  same  young  and  comparatively  small  Iguanodon. 

Bone  in  a  block  of  Tilgate  grit ;  undetermined. 

Fragment  of  a  very  large  Os  pubis,  probably  of  the  Igua- 
nodon. 

Near  this  specimen  there  is  a  bone  supposed  to  be  part 
of  the  Ischium,  but  it  is  imperfect  at  the  extremities,  and  the 
form  of  the  original  cannot  be  ascertained  with  certainty. 
There  are  portions  of  several  other  bones  on  this  shelf  that 
cannot  be  satisfactorily  interpreted  till  more  perfect  specimens 
are  discovered. 


ROOM  III.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTEXTS.  141 

Second  Shelf  from  the  Top. — On  the  left,  two  small  cylin- 
drical bones,  possibly  of  the  anterior  extremity  of  a  young 
Iguanodon.  Tibia  and  fibula,  (marked  No.  2)  of  the  same 
individual  as  the  femur  on  the  right  hand,  (labelled  No.  5.) 
These  three  specimens  give  the  relative  proportions  of  the 
thigh  and  leg  of  this  species  of  Iguanodon. 

A  very  fine  femur  (marked  No.  3) ;  and  the  largest  and 
most  perfect  in  the  collection,  (marked  No.  1,)  which  is  forty- 
four  inches  long,  and  twenty-two  inches  round  the  shaft ;  this 
specimen  was  dug  up  from  the  Weald  Clay  near  Loxwood,  in 
Sussex,  and  presented  to  the  Author  by  the  late  Earl  of 
Egremont. 

Sacral  vertebrae. — On  the  trays  containing  these  magnificent 
thigh  bones,  there  are  placed  four  specimens  of  sacral  verte- 
brae, which  are  highly  interesting.  The  right  hand  vertebrae 
are  a  portion  of  the  sacrum  of  the  Megalosaurus ;  the  generic 
relations  of  the  next  specimen,  (which  is  figured  in  "  Philos. 
Trans."  for  1841,  PL  IX.  fig.  5,)  is  not  ascertained  :  the  single 
sacral  vertebra  on  the  left  belongs  to  the  Iguanodon ;  the 
fourth  specimen  -is  part  of  the  sacrum  ascribed,  with  much 
probability,  to  the  Hylceosaurus.  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Report," 
p.  114. 

Narrow  Shelf. — Numerous  teeth,  comprising  upper  and 
lower  molars  of  Iguanodon,  of  various  ages,  and  in  different 
stages  of  detrition. 

Polished  transverse  sections  of  the  tibia  of  a  young  Tgua- 
nodon. 

Portion  of  the  anterior  part  of  the  upper  jaw  of  the  Igua- 
nodon ;  (figured  and  described  in  "Phil.  Trans."  1848, 
PL  IX.) 

Horn,  or  dermal  tubercle,  (figured  in  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate 
Forest,"  PL  XX.  fig.  2,)  probably  of  the  Iguanodon. 

Portion  of  the  lower  jaw  of  a  reptile,  Regnosaurm  Nor- 
thamptoni,  (figured  and  described  in  "Phil.  Trans."  1841, 
PL  V.  and  1848,)  from  Tilgate  Forest. 

Lower  Division. — Numerous  ribs,  vertebrae,  and  chevron- 
bones,  and  bones  of  the  extremities ;  namely,  metatarsals  or 
metacarpals,  phalangeals,  and  ungueals. 

A  slab  of  Tilgate  grit  with  six  anterior  caudal  vertebra?, 
and  three  chevron-bones  of  an  Iguanodon ;  a  matchless 
specimen. 


142  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Below  this  fossil  are  several  ribs,  and  a  portion  of  a  remark- 
ably fine  rib,  thirty-six  inches  long. 

A  perfect  Clavicle,  (figured  in  "  Geology  of  the  South-East 
of  England,"  PI.  IV.),  and  portions  of  others. 

There  are  chevron  bones,  and  many  detached  vertebrae  on 
the  shelf  to  the  left  of  the  central  specimen  ;  chiefly  caudal 
of  the  Iguanodon  :  but  there  are  a  few  belonging  to  other 
genera,  as  Megalosaurus,  Poikilopleuron  (?),  Goniopholis,  &c. 

Tympanic  bones. — On  the  right  hand  is  one  very  large  and 
fine  specimen,  (figured  in  "  Geology  S.  E.  of  England,"  PI.  XL 
fig.  5.). 

Humerus. — A  model;  the  original  is  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Fowlestone,  of  Hyde,  Isle  of  Wight.  It  afforded  the 
data  by  which  I  was  enabled  to  determine  the  character  of 
this  part  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Tguanodon. 

In  the  same  compartment  there  are  casts  of  a  metatarsal  or 
metacarpal,  and  two  phalangeal  bones  of  Iguanodon,  from  the 
Wealden  of  Sussex,  presented  by  S.  H.  Beckles,  Esq.  of 
Hastings. 

Pelorosaurus. — The  four  splendid  plano-concave  vertebrae 
placed  together,  with  a  chevron  bone  hanging  near  them,  do 
not  belong  to  the  Iguanodon,  but  are  referred,  provisionally, 
to  a  colossal  reptile  of  the  Crocodilian  type,  named  by  the 
Author  Pelorosaurus  Conybeari ;  (figured  and  described  in 
"  Phil.  Trans."  1850,  PI.  XXII.)  They  are  the  Cetiosaurus 
brevis,  of  "Brit.  Assoc.  Report,"  1841.  Some  of  the  other 
large  vertebrae  of  this  type  probably  belong  to  the  same 
genus,  and  other  biconcave  vertebrae  to  the  genus  Cetio- 
saurus. 

There  are  two  imperfect  convexo-concave  cervical  vertebrae, 
which  have  been  referred  to  a  species  of  Streptospondylus, 
(see  "Brit.  Foss.  Kept."  p.  92),  but  probably  belong  to  the 
Iguanodon  or  Megalosaurus. 

Megalosaurus. — There  are  femora,  phalangeal  bones,  and 
many  teeth  of  this  Reptile,  from  the  Wealden  of  Tilgate  Forest ; 
and  portions,  (three  anchylosed  vertebrae,)  of  the  sacrum,  from 
the  Oolite  of  Stonesfield. 

There  is  also  the  cast  of  a  metatarsal  or  metacarpal  bone  of 
the  Megalosaurus,  from  the  original  in  Dr.  Buckland's  posses- 
sion, and  which  was  given  me  by  that  eminent  palaeontologist : 
it  serves  to  illustrate  the  homologous  bone  in  the  Iguanodon. 


ROOM  III.  SYNOPSIS   OP   CONTENTS.  143 

Two  enormous  coracoids,  a  femur,  and  part  of  a  clavicle  of 
the  Megalosaurus,  have  lately  been  discovered  at  Stonesfield, 
and  added  to  the  Museum  collection  :  these  are  at  present  in 
Room  IT.  Wall-case  G. 

In  the  following  cases  commences  the  matchless  collection 
of  British  Enaliosaurians,  or  Marine  Reptiles,  chiefly  of  the 
genera  Plesiosaurus,  and  Ichthyosaurus,  from  the  Lias  of 
Dorsetshire,  Somersetshire,  and  Gloucestershire,  collected  by 
Thomas  Hawkins,  Esq.  F.  G.  S. 

D.  [4.]  A  beautiful   Plesiosaurus  HawTcinsii,  and  a  cast 
of  the  same. 

Plesiosaurus  dolichodeirus.  (Long-necked — the  neck  being 
equal  in  length  to  the  body  and  tail  united.) — On  the  top  of 
this  case  is  the  original  specimen  of  this  species,  described  by 
Rev.  W.  D.  Conybeare  in  1822.  (See  "  Geol.  Trans."  second 
series,  vol.  i.  PL  XVIII.) 

E.  [o.J  On  the  left,  Plesiosaurus  macrocephalus,  presented 
by  the  Earl  of  Enniskillen. 

Plesiosaurus  rugosus,  from  the  Lias  near  Belvoir  Castle ;  a 
nearly  entire  specimen  of  this  rare  species ;  presented  by  the 
Duke  of  Rutland. 

F.  [6.]  In  the   upper   division,   Plesiosaurus   Hawkinsii. 
Below  are  exquisite  specimens  of  the  same  species,  and  part 
of  a  Plesiosaurus  dolichodeirus. 

Above  Case  A,  are  remains  of  large  fossil  Turtles. 

„  „  0.  Portions  of  the  skeleton  of  a  gigantic  marine 
reptile  (Polijptychodon),  from  the  Green- 
sand  of  Hythe,  in  Kent,  presented  by 
H.  B.  Mackeson,  Esq. 

„  „  D.  The  original  specimen  of  Plesiosaurus  doli- 
chodeirus. 

„         „     E.  A  specimen  of  Plesiosaurus  arcuatus. 

G.  [7.]  Remains  of  Mammalia,  Birds,  and  Reptiles,  from 
the  Eocene  lacustrine  deposits,  near  Clermont,  in  Auvergne. 
This  most  valuable  collection  is  not  yet  arranged  ;   it  com- 
prises many  species  and  genera  of  pachyderms  allied  to  the 
Anoplotheria  ;  rodents,  carnivora,  marsupials,  ruminants,  and 
saurian  and  batrachian  reptiles.    There  are  several  fossil  egg- 
shells, either  of  birds  or  reptiles. 

H.  [8.]  Bones,  teeth,  <kc.  of  Ruminants  and  Pachyderms, 
from  the  Diluvium  or  Drift.  (Unarranged.) 


144  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

MINERALS. 

TABLE-CASE  1. — [47.]  Carbonates  of  lime  and  magnesia. 
Rhomb-spar  ;  dolomite  ;  brown  spar  ;  flexible  dolomite,  from 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  North  America. 

2.  [14.]  In   this   and   Cases    15   and    16,    are    deposited 
most  of  the  oxides  of  iron.     Magnetic  iron  ore  ;  crystallized 
varieties  ;  natural  magnets  ;  magnetic  ironsand. 

3.  [46.]  Calcite  ;  pisiform  limestone,  or  pea-stone,  from  the 
hot  springs  of  Carlsbad,  in  Bohemia.     Tufaceous  limestone. 
Human  skull  incrusted,  from  the  Tiber,  at  Rome.     Tufaceous 
casts,  from  the  Baths  of  San  Filippo,  near  Tivoli.1 

4.  [15.]  Iron-glance,  or  specular  oxide,  from  Elba,  Strom- 
boli,  Vesuvius  :  red  ironstone,  and  red  hematite. 

5.  [45  A  and  £.]  Marbles  of  various  kinds.     In  [45  A.~\ 
specimens  of  the  Corinthian  lumachella,  or  fire-marble  :  the 
beautiful  play  of  colours  is  produced  by  the  fossil  laminated 
shells  imbedded. 

6.  [16.]  Hydrous  oxide  of  iron,  or  brown  ironstone.    Speci- 
mens of  argillaceous,    or   clay  ironstone,    as   the   reniform, 
columnar,  and  pisiform,  or  pea-ore. 

7.  [45.]  Prismatic  modifications  of  crystallized  calcite,  with 
stalactites  and  fibrous  varieties,  from  Sweden,  Cumberland,  &c. 

8.  [17.]  Oxides  of  copper  ;   red,  or  ruby  copper  ;    black 
oxide ;    oxide  of  bismuth  ;  red  oxide  of  zinc  ;  red  and  yellow 
earthy  cobalt.     Oxide  of  uranium. 

9.  [43,44.]  Crystallized  varieties  of  calcite  or  calc  spar; 
specimens  illustrative  of  double  refraction,  cleavage,  super- 
numerary joints,  colour,  &c. ;  secondary,  obtuse,  and  acute 
rhombohedrons.     Crystallized  sandstone  of  Fontainbleau. 

10.  [18.]  Oxide  of  lead  ;  native  minium.     Oxide  of  tin  or 
tinstone.     Metallic  tin  ;    some  thick  tin  wires,  brought  from 
Soudan,  in  Africa,  by  Captain  Clapperton. 

11.  [11.]  Various  forms  of  aragonite.    A  variety  of  car- 
bonates of  lime,  containing  a  small  percentage  of  carbonate  of 
strontia  ;  coralloidal  aragonite  •  varieties  of  carbonate  of  lime, 
or  calcite. 

12.  [19.]  Alumina  and  Aluminates.    Corundum  ;  Emery  ; 
Indianite.    Aluminates  of  magnesia  ;    the   spinel ;    chryso- 
beryls,  in  large  crystals,  from  Brazils  and  the  Urals  ;  and  in  a 

1  See  •'  Wonders  of  Geology,"  vol.  i.  p.  75. 


ROOM    III.  MINERALS.  145 

matrix  of  quartz  and  felspar,  with  garnets  from  Haddam,  in 
Connecticut. 

13.  [41.]  Carbonates  of  soda;   of  barytes,   or  witherite  ; 
barytocalcite  ;  carbonate  of  stroutia. 

The   remainder   of  this  Case  is  filled  with   varieties    of 
aragonite. 

14.  [20.]  Amethystine   quartz.     Rock   crystal   in   various 
modifications  and  colours,  from  Gibraltar,  Bristol,  &c.  ;  rock 
crystal  in  a  wrought  state  ;   among  these  is  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Dee's  show-stone.    (See  Sir  Walter  Scott's  "Demonology.") 

15.  [40.]  Silicates,  with  one  or  more  borates.  Tourmaline; 
axinite ;  rubellite  ;  of  the  latter  a  remarkable  example,  pre- 
sented by  the  King  of  Ava  to  the   late  .Col.  Symes.     In- 
dicolite,  <fcc. 

16.  [21.]  Common   quartz   in   great   variety;    numerous 
pseudomorphous  crystals,  derived  from  modifications  of  cal- 
careous and  fluor  spars.     Stalagmitic  quartz  from  the  hot 
springs  of  the  Geysers  in  Iceland,  Santa  Fiora  in  Tuscany, 
and  from  Luzon,  one  of  the  Philippine  Islands.     Specimens 
of  "  lightning  tubes,"  from  England  and  from  Africa.  Hyalite, 
Haytorite,  aventurino  quartz,  &c. 

17.  [39.]  Molybdic  acid  and  molybdates.     Oxide  of  chro- 
mium and  chromates.     Boracic  acid,  or  sassoline,  from  Vul- 
cano  ;  borate  of  magnesia  ;  datholite,  &c. 

18.  [22.]  Varieties  of  quartz.    Prase;  hornstone;  among  the 
specimens  of  hornstone  is  a  splendid  example  of  the  silicified 
stem  of  a  palm  (psarolinite) ;  cat's  eye,  from  Ceylon  ;  chert ; 
flint ;    groups  of  stalactitical  flint  passing   into  calcedony ; 
flint  nodules,  containing  water  ;  calcedonies. 

19.  [38.]  Silicates  containing  yttria  and  protoxide  of  cerium. 
Combinations  of  columbic,  or  tantalic  acid,  with  protoxides  of 
iron,  lime,  magnesia,  yttria,  zirconia,  &c.   Oxides  of  antimony. 
Tungstates.     Vanadic  acid  and  vanadates. 

20.  [23.]  Calcedonic  substances,  cut   and  polished.     Car- 
nelian  ;   plasma  ;   heliotrope  ;  bloodstone  ;  chrysoprase  from 
Kosemiitz,  in   Silesia.     Agates;    a  beautiful  agate   nodule, 
from  the  trap  formation  of  Central  Asia,  presented  by  C. 
Fraser,  Esq.  

21.  Table  containing  polished  slabs  of  various  marbles. 

22.  Table  with  polished  slabs  of  coralline  marbles. 

L 


146  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  II. 

23.  The  MAIDSTONE  IGUANODON.  (See"  Wonders  of  Geology" 
PI.  I.) — In  the  hexagonal  case  placed  on  the  ground  beneath 
the  central  north  window  is  a  block  of  Kentish  rag,  or  sand- 
stone, containing  a  considerable  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  a 
young  Iguanodon ;    the  bones  are  separated,  and  displaced. 
Discovered  in  a  quarry  of  Kentish  rag,  near  Maidstone,  Kent, 
by  Mr.  Bensted,  1834.  This  is  the  most  remarkable  specimen 
of  the  Iguanodon  hitherto  obtained. 

24.  Table  of  Serpentine.    Table  inlaid  with  porphyries,  &c. 

25.  This  table   contains   a   fine   series   of  bivalve   shells 
(Conchifera),  one  division  from  the  Tertiary  strata— chiefly 
from  the  Crag  ;  the  other  from  the  Inferior  Oolite,  and  other 
secondary  deposits  ;  arranged  and  named  by  Mr.  Woodward. 

26."  In  the  centre  of  the  room  is  a  table  formed  of  an 
extremely  beautiful  stalagmitic  marble,  from  Hartle,  Derby- 
shire. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PART  II. 
FOSSIL   REPTILES. 

AGB  OF  REPTILES — FOSSIL  BONES  OF  REPTILES — FOSSIL  TURTLES^PI  ATEMYS — 
CHELONIA  HARVICENSIS— CHELONIA  BRF.VICEPS— WEALDEN  TURTLES— CHE- 
LONIA  BELLII EMYDIANS TRETOSTERNUM  BAK.EWELLI. 

THE  AGE  OF  REPTILES. — The  announcement  of  the  illus- 
trious Founder  of  Palaeontology,  that  there  was  a  period  when 
the  lakes  and  rivers  of  our  planet  were  peopled  by  reptiles, 
and  cold-blooded  ogriparous  quadrupeds  of  appalling  magni- 
tude were  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  dry  land, — when 
the  seas  swarmed  with  saurians  exclusively  adapted  for  a 
marine  existence,  and  the  regions  of  the  atmosphere  were 
traversed  by  winged  lizards  instead  of  birds,  was  an  enuncia- 
tion so  novel  and  startling,  as  to  require  the  prestige  of  tlie 
name  of  CUVIER  to  obtain  for  it  any  degree  of  attention  or 
credence,  even  from  those  who  were  sufficiently  enlightened 
to  perceive  that  a  universal  deluge  would  not  account  for  the 
mutations  which  the  surface  of  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants 
had,  in  the  lapse  of  innumerable  ages,  undergone.1 

Subsequent  discoveries  have,  however,  established  the  truth, 
of  this  proposition  to  an  extent  beyond  what  even  its  pro- 
mulgator  could  have  surmised  ;  and  the  "  Age  of  Reptiles  "  2  is 
now  admitted  into  the  category  of  established  facts. 

1  "  Nous  remontons  done  a  un  autre  age  du  monde ;   a  cet  age  oil  la 
terre  n'etoit  encore  parcoume  que  par  des  reptiles  &  sang  froid— oil  la 
merabondoit  en  ammonites,  en  belemnites,  en  t§re"bratules,  en  encri- 
nites,  et  ou  tous  ces  genre?,  aujourd'hui  d'une  rarete  prodigieuse,  faisoient 
le  fond  de  sa  population/' — Ossemens  Fossiles,  torn.  v.  p.  10. 

2  "The  Age  of  Reptiles"  was  the  title  given  by  the  author  to  a 
popular  summary  of  the  evidence  bearing  on  this  question,  which  was 
published  in  the  Edinburgh  PhilosophicalJournal  for  1831.  The  name, 
as  now  generally  employed,  comprises  those  geological  epochs  which  are 
characterized  by  the  predominance  of  oviparous  quadrupeds,  viz.  from 
the  Trias  to  the  Chalk  inclusive. 


148  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

During  the  incalculable  ages  which  the  deposition  of  the 
various  systems  of  sedimentary  strata  must  have  comprised, 
we  find  no  evidence  in  the  fossils  hitherto  observed,  of  the 
existence  of  Birds  and  Mammalia  as  the  characteristic  types 
of  the  faunas  of  the  dry  land.  On  the  contrary,  throughout 
the  immense  accumulations  of  the  spoils  of  the  ancient  islands 
and  continents,  amidst  innumerable  relics  of  reptiles  of  various 
orders  and  genera,  portions  of  six  or  seven  lower  jaws,  and  a 
few  bones,  of  two  genera  of  extremely  small  terrestrial  quad- 
rupeds, and  the  bones  of  a  species  of  wading  bird,  are  the 
only  indications  of  the  presence  of  the  two  grand  classes,  Mam- 
malia and  Aves,  which  constitute  the  chief  features  of  the 
terrestrial  zoology  of  almost  all  countries. 

The  earliest  indications  of  air-breathing  vertebrata  in  the 
ancient  secondary  formations,  are  the  supposed  footprints  of  a 
chelonian  reptile  on  the  Potsdam  limestone  (Lower  Silurian)  of 
North  America,1  and  the  bones  of  small*  saurian  reptiles  in 
the  Carboniferous  strata ;  a  few  vestiges  occur  in  the  suc- 
ceeding group,  the  Permian.  In  the  next  epoch,  the  Tr lassie, 
colossal  Batrachians  (Labyrinthodons)  appear  ;  and  on  some  of 
the  strata  of  this  formation  are  the  footmarks  of  numerous 
bipeds,  presumed  to  be  those  of  birds,  which  have  already 
engaged  our  attention  ;  but  at  present  the  evidence  required 
to  establish  the  hypothesis  is  incomplete,  for  no  bones  of  the 
animals  that  made  those  imprints  have  been  discovered. 

In  the  succeeding  eras,  the  Liassic,  Oolitic,  Wealden,  and 
Cretaceous,  swarms  of  reptiles  of  numerous  genera  and  species 
everywhere  prevail ;  reptiles  fitted  to  fly  through  the  air,  to 
roam  over  the  land,  to  inhabit  the  lakes,  rivers,  and  seas ;  and 
yet  not  one  identical  with  any  existing  forms  !  These  beings 
gradually  decline  in  numbers  and  species  as  we  approach  the 
close  of  the  Secondary  periods,  and  are  immediately  succeeded, 
in  the  Tertiary  epochs,  by  as  great  a  preponderance  of  warm- 
blooded vertebrata — Birds  and  Mammalia — as  exists  at  the 
present  time,  and  an  equal  decadence  in  the  Class  of  Reptiles. 
With  the  Cretaceous  Formation  the  "  Age  of  Reptiles  "  may 
therefore  be  said  to  terminate. 

1  A  discovery  recently  made  by  Mr.  Logan  is  supposed  to  establish 
this  fact.  Casts  of  these  very  equivocal  imprints  may  be  seen  in  the 
highly  instructive  and  beautifully  arranged  Museum  of  Practical 
Geology,  in  Jermyn  Street,  London. 


BOOM  in.  FOSSIL   BOXES  OF  REPTILES.  149 

FOSSIL  BOXES  OF  REPTILES. — The  state  of  mineralisation 
of  the  fossils  we  have  now  to  examine,  differs  considerably 
from  that  presented  by  the  ornithic  relics  from  New  Zealand. 
The  osseous  carapaces  and  plastrons  of  the  turtles,  and  the 
bones  and  teeth  of  the  crocodiles  and  lizards,  are  almost 
without  exception  heavy,  and  of  various  shades  of  brown  or 
umber,  from  the  permeation  of  their  structures  by  solu- 
tions of  carbonates  or  oxides  of  iron. 

In  some  instances,  bones  of  a  jet  black  are  imbedded  in 
white  calciferous  grit;  the  phosphoric  acid  in  the  original 
organism  having  combined  with  iron  and  produced  a  deep 
blue  or  black  phosphate  of  that  mineral,  and  left  the  sur- 
rounding stone  uncoloured. 

Infiltration  of  calcareous  spar  is  a  mode  of  fossilisation 
equally  common ;  and  the  cancellous  structure,  and  the 
medullary  cavities  of  the  long  bones,  are  very  often  filled, 
more  or*  less,  with  white  calc-spar;  brilliant  pyrites  also 
enters  into  the  composition  of  these  fossils,  frosting  over  with 
a  golden  metallic  deposit  the  linings  of  the  cavities  and  fissures. 

The  petrifaction  of  the  teeth  by  mineral  matter,  produces 
beautiful  examples  of  the  intimate  tissues  of  those  organs ; 
the  dentine  is  often  stained  throughout  with  a  rich  sienna 
tint,  and  sections  viewed  under  the  microscope  by  transmitted 
light,  reveal  the  character  and  distribution  of  the  calcigerous 
tubes  more  denned  even  than  in  recent  specimens. 

It  is  extremely  rare  that  osseous  structures  are  found  sili- 
cified,  or,  in  other  words,  petrified  by  flint ;  among  the  many 
thousands  of  bones  which  I  have  extricated  from  the  rock, 
or  have  seen  in  collections,  I  know  but  of  a  solitary  instance, 
a  caudal  vertebra  of  a  Mosasaurus,  which  I  obtained  from 
a  chalk-pit  near  Brighton.  But  notwithstanding  the  weight 
and  apparent  solidity  imparted  by  these  modes  of  minerali- 
sation, the  osseous  substance  is  generally  rendered  extremely 
brittle,  so  that  the  development  of  the  bones  from  the  stone 
in  which  they  are  imbedded,  and  the  removal  of  the  hard  fer- 
rugino-calcareous  crust  investing  them,  is  no  easy  task,  but 
requires  much  tact  and  experience  and  patience  to  execute 
successfully. 

The  observer,  therefore,  must  not  suppose  that  specimens 
like  the  fossil  Turtles  and  Reptiles  in  the  first  Cases,  or 
the  colossal  bones  from  the  Wealden,  in  Case  B,  or  the 


150  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

splendid  skeletons  of  Plesiosauri  spread  out  on  slabs  of  grey 
limestone  in  Cases  D  and  E,  are  to  be  found  in  the  strata  in 
a  condition  that  would  admit  of  their  being  even  recognised 
as  organic  remains  by  the  uninstructed  eye.  On  the  con- 
trary, mere  shapeless  masses  of  rock,  with  here  and  there 
fragments  of  bone  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  surround- 
ing stone,  are  in  general  the  sole  indications  of  these  precious 
monuments  of  distant  ages,  that  have  been  enshrined  for  an 
incalculable  period,  and  which  require  the  skill  and  labour  of 
the  practised  explorer  to  develop  and  render  intelligible  to 
the  comparative  anatomist. 

The  degree  of  distortion  which  the  strong  and  massive 
bones  of  the  colossal  reptiles  of  the  Wealden  have  in  many 
instances  sustained,  is  truly  remarkable.  Leg  and  thigh- 
bones, and  the  bodies  of  vertebrae  of  enormous  size,  and 
which  were  originally  of  a  sub-cylindrical  form,  are  found 
twisted,  contorted,  and  pressed  almost  flat,  and  yet  with  but 
slight  indications  of  fracture.  It  is  clear  that  the  skeletons 
of  the  stupendous  saurians  must  have  been  rendered  plastic 
by  long  maceration  in  water  before  the  mud  and  sand  in 
which  they  were  engulfed  had  consolidated  around  them, 
and  ere  their  tissues  were  permeated  by  mineral  matter. 

The  Maidstone  Iguanodon,  (Table-Case  23  of  the  plan, 
ante,  p.  138,)  is  a  striking  example  of  this  kind;  in  the 
entire  series  of  bones  exposed,  there  is  scarcely  one  that  is 
not  more  or  less  altered  by  compression.  The  humerus  and 
thigh-bones  especially,  are  completely  distorted  ;  the  ver- 
tebrae pressed  almost  flat,  or  squeezed  into  abnormal  shapes ; 
one  of  the  clavicles  is  twisted  and  thrown  into  the  most 
fantastic  position ;  and  so  great  was  the  transformation  the 
bones  had  sustained,  that  although  Mr.  Bensted  had  spent 
weeks  in  clearing  out  the  most  obvious  masses  of  bone,  and 
had  marked  the  relative  connexion  of  the  principal  pieces 
into  which  the  specimen  had  been  fractured  by  the  explosion 
of  the  rock,  it  was  several  months,  and  with  the'  aid  of 
a  mason,  before  I  succeeded  in  cementing  the  pieces  together, 
and  restoring  the  fractured  parts  to  their  present  state  ;  nor 
could  this  have  been  successfully  effected,  had  I  not  previ- 
ously obtained  perfect  specimens  of  almost  all  the  parts  of  the 
skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon,  which  in  this  instructive  fossil 
were  found  associated  together  for  the  first  time,  to  guide 


ROOM  III.  FOSSIL   TURTLES.  151 

my  chisel,  and  enable  me  to  avoid  the  destruction  of  con- 
cealed portions  of  bone.1 

With  these  prefatory  remarks  to  prepare  the  uninstructed 
visitor  for  the  general  appearance  of  the  fossilized  osseous 
remains  deposited  in  this  apartment,  we  proceed  to  examine 
somewhat  in  detail,  the  various  relics  of  petrified  reptiles  it 
contains. 

FOSSIL  TURTLES.—  Wall-Cases  A  and  B.  [1,  2.]— The 
earliest  indications  of  the  presence  of  Reptiles  on  our  planet, 
are  those  afforded  by  the  foot-prints  of  Turtles  or  Chelo- 
nians,  apparently  of  terrestrial  species,  on  the  surfaces  of  the 
layers  of  sandstone  of  the  New  Red  formation,  in  Dumfries- 
shire in  Scotland,  at  Storton,  near  Liverpool,  and  in  several 
places  in  Germany.2  But  no  osseous  remains  of  Chelonia 
have  hitherto  been  found  in  strata  antecedent  to  the  Oolite. 

The  Solenhofen  quarries  have  yielded  the  bones  and  cara- 
paces of  several  species  of  marine  Turtles :  and  scutes  and 
bones  of  animals  of  this  family  have  been  found  at  Stones- 
field,  and  in  the  Bath  and  Portland  Oolite.  In  the  Jura 
limestone  at  Soleure,  two  large  species  of  Emydians  (fresh- 
water tortoises)  have  been  discovered. 

The  Wealden  formation  contains  Chelonian  remains  of 
fluviatile  and  marine  genera  ;  many  specimens  have  been 
collected  in  the  Isle  of  Purbeck ;  and  my  own  researches 
in  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest  have  brought  to  light  several 
species,  and  in  particular  an  interesting  Chelonian  related  to 
the  soft-skinned,  fresh-water  Tortoises  (Trionyces). 

In  the  Cretaceous  formation  of  England  the  remains  of 
these  reptiles  are  not  frequent.  The  Greensand  of  Cam- 
bridgeshire and  of  Kent  has  yielded  marine  species ;  and  in 
the  White  Chalk  a  few  beautiful  examples  have  been  obtained. 

On  the  Continent,  fossil  turtles  have  been  found  in  the 
slate  of  Glaris ;  and  in  the  upper  Cretaceous  strata  at 
Maestricht.  At  Melsbroeck,  near  Brussels,  very  fine  specimens 
of  fresh- water  (JZmydes),  and  marine  (Chelonia)  turtles  have 
been  discovered.3 


1  Consult  "  Medals  of  Creation,  or  First  Lessons  in  Geology,"  for 
additional  remarks  on  this  subject. 

2  See  Dr.  Buckland's  Bridgewater  Essay,  vol.  i.  p.  259. 

3  "  Oss.  Foss"  Tome  v.  pp,  236,  239. 


152  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

From  the  Eocene  strata  of  England  remains  of  several 
genera  have  been  obtained.  The  Isles  of  Sheppey  and 
Wight,  and  the  coasts  of  Hants  and  Essex,  have  yielded  fossil 
Chelonians  in  considerable  numbers. 

The  Eocene  Strata  of  France  contain  several  fresh-water 
Tortoises,  some  of  which  belong  to  the  family  of  Emydes, 
and  others  to  Trionyces. 

Testudinata,  or  Land-Tortoises,  are  exceedingly  rare ;  no 
unquestionable  remains  of  this  kind  are  known  in  the  British 
strata  ;J  but  the  Tertiary  formations  of  India  have  furnished 
decided  examples;  and  among  the  innumerable  relics  of 
vertebrata  which  the  indefatigable  labours  of  Dr.  Falconer 
and  Major  Cautley  have  brought  to  light,  and  skilfully 
developed,  are  the  remains  of  Land-Tortoises  of  prodigious 
magnitude,  to  which  we  have  already  adverted  when  pointing 
out  the  model  of  the  Colossochelys  Atlas,  at  the  entrance  of 
Room  I.  (ante  p.  11).  These  remains  are  associated  with  the 
bones  of  gigantic  extinct  mammalia,  allied  to  the  Palceotheria 
and  other  pachydermata  of  the  Paris  basin  ;  and  with  those 
of  Gavials,  and  of  small  Land-Tortoises,  of  species  that  still 
inhabit  India. 

The  fossil  remains  of  Chelonian  reptiles  generally  consist 
of  the  detached  plates  of  the  carapace  and  plastron,  but  consi- 
derable portions  of  the  convex  shell  formed  by  the  expanded 
and  united  costal  plates,  and  of  the  plates  of  the  sternum, 
are  not  uncommon.  In  a  few  instances,  as  in  the  Isle  of 
Wight  Eocene  Turtles,  collected  and  developed  with  consum- 
mate skill  by  the  Marchioness  of  Hastings, — and  some  of  the 
Sewalik  Chelonians  chiselled  out  of  the  rock  by  Mr.  Dew, 
and  placed  in  Room  VI. — the  entire  carapace  or  buckler,  and 
sternum  or  floor,  are  as  perfect  as  in  the  recent  skeleton. 
The  cranium  and  bones  of  the  pelvic  and  pectoral  arches, 
and  of  the  paddles,  are  often  found  detached,  and  occasionally 
in  connexion  with  the  carapace. 

CHELONIANS. —  Wall-cases  A-B. — The  fossil  Turtles  in  this 


1  At  the  head  of  British  Chelonia  (Brit.  Rep.  p.  190),  Testudo  Dun- 
cani  (Owen),  is  placed ;  but  the  Report  does  not  contain  the  description 
of  any  Chelonian  remains  that  can  be  referred  to  this  species.  Equivo- 
cal imprints  on  stone  are  surely  insufficient,  in  the  absence  of  all  corro- 
borative evidence,  to  justify  either  generic  or  specific  distinctions. 


ROOM  III.  CHELONIA   HARVICENSIS.  153 

apartment  are  placed  on  the  shelves  in  the  angle  uniting 
Wall-cases  A  and  B  of  the  plan  (ante  p.  138).     The  following 
diagram  will  assist  the  visitor  in  finding  the  objects  described. 
CASE  marked  CHELONIANS  in  Room  III.  : — 

Upper  Shelf. — CEningen  Salamander. 
Fossil  Turtles  from  Harwich  ;   Chelonia  Harvicensis. 

Turtles  from  the  Isle  of  Sheppey. 
Turtles  from  the  Wealden  of  Tilgate  Forest. 
Vertebrae  of  Mosasaurus  from  Maestricht ;  and  from  the  Chalk  at  Lewes. 

,   Pterodactyle  from      (        Geosaurus  Soemmeringii.        \    „, 

Lyme  Regis.  Two  very  interesting  specimens      SSiSftSXfZ 

of  the  skeleton  of  this  Crocodilian    "",£"£  teeth'  &c'  of 
Models  of  Pterodactyles.l.         reptile,  from  Monheim.          J 

Platemys  Bullockii.1—  Wall-case  A-B. — One  of  the  most 
conspicuous  of  the  fossil  Turtles  in  the  angle  uniting  the 
Cases  A  and  B,  is  labelled  as  above  ;  the  specific  name  indi- 
cating its  former  possessor,  the  late  Mr.  Bullock,  in  whose 
museum  in  Piccadilly  it  was  exhibited  many  years  since. 

This  Turtle  was  discovered  in  the  Eocene  clay  of  the  Islo 
of  Sheppey  ;  the  plastron  or  floor  is  16  inches  in  length  and 
14  inches  in  breadth,  and  is  almost  flat ;  the  carapace  is 
remarkably  low.  It  belongs  to  the  family  of  Marsh-Tortoises 
(Paludinosa)  which  much  resembles  the  true  Land-Tortoises 
(Testudinidce.) 

CHELONIA  Harvicensis. —  Wall-case  A-B.— Two  fine  speci- 
mens, one  exhibiting  the  inner  surface  or  concavity,  and 
the  other  the  convexity  of  the  carapace  of  a  large  marine 
Turtle,  are  placed  in  the  centre  of  this  compartment ;  they 
are  from  the  Eocene  argillaceous  beds  on  the  Essex  coast. 
As  remains  of  this  Turtle  were  often  found  on  the  shore, 
near  Harwich,  my  friend  the  late  Mr.  Samuel  Woodward,2 
figured  and  described  the  species  as  C.  Harvicensis  in  a  valu- 
able work,  which  was  the  first  attempt  to  tabulate  the 
British  fossils ;  a  labour  since  so  ably  carried  out  by 

1  Prof.  Owen,  in  Palzeontographical  Society's  Trans.,  1849.     PI.  XXI. 

2  The  father  of  Mr.  S.  P.  Woodward  of  the  British  Museum,  one  of 
the  Curators  of  the  Palaeontological  department. 


154  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

Mr.  Morris  ;  the  frontispiece  of  that  volume  represents  a  fine 
carapace  in  the  Norwich  Museum.1 

Mr.  Woodward  states  that  the  buckler  or  shell  of  this 
Chelonian  reptile  often  forms  the  nuclei  of  the  septaria  or 
cement-stones  which  occur  in  the  eocene  clay  of  the  Norfolk 
coast ;  the  one  figured  was  dredged  up  from  the  Stour  Ridge, 
Avhich  lies  four  miles  out  at  sea  from  Harwich  Harbour ;  it  is 
22  inches  long  and  18  wide.  Specimens  of  the  convex  or 
outer  surface  of  the  carapace  are  less  common  than  those  that 
expose  the  interior. 

This  Turtle  was  figured  and  described  by  Mr.  Konig,  under 
the  name  of  Testudo  plana  in  the  I  cones  Sectiles,  fig.  192  ; 
and  Prof.  Owen  has  figured  the  Museum  specimen  (which  is 
13|  inches  long,  and  10  inches  wide),  in  his  "  Monograph  on 
the  Fossil  Reptilia  of  the  London  Clay,"  PL  XL  and  XII. , 
as  Chelone  crassicostata ;  a  name  derived  from  the  great 
thickness  of  the  ribs  which  is  peculiar  to  this  species  ;  but  it 
appears  to  me  improper  to  expunge  the  specific  name  of 
a  fossil  that  has  been  figured  and  described  by  an  original 
observer,  with  sufficient  clearness  to  enable  the  species  to  be 
identified.  In  every  department  of  natural  history  unneces- 
sary changes  in  nomenclature  are  most  serious  impediments 
to  the  advancement  of  scientific  knowledge. 

CHELONIA  Breviceps. — ("Pictorial  Atlas,"  PI.  LXIX.  fig. 
2,  3.) — A  nearly  perfect  cranium  of  a  marine  turtle  from  the 
Isle  of  Sheppey,  named  Emys  Parkinsonii  by  Mr.  Gray,  and 
Chelone  breviceps  (short-skull)  by  Professor  Owen,  is  placed 
jn  this  Case :  it  approaches  in  form  the  recent  C.  my  das. 
In  Mr.  Bowerbank's  collection  there  is  a  cranium  of  the  same 
species,  attached  to  the  carapace  and  plastron:  it  is  a  small 
turtle,  about  seven  and  a  half  inches  long.2 

In  the  late  Mr.  Dixon's  collection  (now  added  to  the  Na- 
tional Museum)  there  were  several  species  of  eocene  turtles, 
which  are  figured  and  described  in  his  work ;  as,  for  example, 
C.  declivis,  C.  trigoniceps,  &c. ;  but  these  interesting  fossils 
are  not  at  present  exposed  to  view. 

FOSSIL  TURTLES   OP   THE  WEALDEN. —  Wall-case  A.  B. — 

1  "  Synoptical  Table  of  British  Organic  Kemains;"  by  Samuel  Wood- 
ward: Norwich,  1830. 

2  Figured  in  "  Palaeontographical  Monograph,"  1849,  PI.  I.  II. 


ROOM  III.  FOSSIL   TURTLES   OP   THE   WEALDEN.  155 

("  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  1827,  PL  VI.  and  VII.)— Water- 
worn  comminuted  bones  and  costal  plates  of  Chelonian  rep- 
tiles, are  abundant  in  the  Wealden  deposits  of  the  Isle  of 
Purbeck,  and  Isle  of  Wight,  and  in  the  clays  and  sand- 
stones of  the  Weald  of  Sussex.  Their  occurrence  in  the 
Purbeck  beds  was  made  known  by  Mr.  Webster;  and  in  the 
Wealden,  by  my  early  gleanings  from  the  strata  of  Tilgate 
Forest. 

With  the  increase  of  collectors,  and  activity  of  research, 
that  followed  the  publication  of  my  works  on  the  Fossils 
of  Sussex,  remains  of  Chelonians  of  considerable  interest 
were  brought  to  light ;  but  with  the  exception  of  a  few  almost 
perfect  examples  of  the  carapace  and  plastron  from  near 
Swanage,  and  considerable  detached  portions  of  the  same 
parts  from  the  Hastings  beds  of  Sussex,  I  am  not  aware 
that  more  instructive  relics  have  been  discovered  than  those 
in  the  Case  before  us,  which  were  collected  by  me  nearly 
thirty  years  ago.1 

In  my  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  (published  in  1827,) 
PI.  VI.  and  VII.,2  are  figured  costal-plates  of  the  carapace, 
portions  of  the  plastron,  and  of  the  scapular  arch,  which  are 
referable  to  three  distinct  groups  of  Chelonians. 

CHELONIA  Bellii. — ("  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  776) — Ribs 
and  portions  of  the  marginal  border  of  the  carapace,  and 
plates  of  the  plastron,  with  a  smooth  outer  surface,  referable 
to  a  large  species  of  marine  turtle,  were  among  the  first 
vestiges  of  Chelonians  obtained  from  the  quarries  near 
Cuckfield  in  1820.  Some  of  these  indicate  a  total  length  of 
three  feet.  The  most  remarkable  character  in  the  inconsi- 
derable portions  of  the  skeletons  of  this  extinct  reptile  that 
have  come  under  my  examination,  is  the  narrow  dimensions 
to  which  the  intercostal  spaces  are  reduced,  from  the  ossifica- 
tion and  confluence  of  the  ribs  extending  to  within  a  short 
distance  of  their  distal  extremities.  Professor  Owen  states 
that  in  the  convexity  of  the  under  side  of  the  vertebral  ribs, 

1  Notice  of  the  occurrence  of  three  kinds  of  Chelonians  in  the  strata 
of  Tilgate  Forest,  is  given  in  my  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  (p.  47) 
published  in  1822;  and  of  Mr.  Lyell's  recognition  of  their  analogy  to 
specimens  from  Stonesfield. 

2  With  the  exception  of  fig.  8,  PI.  V.,  which  later  discoveries  have 
proved  to  belong  to  a  Crocodilian  and  not  to  a  Chelonian  reptile. 


156  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.      ^CHAP.  III. 

and  in  the  modifications  of  the  form  of  the  episternal,  hyos- 
ternal,  and  hyposternal  bones,  this  species  offers  the  nearest 


LIGN.  33.— DISTAL  EXTREMITY  OF  THE  RIB  OF  A  TURTLE.    TILGATE  FORKST. 

(Nat.  size) 
(CHELONIA  BELLii.1) 

a.  Apical  extremity  of  a  rib. 

b.  Distal  portion  of  a  costal  plate. 

resemblance  to  the  Chelone  planimentum  of  the  Harwich 
eocene  clay. 

EMYDIANS,  or  Freshwater  Turtles,  (Platemys  Mantelli.) — 
Wall-case  A-B. — Of  this  group  of  Chelonians,  in  which  the 
carapace  is  much  flatter  than  in  the  land  or  marine  Turtles, 
there  are  the  remains  of  a  species  which  Baron  Cuvier  (to 
whom  I  transmitted  specimens  in  1820)  supposed  to  be 
identical  with  one  discovered  in  the  Jura  limestone  at  So- 
leure  by  M.  Hugi,  and  described  in  "  Ossemens  Fossiles" 
tome  v.  p.  232.  The  proportions  of  the  fragments  discovered 
indicate  the  breadth  of  the  carapace  to  have  exceeded  twenty 
inches.  A  fine  plate  of  the  plastron,  the  left  hyposternal,2 


1  Named  in  honour  of  the  eminent  zoologist,  Thomas   Bell,  Esq. 
Secretary  of  the  Eoyal  Society. 

2  Marked  No.  2338  on  the  specimen,  and  labelled  in  my  museum, 
"  Sternal  plate  of  a  Marine  Turtle,"  belongs  to  this  species,  according 
to  the  observations  of  Professor  Owen. 


ROOM  III.  TRETOSTERNUM   BAKEWELLI.  157 

in  Tilgate  grit,  is  placed  with  the  Wealden  Chelonian  remains 
in  this  case. 


LIGX.  34— COSTAL  PLATE  OF  A  FRESHWATER  TURTLE.     TILGATE  FOREST. 

(TRETOSTERNUM  BAKEWELLI.) 

(£  nat.  size.) 

TRETOSTERNUM  (Trionyx  Bakewelli.1} — The  most  numerous, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  most  enigmatical  remains  of  Chelo- 
nians,  obtained  in  my  earliest,  researches  in  the  Wealden  of 
Sussex,  were  fragments  of  very  flat  costal  plates  of  the  cara- 
pace of  a  species  of  freshwater  turtle,  having  a  granulated 
external  surface,  and  resembling  in  this  respect  the  bony 
case  of  the  recent  fluviatile  sub-genus,  named  Trionyx,  from 
their  having  but  three  free  toes  on  each  foot.  These  Che- 
lonians  are  distinguished  by  the  intercostal  spaces,  the  ribs 
not  being  ossified  throughout,  and  their  extremities  having 
no  osseous  border  of  support;  the  external  surface  of  the 
carapace  is  covered  with  delicate  pits  or  hollows,  for  the 
attachment  of  the  soft  skin,  which  is  the  only  dermal  integu- 
ment ;  for  the  animals  of  this  genus  are  destitute  of  scutes, 
and  consequently  the  dorsal  and  costal  plates  of  the  carapace 
do  not  exhibit  furrows  or  grooves,  produced  by  the  margins 
of  the  scales  of  tortoise-shell,  as  in  the  other  sub-genera. 

Such  are  the  characters  of  the  recent  turtles,  whose  cara- 


1  Notice  of  the  occurrence  of  this  Turtle  in  the  Wealden  was  first 
given  in  my  "  Geol.  of  Sussex,"  1822;  it  was  figured  and  described 
in  "Foss.  Tilgate  Forest,"  in  1827;  and  again,  as  T.  Bakewelli,  in 
"  Geol.  S.  E.  of  England,"  1833. 


158  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

paces  have  a  shagreen  or  pitted  surface,  closely  resembling 
the  granulated  plates  under  examination ;  but  in  the  latter 
there  are  deep  grooves  on  the  sculptured  surface,  showing 
that  the  original  was  protected  by  scutes  of  tortoise-shell, 
as  in  the  other  tribes  of  Chelonia. 

"In  the  rib"  (placed  on  the  lowest  shelf  in  Case  A.}) 
"  these  imprints  are  very  distinct,  and  it  is  observable  that 
this  costal  plate,  instead  of  being  nearly  of  an  equal  width 
throughout,  as  in  the  freshwater  and  marine  turtles,  gradually 
enlarges  till  one  termination  is  twice  as  wide  as  the  other. 
This  is  a  character  observable  in  the  land  tortoises  only,  and 
therefore  presents  another  anomaly  in  the  structure  of  the 
fossil  animal.  From  the  slight  degree  of  convexity  of  this 
rib,  it  is  clear  that  the  original  was  of  a  flattened  form,  like 
the  common  turtle,  Testudo  mydas ;  its  shagreened  surface 
proves  .its  analogy  to  Trionyx;  but  the  imprints  of  scales 
show  that  it  cannot  be  identified  with  any  recent  species". 
Among  the  numerous  portions  of  the  osseous  border  of  the 
carapace  found  in  Tilgate  Forest,  we  have  not  observed  any 
with  a  shagreen  surface;  a  negative  proof  that  the  fossil,  like 
the  recent  Trionyx,  was  destitute  of  that  appendage."2 

Specimens  far  more  perfect  have  since  been  met  with; 
some  of  which  are  in  the  collection  of  Sir  P.  Egerton,  and 
described  in  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Reports."  According  to  the  pre- 
sent state  of  our  knowledge  of  this  remarkable  type  of 
freshwater  turtles,  the  carapace  was  very  flat  and  large,  and 
its  surface  rugous,  as  in  the  Trionyces,  but  covered  with 
dermal  scutes,  as  in  the  Emydians :  it  therefore  had  not  the 
soft  integument  of  the  existing  Chelonians,  to  which  it  is 
otherwise  nearly  related. 

Except  in  having  a  defensive  coat  of  tortoise-shell,  the 
Tretosternum  Bakewelli,  with  its  sculptured  carapace  and 
rudimentary  marginal  plates,  and  unossified  centre  of  its 

1  Figured  in  "Foss.  Tilg.  Forest,"  PI.  VI.  fig.  1. 

2  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  pp.  60,  61.     The  palaeontologist  en- 
gaged in  establishing  the  nomenclature  of  British  Fossils,  will  remark 
that  the  above  quotation  is  from  a  work  published  in  1827;  and  that 
the  distinctive  characters  are  sufficiently  pointed  out  to  warrant  the 
author  in  assigning  a  specific  name,  six  years  afterwards  ("  Geol.  S.  E. 
of  England,"  p.  255),  to  a  fossil  exhumed  from  the  strata  with  his  own 
hands,  and  described  and  figured  in  his  works  alone. 


ROOM  III.  FOSSIL   TURTLES   OF   THE   WEALDEN.  1.39 

plastron,  must  have  closely  resembled  the  existing  species  of 
Trionyces;  and  doubtless,  like  its  modern  prototypes,  inha- 
bited muddy  deltas  and  estuaries,  and  preyed  on  the  eggs 
and  young  of  the  large  reptiles,  and  the  soft  bodies  of  the 
mollusks,  with  whose  remains  its  bones  are  associated  in  the 
strata  of  Tilgate  Forest.1 

1  The  TRETOSTERNUM  BAKEWELLI  is  described  as  T.  punctatum  by 
Professor  Owen  in  his  "Report  on  British  Fossil  Reptiles,"  1841 ;  with 
the  following  remark : — "  Portions  of  ribs  of  the  Tretosternum  puncta- 
tum, which  from  their  specific  punctation  and  sculpturing  of  the  outer 
surface  have  been  referred  to  the  genus  Trionyx,  have  been  discovered 
by  Dr.  Mantell  in  the  Wealden  of  Tilgate,  '  Illustrations  of  the  Geology 
of  Sussex,'  4to,  PL  VI.  figs.  1,  3,  5."  Not  the  slightest  allusion  is  made 
to  my  having  figured  and  clearly  pointed  out  the  remarkable  characters 
of  this  extinct  Chelonian,  many  years  before  Professor  Owen  had  written 
a  single  line  on  any  palaeontologieal  subject. 

A&  the  original  discoverer  and  interpreter  of  this  Turtle,  I  proposed 
to  distinguish  it  by  the  specific  name  Bakewelli  ("  Geology  S.  E.  of 
England,"  p.  255),  as  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  late  Mr.  Robert  Bake- 
well,  the  eminent  geologist,  whose  "  Introduction "  was  one  of  the 
earliest  and  ablest  English  works  for  the  student  in  geology.  With  a 
melancholy  pleasure  I  once  more  associate  the  name  of  my  lamented 
friend  with  a  department  of  palaeontology  in  which  he  felt  peculiarly 
interested :  a  privilege,  "  which,  besides  the  claim  of  priority,  in  the 
honest  result  of  labour  devoted  to  the  elucidation  of  the  subject."  * 


(Quoted  from  Professor  Owen's  Brit.  Assoc.  Report,  p.  163.) 


CHAPTER    III. 

PART  III. 
FOSSIL  BATRACHIANS  AND  SAUKIANS. 

INTRODUCTORY — TEETH    OF    REPTILES — VERTEBRA    OP    REPTILES— BICONVEX 
CAUDAL   VERTEBRA — SWANAGE   CROCODILE — GEOSAURUS  — MACROSPONDYLUS 

CKOCODILUS   TOLIAPICUS  —  CROCODILUS    SPENCERI  —  TELEOSAURUS    PRIS- 

CUS — TELEOSAURUS  CHAPMANNI — (ENINGEN  SALAMANDER — PTERODACTYLES 
MOSASAURUS — POLYPTYCHODON. 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. — The  fossil  reptilian  remains  we 
have  now  to  examine,  consist  of  the  bones  of  the  skeleton, 
either  detached,  or  imbedded  in  the  rock  somewhat  in  their 
original  relative  position, — of  the  osseous  dermal  scutes  and 
spines,  which  in  certain  gigantic  extinct  saurians  are  greatly 
developed, — of  the  bony  sclerotic  plates  of  the  organs  of 
vision, — and,  very  rarely,  of  the  cartilaginous  expansions  and 
dermal  integuments  of  the  paddles  and  other  parts  in  a  car- 
bonized state.  These  softer  tissues  appear,  in  some  instances, 
to  have  been  converted  into  adipocire,  and  subsequently  per- 
meated by  mineral  matter. 

The  Gallery  contains  examples,  more  or  less  illustrative,  of 
species  and  genera  of  the  following  orders  of  the  class  Reptilia, 
viz.  :  1.  Batrachians,  or  the  Frog-tribe  ;  2.  Ophidians,  or 
Serpents ;  3.  Lacertians,  or  Lizards ;  4.  Enaliosatirians,  or 
marine  Lizards ;  5.  Pterosaurians,  or  flying  Lizards ;  6.  Cro- 
codilians;  7.  Dinosaurians,  or  extinct  colossal  Lizards. 

In  the  "  Medals  of  Creation," !  I  have  given  a  concise  expo- 
sition of  the  most  important  and  easily  recognisable  characters 
of  the  bones  and  teeth,  and  other  parts  of  these  animals,  that 
are  met  with  in  a  fossil  state,  for  the  guidance  of  the  collector 
unacquainted  with  the  rudiments  of  osteology ;  and  to  that 

1  Vol.  ii.  chap.  xvii.  pp.  688—707. 


ROOM  III.  TEETH   OF   REPTILES.  161 

work  I  must  refer  the  general  reader  desirous  of  acquiring 
more  particular  information  respecting  the  specimens  to  be 
reviewed  in  the  present  chapter  :  for  anatomical  details,  and 
explanations  of  all  the  technical  terms  employed  to  designate 
the  respective  parts,  would  extend  this  volume  beyond  the 
limits  of  a  hand-book. 

TEETH  OF  REPTILES. — The  teeth,  from  their  dense  struc- 
ture, are  the  most  durable  parts  of  the  skeleton,  and  these 
organs  occur  even  in  rocks  of  immense  antiquity,  in  the  most 
beautiful  state  of  preservation  ;  and  the  various  modifications 
of  form  and  structure,  and  implantation  in  the  jaws,  obser- 
vable in  the  existing  tribes,  are  found  in  the  extinct  races.1 
They  exhibit  considerable  diversity  of  shape,  but  the 
characteristic  type  is  that  of  a  simple  cone,  with  either  a 
rounded  or  pointed  apex,  and  a  single  fang ;  for  no  known 
reptile,  whether  fossil  or  recent,  has  a  tooth  with  the  base 
terminating  in  more  than  one  root,  and  that  is  never  bifur- 
cated. 

These  dental  organs  are  only  fitted  for  seizing  and  retaining 
the  prey  or  food;  for  no  living  reptiles  have  the  power  of 
performing  mastication.  In  the  Crocodile  the  tooth  has 
a  cylindrical  shank,  and  a  conical,  longitudinally  striated, 
enamelled  crown,  with  a  ridge  on  each  side.  In  the  Hylce- 
osaurus,  the  shank  is  cylindrical,  and  the  crown  expanded  and 
lanceolate,  with  blunt  margins  ;  in  the  Megalosaurus  the 
tooth  is  laterally  compressed,  trenchant,  and  bent  backwards 
like  a  sabre,  with  serrated  edges ;  in  the  Iguanodon  the  shank 
is  subcylinclrical,  and  the  crown  of  a  prismatic  form,  greatly 
expanded,  with  broad  denticulated  edges,  and  a  few  longi- 
tudinal ridges  in  front ;  in  the  Serpents,  the  teeth  are  very 
long  and  pointed ;  in  the  Lizards,  may  be  seen  every  modifi- 
cation of  the  conical  form,  down  to  a  mere  hemispherical 
tubercle  or  plate.  The  Turtles  are  edentulous,  i.e.  destitute 
of  teeth  :  their  masticating  organs  consisting  of  the  horny 
trenchant  sheaths  with  which  the  jaws  are  covered. 

There   are   five   essential   modifications  in   the   mode   of 

1  Teeth  of  Reptiles.— See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  vol.  ii.  p.  688. 
Lower  Jaw  of  Reptiles. — Ibid.  p.  694,  Lign.  137. 
Vertebra  of  Reptiles.— Ibid.  p.  695. 
Sacrum,  &c. — Ibid.  p.  699. 
Dermal  bones. — Ibid.  p.  701. 

M 


162  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  ITI. 

implantation  of  the  teeth,  viz.  :  1,  in  distinct  sockets,  as  in 
Crocodiles ;  2,  in  a  continuous  groove  or  furrow,  as  in  the 
Ichthyosauri ;  3,  attached  laterally  by  the  shank  to  the 
alveolar  parapet,  as  in  the  Iguanas  (pleurodonts)  •  4,  anchy- 
losed  to  the  base  of  a  shallow  socket,  (thecodonts) ;  and  5, 
attached  to  an  osseous  support  without  sockets  or  an  alveolar 
parapet  (acrodonts),  as  in  the  Mosasaurus. 

The  compound  structure  of  the  lower  jaw  of  reptiles  is 
also  peculiar ;  there  are  six  distinct  bones  on  each  side,  and 
these  elements  undergo  various  modifications  of  form  and 
arrangement  in  the  respective  families. 

VERTEBRA  OF  REPTILES. — The  vertebrae,  as  the  elements 
which  form  the  spine  are  termed,  are  the  most  numerous  and 
important  parts  of  the  skeletons  of  the  extinct  reptiles,  that 
come  under  the  observation  of  the  palaeontologist,  and  which 
present  in  the  gigantic  terrestrial  saurians,  extraordinary  de- 
viations from  the  homologous  bones  in  the  existing  species. 

Unfortunately,  connected  series  of  vertebrae  are  but  rarely 
met  with  in  the  fluviatile  deposits  in  which  the  exuviae  of  the 
most  remarkable  land  lizards  occur ;  and  it  is,  therefore,  often- 
times extremely  difficult  to  determine  whether  cervical,  dorsal, 
and  caudal  vertebrae,  discovered  apart  from  each  other  in  the 
rocks,  belong  to  a  spinal  column  typical  of  one  species  or 
genus,  or  to  several  genera.  Hence  specific  and  generic 
distinctions  founded  on  isolated  bones,  can  only  be  admitted 
as  provisional ;  for  in  more  than  one  instance  different  parts 
of  the  same  vertebral  column  have  been  biade  the  basis  of 
three  distinct  genera ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  a  supposed 
generic  vertebral  character  not  unfrequently  proves  to  be 
distributed  through  an  entire  family  of  saurians. 

The  fragmentary  and  isolated  condition  of  the  vertebras 
imbedded  in  the  Wealden  strata  of  the  South-East  of  England, 
is  a  sufficient  excuse  for  error  in  the  interpretation  of  a  piece 
of  bone,  or  in  the  reference  of  an  entire  bone  to  a  particular 
species  or  genus.  My  own  mistakes  in  this  respect  I  have 
always  unreservedly  pointed  out;  and  it  is  much  to  be 
regretted  that  other  labourers  in  the  same  department  of 
natural  history,  of  far  higher  pretensions,  do  not  imitate  the 
noble  example  of  the  illustrious  Cuvier,  and  admit  and 
correct  the  errors  into  which  they  have  fallen  by  the  ascrip- 
tion of  specific  and  generic  distinctions  without  sufficient 


ROOM  III.  VERTEBRA   OP   REPTILES.  163 

data.  It  is  only  by  a  strict  regard  to  truth,  and  the  substi- 
tution of  facts  for  hypotheses,  that  the  science  of  Palaeontology 
can  be  extended,  and  its  principles  securely  established. 

From  the  great  number  of  vertebrae  in  many  reptiles, 
amounting  in  the  individuals  of  some  species  to  nearly  two 
hundred,  these  bones  are,  perhaps,  the  most  abundant  of  all 
the  fossil  relics  of  this  class  of  animals.  In  many  deposits, 
the  vertebrae  are  almost  always  deprived  of  their  processes, 
the  body  or  centrum  alone  remaining,  (as  in  Lign.  35,  fig.  8). 
In  other  strata,  entire  series,  with  the  processes  more  or  less 
perfect,  and  in  connexion  with  other  parts  of  the  skeleton, 
are  found  imbedded ;  as  in  the  beautiful  specimens  of  Ichthyo- 
sauri and  Plesiosauri  in  the  lias  limestones  and  shales. 

As  vertebrae,  or  their  detached  processes,  are  frequently 
the  only  vestiges  of  peculiar  types  of  extinct  saurians,  a  few 
explanatory  remarks  are  necessary  to  enable  the  reader  to 
appreciate  the  interest  and  importance  of  some  of  the  speci- 
mens in  this  collection,  which  are  apparently  but  of  very 
little  value. 

The  bones  composing  the  spine  are  designed  to  form  a 
flexible  column  of  support  to  the  trunk,  and  afford  protection 
to  the  great  nervous  chords  constituting  the  spinal  marrow, 
and  which  extend  from  the  brain  to  the  tail,  giving  off  nume- 
rous lateral  branches  in  their  course,  and  conferring  sensation 
and  motive  power  to  every  part  of  the  body.  To  effect  this 
purpose,  the  upper  part  of  each  vertebra  consists  of  a  ring, 
called  the  annular  part  or  neural-arch,  which  is  composed  of 
two  processes  (Lign.  35,  &.),  arising  from  each  side  of  the 
body,  or  centrum  (Lign.  35,  a.),  with  which  they  are  connected 
by  suture,  and  these  unite  above  into  a  solid  piece,  termed 
the  spinal  process  (Lign.  35,  d).  On  each  side  of  the  annular 
part  there  is  a  transverse  process,  (Lign.  35,  ef  e.),  for  the 
attachment  of  muscles ;  and,  in  some  reptiles,  as  the  Croco- 
diles, the  ribs  are  articulated  to  these  processes. 

The  vertebrae  of  the  tail  have,  in  addition  to  the  above 
apophyses,  an  inferior  spinous  process,  termed  the  chevron- 
bone  (Lign.  35,  jig.  2  and  3,  /),  which  supports  the  inferior 
layers  of  caudal  muscles,  and  is  articulated  to  the  inferior 
margin  of  the  body  of  the  vertebra,  either  by  two  distinct 
heads,  or  by  the  confluence  of  the  two  laminae  into  a  single 
tubercle,  (as  in  fy.  2) ;  in  either  case  an  interspace  is  left 


164 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 


LIGN.  35.  FOSSIL  VERTEBRA  OF  REPTILES  ;  TILGATE  FOREST. 

(The  figures  are  reduced  in  the  proportions  specified  by  the  fractions.) 
Fig.  1. — Caudal  vertebra  of  an  unknown  reptile. 

2. — Chevron  bone  of  IGUANODON:  seen  in  front. 

3.— Caudal  vertebra  of  IGUANODON,  viewed  laterally  in  an  oblique  direction. 

3". — Front  view  of  the  same. 

4.— Caudal  vertebra  of  IGUANODON,  without  either  transverse  process  or 
chevron-bone.  The  letter  o  marks  the  deep  hollow  left  by  the  removal 
of  the  transverse  process,  at  the  suture  of  the  annular  part. 

5. — Vertebra  of  STREPTOSPONDYLUS?  -^  nat.  size. 

6. — Lumbar  vertebra  of  IGUANODON,  with  the  spinous  process  broken  off. 

7. — Cervical  vertebra  of  STREPTOSPONDYLUS?  -^  nat.  size% 

c.  The  pair  of  posterior  oblique  processes. 

8. — The  bodies  of  two  dorsal  vertebrae  of  IGUANODON  :  viewed  laterally. 
The  same  letters  refer  to  the  analogous  parts  in  the  respective  figures ;  with 
the  exception  of  c,  in  fig.  7. 

a.  The  body,  or  centrum,  of  the  vertebra:  the  letter  denotes  the  anterior  part. 

b.  The  annular  part  (neurapophysis),  which  surrounds  the  spinal  cord, 
c,  c.  The  anterior  articular  or  oblique  processes. 

d.  The  spinous  process  of  the  annular  part. 

e,  e.  The  transverse  processes,  or  parapophyses. 

f.  The  chevron-bone  (hcemapophysis),  or  inferior  spine  of  the  vertebra. 

g.  The  single  articulating  head  of  the  chevron-bone  :  the  interspace  seen 

in  the  front  view,  fig.  2,  is  for  the  passage  of  the  large  blood-vessels 
which  supply  the  tail. 
h.  The  spine  of  the  chevron-bone. 

i.  The  shaded  spot,  d,  denotes  the  medullary  cavity  of  the  annular  part. 
o,  o.  Mark  the  sutures  which  connect  the  annular  part  with  the  body  of  the 

vertebra. 

w,  w.  Indicate  the  place  of  attachment  of  the  chevron-bone,  which  in  the 
Iguanodon  is  always  single. 


ROOM  III.  VERTEBRAE    OF   SAURIANS.  165 

for  the  passage  of  the  large  blood-vessels  which  supply  the 
tail. 

In  most  of  the  existing  reptiles,  (as  for  example  the  Croco- 
dile, Iguana,  &c.)  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae  are  concave  in 
front  and  convex  behind,1  forming  a  series  of  ball  and  socket 
joints;  but  in  many  extinct  genera  both  the  articulating 
surfaces  are  flat,  or  slightly  concave ; 2  or  flat  in  front  and 
concave  behind.3 

In  quadrupeds  the  annular  part  is  anchylosed  to  the  ver- 
tebral centre ;  in  reptiles  it  is  generally  united  by  suture  ; 
but  all  traces  of  this  mode  of  connexion  are  often  obliterated 
in  aged  individuals.  By  reference  to  Lign.  35,  and  its  de- 
scription, the  form,  arrangement,  and  connexion  of  the  dif- 
ferent vertebral  elements  in  certain  fossil  reptiles,  may  be 
easily  comprehended.  The  bones  in  the  spinal  column  of 
the  same  animal  are  considerably  modified  in  the  several 
regions  of  the  neck  (cervical),  back  (dorsal),  and  tail  (caudal). 
The  cervical  are  generally  of  the  most  complicated  structure, 
and  the  caudal,  the  most  simple. 

From  this  exposition,  the  reader  will  perceive  that  every 
vertebra  consists  of  the  following  essential  parts,  namely,  the 
body,  or  centrum,  and  the  annular  part,  or  neurapophysis,  so 
termed,  because  it  protects  the  nervous  chord ;  while  a  caudal 
vertebra  has,  in  addition,  the  chevron-bone,  called  also  hcema- 
pophysis,  from  its  affording  a  passage  to  the  large  blood- 
vessels. 

The  bodies  of  the  vertebrae  are  in  general  solid,  and  con- 
sist of  the  ordinary  osseous  structure  ;  but  in  certain  fossil 
reptiles  the  centre  of  the  bone  is  filled  with  calcareous  spar, 
indicating  an  irregular  medullary  cavity ;  but  this  structure 
also  obtains  in  the  caudal  vertebrae  of  mammalia,  for  example, 
in  our  domestic  Ox.4 


1  Named  by  Professor  Owen  proccdian  vertebrae;  from  two  Greek 
words,  signifying  concave  before. 

2  Amphicaelian,  concave  at  both  ends. 

3  Platycodian,  flat  in  front,  concave  behind. 

4  I  am  not  aware  that  this  fact  was  noticed  by  any  anatomist,  till 
pointed  out  by  me  in  a  Lecture  on  the  Structure  of  Fossil  Saurians, 
delivered  in  the  LONDON  INSTITUTION.     As  some  Palaeontologists  have 
ascribed  a  specific  and  even  generic  value  to  this  character,  I  annex 
figures  of  transverse  and  longitudinal  sections  of  a  vertebra  of  the 


166  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

The  Sacrum,  which  is  the  key-stone  of  the  pelvic  arch  that 
sustains  the  weight  of  the  body  on  the  hinder  extremities,  is 
formed  in  existing  Saurians  of  two  vertebrae,  the  bodies  of 
which  are  coalesced  ;  and  the  posterior  extremity  of  the 
distal  vertebra  instead  of  having  a  ball  or  convexity,  as  in  all 
the  bones  composing  the  anterior  part  of  the  spine,  is 
concave.  The  transverse  processes  are  very  strong,  thick,  and 
broad. 

In  the  colossal  Saurians  of  the  Wealden  and  Oolite,  the 
Iguanodon,  Hylseosaurus,  Megalosaurus  and  Pelorosaurus, 
(and  I  believe  also  in  two  other  genera,)  the  sacrum  is  com- 
posed of  five  or  six  vertebrae  anchylosed  into  a  solid  bony 
arch,  as  in  Mammalia  and  Birds,  with  peculiar  modifications 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  apophyses ;  of  which  we  shall  have 
to  treat  more  particularly  in  the  sequel. 

BICONVEX  CAUDAL  VERTEBRA  (Lign.  37). — The  first  caudal 
vertebra  in  the  existing  species  of  Crocodilian  reptiles  is 
remarkable  on  account  of  its  double  convexity,  a  peculiarity 
that  appears  to  have  escaped  the  observation  of  Baron  Cuvier, 
and  other  anatomists. 

In  1835,  the  discovery  of  the  remains  of  a  fossil  Crocodile 
in  the  Wealden  strata  near  Swanage,  (in  Case  A,)  led  me  to 
institute  a  careful  examination  of  the  vertebral  column  of 
a  large  Gavial,  in  the  collection  of  my  distinguished  friend 
Dr.  Grant,  of  University  College  j  for  at  that  time  there  was 
not  an  articulated  skeleton  of  a  crocodile  in  the  Hunterian 
Museum.  I  then  observed  that  the  body  of  the  first  caudal 


tail  of  an  Ox,  to  show  the  relatively  large  medullary  cavity;  a  fact, 
of  MThich  those  who  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  Ox-tail  soup  may  easily 
satisfy  themselves. 


LIGN.  36. — SECTIONS  OF  CAUDAL  VERTEBRAE  OF  THE  Ox. 

(^  nat.  size.) 
Fig.  1.   Longitudinal  section. 

2.   Transverse  section. 
a,  b,       Medullary  cavity  in  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae. 


ROOM  III.  BICONVEX    CAUDAL   VERTEBRA.  167 

vertebra  in  the  adult  Gavial  is  convex  at  both  ends  ;  a  remark- 
able modification,  required  to  connect  the  caudal  series  with 
the  sacrum,  in  consequence  of  the  concavity  of  the  posterior 
articulation  of  the  distal  sacral  vertebra ;  this  mechanism 
confers  freedom  of  motion  without  risk  of  dislocation.  The 
value  of  a  knowledge  of  this  fact  to  the  palaeontologist  was 
quickly  shown  by  the  occurrence  of  a  biconvex  vertebra 
among  some  Crocodilian  bones  from  the  Sewalik  Hills,  trans- 
mitted to  Dr.  Buckland  by  Major  Cautley  and  Dr.  Falconer. 
This  bone  had  given  rise  to  many  vague  conjectures  before 
the  announcement  of  my  discovery  of  this  peculiarity  in  the 
first  caudal,  which  is  the  only  vertebra  of  the  series  that  pre- 
sents such  a  structure,1  and  the  only  anterior  caudal  that  has 
no  chevron-bone  or  hsemapophysis,  (see  Lign.  37). 

I  must  pass  over  other  osteological  characters,  and  proceed 
to  describe  the  interesting  specimens  which  have  called  forth 
these  preliminary  remarks.  The  student  in  comparative 
anatomy,  whose  interest  may  be  awakened  by  these  brief  com- 
ments on  the  anatomical  structure  of  the  extinct  types  of 

1  On  my  return  to  Brighton,  after  a  careful  admeasurement  of  the 
different  parts  of  Dr.  Grant's  fine  skeleton  of  a  Gavial,  in  order  to  deter- 
mine the  generic  relation  of  the  Swanage  Crocodile,  I  was  surprised  to 
find  that  the  double  convexity  of  the  first  caudal  was  not  mentioned  in 
the  works  of  Cuvier,  or  in  those  of  any  other  author  to  which  I  had 
access;  I  therefore  wrote  to  my  kind  friend,  Dr.  Robert  Grant,  and 
requested  him  to  examine  the  skeleton ;  the  following  is  an  extract 
from  his  reply : — 

"  You  are  quite  correct.  The  first  caudal  vertebra  of  the  Gavial, 
the  Crocodile,  and  the  Alligator  is,  like  the  last  cervical  of  Tortoises 
and  Turtles,  convex  at  both  ends  of  its  body.  It  is  not  so  in  the  Moni- 
tors, nor  I  believe  in  the  other  families  of  Sauria,  nor  in  the  Chelonian 
reptiles. 

"  In  a  very  young  Gavial  before  me,  these  sacro-coccygeal  surfaces  are 
as  flat  as  in  the  vertebrae  of  quadrupeds,  while  in  the  Crocodile  and 
the  Alligator  at  the  same  early  period,  the  first  coccygeal  is  as  convex 
anteriorly  as  you  have  observed  it  in  the  adult  Gavial.  The  last  sacral 
is,  of  course,  deeply  concave  posteriorly  to  receive  the  anterior  ball  of 
the  first  caudal  vertebra.  I  am  not  aware  that  you  have  been  antici- 
pated by  any  one  in  your  observations  on  this  part  of  the  osteology  of 
the  Gavial." 

"  London,  15th  March,  1836.  "  EGBERT  E.  GRANT." 

To  place  this  fact  on  record  as  a  guide  to  future  investigators,  I 
sent  a  short  description,  with  a  sketch,  to  the  "  Lancet,"  which  was 
published  in  that  Journal,  June,  1836. 

The  annexed  figure,  (Lign.  37,)  represents,  on  a  reduced  scale,  the 


168 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 


oviparous  quadrupeds  that  peopled  the  islands  and  continents 
in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  world,  should  consult  Cuvier's 
"  Ossemens  Fossiles"  and  the  works  of  later  writers  on  the 
subject ;  especially  those  of  Professor  Owen  on  this  branch 
of  British  Palaeontology. 

FOSSIL  CROCODILE  OF  SWANAGE.  (Gfoniopholis  crasssidens.y 
Wall-case  A. — Swanage  is  a  little  town  on  the  east  coast  of 
the  Isle  of  Purbeck,  whose  inhabitants  carry  on  a  brisk  trade 
in  the  exportation  of  stone  from  the  numerous  quarries  in  the 
vicinity,  there  being  a  good  bay  and  anchorage  for  vessels.  The 
town  stands  at  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  about  six  miles  E.S.E. 
of  Corfe  Castle.  The  coast  presents  a  section  of  the  Creta- 
ceous and  Wealden  strata,  from  the  Chalk  to  the  Purbeck 
beds;  the  Portland  oolite,  on  which  the  lowermost  fresh- 
water strata  repose,  appearing  on  the  south.  Remains  of 
Turtles,  and  fishes  of  species  peculiar  to  the  Wealden  forma- 
tion, are  often  found  j  and  occasionally  bones  and  teeth  of 
large  saurians.2 

parts  described,  from  Dr.  Grant's  articulated  skeleton,  which  is  16  feet 
in  length.  I  have  felt  it  necessary  to  append  this  note,  as  in  a  recent 
publication  the  importance  of  a  knowledge  of  this  fact  to  the  compara- 
tive anatomist  is  put  prominently  forth,  but  without  the  slightest 
allusion  to  the  original  observer. 


LIGN.  37. — SACRUM  AND  FIRST  CAUDAL  VERTEBRA  OF  A  GAVIAL.  FROM  A 
SKELETON,  16  FEET  LONG,  IN  THE  ANATOMICAL  MUSEUM  OF  PROFESSOR  ROBERT 
E.  GRANT,  UNIVERSITY  COLLEGE. 

(^  not.  size.) 

1,  2.  The  SACRUM,  consisting  of  two  coalesced  vertebrae. 

3.  The  First  Caudal  Vertebra,  having  both  the  articular  extremities  convex. 

1  "  Goniopholis,  in  reference  to  the  rectangular  form,  size,  number, 
and  firm  junction  of  the  osseous  scutes  (0o7u'5es)." — Prof.  Owen,  British 
Association  Reports,  1841. 

2  See  my  "  Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  along 
the  coast  of  Dorsetshire :"  2d  Edit.  p.  345. 


ROOM  III.  FOSSIL   CROCODILE  OF   SWANAGE.  169 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  the  workmen  employed  in  a 
quarry  near  Swanage,  on  splitting  asunder  a  large  slab  of 
Purbeck  limestone,  perceiving  teeth  and  portions  of  bones 
exposed  on  the  corresponding  surfaces  of  the  slabs  they  had 
separated,  carefully  preserved  the  two  pieces  of  stone  :  and, 
fortunately,  my  friend  Robert  Trotter,  Esq.,  who  was  on 
a  visit  in  the  neighbourhood,  heard  of  the  discovery,  and 
purchased  the  specimens  for  me. 

The  slabs  when  first  received  by  me  gave  but  obscure 
indications  of  the  remains  that  careful  chiselling  subsequently 
brought  to  light.  After  much  labour,  I  succeeded  in  de- 
veloping the  detached  parts  of  the  skeleton  now  visible,  and 
fortunately  without  fracturing  the  stone  by  which  they  were 
concealed  ;  consequently,  the  two  corresponding  surfaces  are 
in  a  beautiful  state  of  preservation ;  and  being  placed  toge- 
ther in  the  same  case,  may  be  examined  with  facility ;  they 
are  now  as  interesting  groups  of  Crocodilian  remains  as  have 
been  discovered  in  this  country. 

On  the  left-hand  slab  are  seen  the  posterior  parts  of  the 
left  side  of  the  lower  jaw  with  two  teeth  attached,  and  several 
detached  teeth  distributed  about  the  stone ;  there  are  many 
ribs ;  numerous  amphiccelian,  or  biconcave  vertebrae,  having 
a  small  irregular  medullary  cavity  in  the  centre  of  the 
body  of  the  bone  ;  slender  chevron-bones,  with  a  bifurcated 
or  double  process  of  attachment,  as  in  the  crocodile ;  the 
ischium,  pubis,  ilium,  and  other  parts  of  the  pelvic  arch  ;  and 
a  few  bones  of  the  extremities. 

The  vertebrae,  the  largest  of  which  are  nearly  two  inches 
long,  are  fractured  across  the  middle,  at  right  angles  to  their 
articulations,  so  that  in  every  instance  the  articular  ends  of  the 
body  are  concealed;  transverse  vertical  sections  of  the  centrum, 
with  the  spinous  process,  and  long  straight  transverse  pro- 
cesses attached,  are  the  only  parts  visible.  (Lign.  38.  2,  2). 
But  several  nearly  perfect  vertebras  of  the  same  type,  collected 
from  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest,  show  that  the  articular  sur- 
faces are  very  slightly  concave,  as  is  the  case  in  almost  all  the 
crocodilian  vertebrae  of  the  secondary  formations.  The  suture 
uniting  the  annular  part  of  the  vertebrae  to  the  body  is  well 
defined  ;  the  sacral  vertebrae  are  beautifully  displayed. 

With  these  are  the  remains  of  the  dermal  cuirass,  con- 
sisting of  numerous  scutes  or  dermal  bones,  scattered  at 


170 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  III. 


random  among  the  other  detached  parts  of  the  skeleton. 
There  are,  likewise,  numerous  scales  and  teeth  of  a  small 
ganoid  fish  (Lepidotus  minor),  of  a  species  that  is  common  in 


LIGN.  38.— FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  A  CROCODILIAN  REPTILE,  FROM  THE 

WEALDEN  DEPOSITS.    SWANAGE,   1835. 

(Goniopholis  crassidens.) 

(The  original  is  3J  feet  long,  and  3  feet  wide.) 

1.  Part  of  the  left  side  of  the  lower  jaw,  with  two  teeth  attached. 

2.  Detached  vertebrae,  fractured  across,  and  showing  vertical  sections  of  the 

centrum,  or  body. 

3.  Dermal  scutes— the  smooth  inner  surface  exposed 

3'.    showing  the  deeply  sculptured  external  surface. 

4.  Ribs,  all  imperfect. 

5.  Chevron-bones,  or  hsemapophyses. 

6.  6.  The  two  pubic  bones  (Pubis). 

7.  7.  The  two  ischiac  bones  (Ischium.) 

8.  8.  Bones  of  the  Pelvis ;  consisting  of  the  coalesced  sacral  vertebrae,  and  the 

two  iliac  bones. 


the  Purbeek  strata.  In  the  small  diagram,  Lign.  38,  outlines 
of  the  most  important  parts  are  given,  and  numbered,  so  as 
to  admit  of  easy  reference.  On  the  opposite  stone  are  seen 


ROOM   III. 


TEETH    OF   GONIOPHOLIS. 


171 


the  corresponding  portions  of  several  of  the  bones,  as 
well  as  others  of  which  there  are  no  traces,  on  the  left-hand 
piece.1 

Teeth  of  Goniopholis.— (Lign.  39.) — The  teeth  of  this  reptile 
are  of  the  usual  crocodilian  type  ;  they  are  cylindrical,  and 
smooth  at  the  base,  and  have  a  rounded 
obtusely  conical   enamelled   crown,   the 
surface    of   which   is    strongly   marked 
by  numerous  well   denned   longitudinal 
grooves  and  ridges,  with  a  prominent  me- 
dian ridge  on  each  side,  placed  anteriorly 
and  posteriorly.  Teeth  of  this  kind  are  not 
uncommon  in  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest, 
aud  other  localities  of  the  Weald  of  Sussex : 
they  were  described  by  me  in  1822  ("Fos- 
sils of  the  South  Downs,"  p.  50),  and 
subsequently  in  the  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate 
Forest,"  (p.  64,  PL  V.  figs.  1,2, 3,  7) :  speci- 
mens which  I  transmitted  to  Baron  Cuvier, 
are  figured  and  described  in  "  Ossemens 
Fossiles"  tome  v.  p.  161,  PL  X. ;  together   LIGN.  39.— A  TOOTH  OP 
with  vertebra,  which  were  supposed  to  GoNIOP^aL;.8,£cz:;;ssiDENS- 
belong  to  the  same  species  of  saurian.2 

The   teeth  and  bones  vary  considerably   in  size  :    some 
appear  to  have  belonged  to  individuals  not  more  than  eight  or 


1  A  lithograph  of  the  left-hand  specimen  is  given  in  the  third  edition 
of  my  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  1839. 

2  "  Des  os  de  Crocodiles  des  sables  ferrugineux  du  dessous  de.  la 
Craie,  trouves  dans  le  Comte  de  Sttssex,  par  M.  Mantell."    After  de- 
scribing the  geology  of  that  part  of  England  from  the  account  given  in 
my  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  then  recently  published,  Baron 
Cuvier  observes :  "  M.  Mantell  a  bien  voulu  me  communiquer  quelques- 
uns  de  ses  morceaux,  et  j'y  ai  reconnu,  comme  lui,  des  dents  et  des 
vertebres  appartenaut  manifestement  &  ce  genre  (Crocodiles). — II  se 
trouve  parmi  les  vertebres  une  quatrieme  dorsale,  une  du  milieu  de  la 
queue,  et  une  d'un  peu  plus  loin,  provenant  d'un  individu  de  neuf  a  dix 
pieds  de  long.     Les  vertebres  sont  un  peu  concaves  aux  deux  extremity's, 
ce  qui  les  rapproche  du  crocodile  de  Caen,  et  du  deuxieme  de  ceux  de 
Honfleur.     Les  dents  sont  pour  la  plupart  plus  obtuses  me" me  que  dans 
nos  crocodiles  vulgaires,  et  ressemblent  en  ce  point  &  la  seconde  du 
Jura  que  j'ai  decrite  ci-dessus."  —  Oss.  Foss.  tome  v.  p.  163.     Paris, 
1824. 


172  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

ten  feet  in  length  ;  others  are  twice  as  large,  and  indicate 
reptiles  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  long. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  find  specimens  of  these  teeth  partly 
decomposed,  and  disclosing  the  successional  germ  ;  proving, 
that  as  in  the  crocodile,  the  tooth  is  composed  of  a  series  of 
cones  enclosed  within  each  other,  the  outer  or  old  crown 
being  burst  by  the  pressure  of  the  upward  growth  of  the 
included  one.  Hence,  at  whatever  age  the  tooth  of  a  crocodile 
is  removed,  we  find,  either  in  the  socket,  or  in  the  cavity  of 
the  old  tooth,  a  smaller  cone  ready  to  supply  the  place  of  the 
latter,  when  broken  or  destroyed.  This  succession  is  very 
frequently  repeated,  and  it  is  from  this  cause  that  crocodilian 
teeth  in  a  fossil  state  are  always  so  sharp  and  well  defined,  for 
they  are  as  perfect  in  the  adult  and  aged  animals  as  in  the 
young  state.1 

DERMAL  BONES  OF  GONIOPHOLIS. — (Lign.  40.) — The  most 
remarkable  character  in  the  interesting  specimen  we  are  now 
examining  is  the  dermal  cuirass,  of  which  the  remains,  con- 
sisting of  osseous  scutes,  are  scattered  promiscuously  over 
both  blocks  of  stone,  some  having  the  inner,  and  others 
the  external  surface  exposed.  Several  of  these  dermal 
plates  are  entire  (one  is  represented  in  Lign.  40) ;  they  are 
six  inches  in  length,  and  two  and  a-half  in  width.  Frag- 
ments of  these  scutes  are  often  found  in  the  Wealden 
strata ;  anil  the  earliest  specimens  I  collected,  from  the 
resemblance  of  their  corrugated  surface  to  that  of  the  costal 
plates  of  the  carapace  of  'the  soft-skinned  turtles  (Trionyces), 
were  figured  and  described  as  such  in  my  "  Fossils  of 
Tilgate  Forest,"  PI.  VI.  fig.  8  ;  that  opinion  being  sanctioned 
by  Baron  Cuvier,  who,  with  his  characteristic  liberality  and 
kindness,  sent  me  models  of  the  eocene  turtles  of  Paris,  for 
comparison.  The  occurrence  of  similar  scutes  associated 
with  crocodilian  bones  in  the  Swanage  specimen,  first  led 
me  to  suspect  their  true  character,  which  became  manifest 
on  clearing  out  a  perfect  specimen  :  their  nature  I  will  briefly 
explain. 

In  the  loricated  tribe  of  reptiles,  as  the  Crocodiles,  the 
external  integument  encloses  numerous  bony  scutes,  or  scut- 

1  There  were  a  considerable  number  of  teeth  of  crocodilian  reptiles 
from  the  Wealden  in  my  collection,  but  I  do  not  know  in  what  part  of 
the  Museum  they  are  placed. 


ROOM  III. 


DERMAL  BOXES  OF  GONIOPHOLIS. 


173 


cheoDs,  variously  arranged,  and  which  are  the  supports  of  the 
dermal  scales  and  spines. 

In  the  gigantic  Gavial  that  inhabits  the  Ganges,  and  other 
rivers  of  India,  and  which  is  remarkably  distinguished  by  its 
extremely  slender,  prolonged,  beak-like  muzzle,  the  nape  of 
the  neck  is  protected  by  a  complete  shield,  formed  of  sixteen 
or  eighteen  transverse  rows  of  dermal  plates,  of  which  there 
are  also  six  longitudinal  series  that  extend  down  the  back. 

These  scutes  are  deeply  corrugated  externally,  a  struc- 
ture adapted  for  the  firm  adhesion  of  the  scaly  integument ; 
the  largest  in  Dr.  Grant's  Gavial  are  4|  by  3  inches  in 
dimension. 

In  the  Swanage  Crocodile  the  external  surface  of  the  dermal 
plates  (Lign.  40,  fig.  1),  is  covered  by  numerous,  irregularly 


LIGS.  4C.  —  DERMAL  BONE  OF  THE  SWANAGE  CROCODILE. 

1.  The  external  surface. 

2.  The  inner  surface. 

a.  The  lateral  connecting  process. 


not.  size.) 


round  and  angular  pits,  or  depressions,  while  the  inner  surface 
(fig.  2)  is  smooth  and  glossy,  and  finely  striated  by  decussating 
lines,  as  in  the  dermal  process  of  the  Hylseosaurus. 

These  scutes  differ  from  those  of  all  known  recent  and 
fossil  crocodilians  in  possessing  a  lateral  conical  projection 
(a,  Lign.  40),  which  fits  into  a  depression  on  the  under  surface 
of  the  opposite  angle  of  the  adjoining  plate,  resembling,  in 


174  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

this  respect,  the  scales  of  the  large  Wealden  fish,  the  Lepidotus, 
with  which  the  remains  of  Gouiopholis  are  frequently  as- 
sociated. 

Numerous  hexagonal  and  pentagonal  scutes,  united  by 
marginal  sutures,  also  entered  into  the  composition  of  the 
dermal  cuirass  of  this  reptile,  which  must,  therefore,  have 
possessed  a  flexible  and  impenetrable  coat  of  armour,  capable 
of  affording  protection  against  the  attack  of  any  assailant. 

From  the  structure  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Gfoniopholis,  we 
may  infer  that  the  original  was  a  powerful  carnivorous  reptile, 
resembling  in  its  habits  the  existing  Crocodiles  and  Gavials, 
and  frequenting  the  rivers  and  marshes  of  the  country  inha- 
bited by  the  colossal  terrestrial  lizards  with  whose  remains  its 
bones  and  teeth  are  generally  found  associated  throughout 
the  Wealden  deposits  of  England  and  Germany. 

FOSSIL  CROCODILIANS. — As  the  cabinet  under  review  con- 
tains the  remains  of  several  other  species  and  genera  of 
crocodilian  reptiles,  it  will  be  convenient  to  notice  them 
under  this  section,  and  afterwards  examine  the  Batrachians, 
Pterosaurians,  &c.  that  are  placed  next  in  order  to  the  Swanage 
Crocodile  above  described. 

The  loricated,  or  mailed  saurians,  the  Alligators,  Crocodiles, 
and  Gavials,  are  the  largest  living  forms  of  cold-blooded  ovi- 
parous quadrupeds.  No  relics  of  any  recent  species  of  these 
genera  have  been  observed  in  a  fossil  state  ;  but  remains  of 
Crocodilians  of  the  existing  generic  types,  having  the  spinal 
column  composed  of  concavo-convex  vertebra,  have  been 
found  in  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  on  the  coasts  of  Western 
Sussex  and  Hampshire,  and  other  localities  of  the  London 
clay. 

It  may  be  stated  in  general  terms,  that  of  the  Crocodilians 
with  broad  muzzles,  as  the  Cayman,  and  Alligator,  no  repre- 
sentatives have  been  found  in  formations  more  ancient  than 
the  Tertiary  ;  those  of  the  Secondary  deposits  being  all 
referable  to  the  division  with  elongated  beaks,  like  the 
Gavials,  which  are  characterised  by  their  long  and  extremely 
narrow  jaws,  with  teeth  that  are  nearly  of  equal  size,  and  alike 
in  form  ;  their  feet  are  palmated.  They  inhabit  the  Ganges 
and  other  rivers  of  India,  and  sometimes  attain  a  length  of 
thirty  feet.  The  fossil  Crocodilians  of  the  Gavial  type  are  sub- 
divided into  two  groups ;  the  Teleosaurus,  in  which  the  nasal 


ROOM  III.  GEOSAURUS—  MACROSPONDYLUS.  175 

apertures  terminate  in  two  distinct  orifices,  instead  of  being 
blended  into  a  single  opening  as  in  the  recent  Gavials ;  and 
the  Steneosaurus,  in  which  the  breathing  canals  end  in  two 
nearly  semicircular  vertical  orifices  at  the  extremity  of  the 
muzzle.1 

Geosaurus  (G.  Scemmeringii).  Wall-case  A — B.  (See  ante, 
p.  153.) — The  remains  of  a  small  crocodilian  reptile,  con- 
sisting of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  vertebral  column 
with  the  ribs,  and  the  anterior  part  of  the  skull  with  the  jaws 
and  teeth,  are  deposited  on  the  lowermost  ledge  in  the  angle 
between  the  Wall-cases  A  and  B.  These  fossils  are  men- 
tioned in  the  official  "  Synopsis  of  the  British  Museum,"  as 
the  head  and  other  parts  of  the  Geosaurus,  (Lacerta  gigantea, 
of  Scemmering,)  found  in  the  white  Lias,  at  Monheim,  in 
Franconia ;  being  the  original  specimens  figured  and  described 
by  Soemmering,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Academy  of 
Munich.  They  are  also  figured  and  described  by  M.  Cuvier, 
("  Oss.  Foss."  tome  v.  p.  338,  PI.  XXI.  figs.  2—8.) 

The  vertebral  column,  in  two  portions,  partially  imbedded 
in  fissile  marlstone,  is  placed  in  the  long  cases  in  the  centre  ; 
and  the  two  parts  of  the  cranium  and  jaws  are  in  the  small 
cases  on  the  right  hand. 

The  teeth  of  this  extinct  crocodilian  reptile  are  flat, 
pointed,  and  recurved  backwards  like  a  sabre,  the  edges  being 
finely  serrated ;  there  are  seventeen  on  each  side  the  upper 
jaw.  The  eye  was  very  large,  and  the  sclerotic  coat  protected 
by  a  zone  of  osseous  plates,  as  in  the  Ichthyosaurus.  The 
vertebrae  are  biconcave  and  slightly  contracted  in  the  middle  } 
their  transverse  processes  are  very  large  and  strong. 

From  the  form  and  structure  of  the  cranium,  M.  Cuvier 
inferred  that  the  original  held  an  intermediate  place  between 
the  crocodiles  and  monitors,  but  was  most  nearly  allied  to 
the  latter.  The  length  of  the  reptile  was  probably  nine  or 
ten  feet. 

Macrospondylus.     Wall-case  B.      Uppermost  Shelf.  —  The 


1  "  In  the  Teleosaurus  the  nostrils  form  almost  a  vertical  section  of  the 
anterior  extremity  of  the  beak ;  in  the  Steneosaurus  this  anterior  termi- 
nation of  the  nasal  canal  had  nearly  the  same  arrangement  as  in  the 
Gavial,  opening  upwards,  and  being  almost  semicircular  on  each  side." 
—Dr.BucklancTs  "  Bridge-water  Essay  "  p.  252,  PI.  XXV. 


176  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

fossil  thus  labelled  consists  of  the  cranium  and  part  of  the 
vertebral  column,  with  many  ribs,  of  a  small  saurian  reptile, 
from  the  Lias  at  Boll,  which  has  been  referred  to  a  distinct 
genus  by  H.  von  Meyer.  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain 
any  further  information  respecting  this  specimen. 

Crocodilus  toliapicus.  Wall-Case  B.  [2.]  —  The  discovery 
of  the  cranium  of  this  species  in  the  London  clay  of  the  Isle 
of  Sheppey  described  by  Baron  Cuvier,  afforded  the  first 
certain  proof  of  the  existence  of  a  true  crocodile  in  the  eocene 
deposits  of  England.  The  specimen  in  the  Case  before  us  is 
remarkably  fine  :  it  is  above  two  feet  long,  and  both  jaws 
and  teeth  are  in  a  beautiful  state  of  preservation.  The 
recent  Crocodilus  acutus  of  the  West  Indies  is  stated  to 
be  the  nearest  living  representative  of  this  ancient  tertiary 
species. 

Crocodilus  Spenceri.  Wall-Case  B.  —  A  remarkably  fine 
skull  of  a  crocodile,  two  feet  in  length,  and  ten  inches  in 
width,  from  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  is  placed  on  the  ledge  near 
the  specimen  -last  described  ;  a  cranium  of  this  species  is 
figured  in  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  PI.  XXV.  '; 
and  described  in  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Report,"  p.  65. 

Professor  Owen  states  that  the  most  characteristic  diffe- 
rences which  this  species  presents  in  comparison  with  the 
Crocodilus  biporcatus,  or  other  existing  species  of  Crocodile 
or  Alligator,  are  the  larger  size  of  the  temporal  holes,  as  com- 
pared with  the  orbits,  the  more  regular  and  rapid  diminution 
of  the  head  towards  the  snout,  the  straight  line  of  the  alveolar 
tract,  and  the  greater  relative  length  and  slenderness  of  the 
muzzle.  It  most  nearly  resembles  the  Bornean  species  (Croc. 


Eemains  of  this  Crocodilian  reptile  have  been  obtained 
from  the  London  clay  at  Bracklesham,  on  the  Sussex  coast  ; 
and  I  have  collected  several  vertebrae,  dermal  bones,  teeth, 
and  portions  of  the  cranium,  from  the  eocene  strata  near 
Lymington.2 

In  Mr.  Dixon's  collection  there  was  a  chain  of  eight  ver- 
tebrae, including  the  sacral  and  biconvex  first  caudal,  which  is 

1  For  details  consult  "Brit.  Assoc.  Report,"  (1841),  pp.  66,  67. 

2  "  Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  along  the 
aijacent  coast  of  Hampshire/'  p.  163. 


ROOM  III.  TELEOSAURUS.  177 

figured  in  PL  XV.  of  his  beautiful  work  on  the  fossils  of  some 
of  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary  deposits  of  Sussex. 

TELEOSAURUS. — To  this  genus  belong  several  interesting 
fossils  contained  in  the  Wall-case  B. — In  reference  to  the 
general  characters  of  the  extinct  Crocodiles  comprised  in  this 
group,  the  eminent  palaeontologist  Herm.  von  Meyer  observes 
that  "  the  form  of  the  head  approaches  that  of  the  Gavials, 
but  the  beak  or  mandible  is  longer  and  more  slender,  and  the 
teeth  more  numerous  :  the  first  tooth  is  generally  very  long, 
and  the  other  teeth  are  alternately  longer  and  shorter.  The 
head  is  from  three  to  four  feet  in  length.  The  hinder  arti- 
cular surface  of  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae  is  concave ;  and 
their  processes  show  considerable  departure  from  those  of 
Crocodiles.  The  skin  was  covered  by  broader  and  thicker 
scales  than  in  the  Crocodilians,  and  these  scutes  overlaid 
each  other  in  such  manner  as  to  constitute  a  strong  flexible 
coat  of  mail.  The  scales  are  deeply  pitted  externally  by 
hemispherical  depressions ;  and  their  form,  structure,  and 
arrangement,  led  M.  Geoffrey  to  conclude  that  the  living 
Teleosauri  must  have  been  more  decidedly  aquatic  than  the 
Crocodiles,  and  were  probably  marine  animals. 

In  their  general  shape  the  Teleosauri  are  more  slender  than 
the  Gavials,  and  the  feet  are  better  adapted  for  swimming  than 
for  walking ;  the  fore-feet  being  not  more  than  half  the  size 
of  the  hinder  ones.  This  disproportion  of  the  organs  of  pro- 
gression, together  with  the  scaly  dermal  integument,  must 
have  rendered  the  motions  of  these  animals  difficult  on  land, 
but  in  the  water  they  could  move  with  great  facility,  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  these  ancient  gavial-like 
saurians  inhabited  the  seas  of  the  Secondary  Epochs.1 

Teleosaurus. — Wall-case  B. — A  cranium  with  the  jaws 
and  teeth  most  beautifully  preserved,  the  extremity  of  the 
muzzle  being  entire,  and  exhibiting  the  apertures  of  the 
nostrils,  is  placed  in  the  recess  near  the  Crocodilus  tolia- 
picus ;  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  information 
respecting  this  fine  specimen.  On  the  same  ledge  is  the 
upper  part  of  the  cranium  of  another  example  of  Crocodilus 
Spenceri. 

1  From  "  Palseologica  zur  Geschichte  der  Erde  und  ihrer  Geschb'pfe, 
von  Hermann  von  Meyer."  Frankfort,  1822. 

H 


178  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

Teleosaurus  priscus. —  Wall-case  B? — The  beautiful  rep- 
tilian fossil  thus  labelled,  is  entered  in  the  "  Museum  Synopsis" 
as  "  another  species  of  Gavial,  (considered  as  a  distinct  genus, 
by  H.  von  Meyer,  to  wbich  he  has  given  the  name  of  JEolo- 
don,y  from  the  lias  at  Monheim  in  Franconia,  being  the 
unique  specimen  figured  and  described  by  Soemmering  in  the 
Memoirs  of  the  Academy  of  Munich,  as  Crocodilus  priscus"* 

This  specimen  is  also  described  by  Cuvier  (Oss.  Foss. 
tome  v.  p.  120,  pi.  VI.)  under  the  name  of  "  Gavial  de 
Monheim" 

It  consists  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  a 
reptile  about  three  feet  in  length,  imbedded  in  a  layer  of 
yellowish  grey  calcareous  schist ;  the  slab  having  been  split 
asunder  (as  in  the  Swanage  specimen),  each  of  the  exposed 
surfaces  displays  portions  of  the  enclosed  osseous  remains. 
On  the  stone  there  are  casts  of  discoidal  shells,  the  impression 
of  the  tail  of  a  small  fish,  and  remains  of  insects.  The 
quarry  whence  the  specimen  was  obtained  is  worked  for 
lithographic  stones,  and  is  celebrated  for  the  remains  of 
Pterodactyles,  fishes,  crustaceans,  insects,  &c.  which  we  shall 
notice  in  the  sequel. 


1  The  following  diagram  may  assist  the  visitor  in  identifying  the 
specimen : — 

Top  of  Case  B. 


Teleosaurus,  with  the  four  I     Cast  of  Mystriosaurus  Egertoni ; 

extremities.  from  Altdorf. 

In  Case  B.    [2.] 
Teleosaurus  Chapmanni. 

Teleosaurus  priscus. 

Hylaeosaurus  :  vertebral  column,  from  Bolney,  Sussex. 
Hylaeosaurus :  from  Tilgate  Forest. 

2  Indicative  of  the  alternating  size  of  the  teeth. 

3  Trans.  Academy  of  Munich,  1814.—"  CROCODILUS  PRISCUS.— Eostro 
elongate  cylindrico,  dentibus  inferis  alternatim  longioribus,  femoribus 
dupla  tibiarum  longitudine." — Soemmering. — The  description  is  accom- 
panied by  figures  of  the  natural  size,  of  which  1  have  a  copy,  presented 
to  me  by  the  distinguished  author,  nearly  thirty  years  since. 


ROOM  III.  TELEOSAURUS    PRISCUS.  179 

The  largest  slab  contains  the  bones  of  the  head,  trunk,  and 
tail  of  the  animal,  from  one  extremity  to  the  other,  but  little 
deranged  from  their  natural  connections.  The  skull,  however, 
is  twisted  over,  and  the  lower  jaw  lies  uppermost  in  the 
position  in  which  the  specimen  is  exposed  to  view.  The 
bones  of  one  of  the  hind-feet  are  detached  from  the  trunk  and 
imbedded  above  the  anterior  part  of  the  skeleton ;  and  the 
extremity  of  the  tail  is  dislocated  and  somewhat  broken. 
Portions  of  the  dermal  scaly  covering  are  preserved.  I  will 
now  point  out  the  most  important  osteological  peculiarities 
observable  in  this  specimen ;  reminding  the  visitor  that  the 
upper  part  of  the  skull  is  the  lowermost  in  its  present 
position,  and  referring  to  M.  Cuvier's  work  for  those  details 
which  the  scientific  observer  will  require. 

The  form  of  the  skull  resembles  that  of  the  Gavial,  but 
the  bones  of  which  it  is  composed  present  manifest  differ- 
ences from  those  of  the  recent  species  ;  the  symphysis  of 
the  lower  jaw  is  relatively  shorter.  The  teeth  are  106  in 
number,  and  placed  in  distinct  sockets,  as  in  the  Crocodiles ; 
they  are  more  acuminated  and  curved,  and  stand  out  more 
prominently  than  in  the  Gavial,  and  their  surface  is  finely 
striated  longitudinally.  There  are  twenty-five  or  six  on  each 
side  the  lower  jaw,1  and  they  are  alternately  longer  and 
smaller,  counting  from  the  fourth  tooth,  so  that  the  fifth 
and  seventh  are  only  half  the  height  of  the  sixth  and  eighth, 
and  so  on.  In  the  upper  jaw  the  teeth  are  of  equal  size, 
except  the  first  two,  which  are  small,  and  the  third  tooth, 
which  is  very  large.  T^he  palatine  surface  of  the  upper  jaw 
is  exposed.  The  occipital  condyle,  and  the  facet  of  the 
tympanic  bone  to  articulate  with  the  lower  jaw,  are  dis- 
tinctly shown. 

There  are  seventy-nine  biconcave  vertebrae ;  the  articular  sur- 
faces of  their  bodies  are  but  slightly  depressed;  the  cervicals 
have  lost  their  transverse  processes.  The  caudal  vertebrae 
exceed  by  ten  the  number  in  the  tail  of  any  known  crocodile. 
There  are  twenty-three  ribs  which  are  displaced,  but  are  more 
or  less  entire.  There  are  some  of  the  bones  of  the  pectoral  and 
pelvic  arches,  namely,  one  of  the  coracoids,  an  ilium,  ischium, 
and  fragments  of  the  sternum.  The  left  hind  foot  is  in  its 

1  The  uppermost  part  of  the  specimen  as  seen  in  the  Case. 


180  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

place,  but  detached,  and  the  bones  dislocated ;  those  of  the 
right  foot  are  in  natural  connection,  but  altogether  separated 
from  the  trunk,  and  lying  above  the  lower  jaw,  according  to 
the  present  position  of  the  fossil  in  Case  B.  The  length  of 
the  femur  is  double  that  of  the  tibia.  The  number  of  fingers 
and  toes  accord  with  those  of  the  Crocodile.  There  are 
many  dermal  scutes  scattered  among  the  bones ;  the  median 
dorsal  ones  are  carinated;  in  one  part  there  are  twenty-six  in 
natural  apposition ;  the  original  must  have  been  covered 
by  a  strong  flexible  scaly  integument.  In  this  small  rep- 
tile, and  in  the  remains  of  the  large  Swanage  Goniopholis, 
we  have  instructive  examples  of  the  modification  of  cro- 
codilian structure  which  so  largely  prevailed  during  the 
Wealolen  and  Oolitic  ages. 

Teleosaurus  Chapmanni. —  Wall-case  B.1 — "The  head  and 
other  parts  of  the  skeleton  of  a  Gavial  from  the  Lias  at 
Whitby,  which,  though  correctly  determined  by  its  discoverer, 
Capt.  W.  Chapman,  and  also  by  Wooller,  (Philosophical 
Transactions  for  1758,)  was  subsequently  mistaken  for  an 
I  chthy  osaurus. ' ' 2 

The  fine  specimen  in  the  lower  compartment  of  Case  £, 
appears  to  be  the  one  above  specified.  It  consists  of  a  slab 
of  Lias  limestone,  on  which  are  imbedded  the  cranium  and 
mandibles  attached  to  a  part  of  the  vertebral  column,  with 
many  ribs  and  dermal  bones.  The  skull  and  jaws  are  between 
three  and  four  feet  in  length.  The  head  is  retroverted,  so 
that  the  under  surface  of  the  lower  jaw  is  exposed. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  same  Case  there  is  a  specimen  of 

1  The  following  is  the  arrangement  of  the  Teleosauri  in  this  part  of 
Wall-case  B  :— 

Uppermost.— Teleosaurus  Chapmanni,  9  feet  long. 

Shelf.— Several  portions  of  crania  and  jaws.  Vertebra  and  dermal  bones 
of  Teleosauri. 

Teleosaurus  Chapmanni.-(Philos.  Trans,  for  1758.)  |  Cast  of  Teleosaurus 

|          cadomensis, 

On  the  bottom.— Portions  of  gigantic  jaws  with  teeth  of  Gavials  from  the 
Eocene  strata  of  the  Sewalik  Hills.  Presented  by 
G.  H.  Smith,  Esq. 

2  "  Synopsis  of  the  British  Museum ;"   p.  89. 


ROOM  III.  TELEOSAURUS   CHAPMANNI.  181 

this  species  of  Teleosaurus,  nine  feet  in  length ;  the  cranium  is 
very  fine,  the  vertebral  column  is  arched,  and  almost  perfect 
to  the  extremity  of  the  tail ;  a  row  of  dermal  scutes  ex- 
tends along  the  dorsal  region.  Of  the  fore-limbs  the 
humerus  only  remains ;  but  of  the  hinder  right  limb,  the 
femur,  bones  of  the  leg,  and  many  of  the  feet,  are  preserved. 
This  fossil  is  probably  from  the  same  locality  as  the  one 
above  described.  The  lias  of  the  Yorkshire  coast  is  celebrated 
for  the  abundance  and  variety  of  the  remains  of  fossil  plants, 
and  of  reptiles  and  other  animals,  that  may  be  easily  obtained 
by  a  little  assiduity  and  perseverance. 

There  is  also  on  the  same  ledge  part  of  the  cranium  and 
jaws  with  teeth  of  another  individual  from  Saltwich  near 
Whitby  ;  presented  to  the  Museum  in  1834  ;  it  is  figured  in 
Dr.  Buckland's  Bridgewater  Essay,  pi.  XXV. 

On  the  top  of  this  Wall-case  there  is  a  much  larger  and 
finer  specimen  of  the  Teleosaurus  than  either  of  the  above. 
The  skeleton  from  the  point  of  the  muzzle  to  the  end  of 
the  tail  is  preserved ;  most  of  the  bones  of  the  extremities 
are  exposed,  and  numerous  remains  of  the  osseous  dermal 
scutes.  In  the  Case  above  the  Teleosaurus  priscm,  there 
is  an  example  of  this  species  about  seven  or  eight  feet  in 
length. 

Dr.  Buckland  figures  a  specimen  (pi.  XXV.)  which  he 
describes  as  one  of  the  finest  of  fossil  Teleosanri  yet  disco- 
vered. "  Its  entire  length,  if  perfect,  would  be  about  eighteen 
feet,  the  breadth  of  the  head  one  foot ;  the  snout  is  long  and 
slender  as  in  the  Gavial ;  the  teeth,  140  in  number,  are  all 
small,  slender,  and  placed  in  nearly  a  straight  line.  Some  of 
the  unguical  phalanges  that  are  preserved  on  the  hind  feet  of 
this  animal,  show  that  the  toes  were  terminated  by  long  and 
sharp  claws,  adapted  for  motion  on  land."1 

The  anatomical  structure  and  natural  affinities  of  this 
species  of  saurian  are  fully  considered  by  Professor  Owen, 
in  the  Reports  on  British  Fossil  Reptiles,  to  which  I  must 
refer  the  scientific  inquirer ;  it  will  suffice  for  our  present 
purpose  to  state  the  leading  characters  which  distinguish  it.2 


1  Bridgewater  Essay,  p.  253. 

2  British  Association  Report  for  1841 ;  pp.  <  2—80. 


182  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

The  cranium  is  broad  posteriorly  and  square-shaped ;  it 
begins  to  contract  anterior  to  the  orbits,  and  gradually 
extends  into  a  narrow  depressed  snout.  The  orbits  are 
subcircular,  and  are  directed  upwards  and  outwards.  The 
columella  or  ossicle  of  the  ear  is  cylindrical,  and  relatively 
larger  than  in  any  known  reptile.  The  entire  length  of  the 
cranium  and  mandibles  in  some  individuals  was  from  four 
to  five  feet.  The  teeth  are  slender  and  sharp  pointed,  and 
amount  to  140. 

The  spine  is  composed  of  sixty-four  biconcave  vertebrae; 
viz.  :  seven  cervical,  sixteen  dorsal,  three  lumbar,  two  sacral, 
and  thirty-six  caudal.  The  largest  vertebras  are  three  inches 
in  length.  The  ribs  possess  the  usual  crocodilian  character; 
the  number  of  dorsal  ribs  exceeds  that  of  any  existing  croco- 
dilian, amounting  to  sixteen  pairs.  The  scapulae  and  cora- 
coids  correspond  with  those  of  the  Crocodile,  but  are  smaller. 
The  humerus  and  bones  of  the  fore-arm  are  much  shorter 
than  in  the  Crocodile.  The  femur  (15J  inches  long)  is  of 
the  usual  double-curved  crocodilian  form.  The  tibia  and 
fibula  (eight  inches  long),  resemble  those  of  the  Teleosaums 
prisons  (ante,  p.  178)  in  their  relative  shortness  as  compared 
with  the  femur.  All  the  long  bones,  and  even  the  metatarsals, 
are  stated  to  have  distinct  medullary  cavities. 

The  dermal  scutes  are  arranged  as  in  the  existing  gavials, 
both  in  longitudinal  and  transverse  series  :  the  pits  on  the 
external  surface  are  nearly  circular,  and  do  not  present  the 
irregular  forms  observable  in  the  scales  of  the  Swanage  Cro- 
codile, (ante,  p.  173.)  The  posterior  margin  of  one  scute 
covers  the  base  of  the  succeeding  one,  and  they  overlap 
each  other  laterally  ;  but  there  are  no  lateral  points  or 
processes  as  in  the  Goniopholis.  The  largest  scutes  are  about 
3 1  inches  square. 

TELEOSAURUS  CADOMENSIS. — (On  the  right  of  Teleosaums 
Chapmanni.) — This  is  a  cast  of  the  cranium  and  part  of  the 
vertebral  column  of  a  Teleosaurus,  from  the  Oolite  of  Caen, 
in  which  locality  remains  of  this  species  are  common. 
This  reptile  was  described  by  M.  Ciivier  as  "  Gavial  de 
Caen,"  in  "  Oss.  Foss."  tome  v.  p.  127.  It  has  180  teeth  ; 
its  beak,  or  mandible,  is  longer  than  in  Teleosaurus  priscus ; 
the  dermal  scutes  are  rectangular,  and  thin  at  the  margin  ; 
there  are  fifteen  or  sixteen  transverse  rows  between  the 


ROOM   III.  FOSSIL   BATRACHIANS.  183 

first  dorsal  vertebra  and  the  origin  of  the  tail,  and  ten 
ranged  longitudinally.  It  equalled  in  size  the  species  above 
described. 

MYSTRIOSAURUS  EGERTONL — (On  the  top  of  Wall-case  B.) 

The  specimen  thus  labelled  is  the  cast  of  a  Teleosaurus,  about 
four  feet  in  length,  the  original  of  which  was  obtained  from 
the  Lias,  at  Altdorf.  The  cranium  and  elongated  mandibles, 
the  skeleton  of  the  trunk,  and  the  bones  of  the  four  limbs,  are 
well  displayed  :  there  are  many  dermal  scutes  dispersed  over 
the  trunk. 

The  abundance  of  the  fossil  remains  of  this  group  of 
amphibious  loricated  reptiles  throughout  the  Liassic  and 
Oolitic  formations,  shows  how  numerous  must  have  been 
these  carnivorous  saurians  in  the  marshes,  deltas,  and  estuaries 
of  the  islands  and  continents  of  those  remote  ages  ;  doubtless 
the  Teleosauri,  like  the  Gavials  of  India,  swarmed  in  the  rivers 
and  lakes,  and  preyed  on  fishes  and  on  the  feebler  tribes  of 
reptiles  that  inhabited  the  waters. 

FOSSIL  BATRACHIANS. — The  reptiles  termed  Batrachians  are 
characterised  by  the  transformation  which  they  undergo  in 
the  progress  of  development  from  the  young  to  the  adult 
state ;  the  Frog,  Toad,  and  Newt,  are  familiar  examples  of 
this  order.  Their  organs  of  aerial  respiration  consist  of  a  pair 
of  lungs  ;  but  in  youth  they  are  provided  with  gills,  supported 
as  in  fishes,  by  cartilaginous  arches.  These  organs  disappear 
in  most  species,  when  the  animals  arrive  at  maturity ;  but  in 
a  few  genera,  as  the  Siren  and  Proteus,  they  are  persistent. 
The  skeletons  of  these  reptiles  present  corresponding  modifi- 
cations. The  skull  is,  for  the  most  part,  much  depressed,  and 
the  cerebral  cavity  small ;  it  is  united  to  the  vertebral  column 
by  two  distinct  condyles,  situated  on  the  sides  of  the  occipital 
or  cranio-spinal  aperture.  The  vertebral  column,  which  in 
some  genera  (as  for  example,  in  the  frog)  is  very  short,  and 
reduced  to  eight  or  ten  bones,  is  composed  in  the  higher 
organised  Batrachians  of  concavo-convex  vertebrae,  as  in  the 
Crocodile  ;  but  in  the  lower  types,  as  the  Siren,  Proteus,  and 
Axolotl,  the  vertebrae  are  biconcave,  as  in  numerous  fossil 
saurians.  The  ribs  are  rudimentary  ;  a  condition  which  has 
relation  to  the  mode  of  reproduction  in  these  animals.  Some 
of  the  Batrachians  are  edentulous,  like  the  Turtles,  but  others 
have  numerous  small,  conical,  uniform,  closely-arranged  teeth, 


184  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

placed  either  in  a  single  row,  or  aggregated  like  the  rasp-teeth 
in  fishes. 

The  skeletons,  vestiges  of  the  soft  parts,  and  imprints  of  the 
feet  of  several  genera  of  Batrachians,  occur  in  various  tertiary 
deposits,  and,  like  the  existing  races,  belong  to  fresh-water  or 
terrestrial  species.  In  the  pliocene  strata  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rhine,  and  in  the  papierkohle  of  the  Eifel,  many  speci- 
mens of  fossil  frogs,  toads,  and  newts,  have  been  discovered. 
But  by  far  the  most  remarkable  of  the  remains  of  this  order 
are  obtained  from  (Eningen,  and  a  specimen  from  that  place, 
deposited  in  the  case  whose  contents  are  now  under  review 
(ante  p.  153),  requires  especial  notice. 

FOSSIL  SALAMANDER  OF  (ENINGEN. — (Wall-case  A-B.) — 
Among  the  tertiary  lacustrine  deposits  of  the  continent,  that 
of  (Eningen,  near  Constance,  has  long  been  celebrated  for  the 
perfection  and  variety  of  its  organic  remains,  and  particularly 
for  Batrachian  reptiles.  A  short,  but  graphic  memoir,  by  our 
distinguished  countryman,  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  presents, 
in  a  few  lines,  the  history  of  these  ancient  lacustrine  deposits. 

The  Rhine,  in  its  course  from  Constance  to  Schaffhausen, 
cuts  through  the  tertiary  marine  formation,  called  the  molasse, 
which  rises  into  hills  from  700  to  800  feet  high,  on  each  side 


LIGN.  41.  —  FOSSIL  SALAMANDER  OF 

(CRYPTOBRANCHUS  SCHEUCHZERI,) 
(The  original  is  three  feet  in  length.) 


of  the  river.  On  the  right  bank,  a  little  above  the  town  of 
Stein,  is  the  village  of  (Eningen,  near  which,  in  a  basin,  or 
depression  of  the  molasse,  there  is  a  series  of  deposits,  com- 
posed of  laminated  marls,  and  cream-coloured  fetid  limestone, 
amounting  in  thickness  to  between  thirty  and  forty  feet. 


ROOM    III.  FOSSIL   SALAMANDER   OF   (ENINGEN.  185 

In  these  marls  are  imbedded  the  foliage  and  stems  of 
various  kinds  of  dicotyledonous  trees,  shells,  remains  of 
insects,  crustaceans,  fishes,  turtles,  and  of  large  batrachians. 
These  fresh-water  beds  have  manifestly  been  accumulated  in 
a  lake  at  some  very  remote  period,  for  their  deposition  must 
have  long  preceded  the  present  condition  of  the  country,  as 
by  far  the  greater  number  of  the  animals  and  plants  are 
either  extinct  forms,  or  belong  to  species  not  known  as  in- 
digenous in  Europe ;  and  the  Rhine  has  worn  a  channel 
through  the  entire  series  and  the  molasse  on  which  they  are 
superposed,  to  the  depth  of  several  hundred  feet.1 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  fossil 
Batrachians  of  (Eningen,  deeply  interesting  as  they  are  to  the 
palaeontologist,  acquired  far  greater  notoriety  than  they  would 
ever  have  obtained  as  objects  of  scientific  research,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  opinion  which  then  generally  prevailed  that  all 
petrifactions  had  been  produced  by  an  universal  deluge  ;  and 
in  1725,  the  fancied  resemblance  of  a  cranium  attached  to 
a  portion  of  a  skeleton,  discovered  in  the  quarry  at  (Eningen, 
to  a  human  skull  pressed  flat,  led  M.  Scheuchzer,  an  eminent 
physician  of  his  day,  to  declare,  that  at  length  the  petrified 
remains  of  one  of  the  sinful  individuals  who  had  perished  in 
that  catastrophe  were  brought  to  light !  Under  this  delusion 
he  published  the  well-known  treatise  entitled,  "  Homo  diluvii 
testis  et  theoscopos"2  This  memoir  contained  an  excellent  figure 
of  the  fossil  skeleton,  which  the  author  described  as  "the 
remains  of  one  of  that  accursed  race  which  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  waters  of  the  deluge,  and  whose  bones  and  flesh  were 
incorporated  into  stone." 

The  rounded  form  of  the  head,  the  size  of  the  orbits,  and 
other  batrachian  characters  of  the  supposed  "  petrified  man," 
were,  however,  so  obvious  from  Scheuchzer's  own  figure  and 
descriptions  alone,  that  the  true  nature  of  the  original  was 
suggested  by  M.  Cuvier,  before  he  had  seen  any  of  the  fossil 
remains.  In  1811,  Cuvier  visited  the  Teylerian  Museum  at 


1  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  on  the  Lacustrine  deposits  of  (Eningen, 
"  Geol.  Trans."  vol.  iii  p.  277,  and  "  Geol.  Journal,"  for  1846,  p.  54. 

2  "  The  MAN  who  had  witnessed  the  Deluge,  and  beheld  God."  A  brief 
notice  of  Scheuchzer's  fossil  man  was  published  in  the  "  Philos.  Trans." 
for  1726,  vol.  xxxiv.  p.  48. 


186  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIE   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Haarlem,  in  which  Scheuchzer's  specimen  was  preserved,  and 
obtained  permission  to  remove  such  parts  of  the  stone  as  were 
likely  to  conceal  any  characteristic  bones ;  and,  as  he  had 
predicted,  the  anterior  part  of  the  skeleton  of  a  large  aquatic 
Salamander,  with  remains  of  the  fore-legs,  was  exposed  to 
view.1 

The  specimen  in  the  Case  before  us,  (of  which  a  reduced 
figure  is  given  in  Lign.  41,)  originally  belonged  to  Dr. 
Ammann,  of  Zurich,  and  was  examined  by  Baron  Cuvier 
when  in  England.2  It  consists  of  the  cranium,  vertebral 
column,  bones  of  the  anterior  and  posterior  extremities,  and 
vestiges  of  the  tail.  The  skull,  which  is  pressed  flat,  nearly 
equals  in  size  that  of  a  man ;  around  the  semicircular  jaws 
there  are  the  remains  of  a  double  row  of  very  fine  teeth  :  the 
orbits  are  large  ;  the  occipital  condyle  is  double  ;  the  remains 
of  the  posterior  horns  of  the  os  hyoides  are  seen  on  each  side 
of  the  occiput.  There  are  nineteen  or  twenty  dorsal,  and 
sixteen  caudal  vertebrae.  The  ribs  are  very  short,  as  in  all 
Batrachians.  The  scapula  and  humerus  are  exposed  on  each 
side  the  anterior  part  of  the  spine ;  the  femora,  parts  of  the 
tibia,  and  fragments  of  the  pelvis  are  also  visible.  The  result 
of  Baron  Cuvier's  investigations  proved  that  the  original  of 
the  celebrated  (Eningen  fossil  was  an  aquatic  Salamander  of 
a  gigantic  size  in  relation  to  all  known  existing  species  of  the 
genus.3 

1  "  Osseme.ns  Fossiles,"  tome  v.  p.  437.     The  removal  of  the  stone 
from  the  concealed  parts  was  made  by  M.  Cuvier  in  the  presence  of  the 
officers  of  the  Teylerian  Museum.     "Nous  avons  place"  devant  nous  un 
dessin  du  squelette  de  la  Salamandre,  et  ce  ne  fut  pas  saus  une  sorte  de 
plaisir,  qu'a  mesure  que  le  ciseau  enlevoit  un  e"clat  de  pierre,   nous 
voyons  paroitre  au  jour  quelqu'un  des  os  que  ce  dessin  avoit  annonce 
d'avance.     C'est  ainsi  que  cette  table  de  schiste,  gravge  et  regravee 
vingt  fois,  depnis  un  siecle  comme  elle  Test,  PI.  XXV.  2,  fut  mise  dans 
l'6tat  ou  on  la  voit,  PI.  XXVI.  2.  11." 

2  It  is  figured  in  "  Oss.  Foss"  tome  v.  PL  XXVI. 

3  The  most  remarkable  specimen  from  the  quarry  at  (Eningen  that 
came  under  my  own  observation,  was  the  almost  perfect  skeleton  of 
a  carnivorous  terrestrial  quadruped,  which  was  purchased  of  the  quarry- 
men  by  Sir  Eoderick  Murchison,  in  1828.    As  is  usually  the  case  with 
the  bones  imbedded  in  those  lacustrine  limestones,  this  skeleton  was 
invested  with  a  hard  calcareous  crust,  so  that  the  general  outline  of  the 
concealed  bones  was  alone  visible.     At  the  request  of  my  distinguished 
friend,  I  undertook  the  development  of  this  choice  relic,  and  after 
devoting  the  leisure  hours  of  some  weeks,  succeeded  in  completely 


ROOM   III.  PTERODACTYLES.  187 

PTERODACTTLES. — Flying  Reptiles, — Wall-case  A-B. — (ante 
p.  153.) — It  was  not  merely  in  magnitude,  observes  the 
illustrious  Cuvier,1  that  Reptiles  stood  pre-eminent  in  an- 
cient days,  but  they  were  distinguished  by  forms  more 
varied  and  extraordinary  than  any  that  are  now  known  to 
exist  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Among  these  extinct  beings 
of  ages  incalculably  remote,  none  are  more  marvellous  than 
those  we  are  about  to  examine — the  Pterodactyles  (wing- 
fingered),  which  had  the  power  of  flying,  not  by  means  of 
their  ribs,  like  the  Draco  volans,  nor  by  a  membrane  stretched 
over  four  elongated  fingers,  with  a  rudimentary  thumb,  as  in 
bats — nor  by  a  wing  without  distinct  fingers,  as  in  birds — but 
by  a  wing  sustained  principally  on  a  very  elongated  toe,  while 
the  other  members  preserved  their  normal  shortness,  and  were 
armed  with  claws  ;  and  with  this  remarkable  conformation 
were  associated  a  long  neck,  and  beaks  armed  with  teeth. 

With  the  exception  of  the  unique  specimen  of  Ptero- 
dactyle  from  Lyme  Regis,  and  a  few  detached  bones  from  the 
Wealden  (collected  by  the  author),  the  Museum  only  contains 
casts  of  the  remains  of  this  extraordinary  tribe  of  reptiles. 
The  specimens  from  which  these  models  were  taken,  were 
obtained  from  the  lithographic  stone  of  Solenhofen,  in  which 
bones  of  Pterodactyles  are  associated  with  fossil  dragon-flies 
and  other  insects.  The  following  are  figured  and  described 
by  Goldfuss,  viz.  :  Pterodactylus  longirostris,  P.  brevirostris, 
P.  Munsteri?  and  P.  crassirostris. 

The  extinct  beings  referred  to  this  genus,  and  of  which 
nearly  twenty  species  are  now  determined,  varying  in  size 
from  that  of  a  snipe  to  species  with  wings  sixteen  feet  in 

exposing  the  skeleton  of  a  FOX,  closely  related  to  the  common  species, 


the  private  collection 
of  Sir  Roderick  Murchison ;  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interesting 
relics  hitherto  discovered  in  the  celebrated  locality  of  the  Homo  dilumi 
tfstis.  I  would  refer  the  reader  interested  in  the  history  of  the  ancient 
lake  of  (Eningen,  to  Sir  Roderick  Murchison's  Memoir  above  cited. — 
"  Geol.  Trans."  new  series,  vol.  iii.  pp.  277 — 290. 

1  Cuvier,  "Oss.  Foss."  tome  v.  p.  358.  Art.  vi.^    "Ce  netoit  pas 
>eulement  par  la  grandeur  que  la  classe  des  reptiles,"  &c. 

2  "  Reptilien  aus  dem  lithographischen  Schiefer,"  von  Dr.  Goldfuss. 
The  figures  given  by  Goldfuss,  and  Count  Munster,  of  these  specimens, 
have  been  copied  into  almost  every  subsequent  work  on  fossil  remains. 


188  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

expanse,  have  a  remarkably  small  skull,  with  beaks  furnished' 
in  some  species,  with  upwards  of  sixty  sharp-pointed  teeth? 
and  generally  very  long.  The  teeth  are  simple,  of  a  conical 
form,  recurved,  and  implanted  in  distinct  sockets,  with  con- 
siderable intervals  between  them.  The  orbits  are  very  large, 
and  the  neck  elongated.  The  sternum  and  pectoral  arch  are 


LIGN.  42.— PTERODACTYLE,  FROM  SOLENHOFEN.  ($  nat.  size.) 
(PTERODACTYLUS  CRASSIROSTRIS.) 

constructed  as  in  reptiles.  The  peculiar  organization  of  the 
fore-foot,  and  which  entirely  differs  from  that  of  any  other 
reptile,  whether  recent  or  fossil,  consists  in  the  great  extension 
of  the  fore-finger,  which  is  composed  of  five  bones,  and  exceeds 
in  length  the  entire  spinal  column ;  the  other  digits  are  Of 
the  ordinary  relative  proportions,  and  armed  with  claws,  i 
Impressions  of  the  delicate  membranous  expansion,  or  wing, 
which  this  finger  was  designed  to  support,  are  occasionally 

1  There  are  excellent  figures   of  Pterodactyles   in  Dr.  Buckland's 
"  Bridgewater  Essay,"    PI.  XXI.  and  PI.  XXII. 


ROOM   III.  PTERODACTYLUS   MACROXYX.  189 

observed  on  the  stone  surrounding  the  phalangeal  bones  (as 
in  Lign.  42). 

The  nature  of  the  original  animal  was  traced  by  Baron 
Cuvier  with  his  accustomed  terseness  and  perspicuity ;  and 
later  discoveries,  though  enlarging  our  knowledge  of  this 
remarkable  order  of  reptiles,  and  presenting  us  with  far 
more  colossal  forms  than  could  have  been  rationally  predicated, 
have  added  nothing  of  importance  to  the  original  sketch  by 
the  master-hand. 

"  The  Pterodactyle,"  observes  M.  Cuvier,  "  was  an  animal 
which  in  its  osteology,  from  the  teeth  to  the  extremities  of  the 
claws,  and  from  its  skull  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  presented  the 
classic  characters  of  the  saurians.  We  therefore  cannot  doubt 
that  it  had  the  same  modifications  in  the  integuments  and  soft 
pails  j  their  dermal  covering,  circulation,  organs  of  generation, 
<fcc.  At  the  same  tune,  it  was  provided  with  large  mem- 
branous wings,  and  its  powers  of  flight  must  have  far  ex- 
ceeded those  of  the  Draco  volans,  the  only  existing  reptile 
that  can  traverse  the  air,  and  probably  equalled  those  of  the 
Bat.  It  doubtless  could  flit  and  soar  on  the  wing  as  long  as 
the  strength  of  its  muscles  permitted,  and  suspend  itself  to 
trees  or  rocks  by  its  short  unguiculated  toes.  Its  position, 
when  in  repose,  would  probably  be  like  that  of  birds,  on  its 
hind  legs,  with  the  neck  straightened  and  curved  back,  to 
preserve  its  equilibrium." 

PTERODACTYLUS  MACROXYX. — Wall-case  A-B. l — These  unique 
remains  of  a  species  of  Pterodactyle,  which,  when  living,  was 
about  the  size  of  a  raven,  were  discovered  in  1828,  by  the 
late  Mary  Anning,  the  well-known  intelligent  collector  of  the 
fossils  from  the  liassic  deposits  that  form  the  cliffs  along  the 
coast  of  Dorsetshire,  near  Lyme  Regis.  I  have  not  heard  that 
any  other  relics  of  this  species  have  been  met  with. 

This  specimen  was  figured  and  described  by  Dr.  Buckland 
in  "  Geol.  Trans."  vol.  iii.  PL  XXVII.  with  the  specific  name 
macronyx,  suggested  by  the  great  length  of  the  claws.2  It 
consists  of  a  few  fragments  of  the  cervical  and  dorsal  vertebrae, 
and  three  caudals ;  the  scapulae  and  coracoids ;  and  the  bones 

1  Figured  and  described  by  Dr.  Buckland  in  "  Geol.  Trans."  voL  iii. 
new  series,  p.  217. 

2  The  specimen  was  purchased  of  Miss  Anning  by  the  Trustees  of  the 
British  Museum. 


190  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

of  the  arms,  and  fingers,  more  or  less  displaced.    These  several 
parts  are  enumerated  by  Dr.  Buckland  as  follows  : — 

"One  cervical  vertebra,  f  of  an  inch  in  length ;  near  this  bone  are 
small  cylindrical  ossified  tendons,  resembling  the  tendons  which  run 
parallel  to  the  caudal  vertebrae  of  rats. 

Dorsal  and  lumbar  vertebrae,  in  a  fragmentary  state. 

Three  caudal  vertebrae. 

Two  scapulae,  or  omoplates,  long  and  narrow,  as  in  crocodiles. 

Two  coracoids,  large,  as  in  birds,  for  the  support  of  the  wings  in  flight. 

Sternum,  broken  and  indistinct. 

Humeri.  The  right  humerus  and  scapula  are  much  displaced ;  the 
left  humerus,  and  other  bones  of  the  left  wing ,  are  nearly  in  their  natural 
j  uxta-position. 

Fore-arm  :  there  are  no  traces  of  an  ulna. 

Carpus :  in  the  left,  four  bones  are  well  preserved,  three  in  contact 
with  the  radius,  the  fourth  with  the  largest  metacarpal.  The  right 
carpal  bones  are  all  dispersed. 

Metacarpals ;  first,  second,  and  third  of  the  right  hand,  and  also  of 
the  left ;  and  the  fourth  of  each  hand  supporting  the  respective  wing- 
fingers. 

Three  fingers  of  the  left  hand, terminating  in  long  claws;  there  are 
two  phalanges  in  the  first,  three  in  the  second,  and  four  in  the  third 
finger,  as  in  crocodiles. 

All  the  bones  of  the  first  and  third  fingers  of  the  right  hand. 

First  bone  of  the  fourth  or  wing-finger ;  there  is  no  vestige  of  a  fifth 
finger. 

Pelvis :  the  three  bones  of  the  right  side,  viz.,  the  ilium,  ischiuni, 
and  pubis,  are  very  distinct. 

The  two  femora ;  the  right  one  displaced. 

The  tibiae  ;  the  left  one  compressed  :  there  are  no  traces  of  fibulee. 

Tarsus,  but  faintly  indicated. 

Metatarsus  ;  four  of  the  left  foot  distinct  and  undisturbed,  their 
under  aspect  being  exposed. 

Phalanges  of  the  left  toes,  the  claws  wanting. 

Toes  of  the  right  foot,  much  displaced  ;  one  claw  only  remains. 

The  length  of  the  foot,  and  of  the  tibia  and  femur,  shows 
that  the  animal  must  have  stood  firmly  on  the  ground,  on 
which,  probably,  with  its  wings  folded,  it  moved  after  the 
manner  of  birds.  It  could,  perhaps,  also  perch  on  trees,  and 
cling  to  their  branches  by  means  of  its  feet  and  toes,  like  birds 
and  lizards." l 

WEALDEN  PTERODACTYLES. —  Wall-case  A-B. — In  the  Weal- 
den  deposits,  and  likewise  in  the  Stonefield  calcareous  slate, 

1  Dr.  Buckland.  "  Geol.  Trans."  p.  222.  The  above  details  are 
inserted  for  the  use  of  the  scientific  visitor  who  may  be  desirous  of 
examining  this  unique  specimen. 


ROOM    III.  WEALDEN   PTERODACTTLES.  191 

fragments  of  bones  of  such  tenuity  as  to  indicate  that  they 
belonged  to  animals  capable  of  progression  through  the  air,  are 
not  uncommon.  Their  occurrence  in  the  Wealden  deposits 
was  first  noticed  in  my  earliest  work,  "  On  the  Geology  of 
Sussex;"  but,  although  thirty  years  have  since  elapsed,  I 
have  not  seen  a  specimen  with  articular  extremities  so  perfect  as 
to  demonstrate  with  certainty  whether  it  belonged  to  a  bird 
or  to  a  flying  reptile.  In  the  Case  before  us  there  are  a  few 
portions  of  long  bones  which  are  probably  metacarpals  and 
phalangeals  of  pterodactyles  ;  and  in  some  of  the  closed 
cabinets  there  are  a  few  specimens  more  illustrative.  There  is 
one  bone,  especially,  which  was  formerly  supposed  to  be  the 
tarso-metatarsal  of  a  bird,  but  has  since  been  ascertained  to 
be  a  humerus,  and,  probably,  of  a  Pterodactyle ;  although 
there  are  certain  points  in  which  it  unquestionably  differs 
from  the  arm-bone  of  any  flying  reptile  hitherto  observed. 

In  the  absence  of  obvious  distinctive  osteological  cha- 
racters, it  was  hoped  that  an  investigation  of  the  intimate 
structure  of  these  enigmatical  remains  would  throw  light  on 
the  subject,  and  that  the  microscopical  examination  of  the 
most  characteristic  bones  by  Mr.  Quekett  and  Mr.  Bowerbank 
might  afford  a  solution  of  the  problem. 

In  a  paper  communicated  to  the  Geological  Society  by  Mr. 
Bowerbank,  that  able  observer  affirms  that  there  is  a  recog- 
nisable difference  in  the  form  and  proportion  of  the  bone-cells 
in  birds  and  reptiles,  which  he  believes  to  be  constant,  and  by 
which  the  smallest  fragment  of  bone  may  with  great  pro- 
bability be  referred  to  its  proper  class. 

In  birds,  under  a  power  of  500  linears,  Mr.  Bowerbank 
found  the  cells  to  have  a  breadth  in  proportion  to  their 
length,  as  one  to  four  or  five ;  while  in  reptiles  the  length 
exceeds  the  breadth  ten  or  twelve  times.  For  example,  in  the 
albatross  the  width  of  the  cell  is  one-fourth  the  length,  and 
in  the  crocodile  one-twelfth.1  Applying  this  test  to  the 
bones  supposed  by  Professor  Owen  to  be  those  of  a  bird  allied 

1  Professor  Owen  remarks,  "  Such  a  statement  as  that  these  cells  in 
Birds  have  a  breadth,  in  proportion  to  their  length,  of  from  one  to  four 
or  five,  while  in  Reptiles  the  length  exceeds  the  breadth  by  ten  or  twelve 
times,  only  betrays  the  limited  experience  of  the  assertor  /"  and  he 
quotes  "  MantelTs  Wonders  of  Geology,"  vol.  i.  p.  441.  Now  as  the 
statement  in  my  work  was  submitted  to  Mr.  Bowerbank's  revision  before 
it  was  printed,  the  amiable  Professor  has  missed  his  mark,  and  hit 


192  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

to  the  albatross,1  Mr.  Bowerbank  pronounced  them  to  belong 
to  a  Pterodactyl  e  ;  probably  to  the  colossal  species  (named  by 
him  P.  giganteus),  of  which  he  had  obtained  jaws  with  teeth, 
and  other  remains,  from  the  same  chalk  quarry ;  a  conclusion 
which  has  since  been  satisfactorily  established. 

On  the  other  hand,  certain  bones  from  the  Wealden  and 
Oolite  are  regarded  both  by  Mr.  Quekett,  and  Mr.  Bowerbank, 
as  exhibiting  unequivocally  a  structure  peculiar  to  birds. 

With  regard  to  the  value  of  such  evidence,  I  would  venture  to 
express  my  opinion,  that  although  in  the  entire  absence  of  more 
obvious  and  certain  diagnostic  characters,  it  would  be  unsafe 
to  admit  the  relative  proportions  of  the  bone-cells  as  conclu- 
sive proof,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  infer  that  the  intimate 
structure  of  the  solid  parts  of  the  skeleton  may  have  relation 
to  the  peculiar  organisation  of  a  class,  and  that  the  micro- 
scopic test,  if  applied  with  due  caution,  will  prove  an  impor- 
tant auxiliary  in  the  interpretation  of  the  true  nature  of  the 
fossil  bones  of  unknown  animals. 

Some  of  these  presumed  birds'  bones  are  so'  extremely  thin 

the  distinguished  Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Palaeontograpblcal  Society, 
to  whose  indulgent  consideration  I  therefore  leave  him.* 

1  These  bones  from  the  Kentish  Chalk  are  described  in  Professor 
Owen's  "  BRITISH  MAMMALS  AND  BIRDS,"  under  the  name  of"  CIMOLIORNIS 
DIOMEDEUS.  Long-winged  Bird  of  the  Chalk"  "Bird  allied  to  the  Alba- 
tross? (Diomedea}.  In  the  late  Mr.  Dixon's  work,  edited  by  Professor 
Owen,  and  published  last  year  (1850),  he  again  figures  the  specimen 
(though  not  a  Sussex  Fossil),  and  affirms,  "  I  have  yet  obtained  no  evi- 
dence which  shakes  my  original  conclusion,  that  the  bone  is  part  of  the 
shaft  of  a  humerus  of  a  longipennate  bird,  like  the  A  Ibatross."  (Dixon.  p. 
402.)  And  after  commenting  on  Mr.  Bowerbank's  observations,  he  remarks, 
"  When  such  obvious  ornithic  characters  as  these,  and  especially  those  of 
thetrochlear  end  of  the  bone,  determine  their  nature,"  &c.  And  yet  Pro- 
fessor Owen  accuses  me  of  "  misrepresenting  him,"f  and  of  being  guilty 
of  an  "unamiable  exaggeration"^  of  his  mistake,  because,  in  a  popular 
work,  "  The  Wonders  of  Geology,"  I  stated  that  he  had  regarded  the 
bone  as  belonging  to  an  extinct  species  of  Albatross"  using  the  word 
species  in  its  general  sense,  as  a  sort,  or  kind.  If  I  had  written  "  a  species 
of  the  genus  Diomedea  or  A  Ibatross,"  it  might  have  borne  the  interpre- 
tation Professor  Owen  now  affects  to  put  upon  it.  The  same  unamiable 
expression  was  employed  in  my  "  Medals  of  Creation "  (p.  804),  pub- 
lished seven  years  ago,  and  then  gave  no  offence ! 

*  See  Professor  Owen's  "  Fossil  Reptilia  of  the  Cretaceous  Formation/' 
—Monographs  of  the  Palaeontographical  Society.  1851.  p.  83. 
t  Ibid.  p.  82— p.  83. 


ROOM  III.  THE   MOSASAURUS   OF   MAESTRICHT.  193 

and  fragile,  as  to  render  it  extremely  improbable  that  they 
could  have  sustained  such  an  instrument  of  flight  as  the 
powerful  wing  of  the  Albatross  ;  their  tenuity  is  indeed  such 
as  to  suggest  their  adaptation  to  support  an  expanded  mem- 
brane rather  than  pinions.1 

I  have  recently  collected  from  the  Wealden  strata  of  Tilgate 
Forest  some  fragments  of  very  .large  cylindrical  bones,  the 
walls  of  which  are  extremely  thin,  and  unquestionably  belong 
to  Pterodactyles. 

In  concluding  these  notes  on  the  flying  Reptiles,  I  may 
add  that  Mr.  Bowerbank  has  procured  from  the  Kentish 
chalk,  portions  of  jaws  with  teeth,  more  colossal  than  any 
previously  known  :  some  portions  of  the  upper  maxilla  prove 
the  total  length  of  the  head  to  have  been  upwards  of  sixteen 
inches ;  and  the  bones  of  the  anterior  extremity  indicate  a 
width  of  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet,  from  the  extremity  of 
one  wing  to  the  other  ! 

The  Mosasaurus,  or  Fossil  Reptile  of  Maestricht. —  Wall- 
case  B. — Maestricht,  a  large  city  in  the  interior  of  the  Nether- 
lands, situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Meuse,  stands  on  a  series 
of  calcareous  arenaceous  deposits  belonging  to  the  Upper 
Chalk,  and  which  gradually  pass  below  into  the  pure  white 
chalk  with  bands  of  siliceous  nodules.  Extensive  quarries 
have  for  many  centuries  been  worked  in  the  sandstone,  espe- 
cially in  the  eminence  called  St.  Peter's  Mountain,  which  is 
a  cape  or  headland  between  the  Meuse  and  the  Jaar,  formed 
by  the  termination  of  a  range  of  hills  that  bounds  the  western 
extremity  of  the  river  valley.  The  mountain  commences  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile  south  of  the  city,  and  extends  in  a 
direction  towards  Liege  for  about  three  leagues ;  it  presents 
an  almost  perpendicular  escarpment  towards  the  Meuse. 

The  calcareous  freestone,  which  is  extensively  quarried,  is 
soft  and  easily  cut  when  first  removed,  but  dries  and  hardens 
by  exposure  to  the  air ;  the  total  thickness  of  the  strata  is 
above  five  hundred  feet. 

1  A  new  part  of  the"  Palseontographical  Monographs"  has  just  appeared ; 
in  which,  commenting  on  this  idea,  Professor  Owen  states  that  the 
wings  of  the  Pterodactyles  were  composed  of  leather  !  Start  not,  gentle 
reader  ! — here  are  the  very  words.  "  It  was  reserved  for  the  Author  of 
the  'Wonders  of  Geology*  to  prefer  the  leathern  wings  of  the  Bat  and 
the  Pterodactyle  as  the  lighter  form."— Prof.  Owen, "Pal.  Mon"  1851. 
p.  83. 


194  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

From  the  extensive  works  that  have  so  long  been  carried 
on,  immense  quantities  of  stone  have  been  removed,  and  the 
centre  of  the  mountain  is  traversed  by  galleries,  and  hollowed 
by  vast  excavations.  Innumerable  marine  shells,  corals,  and 
crustaceans,  bones  and  teeth  of  fishes,  and  remains  of  turtles, 
are  imbedded  in  this  sandstone,  and  as  the  friable  character  of 
the  rock  admits  of  the  easy  extrication  of  the  fossils,  they  are 
obtained  in  great  perfection.1 

But  the  organic  remains  for  which  the  strata  of  St.  Peter's 
Mountain  are  most  celebrated,  are  the  bones  and  teeth  of  an 


LION.  43.    REMAINS  OF  THE  JAWS  OF  THE  FOSSIL  REPTILE  OF  MAESTRICHT. 

(Mosasaurus  Hoffmanni.) 
(The  original  is  4|  feet  by  2£  feet.) 

enormous  lizard,  to  which  our  eminent  countryman,  the  Eev. 
W.  D.  Conybeare,  gave  the  name  of  Mosasaurus,  or  Lizard  of 
the  Meuse. 

The  discovery  of  some  remains  of  this  animal  had  in  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  drawn  the  attention  of  naturalists  to 
these  quarries,  and  in  1770  M.  Hoffman,  the  military  surgeon 
attached  to  the  Fort,  who  had  long  been  an  assiduous  collector 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  309. 


ROOM  III.  THE   MOSASAURUS   OF   MAESTRICHT.  195 

of  the  fossils  of  the  vicinity,  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain 
a  specimen  which  has  conferred  an  enduring  celebrity  on  his 
name. 

Some  workmen,  on  blasting  the  rock  in  one  of  the  caverns 
of  the  interior  of  the  mountain,  perceived  to  their  astonish- 
ment the  jaws  of  a  large  animal  attached  to  the  roof  of  the 
chasm.  The  discovery  was  immediately  made  known  to 
M.  Hoffman,  who  repaired  to  the  spot,  and  for  weeks  presided 
over  the  arduous  task  of  separating  the  mass  of  stone  con- 
taining these  remains,  from  the  surrounding  rock.  His 
labours  were  rewarded  by  the  successful  extrication  of  the 
specimen,  which  he  conveyed  in  triumph  to  his  house.  This 
extraordinary  discovery,  however,  soon  became  the  subject  of 
general  conversation,  and  excited  so  much  interest,  that  the 
Canon  of  the  cathedral  which  stands  on  the  mountain  resolved 
to  claim  the  fossil,  in  right  of  being  lord  of  the  manor ;  and 
succeeded,  after  a  long  and  harassing  lawsuit,  in  obtaining 
this  precious  relic.  It  remained  for  years  in  his  possession, 
and  Hoffman  died  without  regaining  his  treasure,  or  receiving 
any  compensation.  At  length  the  French  Revolution  broke 
out,  and  the  armies  of  the  Republic  advanced  to  the  gates  of 
Maestricht.  The  town  was  bombarded  \  but  at  the  suggestion 
of  the  committee  of  savans  who  accompanied  the  French 
troops  to  select  their  share  of  the  plunder,  the  artillery  was 
not  suffered  to  play  on  that  part  of  the  city  in  which  the 
celebrated  fossil  was  known  to  be  preserved.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  Canon  of  St.  Peter's,  shrewdly  suspecting  the  reason 
why  such  peculiar  favour  was  shown  to  his  residence,  removed 
the  specimen,  and  concealed  it  in  a  vault ;  but  when  the  city 
was  taken,  the  French  authorities  compelled  him  to  give  up 
his  ill-gotten  prize,  which  was  immediately  transmitted  to  the 
Jardin  des  Plantes,  at  Paris,  where  it  still  forms  one  of  the 
most  striking  objects  in  that  magnificent  collection.1 

The  beautiful  model  in  Case  B,  is  a  faithful  representation 

1  Faujas  St.  Fond,  from  whose  beautiful  work  on  the  Fossils  of 
St.  Peter's  Mountain  (Histoire  Naturette  de  la  Montague  de  St.  Pierre) 
the  above  account  is  taken,  observes  with  much  sangfroid — "La  Justice, 
quoiqufi  tardive,  arrive  enfin  avec  le  temps."  The  reader  will  probably 
think  that  although  the  reverend  Canon  was  justly  despoiled  of  his  ill- 
gotten  treasure,  the  French  Commissioners  were  but  very  equivocal 
representatives  of  Justice! 


196  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP  III. 

of  the  original,  and  was  presented  to  me  by  Baron  Cuvier  in 
1825.  It  is  four  and  a  half  feet  in  length,  and  two  and 
a  half  in  width.  It  consists  of  both  jaws,  with  numerous 
teeth,  (the  pterygoids  bearing  teeth  as  in  the  Iguanas,)  and  the 
os  quadratum;  and  there  are  likewise  fragments  of  costal 
processes,  and  one  of  the  metatarsal  or  metacarpal  bones  : 
two  of  the  large  echinoderms  that  abound  in  the  Maestricht 
deposits  are  imbedded  in  the  block.  The  parts  preserved  in 
this  celebrated  specimen  are  the  following  : — 

The  superior  maxillary,  or  jaw-bone,  of  the  right  side,  with  eleven 
teeth ;  seen  on  its  inner  aspect. 

The  anterior  part  of  the  upper  maxillary  bone  of  the  left  side,  which 
is  displaced,  and  lies  across  the  posterior  part  of  the  left  ramus  of  the 
lower  jaw. 

The  right  pterygoid,  with  eight  teeth. 

The  left  pterygoid ;  all  the  teeth  are  wanting. 

The  premandibular  part  of  the  left  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw,  with 
fourteen  teeth,  seen  on  its  outer  aspect :  a  row  of  ten  or  twelve  vascular 
foramina  runs  parallel  with  the  alveolar  ridge. 

The  right  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw,  with  the  teeth,  seen  on  the  inner 
aspect ;  the  posterior  part  is  somewhat  concealed  by  the  palatine  bones. 

The  left  os  quadratum,  or  tympanic  bone,  lying  above  the  concave 
articular  facet  of  the  lower  jaw.1 

The  crown  of  the  tooth  of  the  Mosasaurus  is  of  a  pyra- 
midal form,  slightly  recurved  backwards,  with  a  smooth  coat 
of  enamel ;  the  largest  is  from  2|  to  3  inches  in  length. 
The  tooth  expands  at  the  base  into  a  large  conical  mound  or 
root  (If  inch  in  diameter),  which  is  anchylosed  to  the 
summit  of  the  alveolar  ridge  ;  a  mode  of  implantation  that 
is  termed  acrodont.  The  outer  face  of  the  crown  is  very 
slightly  convex,  and  separated  by  two  sharp  crests  from  the 
inner,  which  is  semi-conical.  The  pulp  cavity  is  generally 
found  open  in  the  centre  of  the  base  of  the  crown  j  and 
the  germ  of  the  successional  tooth  appears  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  expanded  base.  The  teeth  of  the  pterygoid  bones 
are  symmetrical,  their  transverse  section  being  elliptical. 

Part  of  a  lower  Jaw  of  Mosasaurus. — On  the  ledge  over 
the  specimen  above  described  is  placed  a  very  fine  example 

1  For  details,  consult  "  Ossemens  Fossiles"  tome  v.  p.  319.  I  cannot 
explain  why  the  tympanic  bone,  which  is  so  striking  an  object  in  the 
model,  is  omitted  in  the  figures  of  Faujas  St.  Fond,  Cuvier,  &c.  and  in 
the  hundred  engravings  of  this  fossil  that  have  since  appeared. 


ROOM  III.  VERTEBRAE    OF   MOSASAURUS.  197 

of  the  premandibular  part  of  the  lower  jaw,  with  fifteen 
teeth,  seven  of  which  have  the  enamelled  crowns  perfect. 
Near  it  there  is  a  fragment  of  another  jaw  with  three  mature 
teeth,  and  the  germs  of  as  many  successional  ones.  These 
valuable  fossils  were  presented  to  the  British  Museum  by  the 
distinguished  Dr.  Peter  Camper  in  1784. 

Vertebrce  of  Mosasaurus. — The  only  other  parts  of  the 
skeleton  of  the  Maestricht  reptile  in  the  collection,  are  a  few 
vertebrae  placed  in  the  recess  above  the  Geosaurus  (ante 
p.  153),  which  exemplify  the  general  character  of  the  spinal 
column;  they  present  the  ordinary  structure  of  the  vertebrae  in 
the  existing  lizards  and  crocodiles,  the  body  being  concave  in 
front  and  convex  behind,  and  the  neural  arch  united  to  the 
centrum  by  suture. 

The  entire  vertebral  column  appears  to  have  consisted  of 
131  vertebrae,  of  which  97  belonged  to  the  tail.  The  struc- 
ture of  these  elements  of  the  spine  is  minutely  described, 
and  their  homologies  considered,  in  the  classic  work  on  the 
fossil  vertebrata,  to  which  the  collector  who  may  obtain  any 
specimens  of  this  kind  should  refer.1 

The  peculiar  character  of  the  posterior  caudal  vertebrae 
requires,  however,  a  brief  notice,  in  consequence  of  the 
interesting  discovery  which  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  make 
in  1820,  of  the  occurrence  of  remains  of  this  genus  in 
another  division  of  the  cretaceous 
formation,  and  far  from  the  only 
locality  previously  known.  The 
posterior  caudal  vertebrae  of  the  Mo- 
sasaurus differ  from  the  anterior  by 
the  want  of  transverse  processes; 
these  form  a  large  proportion  of 
the  tail.  Their  faces  are  elliptical, 
at  first  transverse,  and  then  more  m  Ll?5:_44: 

and  more  compressed  at  the  sides. 
A  great  number  are  destitute  of  CHALK,  LEWM. 

chevron  bones,  and  in  many  this 

apophysis  is  not  articulated  to  the  body,  but  soldered  to  it, 
so  as  to  form  a  part  of  the  bone  itself;  and  it  is  attached, 

1  "  Ossemens  Fossiles"  tome  v.  pp.  326—334. 


198  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

not  to  the  juncture  of  two  vertebrae,  nor  to  the  extremity 
of  the  body,  but  to  the  middle  of  the  centrum.1 

VERTEBRAE  OF  MOSASAURUS,  from  the  chalk  near  Lewes. — 
(M.  /Stenodon.) — Wall-case  A-B. — On  the  recess  above  the 
specimens  of  Geosaurus,  is  a  small  block  of  chalk,  to  which 
are  attached  two  caudal  vertebrae,  possessing  the  characters 
above  described,  and  by  which  I  was  enabled  to  identify  them 
with  the  corresponding  bones  of  the  celebrated  Maestricht 
reptile,  of  which  I  had  then  read,  but  never,  in  my  most 
sanguine  moments,  had  indulged  the  hope  of  finding  any 
vestiges  in  my  native  hills.2  A  posterior  dorsal  vertebra  from 
the  same  locality  is  placed  near  them  ;  I  have  subsequently 
obtained  a  caudal  vertebra  imbedded  in  flint  (from  near 
Brighton)  ;  a  few  other  portions  of  the  vertebral  column 
have,  I  believe,  been  collected  from  the  Sussex  chalk  since 
my  removal  from  Sussex.  The  remarkable  character  above 
pointed  out,  of  the  coalescence  of  the  chevron-bone  with 
the  body  of  the  vertebra,  is  well  shown  in  these  two  caudals 
from  Lewes.  M.  Cuvier  observes,  that  there  is  no  known 
reptile  in  which  this  bone  is  soldered  to,  ("  soude"),  and  makes 
a  part  of,  the  centrum;  it  is  a  character  peculiar  to  fishes,  and 
must  have  greatly  augmented  the  solidity  of  the  tail. 

No  teeth  similar  to  those  in  the  jaws  of  the  Mosasaurus  have 
been  obtained  from  the  English  chalk  ;  but  some  large  smooth 
conical  teeth  of  an  acrodoiit  reptile,  symmetrically  elliptical 
like  the  pterygoidal  teeth  of  Mosasaurus,  were  found  in  the 
same  stratum  as  the  vertebrae,  and  are  probably  referable  to 
the  same  species.  In  1831,  a  portion  of  the  lower  jaw  with 
teeth  of  a  similar  character,  was  found  in  the  chalk  near 
Norwich,  and  of  which  I  received  drawings  from  the  late 
Mr.  Samuel  Woodward.  Other  specimens  of  equilateral 

1  "  Elles  fonnent  une  grande  partie  de  la  queue,  et  les  faces  de  leur 
corps  sont  en  ellipses,  d'abord  transverses,  et  ensuite  de  plus  en  plus 
comprimees  par  les  cotes.    L'os  en  chevron  n'y  est  plus  articule,  main 
soude,  etfait  corps  avec  elles" — Ossemens  Foss.  loc.  cit.  p.  327. 

2  In  "The  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs;  or,  Illustrations  of  the  Geo- 
logy of  Sussex,"  1822,  there  are  figures  and  descriptions  of  these  speci- 
mens, pp.  242—246 ;  tab.  xxxiii.  and  xli.    I  would  especially  direct  the 
observer's  attention  to  the  deep  incision  observable  on  the  posterior 
vertebra  in  this  specimen,  which  must  have  been  made  before  the  bones 
were  imbedded  in  the  chalk. 


ROOM  III.  VERTEBRAE   OF   MOSASAURUS.  199 

teeth  anchylosed  to  the  alveolar  ridge  of  the  mandibular 
bone,  have  been  discovered;  and  assuming  the  probability 
that  these  jaws,  teeth  and  vertebrae,  of  the  Mosasaurian 
type  belonged  to  the  same  genus,  but  differed  specifically 
from  the  Maestricht  animal,  Mr.  Charlesworth  proposed  to 
distinguish  it  provisionally  by  the  name  of  Mosasaurus 
stenodon. 

To  resume. — The  jaw  of  the  Maestricht  animal  is  three 
feet  nine  inches  in  length  ;  the  entire  length  of  the  skeleton 
is  estimated  at  twenty-four  feet ;  thus  the  head  is  nearly  one- 
sixth  of  the  total  length — a  proportion  according  with  that 
of  the  crocodiles,  but  differing  from  the  monitors.  The  tail 
is  only  ten  feet  long,  and  therefore  but  half  that  of  the 
total  length ;  while  in  the  crocodile  the  tail  exceeds  the  entire 
length  of  the  body  by  one-seventh  ;  its  shortness  is  owing  to 
the  abbreviation  of  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae. 

This  animal  formed  an  intermediate  link  between  the  tribe 
of  saurians  without  pterygoidal  teeth,  the  monitors, — and 
those  with  them, — the  iguanas  :  its  only  approach  to  the  cro- 
codiles was  in  a  few  partial  characters,  and  in  those  general 
bonds  of  connexion  which  re-unite  the  entire  family  of 
oviparous  quadrupeds.  The  bones  of  the  extremities  are  but 
imperfectly  known ;  those  attributed  to  the  Mosasaurus  are 
said  to  indicate  members  adapted  for  natation  rather  than 
for  progression  on  land,  and  to  support  the  inference  of 
M.  Cuvier,  that  the  original  was  a  marine  animal  of  great 
strength  and  activity,  having  a  large  vertically  expanded  tail, 
capable  of  being  moved  laterally  with  such  force  as  to  consti- 
tute a  powerful  instrument  of  progression,  capable  of  stemming 
the  most  agitated  waters.1 

Teeth  in  every  respect  analogous  to  those  of  the  Maestricht 
reptile  were  discovered  by  Dr.  Harlan  of  Philadelphia,  from 
the  equivalent  deposits  of  the  cretaceous  formation,  the 

1  In  the  Memoir  of  M.  Adrien  Camper,  "  Sur  quelques  parties  moins 
connues  du  squelette  des  Sauriens  Fossiles  de  Maestricht,"  there  are 
figures  of  several  metacarpal  or  metatarsal  bones  from  Maestricht,  which 
the  author  describes  as  resembling  those  of  the  Crocodile,  and  probably 
belonging  to  the  great  saurian  ;  among  them  is  a  small  conical  shaped 
bone,  termed  an  ungual  phalanx,  but  which  has  more  the  character  of 
a  dermal  tubercle  or  spine ;  the  figure,  however,  is  too  small  and  inde- 
finite to  show  the  true  nature  of  the  original. 


200  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

ferruginous  sands  of  New  Jersey,  in  the  United  States.  In 
1830,  my  lamented  friend,  the  late  Dr.  Morton  of  Phila- 
delphia, (whose  early  death  is  so  much  to  be  deplored,)  sent 
me  specimens  and  casts  of  teeth  of  Mosasaurus,  which 
agreed  in  every  respect  with  those  from  the  Netherlands ; 
teeth  of  this  kind  are  figured  in  Dr.  Morton's  "  Synopsis 
of  the  Organic  Kemains  of  the  United  States  :"  Philadelphia, 
1834.  Of  late  years,  vertebrae  and  other  bones  of  the 
same  genus  have  been  found  in  these  deposits ;  some  of 
which,  collected  by  Prof.  Rogers,  are  figured  and  described 
in  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  Geological  Society  of 
London. 

POLYPTYCHODON. —  Wall-case  B. — In  a  frame  on  the  top 
of  this  Case  there  is  a  group  of  bones,  some  of  which  are 
nearly  entire,  others  mere  fragments,  imbedded  in  plaster,  and 
belonging  to  a  large  marine  reptile ;  they  are  from  the  green- 
sand  strata  near  Hythe  in  Kent,  and  were  collected  and  pre- 
sented to  the  Museum  by  H.  B.  Mackeson,  Esq.  No  part  of 
the  cranium  or  jaws  has  been  discovered ;  but  in.  the  same 
deposits,  as  well  as  in  the  white  chalk,  very  large  conical 
longitudinally  ridged  teeth  frequently  occur ;  these  have 
received  the  name  of  Polyptychodon.  Prof.  Owen,  assuming 
that  the  teeth  he  has  thus  designated  belong  to  the  same 
species  of  reptile  as  the  bones  found  in  the  same  strata,  has 
described  the  above  isolated  parts  of  the  skeleton  under  the 
same  name. 

These  consist  of  fragments  of  bones  referred  to  the  cora- 
coid,  ilium,  ischium,  and  pubis  ;  and  portions  of  the  humerus, 
part  of  a  femur,  tibia,  and  fibula,  and  several  metatarsal 
bones.  Of  these,  the  thigh-bone,  of  which  above  two  feet  of 
the  shaft  remains,  at  once  separates  the  reptile  to  which  it 
belonged,  from  the  Iguanodon  and  other  gigantic  saurians 
whose  relics  are  occasionally  found  in  the  same  formation, 
for  it  has  no  medullary  cavity,  its  centre  being  occupied 
by  a  coarse  cancellated  structure,  as  in  the  cetaceans ;  this 
fragment  is  fifteen  inches  in  circumference.  The  metatarsal 
bones  are  the  most  perfect  of  these  remains ;  the  longest 
was  two  feet  in  length,  and  four  inches  in  transverse  diameter 
in  the  middle. 

Neither  teeth  nor  vertebrae  have  been  found,  and  the  pro- 
visional name  "Polyptychodon"  simply  indicates  that  the 


ROOM  III.  POLYPTYCHODON.  201 

large,  conical,  ridged  teeth,  and  these  detached  bones,  may 
probably  appertain  to  the  same  genus  or  species  of  aquatic 
saurians. 


In  a  subsequent  section  we  shall  enter  upon  the  most  in- 
teresting department  of  our  present  subject, — the  history  of 
those  gigantic  terrestrial  saurians  whose  remains  have  been 
chiefly  obtained  from  the  strata  of  the  south-east  of  England, 
and  of  which  this  division  of  the  Gallery  contains  an  interest- 
ing series. 


202 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR  TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 


LIGN.  45. — IGUANODON  QUARRY,  NEAR  CUCKFIELD,  SUSSEX.  1820. 

1.  Blue  clay,  forming  the  floor  of  the  quarry. 

2.  Tilgate  grit. 

3.  Soft  sandstone. 

4.  Drift,  or  diluvium. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PART  IV. 
GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH-EAST  OF  ENGLAND. 


Ah,  happy  hills  !  ah,  pleasing  shade ! 

Ah,  fields  beloved  in  vain ! 
Where  once  my  careless  childhood  stray'd, 

A  stranger  yet  to  pain  ! 
I  feel  the  gales  that  from  ye  blow 
A  momentary  bliss  bestow." — GRAY. 


QUARRY  IN  TILGATE  FOREST — STRATA  OF  TILGATE  FOREST  —  CHARACTER  OF 
THE  ORGANIC  REMAINS — DISCOVERY  OF  THE  FLUVIATILE  ORIGIN  OF  THE 
STRATA — GEOLOGICAL  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  SOUTH-EAST  OF  ENGLAND— DRIFT 

OR    DILUVIUM TERTIARY    OR    EOCENE    STRATA CHALK    FORMATION 

WEALDEN  FORMATION ORDER  OF  SUPERPOSITION  OF  THE  STRATA — PHY- 
SICAL STRUCTURE  OF  THE  COUNTRY SECTION  FROM  LONDON  TO  THE 

SOUTHERN  COAST  — LONDON  AND  BRIGHTON  RAILWAY  SECTION — JOURNEY 
BY  COACH  FROM  BRIGHTON  TO  LONDON — GEOLOGICAL  MUTATIONS — FAUNA 
AND  FLORA  OF  THE  WEALDEN — SUMMARY. 

QUARRY  IN  TILGATE  FOREST. — From  the  motley  crowds  of 
strangers  attracted  to  our  overteeming  metropolis  by  the 
"  CRYSTAL  PALACE  and  its  wonders,"  thronging  in  countless 
numbers  every  place  of  public  resort — the  Gallery  of 
Organic  Remains  of  the  British  Museum  not  excepted, — 
I  would  transport  the  Courteous  Header  for  a  brief  space, 
and  conduct  him  to  the  verdant  hills  and  refreshing  glades  of 
my  native  county,  and  forgetting  awhile  "the  noise,  the 
hum,  the  din  of  men,"  visit  the  quarries,  and  examine  the 
rocks  and  strata,  whence  the  fossil  remains  of  the  colossal 
reptiles  that  will  next  engage  our  attention  were  exhumed. 


204  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

In  the  good  old  times,  when  a  well-appointed  four-horse 
coach  conveyed  the  traveller  from  Brighton  to  London  in  six 
or  seven  hours,  the  first  resting  stage  for  the  passengers  after 
leaving  the  Queen  of  Watering-places  on  a  summer's  morning, 
was  the  neat  little  town  of  Cuckfield  in  Sussex;  whose  single 
street  straggles  up  the  southern  slope  of  a  steep  acclivity, 
formed  by  the  anticlinal  ridge  of  Wealden  grit,  which 
emerges  from  beneath  the  clays  and  sands  of  the  adjacent 
valley  of  Cuckfield  Park,  near  the  seat  of  my  friend,  Warden 
Sergison,  Esq. 

On  the  summit  of  this  ridge  is  "  Whiteman's  Green,"  and 
there,  some  thirty  years  since,  was  an  extensive  quarry,  that 
had  been  occasionally  worked  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
was  then  in  unwonted  activity ;  the  calciferous  grit, — a  hard 
calcareous  sandstone  formed  by  an  infiltration  of  crystalline 
carbonate  of  lime  into  beds  of  sand, — which  had  always 
been  in  request  for  various  economical  purposes,  having  sud- 
denly acquired  increased  value  from  the  great  demand  for 
road  materials,  occasioned  by  the  competition  between  the 
various  boards  of  trustees,  in  consequence  of  the  rapidly 
augmenting  number  of  coaches  and  passengers,  which  the 
rising  prosperity  of  Brighton  had  called  forth. 

From  that  quarry,  long  since  filled  up,  and  the  area 
covered  by  pasturage  and  gardens,  I  collected  the  first  and 
most  interesting  of  the  fossil  remains  of  the  Iguanodon, 
Hylseosaurus,  Pelorosaurus,  and  other  stupendons  creatures 
whose  existence  was  previously  unknown  and  unsuspected. 

The  sketch,  (Lign.  45,)  represents  the  section  exposed  on  one 
side  of  the  quarry  in  1 820.  The  spire  of  Cuckfield  Church 
is  seen  in  the  middle  ground ;  the  hills  in  the  extreme 
distance  are  part  of  the  range  of  South  Downs  to  the  west  of 
Ditchling  Beacon,  an  eminence  of  the  chalk  that  rises  to  the 
height  of  856  feet. 

1.  The  lowermost  bed,  forming  the  floor  of  the  quarry,  is 
a  stiff  blue  clay,  in  which  bones  and  freshwater  shells  are 
occasionally  met  with. 

2.  The  succeeding  strata  are  composed  of  the  fine  calci- 
ferous grit  or  Tilgate-stone,  which  was  extensively  used  as 
a  road  material,  and  occasionally  for  walls  and   buildings  \ 
but,  owing  to  its  extreme  hardness,  the  difficulty  of  reducing 
it  to  blocks  of  convenient  size,  together  with  the  adaptability 


ROOM  III.  STRATA   OF   TILGATE   FOREST.  205 

of  the  softer  sandstone  for  the  purpose,  was  but  seldom 
employed  in  architecture.  In  some  of  the  beds  pebbles  of 
quartz  and  jasper  are  so  thickly  interspersed,  that  the  rock 
acquires  the  character  of  a  conglomerate. 

3.  Above  the  Tilgate-grit  are  strata  of  fawn-coloured  sands 
and  sandstones,  having  the  same  lithological  features  as  the 
cliffs  at  Hastings,  and  the  rocks  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  Uck- 
field,  <fec.     The  upper  part  of  these  sandstones   are  in  the 
state  of  laminated  friable  shales. 

4.  A  thick  bed  of  diluvial  loam  caps  the  whole,  and  forms 
the  immediate  subsoil  of  the  surrounding  country.1 

STRATA  OF  TILGATE  FOREST. — The  quarry  above  described 
exhibits  the  usual  character  of  the  strata  exposed  in  natural 
sections,  and  in  the  various  stone-pits,  and  other  artificial 
openings,  in  the  surrounding  country,  and  which  extend, 
with  but  little  variation,  over  the  area  of  Tilgate  -and  St. 
Leonard's  Forests,  to  Horsham  on  the  west,  and  along  the 
Forest  Ridge  on  the  east.  As  a  general  term  for  these 
deposits  was  required  for  the  convenience  of  description,  I 
adopted  that  of  " Strata  of  Tilgate  Forest"  on  account  of  the 
proximity  of  the  locality  in  which  the  saurian  remains  were 
first  observed,  to  the  district  which,  though  now  cultivated,  and 
smiling  with  gardens  and  villas,  still  retains  a  name  handed 
down  from  the  earlier  centuries,  when  it  formed  an  integral 
part  of  the  Roman  Sylva  Anderida,  and  in  later  times  of  the 
Saxon  forest  of  Andreadswald? 

It  was  in  this  quarry,  to  which  my  attention  was  accidentally 
drawn  by  observing  a  fragment  of  bone  in  a  block  of  stone  by 
the  road  side,  that  I  first  obtained  teeth,  scales,  and  bones  of 
reptiles  and  fishes,  and  fresh- water  mollusks  and  crustaceans, 
and  remains  of  terrestrial  plants  of  a  tropical  character  ; 
a  discovery  which  has  invested  this  locality  with  a  high  degree 
of  geological  interest,  since  it  was  the  first  step  in  those 
researches  which  ultimately  revealed  the  true  nature  and 
origin  of  the  strata  composing  what  is  now  termed  the 


1  Consult  the  "Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  (published  in  1827,)  1  vol., 
royal  4to.  for  details  of  the  stratification,  and  figures  of  the  principal 
fossils  then  obtained  from  the  quarry :  or,  "  Geology  of  the  South-East 
of  England,"  1  vol.  8vo.  1833. 

2  See  Horsfield's  "  History  of  the  County  of  Sussex." 


206  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Wealden  formation  •  a  name  happily  suggested  by  my  friend 
J.  P.  Martin,  Esq.  of  Pulborough,  to  designate  this  remarkable 
series  of  fluviatile  deposits. 

PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  ORGANIC  REMAINS.  —  The 
most  novel  and  extraordinary  fossil  remains  which  I  obtained 
from  the  locality  above  described,  and  from  other  quarries 
around  Horsham,  Bolney,  and  Crawley,  to  which  my  researches 
extended,  were  the  fragments  of  enormous  mammalian-like 
bones,  and  the  stems,  branches,  and  foliage  of  terrestrial  vege- 
tables, and  fluviatile  mollusks  ;  the  univalves  resembling  the 
river-snails,  or  paludinse,  and  the  bivalves  the  fresh-water 
mussels  or  uniones.  These  phenomena  were  quite  unex- 
pected; for  although,  so  far  back  as  Woodward's  time,  the 
shells  composing  the  limestones  commonly  known  as  the 
Sussex  and  Petworth  marbles  were  supposed  to  be  river-shells, 
yet  that  opinion  had  long  been  given  up,  and  the  whole  series 
of  strata  forming  the  tract  of  country  between  the  North  and 
South  Downs  were  regarded  as  unequivocally  marine,  and  an 
integral  part  of  the  Cretaceous  formation ;  the  sands  and 
sandstones  being  grouped  together  under  the  name  of  the 
Iron  Sand;  and  several  species  of  ammonites,  nautili,  and 
other  deep-sea  shells,  were  figured  and  described  by  Mr. 
Sowerby,  and  other  eminent  naturalists  of  that  period,  (1820,) 
as  characteristic  fossils  of  that  group  of  deposits. 

In  that  excellent  work,  Messrs.  Conybeare  and  Phillips' 
"  Outlines  of  the  Geology  of  England  and  Wales,"  published 
in  1822,  there  is  an  admirable  review  of  the  geological  rela- 
tion of  the  "  Iron  Sands'"  below  the  chalk,  according  to  the 
state  of  geological  knowledge  at  that  time,  and  which  will  be 
found  in  accordance  with  the  account  above  given.1 

DISCOVERY  OF  THE  FLUVIATILE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  STRATA. — 
For  many  years  previously  to  my  discovery  of  organic  remains 
in  the  Wealden  strata,  I  had  diligently  collected  the  fossils 
from  the  chalk,  chalk -marl,  gait,  &c.  around  Lewes,  where  I 
then  resided,  and  had  acquired  a  tolerably  extensive  suite  of 
the  usual  teeth,  shells,  corals,  and  other  zoophytes  of  the 


1  "  Outlines  of  the  Geology  of  England  and  Wales,  by  the  Kev.  W.  D. 
Conybeare,  and  William  Phillips,  1822,"  pp.  136—140.  This  volume 
appeared  about  three  months  before  my  first  work  on  the  Geology  of 
Sussex,  "  The  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs." 


ROOM  III.        FLUVIATILE   ORIGIN   OF   THE   WEALDEX.  207 

Cretaceous  formation  ;  these  were  arranged  in  separate  drawers 
according  to  their  respective  localities.  In  the  course  of  a  few 
months  after  my  first  visit  to  the  quarry  at  Cuckfield,  I  had 
obtained  from  the  Weald,  specimens  of  the  rocks  and  organic 
remains  in  sufficient  number  to  fill  a  cabinet  of  moderate 
size ;  and  I  soon  became  aware  of  the  important  difference 
between  these  fossils  and  the  characteristic  species  from  the 
chalk  deposited  in  my  other  drawers :  and  by  degrees  the 
fluviatile  origin  of  the  strata  spread  over  the  Wealds  of  the 
South-East  of  England  suggested  itself  to  my  mind. 

The  absence  of  ammonites,  echinites,  corals,  terebratulae, 
and  other  marine  organisms,  which  constituted  so  large  a 
proportion  of  my  cretaceous  collection,  was  the  first  striking 
anomaly  that  forced  itself  on  my  attention ;  and  many  a  long 
and  weary  journey  have  I  undertaken,  to  examine  the  mate- 
rials thrown  up  from  a  newly-made  well,  or  the  section 
exposed  by  recent  cuttings  on  the  road-side,  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  data  by  which  the  problem  might  be  solved ;  but  it 
was  many  years  ere  the  validity  of  my  arguments  received 
general  assent.  By  reference  to  the  various .  works  on  the 
Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England1  the  reader  interested 
in  the  history  of  the  Wealden,  may  form  some  idea  of  the 
difficulties  encountered,  the  mass  of  evidence  required,  and 
the  prejudices  of  long  cherished  opinions  to  be  overcome, 
and  the  able  assistance  and  warm  encouragement  I  received 
from  my  distinguished  friend  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  and  subse- 
quently from  other  eminent  British  geologists,  ere  the 
fluviatile  origin  of  the  strata  composing  the  Wealden  was 
established. 

As  a  considerable  number  of  the  organic  remains  that  will 
come  under  our  notice  in  Room  V.  of  the  Gallery  of  the 
British  Museum,  were  obtained  from  the  cretaceous  and 
tertiary  deposits  of  the  South-East  of  England,  it  will  be 
convenient  to  review  the  geological  phenomena  of  the  whole 
district  in  the  present  section  of  this  work,  which  is  in  a  great 
measure  restricted  to  the  consideration  of  the  characters 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  6th  edit,  lecture  iv.  p.  366,  for  a  con- 
densed exposition  of  the  geology  and  fossil  remains  of  the  Wealds  of 
Sussex,  Kent,  and  Surrey.  For  the  history  of  the  character  and  rela- 
tions of  the  strata  below  the  chalk,  consult  the  able  Memoirs  by  Dr. . 
Fitton  in  the  "  Geological  Transactions." 


208  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

and  relations  of  the  rocks  and  strata  in  which  the  most  impor- 
tant fossils  were  discovered. 

GEOLOGICAL  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  SOUTH-EAST  OF  ENGLAND. 
— The  various  strata  that  appear  on  the  surface  of  the  South- 
Eastern  part  of  our  island,  constitute  four  natural  groups  or 
formations,  namely,  1.  The  Drift,  or  Diluvium;  2.  The 
Eocene,  or  Tertiary  strata ;  3.  The  Chalk  formation ;  4.  The 
Wealden. 

The  Drift,  or  Diluvium. — These  are  the  superficial  accumu- 
lations which  are  irregularly  spread  over  the  surface,  and  form 
the  immediate  subsoil.  They  consist  of  layers  of  loam,  clay, 
sand,  gravel,  and  boulders,  of  variable  extent  and  thickness, 
composed  of  waterworn  materials  which  bear  unequivocal 
evidence  of  having  been  drifted  or  transported  from  a  distance 
by  floods  or  inundations,  or  other  agents  of  a  like  nature. 
Over  considerable  areas,  as,  for  example,  on  both  sides  of  the 
valley  of  the  Thames,  a  fine  silt  or  mud  appears  to  have  been 
deposited  upon  the  drifted  boulder-clay  since  the  country 
had  acquired  its  present  physical  configuration ;  and  in  this 
deposit,  as  well  as  in  the  ancient  drift  beneath,  are  found 
skeletons  and  detached  bones  and  teeth  of  extinct  species  of 
Elephant,  Rhinoceros,  Hippopotamus,  Elk,  Ox,  Horse,  &c. ; 
and,  in  some  places,  the  remains  of  species  still  existing,  are 
associated  with  those  no  longer  known.  Bones  of  carnivora, 
as  the  Hysena,  Bear,  Tiger,  Wolf,  also  occur  in  the  drift,  as 
well  as  in  the  ossiferous  caves  of  which  we  shall  treat  when 
describing  the  contents  of  another  department  of  the  Museum. 

The  Tertiary  or  Eocene  Strata  of  London. — The  metropolis 
of  England,  like  that  of  France,  is  built  on  the  surface  of  a 
tertiary  formation,  consisting  of  beds  of  blue,  yellow,  and 
mottled  clays,  several  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  with  inter- 
calations of  loam,  sand,  gravel,  &c.  Some  of  the  strata 
abound  in  extinct  species  and  genera  of  marine  shells,  fishes, 
Crustacea,  &c. 

The  Chalk  Formation. — The  white  calcareous  rock  of  this 
formation  is  well  known  by  the  name  of  Chalk;  but  in  the 
nomenclature  of  Geology,  the  term  Chalk  Formation  comprises 
not  only  the  pure  limestone  that  extends  over  a  considerable 
part  of  the  country,  but  likewise  subordinate  strata  of  sand 
and  sandstone,  clays,  marls,  and  limestones,  very  dissimilar  in 
appearance  and  mineralogical  character,  but  which  present 


ROOM  III.     GEOLOGY  OF  THE  S.  E.  OF  ENGLAND.        209 

such  an  accordance  in  the  nature  of  the  fossil  remains  im- 
bedded in  them,  as  to  indicate  that  the  entire  series  was  accu- 
mulated while  the  same  conditions  of  animal  life  prevailed. 
The  organic  remains  of  the  chalk  are  essentially  marine,  and 
consist  of  many  hundred  species  of  shells,  corals,  radiarise,  &c. 
Numerous  species  and  genera  of  fishes  and  crustaceans,  and  a 
few  remains  of  reptiles,  &c.  obtained  from  the  district  under 
review,  are  deposited  in  the  Gallery  of  the  Museum.  In  some 
localities,  drifted  wood  and  fruits  of  terrestrial  plants,  and 
bones  and  teeth  of  reptiles,  and  other  spoils  of  the  land,  have 
been  discovered  collocated  with  the  usual  marine  productions, 
and  these  remains  have  evidently  been  carried  down  by  rivers 
and  streams  into  the  sea,  and  transported  by  currents  far 
from  land,  till  they  subsided  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 
One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  this  kind  is  the 
portion  of  a  skeleton  of  an  Iguanodon  discovered  near  Maid- 
stone,  in  that  division  of  the  cretaceous  greensand  called  the 
Kentish  rag. 

The,  Wealden. — An  extensive  series  of  clays,  sands,  and 
sandstones  and  shelly  limestones,  upwards  of  1,000  feet  in 
thickness,  characterized  by  the  terrestrial  and  fluviatile 
nature  of  the  organic  remains,  and  the  almost  entire  absence 
of  any  relics  of  marine  animals  or  plants. 

ORDER  OF  SUPERPOSITION. — Such  is  the  chronological  se- 
quence of  the  formations  of  the  south-east  of  England;  in 
other  words,  these  several  groups  of  marine  and  freshwater 
strata  have  been  deposited  in  the  following  order,  beginning 
with  the  lowermost  or  most  ancient  system : — 

I.  THE  WEALDEN  :  the  delta  of  a  river,  composed  of  the 
alluvial  debris  of  an  extensive  continent.     These  strata  are 
spread  over  the  uppermost  beds  of  the  Oolite,  a  vast  oceanic 
formation,  but  which  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  our 
present  observations.1 

II.  THE  CHALK  :  the  sediments  of  an  ocean  of  great  ex- 
tent, deposited  upon  the  Wealden. 

III.  THE  TERTIARY  OR  EOCENE  :  accumulated  in  depres- 
sions on  the  surface  of  the  Upper  or  White  Chalk,  consisting 
of  marine,  nuvio-marine,  and  lacustrine  deposits. 

With  the  view  of  simplifying  the  subject,  the  drift,  or  beds 

1  See  "  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  p.  348. 
P 


210  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

of  superficial  transported  materials,  are  omitted  in  the  follow- 
ing commentary. 

As  each  of  these  systems  or  formations  is  many  hundred 
feet  in  thickness,  it  follows  that  the  inferior  strata  would  have 
been  for  ever  concealed  from  observation,  had  the  original 
order  of  superposition  of  the  respective  deposits  remained 
undisturbed.  But  not  only  portions  of  each  of  the  upper 
series,  but  even  of  the  lowermost  deposits,  appear  on  the  sur- 
face, and  form  an  extensive  tract  of  country,  diversified  by 
hills  and  valleys,  and  constituting  one  of  the  richest  agricul- 
tural provinces  of  the  British  Isles.  This  distribution  of  the 
strata  has  originated  from  the  displacements  occasioned  by 
those  disturbing  forces  which  have  been  in  activity  from  the 
earliest  periods  of  the  present  physical  condition  of  the  earth, 
and  by  which  the  beds  of  the  ancient  oceans  and  rivers  have 
been  elevated  above  the  water,  and  converted  into  dry  land. 
The  nature  of  those  changes  we  will  now  consider. 

The  Eocene  deposits  form  the  area  on  which  London  is 
situatedr  and  extend  over  the  surrounding  country  to  a  dis- 
tance varying  from  ten  to  twenty  or  thirty  miles.  Around 
the  margin  of  this  series  of  strata  the  Chalk  appears,  and 
forms  a  distinct  chain  of  hills  on  the  south,  wTest,  and  north ; 
but  on  the  east  the  range  is  broken  by  the  valley  through 
which  the  Thames  winds  its  way  to  the  sea.  From  this  geo- 
logical character  of  the  metropolitan  district,  it  results  that 
all  the  lines  of  railway  that  proceed  from  London,  traverse 
for  the  first  ten  or  twenty  miles  beds  of  tertiary  clay,  loam,  and 
loosely  aggregated  sand  and  gravel ;  hence  the  numerous  slips 
that  have  taken  place  in  the  embankments  at  New  Cross, 
Wandsworth,  Hanwell,  &c. ;  and  in  all  these  lines  it  is  ob- 
vious from  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  the  steepness  of  the 
cuttings,  that  similar  subsidences  will  again  occur. 

The  next  geological  feature  observable  along  the  London 
railways  is  the  Chalk,  which  is  intersected  by  steep  cuttings 
and  tunnels ;  as  for  example  in  the  South-eastern  line,  from 
Croydon  to  Merstham ;  and  in  the  Great  Western,  from 
Maidenhead  to  beyond  Wallingford.  After  passing  through 
the  Chalk,  the  lower  subdivisions  of  the  Cretaceous  forma- 
tion, viz.  the  Marl,  Firestone,  Gait,  and  Greensand,  successively 
appear ;  and  these  are  followed  by  the  Oolite  on  the  Great 
Western  and  Birmingham  lines,  and  by  the  Wealden  on  the 


ROOM  III.     GEOLOGY  OF  THE  S.  E.  OF  ENGLAND.        211 

South-eastern;  but  on  the  South-western  the  Chalk  and  the 
Tertiary  strata  only  are  exposed. 

The  Chalk,  as  is  well  known,  constitutes  the  predominant 
geological  feature  of  this  part  of  England.  The  Upper  or 
White  Chalk  rises  into  chains  of  hills  called  Downs,  which  are 
remarkable  for  their  smooth  and  undulated  outline,  and  form 
a  well-defined  geographical  boundary.  The  southern  range 
extends  from  Hampshire  through  Sussex  to  the  sea-coast, 
terminating  in  the  bold  promontory  of  Beachy  Head;  the 
northern  passes  from  Hampshire,  through  Surrey  and  Kent 
to  the  British  Channel,  and  ends  in  the  line  of  cliffs  near 
Dover. 

The  lower  Cretaceous  strata  compose  ranges  of  hills  less 
uniform  in  elevation  and  extent,  which  skirt  the  inner  margin 
and  escarpments  of  the  Downs,  and  in  some  parts  of  Surrey 
and  Western  Sussex,  attain  an  altitude  equal  to  that  of  any 
portion  of  the  North  or  South  Downs.  Leith  Hill,  in  Surrey, 
is  nearly  1,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.1 

PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  THE  COUNTRY. — The  Wealden 
deposits  fill  up  the  whole  area  between  the  North  and 
South  Downs,  and  are  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  cretaceous 
strata  of  Hampshire,  and  on  the  east  by  the  British  Channel ; 
they  form  the  sea-coast  from  Pevensey  in  Sussex  to  Hythe  in 
Kent. 

Looking  down  upon  the  Wealden  from  any  of  the  heights 
that  command  a  view  across  the  district,  and  of  the  distant 
boundary  of  chalk  downs — as  for  example  from  Leith  Hill, 
or  from  the  summit  of  the  escarpment  of  the  North  Downs, 
near  Reigate — the  observer  might  suppose  that  these  fresh- 
water sediments  occupy  a  depression  or  basin  on  the  surface 
of  the  chalk,  and  that  the  strata  of  the  North  and  South 
Downs  extend  under  the  whole  of  the  deposits  in  the  inter- 
vening area. 

GEOLOGY  OF  THE  SOUTH-EAST  OF  ENGLAND.  —  A  slight 
examination  of  the  natural  sections  of  the  respective  strata 
where  their  relative  position  can  be  ascertained,  is,  how- 
ever, sufficient  to  show  the  incorrectness  of  this  hypothesis, 

1  For  details,  vide  a  Memoir  by  the  Author,  "On  the  Geological 
Structure  of  the  Country  seen  from  Leith  Hill,"  in  the  County  History 
of  Surrey;  published  by  Mr.  Ede  of  Dorking. 


212  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

and  to  prove  that  the  Wealden  extends  beneath  the  Chalk, 
both  on  the  north  and  south,  as  shown  in  Lign.  47;  and 
it  is  therefore  certain  that  the  Cretaceous  strata  were 
deposited  upon  the  Wealden,  and  that  they  originally  ex- 
tended over  the  entire  district  between  the  North  and  South 
Downs,  and  were  connected  on  the  west  with  those  of  Hamp- 
shire and  Wiltshire,  and  also  occupied  the  area  now  covered 
by  the  British  Channel ;  the  chalk  of  the  Isle  of  Wight  being 
then  continuous  with  the  corresponding  strata  of  the  opposite 
coast  of  the  Continent. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  phenomena  under  review, 
demonstrates  that  the  removal  of  the  chalk  was  not  effected 
simply  by  denudation,  but  by  a  force  acting  from  beneath, 
which  broke  up  and  elevated  masses  of  the  Tertiary,  Cre- 
taceous, and  Wealden  formations,  in  a  line  bearing  a  general 
direction  from  east  to  west ;  by  this  movement  an  anti- 
clinal l  position  was  given  to  the  strata  on  each  side  the  axis 
of  greatest  elevation.  This  axis  is  shown  in  the  physical 
geography  of  the  district  by  the  chain  of  hills  called  the 
Forest-Range,  that  extends  from  the  sea-coast  at  Hastings 
through  the  interior  of  the  country  by  Crowborough  Hill — 
an  elevation  of  nearly  600  feet — to  Loxwood,  west  of  Horsham, 
where-  the  Wealden  disappears  beneath  the  overlying  green- 
sand  strata. 

SECTION  FROM  LONDON  TO  THE  SOUTH-COAST. — In  all  trans- 
verse sections  of  the  district,  i.  e.  from  north  to  south,  the 
strata  on  the  north  of  the  central  line  dip  to  the  north-east, 
and  those  on  the  south  to  the  south-west.  There  are,  of 
course,  many  local  variations  in  the  inclination  of  the  rocks, 
arid  numerous  lesser  anticlinal  axes,  or  saddles,  as  they  are 
provincially  termed,  and  also  longitudinal  ridges  and  corre- 
sponding valleys,  running  parallel  with  the  principal  line  of 
the  disturbing  force. 

In  consequence  of  this  displacement  of  the  strata,  a  sec- 
tion drawn  from  London  through  the  North  Downs,  across 
the  Wealden  district,  and  through  the  South  Downs,  and 
carried  on  to  the  southern  coast  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  would 
present  the  arrangement  shown  in  Lign.  46;  in  which  are 

1  Anticlinal — a  geological  term,  signifying  inclined  towards  each 
other,  like  the  ridge-tiles  of  the  roof  of  a  house. 


ROOM  III.         LONDON  AND  BRIGHTON  RAILWAY  SECTION. 


213 


il 
n 


-1   3 


represented    the   Tertiary    of   the    London 

basin   resting  on  the   chalk;   the  Chalk  of 

the  North  Downs,  dipping  northwards;   the 

anticlinal  position  of  the  Wealden;  the  Chalk 

of  the   South   Downs,    dipping   southwards, 

a    with  Tertiary  strata  on  the  southern  flank: 

>    then  the  depression  which  forms  the  chan- 

g    nel  of  the  Solent  sea;   the  Tertiary  strata 

«    extending  over  the  northern  portion  of  the 

5    Isle   of  Wight;    the   Chalk  Downs   of  the 

2    island,    dipping   northward ;    and,   lastly,   a 

;    small  portion  of  the  Wealden,  emerging  from 

\   beneath  the  chalk,  on  the  south   coast,  at 

"    Brook  and  Sandown  bays. 

LONDON  AND  BRIGHTON  RAILWAY  SECTION. 
*  — A  portion  of  this  section  is  well  displayed 
g  along  the  line  of  railway  from  London  to 

1  Brighton.      Leaving  the  station  at  London 
Bridge,  the  Tertiary  clays  with  their  charac- 
teristic fossils,  are  seen  from  beyond  Dept- 
ford,  by  New  Cross,   Sydenham,  &c. ;   and 
approaching  Croydon,  beds  of  gravel  appear, 

|    with  interspersions  of  olive-green  sand.    The 
"*    valley  beyond  Croydon,  along  the   side   of 
|    which  the  railway  proceeds,  is  a  thick  bed  of 
gravel  resting  on  the  chalk. 

2  Beyond  the  station  called  Stoats-nest,  is  a 
i    fine  section  of  the  Chalk  with  flint,  and  the 

*  T  North  Downs  are  perforated  by  a  long  tun- 
|  §  nel  carried  through  the  solid  rock,  which 
^  g  emerges  near  Merstham,  where  the  firestone 
^  Z  and  chalk-marl  rise  to  the  surface.  The 

sands  and  clays  of  the  greensand  group 
=2  are  passed  at  the  Red-hill  and  Godstone 
!9-  stations.  The  Wealden  clays  appear  at 
^  Horley,  and  are  succeeded  by  shales,  lime- 
to  stones,  sands,  and  sandstones,  to  the  Crawley 

station.1 


1  The  Horsham  Railway,  which  branches  off  from  the  Brighton  line, 
traverses  the  Wealden  beds ;   and  near  that  old  quiet  market-to 


214  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Passing  near  Bletchingley,  in  Surrey,  through  a  tunnel 
in  the  Wealden,  we  arrive  at  Balcombe,  in  Sussex,  where 
laminated  sandstones  and  shales  are  seen  on  each  side  the 
cutting.  The  general  dip  of  the  strata  hitherto  passed  is  to 
the  north-east;  but  after  crossing  the  deep  Wealden  valley 
beyond  Balcombe,  over  a  magnificent  viaduct,  the  line  runs 
along  alternating  layers  of  sands  and  clays,  which  dip  to  the 
south-west;  we  have  therefore  arrived  on  the  southern  side  of 
the  grand  anticlinal  axis  of  the  Forest  Ridge  excavated  by  the 
tunnel  through  which  we  passed. 

The  Wealden  strata  continue  with  the  same  general  inclina- 
tion by  Hay  ward's  Heath,1  which  is  traversed  by  a  tunnel,  to 
beyond  St.  John's  Common,  (formed  of  Weald  clays  and 
Sussex  marble,)  where  they  disappear  beneath  the  lowermost 
greensand  beds  of  the  Chalk  formation.  The  gait,  firestone, 
and  chalk-marl  succeed ;  and,  lastly,  the  white  chalk  of  the 
South. Downs,  at  Clayton  Hill,  through  the  base  of  which 
a  long  tunnel  is  carried,  and  emerges  on  the  Downs  on  the 
south.  The  remainder  of  the  line  to  the  Brighton  station, 
runs  over,  or  through,  hills  and  valleys  of  the  white  chalk. 

Thus  this  railway  passes  through  two  ranges  of  chalk  hills, 
viz.  the  North  and  South  Downs,  by  tunnels ;  two  of  green- 
sand,  viz.  near  Red  Hill  in  Surrey,  and  Hurstperpoint  in 
Sussex  ;  and  two  principal  ridges  of  Wealden,  viz.  at  Balcombe, 
and  Hayward's  Heath.  There  is  not  a  railroad  in  the  king- 
dom that  in  the  distance  of  fifty  miles  exhibits  geological 
phenomena  of  greater  interest. 

If  we  take  a  line  bearing  more  to  the  west,  as,  for  example, 
from  London  to  the  southern  shore  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  at 
Sandown  Bay,  we  shall  have  the  section  represented  in 
Lign.  46,  which  exhibits  the  entire  series  of  the  deposits,  and 
their  relative  position. 

JOURNEY  FROM  LONDON  TO  BRIGHTON  BY  COACH. — It  may 

Sussex,  are  Tower  Hill  quarry,  Stammerham  quarry,  and  other  pits  in 
which  the  Tilgate  grits  and  sandstones  are  exposed,  and  where  the 
characteristic  fossils  of  the  strata  may  be  obtained  of  the  workmen  ; 
wit] i  bones  of  the  Iguanodon,  Goniopholis,  and  other  Saurians,  stems 
of  Clathraria,  &c.  See  my  "  Geology  of  the  S.  E.  of  England,"  p.  212, 
or  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  sixth  edition,  p.  372. 

1  Hayward's  Heath  station  is  within  1 J  mile  of  Cuckfield,  which  lies 
to  the  right  of  the  line. 


ROOM  III.   JOURNEY  FROM  LONDON  TO  BRIGHTON.        215 

interest  the  reader,  who  now  can  only  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
physical  structure  of  this  interesting  district  as  he  is  whirled 
along  by  the  railroad  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  to 
learn  the  appearances  presented  to  the  outside  passenger  on 
the  stage  coaches  that  plied  from  Brighton  to  London  at  the 
period  to  which  the  introduction  of  this  part  of  our  little 
volume  refers. 

I  had  once  the  gratification  of  acting  as  cicerone  to  my 
friend,  M.  AGASSIZ,  who  has  added  to  his  high  European  repu- 
tation by  his  scientific  labours  in  the  new  fields  of  research 
which  his  genius  and  perseverance  have  explored  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic  ;  and  leaving  Brighton  on  the  outside  of 
"  The  Age"  on  a  bright  May  morning,  I  described  the  geo- 
logy of  the  district  to  the  Swiss  philosopher,  who,  though 
just  returned  from  the  sublime  and  majestic  scenery  of  the 
Alps,  was  delighted  with  the  lovely  landscapes,  and  the  inte- 
resting physical  phenomena,  of  the  Downs  and  Wealds  of  my 
native  county,  over  which  we  travelled  on  our  route  to  the 
metropolis.  •  .  ""' 

The  direct  turnpike  roads  from  London  to  Brighton  pass 
over  the  entire  series  of  tertiary  and  secondary  strata  of  the 
South-East  of  England.  Proceeding  from  the  Thames,  the 
traveller  successively  traverses  the  ancient  silt  that  forms  the 
present  banks  of  the  river,  then  a  level  tract  of  drift  and 
diluvium,  consisting  of  loam  and  gravel,  in  which  remains  of 
Elephants  and  other  large  terrestrial  mammalians  are  occa- 
sionally found ;  and  if  he  proceeds  by  the  Reigate  road,  he 
goes  through  the  beautiful  suburban  districts  of  Clapham, 
Tooting,  &c.  and  passes  over  beds  of  gravel  and  clay,  the 
ancient  shores  of  the  London  basin.1 

At  Sutton  he  ascends  the  chalk  hills  of  Surrey,  and  travels 
along  an  undulated  tract,  formed  of  the  elevated  masses 
of  the  chalk-ocean.  Arriving  at  the  precipitous  southern 
escarpment  of  the  North  Downs,  a  magnificent  landscape, 
displaying  the  physical  geography  of  the  Weald,  and  its  varied 
and  picturesque  scenery,  suddenly  bursts  on  his  view.  At  his 
feet  lies  the  deep  valley  of  Gait,  in  which  Reigate  is  situated, 
and  immediately  beyond  the  town  appears  the  elevated  ridge 

1  See  «  Memoir  on  the  Geology  of  Surrey,"  by  the  Author,  in  Brayley's 
History  of  the  County,  published  by  Mr.  Ede,  of  Dorking. 


216  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIE   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

of  Greensand,  which,  stretching  westward,  at  Leith  Hill  rises 
to  an  elevation  of  a  thousand  feet ;  the  highest  point  of  land 
in  the  South-East  of  England.  To  the  east,  this  division  of 
the  cretaceous  deposits  forms  a  chain  of  sand  hills  that  stretches 
by  Godstone  in  Sussex,  and  Sevenoaks  in  Kent,  to  the  sea- 
shore near  Folkstone  and  Hythe.  The  Forest  Range  of  the 
Wealden  occupies  the  middle  region,  extending  westward  to 
Horsham,  and  eastward  to  Crowborough  Hill,  its  greatest 
altitude,  and  thence  to  Hastings,  having  on  each-  flank  the 
Wealden  valleys  of  Kent  and  Sussex :  while  in  the  remote 
distance,  the  unbroken  and  gently  undulated  outline  of  the 
South  Downs  appears  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon. 

Pursuing  his  journey,  the  traveller  passes  through  the  town 
of  Reigate,  along  the  valley  of  Gait,  and  over  the  ferruginous 
cretaceous  sands  of  Cockshut  Hill,  and  descending  the  steep 
escarpment,  soon  arrives  at  a  marshy  plain,  where  the  abun- 
dance of  rushes  indicates  the  commencement  of  the  argilla- 
ceous beds  of  the  Wealden. 

The  Weald-day,  containing  bands  of  shelly  fresh-water 
limestone,  appears  at  Horley  Common ;  and  while  in  the 
beginning  of  the  journey  the  roads  were  seen  to  be  re- 
paired with  chalk-flints,  and  near  Reigate  with  cherty  sand- 
stone, or  the  iron-grit  locally  termed  clinker,  the  materials 
now  chiefly  employed  are  the  bluish  grey  shelly  limestones  of 
the  Weald. 

At  Crawley,  Wealden  sands  and  sandstones  appear,  and  the 
road  is  constructed  of  calciferous  grit,  and  limestone  containing 
bivalve  shells,  bones,  portions  of  terrestrial  plants,  &c.  Tra- 
versing Tilgate  Forest  and  Handcross,  over  a  succession  of 
gentle  anticlinal  ridges  of  sandstone,  and  across  clay  valleys, 
he  rapidly  descends  from  the  sandstone  ridge  of  Bolney,  to 
Cuckfield,  leaving  on  the  right  the  site  of  our  Iguanodon 
quarry,  near  which  a  windmill  now  stands,  and  again  journeys 
along  a  district  of  Weald-clay  with  fresh-water  limestones. 

Ferruginous  greensand  like  that  of  Reigate  reappears  at 
Hickstead,  and  is  succeeded  by  a  tract  of  Gait  and  Chalk- 
marl;  and  finally  the  road,  entering  a  defile  in  the  South 
Downs,  passes  on  to  Brighton ;  the  traveller  having  in  the 
course  of  his  journey  crossed  from  one  system  of  chalk  hills 
to  another;  that  is,  over  the  North  Downs  of  Surrey,  and 
the  South  Downs  of  Sussex,  (through  which  he  passed  by 


ROOM  1IT. 


GEOLOGICAL  MUTATIONS. 


217 


- 


J     S 


i 


tunnel  on  the  railroad,)  and  across 
the  intervening  region  composed  of 
the  sediments  of  a  delta  of  incalculable 
antiquity.1 

GEOLOGICAL  MUTATIONS. — The  pre- 
sent distribution  of  the  strata,  as  shown 
by  the  preceding  observations,  appears 
to  admit  of  the  following  explanation. 
Assuming  the  original  deposition  of 
the  strata  to  have  been  horizontal,  and 
in  the  sequence  above  pointed  out,  the 
Wealden  resting  on  the  Oolite,  the 
Chalk  on  the  Wealden,  and  the  Ter- 
tiary on  the  Chalk — the  whole  surface 
of  the  country  must  have  originally 
consisted  of  the  same  Tertiary  strata 
as  those  of  London  and  its  vicinity. 
If  by  a  force  acting  from  beneath, 
in  the  direction  of  the  arrow,  A, 
Lign.  47,  the  entire  series  were  broken 
through,  the  chalk  with  the  super- 
incumbent tertiary  strata  would  be 
thrown  into  highly  inclined  positions 
towards  the  north  and  south  ;  and  if  a 
similar  disturbance  took  place  along  the 
area  occupied  by  the  British  Channel, 
England  would  be  separated  from  the 
Continent,  and  the  small  portion,  now 
the  Isle  of  Wight,  be  forced  into  its 
present  position,  by  a  subsidence  in 
the  direction  of  the  arrow,  B,  Lign. 
47,  along  the  course  of  the  present 
bed  of  the  Solent  Sea.  The  actual 
position  of  the  strata,  could  our  obser- 
vations extend  to  a  sufficient  depth, 
would  probably  present  the  section 
sketched  in  Lign.  47,  which  is  in 
accordance  with  the  local  phenomena 
observable  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and 
other  places  introduced  in  the  diagram. 


See  Geological  Excursion  in  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  voL  ii.  p.  908. 


218  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.      CHAP.  III. 

It  is  obvious,  were  the  Forest  Range  of  the  county  of 
Sussex  swept  away  by  the  encroachments  of  the  sea,  and  the 
area  it  occupied  buried  beneath  the  waves,  the  North  Downs 
would  present  a  strict  correspondence  in  geological  structure 
with  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  for  a  portion  of  the  Wealden  would 
appear  on  the  south  shore  at  the  base  of  the  chalk  escarp- 
ment, and  be  succeeded  on  the  north  by  the  greensand,  gait, 
firestone,  marl,  and  white  chalk  ;  and  the  latter  surmounted 
by  tertiary  deposits.1 

FAUNA  AND  FLORA  OF  THE  WEALDEN. — The  most  important 
organic  remains  of  the  animal  kingdom  imbedded  in  the 
Wealden  strata  are,  unquestionably,  in  a  physiological  point 
of  view,  the  teeth  and  bones  of  the  colossal  terrestrial 
reptiles,  which  in  their  osteological  characters  approach  nearer 
to  the  mammalian  type  than  any  of  the  existing  species 
of  oviparous  quadrupeds.  But  as  these  are  the  relics  of 
land  animals  transported  from  a  distance  and  imbedded  in 
the  sediments  brought  down  by  the  waters,  they  yield  but 
little  aid  to  the  geological  inquirer  in  his  attempts  to  deter- 
mine the  origin  and  formation  of  the  rocks  and  strata.  The 
vestiges  of  the  beings  which  inhabited  the  waters  by  which 
the  sediments  were  deposited,  can  alone  afford  information  as 
to  the  physical  conditions  which  then  prevailed.  Hence,  the 
durable  remains  of  zoophytes,  echinoderms,  mollusks,  crusta- 
ceans, fishes,  and  aquatic  reptiles,  are  the  objects  to  which 
the  geologist  more  particularly  directs  his  attention  ;  and 
shells,  from  their  durability,  and  the  indications  they  afford 
as  to  the  structure  and  economy  of  the  animals  that  inha- 
bited them,  are  sought  for  with  avidity. 

I  have  already  mentioned  how  much  the  absence  of  marine 
shells  and  corals  in  the  Wealden  contributed  to  awaken  my 

1  For  fuller  information  on  the  subjects  embraced  in  this  sketch,  see 
"  Elements  of  Geology,"  by  SIR  CHARLES  LYELL  ;  and  the  "  Geology  of 
the  South-East  of  England,"  or  the  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  by  the 
Author;  or  "Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  &c. 
2d.  edit.,  1851. 

On  the  elevation  of  the  Wealden,  and  the  consequent  changes  in  the 
relative  level  of  the  sea  and  land,  consult  the  masterly  paper  of 
MR.  HOPKINS,  President  of  the  Geological  Society,  "  On  the  Geological 
Structure  of  the  Wealden  District  and  of  the  Bas  Boulonnais,"  ("  Geol. 
Trans."  vol.  vii.) ;  and  Mr.  J.  P.  MARTIN'S  beautiful  volume,  "  On  the 
Geological  Phenomena  of  Western  Sussex,"  Pulborough,  1  vol.  4 to, 
with  Maps  and  Sections. 


ROOM  III.    FAUNA  AND  FLORA  OF  THE  WEALDEN.        219 

mind  to  the  fluviatile  nature  of  those  deposits,  and  assisted 
in  establishing  the  fresh-water  origin  of  the  entire  series  now 
comprised  in  that  formation. 

The  shells  of  the  Wealden.  as  might  be  anticipated  from  the 
character  of  the  molluscous  fauna  of  the  rivers  and  lakes  of 
the  present  time,  though  occurring  in  immense  numbers  in 
some  of  the  beds,  comprise  but  an  inconsiderable  number  of 
genera  ;  and  these,  with  but  few  exceptions,  are  fluviatile,  or 
lacustrine  forms :  no  traces  of  land  mollusks  have,  I  believe, 
been  observed. 

The  species  hitherto  met  with  in  this  country  belong  to 
the  genera  Paludina,  Limnea,  Physa,  Planorbis,  Paludina, 
Melania,  and  Cyclas,  Cyrena,  Psammobia,  Unio,  Mytilus,  &c. ; 
brackish  water  and  marine  shells  occasionally  occur  in  some 
of  the  lower  deposits ;  and  in  the  Purbeck  series  there  is 
a  bed  of  oyster  shells.  The  most  remarkable  fact  relating 
to  the  fresh- water  mollusca  is  the  discovery  by  that  eminent 
naturalist  Prof.  Edward  Forbes,  in  the  Purbeck  strata,  of 
shells,  of  the  genera  Physa,  Planorbis,  and  Limnea,  that 
closely  resemble  the  existing  species  inhabiting  our  pools  and 
rivers. 

In  my  first  published  account  of  the  fossils  of  Tilgate 
Forest,  a  few  species  of  paludina,  and  of  unio  and  cyclas 
and  cyrena,  comprised  all  the  mollusks  then  known.  The 
Sussex  or  Petworth  shelly  limestone,  some  layers  of  which 
take  a  good  polish,  and  are,  therefore,  called  marble,  is  a 
mass  of  paludinaa  of  two  or  three  species,  with  innume- 
rable cases  or  shells  of  the  fresh-water  entomostracous 
crustaceans,  Cypris  and  Estheria ;  and  some  of  the  bands 
of  limestone  almost  wholly  consist  of  a  small  species  of  unio. 

Some  of  the  beds  of  cky  abound  in  potamides  and  melaniae, 
and  others  are  made  up  of  the  shells  of  the  fresh-water  bivalves 
cyrena  and  cyclas.  The  most  remarkable  and  interesting  of 
these  fluviatile  mollusks,  are  the  large  mussels  (Unio  Val- 
densis)  first  discovered  by  me  in  the  Tsle  of  Wight,  and 
which  equal  in  size,  and  closely  resemble  in  form,  some  ex- 
isting species  that  inhabit  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi.1 

Insects. — A  few  legs  and  elytra  of  Insects  have  been  found 
in  the  Wealden  of  Kent,  and  a  considerable  number  of 

1  See  "Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight."    PL  VI. 


220  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

species  and  genera  of  coleoptera,  neuroptera,  &c.  in  the  out- 
lying beds  in  Buckinghamshire,  and  in  the  Yale  of  Wardour, 
in  Wiltshire.1 

Fishes. — The  fossils  of  this  class  comprise  but  a  few  genera. 
The  most  common  belong  to  two  species  of  a  large  ganoid  fish, 
the  Lepidotus,  which  is  closely  allied  to  the  existing  Lepidosteus 
or  Bony  Gar  of  the  American  rivers.  The  scales  and  teeth  of 
these  fishes  are  very  abundant ;  there  are  some  fine  examples 
of  the  cranium,  body  and  fins,  in  Room  V.  Teeth  and  scales, 
and  the  dorsal  ray  or  spine  of  the  genus  Hybodus,  belonging 
to  the  shark  family,  are  also  very  common.  Teeth  of  Gyrodm, 
Pycnodus  and  Sphcerodus  are  also  met  with  ;  and  I  have 
lately  collected  from  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest,  remains  of 
a  species  of  Belonostomus,  a  genus  previously  only  known  in 
the  chalk  near  Lewes.2 

Of  corals  and  other  zoophytes  I  have  not  detected  the 
least  vestige  in  any  of  the  Wealden  strata.  Echinoderms 
are  also  absent ;  but  Prof.  E.  Forbes  has  discovered  one 
species  in  the  Purbeck  beds. 

Flora  of  the  Wealden. — The  most  characteristic  vegetable 
remains  are  the  Clathraria  Lyelli,  Endogenites  erosa,  Dracaena 
Benstedi,  Equisetum  Lyelli,  Lonchopteris  and  Sphenopteris 
Mantelli,  of  which  there  are  specimens  in  the  Wall-cases  of 
Room  I.  (ante,  pp.  27,  32,  45,  48). 

In  a  few  localities  (Sandown  Bay  and  Brook  Point,  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,)  stems  of  coniferous  trees  occur  in  such 
numbers,  and  under  such  conditions,  as  to  show  that  the 
accumulations  are  attributable  to  rafts  of  forest-trees  that  were 
swept  down  by  the  flood  of  a  great  river,  and  deposited 
where  they  are  now  found  in  a  fossil  state.3  In  another  re- 
markable locality,  the  Isle  of  Portland,  the  trees  are  petrified 
on  the  soil,  and  in  the  position  in  which  they  grew  (ante,  p.  56). 

I  have  lately  obtained  numerous  cones  or  strobiles  of  fir- 
trees  belonging  to  two  distinct  species,  perhaps  genera.* 
Seeds  of  the  common  fresh-water  plant,  the  Chara,  have  been 

1  See  the  Rev.  J.  Brodie's  beautiful  work  on  Fossil  Insects. 

2  See  Catalogue  of  the  Mantellian  Museum  of  the  Royal  Sussex 
Scientific  Institution. 

3  For  an  account  of  the  fossil  raft  of  coniferous  trees  at  Brook  Point, 
see  "  Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight/'  p.  277. 

4  Ibid,  second  edition,  p.  452. 


ROOM  III.  GEOLOGICAL   SUMMARY.  221 

found  in  the  Purbeck  beds.*  Such  are  the  general  features 
of  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  Wealden  epoch,  according  to 
the  present  state  of  our  knowledge. 

GEOLOGICAL  SUMMARY. — From  this  survey  of  the  South-East 
of  England,  we  learn  that  the  present  configuration  of  the 
surface  has  resulted  from  a  succession  of  physical  changes  which 
took  place  in  periods  incalculably  remote,  and  long  ante- 
cedent to  the  creation  of  the  human  race ;  and  that  the 
country  is  composed  of  sediments  deposited  by  ancient 
seas,  rivers,  and  lakes,  whose  waters  teemed  with  myriads 
of  beings  of  extinct  genera  and  species,  and  of  the  spoils  of 
countries  which  enjoyed  a  much  higher  temperature  than 
any  part  of  modern  Europe,  and  were  clothed  with  palms, 
tree-ferns,  cycadeous  plants,  and  pine-forests,  and  inhabited 
by  gigantic  reptiles,  whose  races  have  long  since  been  swept 
from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  phenomena  we  have  passed  in  review  may  be  referred 
to  four  principal  epochs  ;  but  the  period  of  time  over  which 
each  extended,  cannot  be  conjectured  with  any  approach  to 
probability. 

I.  The  Wealden  Epoch. — This,  which  is  the  most  ancient 
era   comprehended    in   the   present   survey,    comprises    the 
period  during  which  the   strata,  that  in  the   south-east  of 
England  emerge  from  beneath  the  chalk,  and  occupy  the  area 
between  the  north  and  south  boundaries  of  that  formation, 
were  deposited.     The  total  thickness  of  these  deposits  cannot 
be  accurately  determined,  but  amounts  to  upwards  of  1,000 
feet.     The  innumerable  layers  of  mollusks  and  crustaceans, 
and  the  prodigious  accumulation  of  the  bones  of  reptiles  and 
fishes,  and  of  the  trunks,  branches,  and  foliage  of  vegetables, 
the  whole  consisting  of  materials  brought  down  by  rivers  and 
floods  of  fresh  water,  and  slowly  deposited  in  bays,  deltas,  or 
estuaries,   afford   unquestionable   evidence   of  the   immense 
period  of  time  during  which  the  Wealden  was  in  the  progress 
of  formation. 

II.  The    Cretaceous    Epoch. — The  next  geological    cycle 
embraces  the  deposition  of  that  extensive  series  of  strata, 
whose  organic  contents  demonstrate  that  they  were  accumu- 
lated in  an  ocean  of  vast  extent,  and  which,  probably,  like  the 

1  "Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  pp.  109,  463. 


222  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

Atlantic,  embraced  both  continents ;  for  cretaceous  deposits 
are  spread  over  a  considerable  part  of  North  America,  as  well 
as  Europe.  The.  subsidence  of  the  Wealden  must  necessarily 
have  taken  place  before  the  lowermost  of  the  chalk-strata 
(the  neocomian)  were  deposited  ;  but  the  destruction  of  the 
islands,  or  continents,  from  whose  spoils  the  Wealden  deposits 
were  derived,  must  have  been  gradual,  since  remains  of  their 
fauna  and  flora  are  found  sparingly  distributed  in  the  cre- 
taceous sands. 

It  is  obvious,  that  the  period  through  which  the  chalk-ocean 
extended,  with  but  little  modification  in  its  character — for  the 
organic  remains  of  the  formation  maintain  a  very  general 
correspondence  throughout — must  have  been  of  great  dura- 
tion, however  rapid  may  have  been  the  reproduction  of  those 
infinitesimal  animal  forms  (the  Foraminifera)  of  which  the 
strata  of  white  limestones  are  so  largely  composed. 

Til.  Tertiary  Epoch. — The  close  of  the  cretaceous  era 
appears  to  have  been  followed  by  elevatory  movements,  which 
broke  up  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  and  slowly  upheaved  large 
areas ;  and  as  the  elevation  continued,  the  deposits  which  had 
been  formed  in  the  profound  depths  of  the  sea  were  brought  to 
the  surface,  and  became  exposed  to  the  destructive  action  of 
the  waves. 

These  masses  of  cretaceous  rocks  were  gradually  disinte- 
grated and  swept  away,  and  in  some  places  the  Wealden  beds 
gradually  emerged  above  the  waters,  and,  finally,  the  petrified 
forest  of  Portland  rose  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  became 
dry  land.  At  length  some  portions  of  the  strata  attained  an 
elevation  of  several  hundred  feet,  and  a  group  of  islands  was 
formed ;  but  in  the  depressions  or  basins  of  the  chalk  still 
covered  by  the  waters,  sediments  derived  from  the  destruction 
of  the  sea-cliffs,  and  the  degradation  of  the  surface  of  the 
land,  were  slowly  deposited. 

Herbivorous  and  carnivorous  mammalia  of  numerous  genera 
and  species  now,  for  the  first  time,  appeared,  and  inhabited 
the  islands  and  continents  formed  by  the  elevated  masses  of 
the  former  ocean-bed ;  and  in  the  new  (tertiary)  deposits 
then  in  progress,  the  bones  of  the  animals,  and  the  remains 
of  the  trees  and  plants,  became  imbedded. 

IV.  Post-tertiary  Epoch. — The  Tertiary  epoch  in  its  turn 
also  passed  away — the  elevatory  movements  continued — other 


ROOM  III.  GEOLOGICAL   SUMMARY.  223 

masses  of  the  bed  of  the  chalk-ocean,  and  of  the  Wealden 
strata  beneath,  became  dry  land— and  at  length  those  more  re- 
cent deposits,  containing  the  remains  of  the  herbivorous  mam- 
malia which  were  the  last  tenants  of  the  country.  The  oak, 
elm,  ash,  and  other'  trees  of  modern  Europe,  now  sprang  up 
where  the  groves  of  palms  and  tree-ferns  once  flourished — the 
stag,  boar,  and  horse,  ranged  over  the  plains  in  which  were 
entombed  the  bones  of  the  colossal  reptiles — and  finally,  Man 
appeared,  and  took  possession  of  the  soil. 

Subsequently  to  the  occupation  of  these  islands  by  the 
aboriginal  tribes,  the  country  has  undergone  no  important 
physical  mutations.  The  usual  effects  of  the  atmosphere,  the 
wasting  of  the  shores  by  the  encroachments  of  the  sea,  the 
erosion  of  the  land  by  streams  and  rivers,  the  silting  up  of 
valleys,  and  the  formation  of  deltas,  are  apparently  the  only 
terrestrial  changes  to  which  the  south-east  of  England  has 
been  subjected  during  the  historic  ages. 

At  the  present  time,  the  deposits  containing  the  remains 
of  the  mammoth  and  other  extinct  mammalia,  are  the  sites 
of  towns  and  villages,  and  support  busy  communities  of  the 
human  race  ;  the  Hunstman  courses,  and  the  Shepherd  tends 
his  flocks  on  the  elevated  masses  of  the  bottom  of  the  ancient 
chalk-ocean — the  Farmer  reaps  his  harvests  from  the  cul- 
tivated soil  of  the  delta  of  the  country  of  the  Iguanodon — 
and  the  Architect  obtains  from  beneath  the  petrified  forest 
the  materials  with  which  to  construct  his  temples  and  his 
palaces  :  while,  from  these  various  strata,  the  Geologist  gathers 
together  the  relics  of  the  beings  that  lived  and  died  in  periods 
of  unfathomable  antiquity,  and  of  which  the  very  types  have 
long  since  been  obliterated  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and 
endeavours  from  these  memorials,  to  trace  the  nature  and 
succession  of  those  physical  revolutions  which  preceded  all 
history  and  tradition.1 

1  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  446. 


CHAPTER    III. 

PART  V. 
THE    IGUANODOK 

DINOSAURIAN  REPTILES — IGUANODON — DISCOVERY  OP  THE  TEETH  OP  THE 
IGUANODON — THE  IGUANA — LOWER  JAW  OF  REPTILES — CHARACTER  OP  THE 
TEETH  OP  THE  IGUANODON — LOWER  JAW  OP  THE  IGUANODON — TYMPANIC 

BONE — VERTEBRA  — RIBS — CLAVICLE — CORACOID  —  SCAPULA  —  STERNUM 

PELVIS  —  SACRUM  —  ILIUM — ISCHIUM— PUBIS — FEMUR — TIBIA — FIBULA — 
TARSALS — METATARSALS  AND  PHALANGEALS — UNGUEALS — HUMERUS— ME- 
TACARPALS  AND  PHALANGEALS DERMAL  BONES — QUARRY  NEAR  MAID- 
STONE— MAIDSTONE  IGUANODON — PHYSIOLOGICAL  INFERENCES — CONCLUDING 
REMARKS. 

DINOSAUEIAN  REPTILES.  —  We  return  from  our  geological 
excursion  to  the  Wealds  of  Sussex,  and  the  quarries  of 
Tilgate  Forest,  whence  the  greater  part  of  the  fossil  remains 
we  have  next  to  examine  were  collected,  and  resume  our 
review  of  the  contents  of  the  wall-cases  in  Room  III. ;  some 
of  which  engaged  our  attention  in  the  previous  divisions  of 
this  chapter. 

The  gigantic  extinct  reptiles  included  in  the  genera  Megalo- 
saurus,  Iguanodon,  Hylseosaurus,  and  Pelorosaurus,  cliffer  so 
essentially  in   their   organization  from   all   other  oviparous 
quadrupeds,  as   to   constitute  a  distinct  tribe  or  order,  to 
which  the  name  Dinosaurian  has  been  assigned  by  Professor 
Owen — a  term  expressive  of  the  stupendous  magnitude  and 
extraordinary  structure  of  these  remarkable  saurians. 
The  characters  of  this  order  are  denned  as  follows  : — 
"  This  group,  which  includes  at  least  three  l  well  esta- 
blished genera,  is  characterized  by  a  large  sacrum,  composed 

1  It  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel  that  there  are  Jive,  if  not  six,  genera  of 
Wealden  reptiles,  with  a  similar  construction  of  the  sacrum. 


ROOM  III.  DINOSAURIAN   REPTILES.  225 

of  five !  vertebrae  of  unusual  construction  ;  by  the  height, 
breadth,  and  outward  sculpture  of  the  neural  arch  of  the 
dorsal  vertebrae  ;  by  the  two-fold  articulation  of  the  ribs  to 
the  vertebrae,  viz.  at  the  anterior  part  of  the  spine  by  a 
head  and  tubercle,  and  along  the  rest  of  the  trunk  by  a 
tubercle  attached  to  the  transverse  process  only ;  by  broad, 
and  sometimes  complicated,  coracoids,  and  long  and  slender 
clavicles,  whereby  Crocodilian  characters  of  the  vertebral 
column  are  combined  with  a  Lacertian  type  of  the  pectoral 
arch.  The  dental  organs  also  exhibit  the  same  transitional  or 
connecting  characters,  in  a  greater  or  lesser  degree.  The  bones 
of  the  extremities  are  of  large  proportional  size  for  saurians ; 
they  have  large  medullary  cavities,  and  with  well  developed 
and  unusual  processes,  and  are  terminated  by  metacarpal, 
metatarsal,  and  phalangeal  bones,  which,  with  the  exception 
of  the  ungual  phalanges,  more  or  less  resemble  those  of  the 
heavy  pachydermal  mammalia,  and  attest,  with  the  hollow 
long-bones,  the  terrestrial  habits  of  the  species. 

"  The  combinations  of  such  characters — some,  as  the  sacral 
ones,  altogether  peculiar  among  Reptiles — others  borrowed,  as 
it  were,  from  groups  now  distinct  from  each  other — and  all 
manifested  by  creatures  far  surpassing  in  size  the  largest  of 
existing  reptiles,  will,  it  is  presumed,  be  deemed  sufficient 
ground  for  establishing  a  distinct  tribe,  or  sub-order,  of 
Saurian  Reptiles. 

"  Of  this  tribe,  the  principal  and  best  established  genera 
are  the  Megalosaurus,  the  Hylceosaurus,  and  the  Iguanodon  ; 
the  gigantic  Crocodile-lizards  of  the  dry  land  ;  whose  peculiari- 
ties of  osteological  structure  distinguish  them  as  clearly  from 
the  living  terrestrial  and  amphibious  Saurians,  as  the  opposite 
modifications  for  an  aquatic  life  characterise  the  extinct  Ena- 
liosauriaTis,  or  marine  lizards."  2 

The  remains  of  these  animals  are  chiefly  found  in  the  Weal- 
den  deposits  ;  but  of  the  first-mentioned  genus,  the  Megalo- 
saurus, the  most  important  parts  of  the  skeleton  have  been 
obtained  from  the  lower  oolitic  strata  at  Stonesfield,  near 
Oxford  ;  and  of  the  Iguanodon,  a  highly  interesting  specimen 
has  been  discovered  in  the  greensand  of  the  Chalk  formation, 
near  Maidstone. 

1  The  sacrum  of  the  Iguanodon  is  composed  of  six  vertebras. 

2  "  British  Assoc.  Report  on  Fossil  Reptiles,"  1841,  p.  144. 

Q 


226  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

These  genera  include  the  colossal  crocodile-lizards  of  the 
dry  land  of  the  secondary  geological  epochs.  The  most 
remarkable  peculiarity  in  the  skeleton  is  the  construction  of 
the  sacrum,  for,  while  in  all  other  reptiles  this  key-stone  of 
the  pelvis  consists  of  but  two  united  vertebrae,  in  the  Dino- 
saurians  it  is  composed  of  five  or  six  anchylosed  vertebrae,  the 
neural  arches  of  which  are  shifted  to  the  interspaces  between 
the  bodies  of  those  bones,  and  thus  great  solidity  and  strength 
are  imparted  to  the  pelvic  arch. 

From  the  enormous  size  of  the  bones  of  these  animals,  their 
remains  have  excited  the  curiosity  even  of  the  common 
observer ;  and  although  an  exaggerated  idea  has  been 
generally  entertained  of  the  magnitude  of  the  originals,  yet 
when  reduced  to  their  natural  proportions  by  the  rigorous  for- 
mula of  the  anatomist,  their  dimensions  are  sufficiently  stupen- 
dous to  satisfy  the  most  enthusiastic  lover  of  the  marvellous.1 

The  present  section  will  be  devoted  to  the  consideration  of 
the  structure  and  physiology  of  the  colossal  reptile  whose 
relics  occupy  nearly  the  whole  of  Wall-case  (7,  and  which  is, 
perhaps,  the  most  extraordinary,  both  in  regard  to  its  history 
and  organization,  of  the  saurians  included  in  the  Dinosaurian 
order — the  IGUANODON. 

IGUANODON. — The  remains  of  this  stupendous  reptile  that 
have  been  collected  since  my  first  discovery  of  a  tooth  in 

1  It  is  twenty-fire  years  since  the  publication  of  my  "  Fossils  of 
Tilgate  Forest"  in  which  are  numerous  figures  of  bones  of  tne  Wealden 
reptiles,  previously  altogether  unknown.  Of  this  work,  although 
eulogized  by  the  illustrious  CUVIER,  with  that  kind  and  generous 
bearing  towards  every  cultivator  of  Palaeontology,  for  which  he  was  as 
much  distinguished  as  for  his  surpassing  genius,  not  fifty  copies  were 
sold.  At  that  time  there  was  i;ot  an  articulated  skeleton  of  a  crocodile 
in  the  Hunterian  Museum,  an!  but  very  few  skeletons  of  any  other 
reptiles,  to  which  access  could  be  had  for  comparison  with  the  fossil 
bones;  and  many  of  the  latter  were  repeatedly  taken  by  me  to  the 
College  of  Surgeons  without  obtaining  any  clue,  e*ven  as  to  the  place 
they  held  in  the  skeleton. 

But  now  the  comparative  anatomist  may  enjoy  the  privilege  of  in- 
specting, at  his  ease,  the  immense  collections  of  fossil  reptiles  in  the 
British  and  other  Museums,  and  with  all  the  advantages  which  access 
to  the  first  anatomical  Museum  in  the  world,  the  Hunterian,  presents 
for  the  comparison  of  fossil  with  recent  structures.  It  is,  therefore, 
greatly  to  be  deplored,  that  a  spirit  of  self-aggrandizement  and  jealousy 
has  exerted  its  baneful  influence  over  this  department  of  palaeontology; 
and  in  consequence,  there  is  not  one  young  British  anatomist  who  pur- 
sues fossil  Erpetology  as  a  special  branch  of  study. 


ROOM  III. 


THE   IGUANODON. 


227 


the  quarry  near  Cuckfield,  are  very  numerous,  and  comprise 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  skeleton;  but  no  part  of  the 
cranium  has  yet  been  recognised. 

The  specimens  in  the  British  Museum,  all  of  which  were 
originally  in  my  collection,  and  were  developed  with  my 
own  hands,  comprise  the  following :  viz. — teeth,  portions  of 
the  upper  and  lower  jaws,  tympanic  bone ;  cervical,  dorsal, 
lumbar,  and  caudal  vertebrae,  with  their  apophyses;  the 
elements  of  the  pectoral  arch, — namely,  clavicle,  coracoid, 
scapulae ;  fragment  of  the  sternum,  ribs  ;  sacrum,  iliac  bones, 
ischium  (?),  pubis  (?) ;  femur,  tibia,  fibula,  metatarsals  and 
phalangeals ;  humerus,  metacarpals,  phalangeals,  unguals ; 
and  dermal  spines  or  tubercles. 

I  propose  to  describe  these  several  parts  of  the  skeleton 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  here  enumerated,  and  after- 
wards consider  the  physiological  inferences  suggested  by  their 
examination. 

To  facilitate  reference  to  the  various  objects  that  will  be 
brought  under  our  notice,  the  following  diagram  is  appended : — 

BONES  OF  REPTILES  FROM  THE  STRATA  OF  TILGATE  FOREST, 
IN  SUSSEX. 

WALL-CASE  C.  [3.] 
Top  of  the  Case,   f polyptychodon  from  Hythe  (p.  200.)\ 


Upper 
Shelf. 


(Tibia  and  fibula 

Middle-  \  belonging  to  the 

Compart-  „/  same   Iguano-    ( 

ment.      1  don  as  the  fe- 

I  mur,  (2.) 


Remark- 
ably fine 
Femur. 

„ 


The  largest  and 
most  perfect  fe- 
mur; fromLox- 
wood.  (1.) 


Remains  of  four  Sacral- 
bones. 
1.          2.        3.       4. 


(Inferior   part  of 


p»m  ,, 
Fem"r 


!   the 


be- 


longing  to  the 
)  tibia  and  fibu- 
(  la.  (2.) 


Narrow  \  Numerous  teeth  of  Iguanodons,  &c.  Portion  of  the  lower  jaw  of  Regno- 
front  1  *aurus  Northamptonl ;  and  of  the  upper  jaw  of  Iguanodon.  A  femur  of  a 
iaiin*  i  very  y°ung  Iguanodon.  Horn,  or  dermal  tubercle  of  the  Iguanodon. 
teage.  j  Polished  sections  of  a  tibia,  &c. 


Lower- 
most 
Compart- 
ment. 

1       Various  vertebrae. 

Slab    of  TilgateA 
stone,  with    six! 
very  fine  Caudal! 
vertebrae  of  thel 
Iguanodon,  and^ 
three     chevron-  / 
bones. 

Metatarsals,  metacarpals, 
and  phalangeals. 

Chevron-    Vertebrae  of  the 
bones.       Pelorosaurus. 

Humerus  of      Metatarsal 
the  Iguano-     ;  bones,  &c. 
don. 

Vertebrae,  chevron-bones, 
>                   &c. 

Very  fine  Rib,  i  Tympanic 
40  inches  long,  j      bones. 

Various  bones.    Clavicles. 

Portions  of  Ribs  1 
of  Iguanodon,  &c.) 

Rib«.                  Vertebrae. 

228  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

DISCOVERY  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  —  Soon  after  my  first  dis- 
covery of  bones  of  colossal  reptiles  in  the  strata  of  Tilgate 
Forest,  some  teeth  of  a  very  remarkable  character  particu- 
larly excited  my  curiosity,  for  they  were  wholly  unlike  any 
that  had  previously  come  under  my  observation  ;  even  the 
quarrymen  accustomed  to  collect  the  remains  of  fishes,  shells, 
and  other  objects  imbedded  in  the  rocks,  had  not  observed 
fossils  of  this  kind  ;  and  until  shown  some  specimens  which 
I  had  extracted  from  a  block  of  stone,  were  not  aware  of  the 
presence  of  such  teeth  in  the  stone  they  were  constantly 
breaking  up  for  the  roads. 

The  first  specimen  that  arrested  my  attention  was  a  large 
tooth,  which  from  the  worn,  smooth,  and  oblique  surface,  of  the 

crown,  had  evidently  belonged 
to  an  herbivorous  animal; 
and  so  entirely  resembled 
in  form  the  corresponding 
part  of  an  incisor  of  a  large 
pachyderm  ground  down  by 
use,  that  I  was  much  embar- 
rassed to  account  for  its  pre- 


The  crown  worn  down  below  the  lateral      jn  which,  according  to  all  g6O- 
denticulations.  i       •      i  & 

a.  Posterior  aspect.  logical  experience,  no   fossil 

b.  Anterior  aspect.  remains  of  mammalia  would 
ever  be  discovered;  and  as  no  known  existing  reptiles  are 
capable  of  masticating  their  food,  I  could  not  venture  to 
assign  the  tooth  in  question  to  a  saurian. 

As  my  friend  Mr.  (now  Sir  Charles)  Lyell  was  about  to 
visit  Paris,  I  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  of  submitting 
it  to  the  examination  of  Baron  Cuvier,  with  whom  I  had  the 
high  privilege  of  corresponding  :  and,  to  my  astonishment, 
learned  from  my  friend,  that  M.  Cuvier,  without  hesitation, 
pronounced  it  to  be  an  upper  incisor  of  a  Rhinoceros.1 

1  It  is  delightful  to  quote  the  following  generous  admission  of  this 
mistake  recorded  by  the  illustrious  Cuvier  himself  in  his  immortal  work. 
"  Des  fragmens  d'os  du  metacarpe  ou  du  m6tatarse  sont  si  gros  qu'un 
premier  coup-d'oeil  jeles  avoir  pris  pour  ceux  d'un  grand  hippopotame." 
"  Avec  ces  os  M.  Mantell  en  a  trouve"  de  crocodile,  de  tortue,  de  plesiosau- 
rus,  de  cetace's,  et  d'oiseaux,  et  il  en  a  recueilli  aussi  dont  il  n'est  pas 
possible  d'assigner  le  genre.  On  ne  peut  trop  1'encourager  dans  le  pro- 


ROOM  III.  DISCOVERT   OF   THE   IGUANODON.  229 

I  had  previously  taken  this  tooth,  and  some  other  speci- 
mens, to  a  meeting  of  the  Geological  Society  in  London,  and 
showed  them  to  Dr.  Buckland,  Mr.  Conybeare,  Mr.  Clift,  and 
other  eminent  men  who  were  present,  but  without  any  satisfac- 
tory result ;  in  fact  I  was  discouraged  by  the  remark,  that  the 
teeth  were  of  no  particular  interest,  as  there  could  be  little 
doubt  they  belonged  either  to  some  large  fish  allied  to  the 
Anarhicas  lupus,  or  wolf-fish,  the  crowns  of  whose  incisors  are 
of  a  prismatic  form,  or  were  mammalian  teeth  obtained  from 
a  diluvial  deposit.  Dr.  Wollaston  alone  supported  my  opinion 
that  I  had  discovered  the  teeth  of  an  unknown  herbivorous 
reptile,  and  encouraged  me  to  continue  my  researches.1 

jet  qu'il  a  de  donner  bientot  au  public  une  description  detaillee  et  des 
figures  de  ces  tresors  geologiques. 

"  La  premiere  place  pour  la  singularity  y  appartiendra,  sans  doute,  a 
des  dents  (PL  XXL  fig.  28,  32),  dont  il  a  Men  voulu  me  communiquer 
quelques-unes,  et  dont  je  ne  puis  m'empe'cher  de  dire  ici  quelques  mots, 
d'autant  que  si  elles  peuvent  venir  d'un  poisson,  comme  on  le  soupconne, 
il  n'est  pas  impossible  qu'elles  provienneut  aussi  d'un  saurien ;  mais  d'un 
saurien  encore  plus  extraordinaire  que  tous  ceux  dont  nous  avons  con- 
naissance. 

"  Ce  qui  leur  donne  un  caractere  unique,  c'est  d'user  leur  pointe  et  leur 
fust  transversalement,  comme  les  quadrupedes  herbivores,  et  tellement, 
que  la  premiere  qui  me  fut  presentee  s'etant  trouvee  dans  cet  e"tat  de 
detrition,  je  ne  doutai  nullement  qu'elle  ne  vint  d'un  mammifere  ;  il  me 
sembloit  me'me  quelle  ressembloit  beaucoup  &  une  mdcheliere  de  rhino- 
ceros,  ce  qui  vu  son  gisement,  auroit  derange  toutes  mes  idees  sur  les  rap- 
ports des  os  avec  les  conches,  au  moins,  autant  qu'auroit  pu  le  faire  le  petit 
carnassier  de  Stonesfield  :  ce  n'est  que  depuis  que  M.  Afantell  mi! en  a. 
envoyS  une  serie  d'entieres  et  de  plus  ou  moins  usees,  que  je  me  suis 
entierement  convaincu  de  mon  erreur." — JRechercJies  sur  les  Ossemens 
Fossiles,  tome  v.  pp.  350,  351. 

1  "  The  genuine  worker  and  searcher  after  truth  may  conceive  the 
feelings  with  which  I  find  myself  misrepresented,"  *  and  my  labours  and 
discoveries  disparaged  in  the  Palseontographical  Society's  publication, 
and  will,  therefore,  not  impute  to  egotism  the  insertion  of  extracts  cor- 
roborative of  the  accuracy  of  my  narrative,  though  the  passages  cited 
may  be  too  eulogistic. — "  And  here  I  may  notice,  when  speaking  of  the 
Iguanodon,  that  there  is  a  peculiar  appropriateness  in  your  awarding 
the  Wollaston  Medal  to  the  discoverer  of  that  genus,  since  I  well  remem- 
ber the  evening  at  the  Geological  Society,  when  Dr.  Wollaston,  having 
seen  the  first  teeth  exhibited  by  my  friend  in  London,  warmly  encou- 
raged him  to  pursue  his  researches,  and  that,  too,  when  Mr.  Man  tell 
thought  others  were  less  struck  and  less  interested  than  the  subject 
deserved." — Anniversary  Speech  of  the  President  (Ma.  LYELL)  of  the 
Geological  Society,  Feb.  20,  1835.  See  APPENDIX  E. 

*  Quoted  from  Prof.  Owen's  "Monograph  on  Cretaceous  Reptiles." 
See  the  same  "  Monograph,"  for  a  practical  illustration  of  these  remarks. 


230  PETEIFACTIONS  AND  THEIR  TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

And,  as  if  to  add  to  the  difficulty  of  solving  the  enigma,  some 
metacarpal  bones  which  I  soon  after  discovered  in  the  same 
quarry,  and  forwarded  to  Paris,  were  declared  to  belong  to  a 
species  of  Hippopotamus.1  Subsequently  a  dermal  horn  or  tu- 
bercle from  the  same  stratum,  was  declared  by  competent  autho- 
rities to  be  the  lesser  horn  of  a  Rhinoceros ;  and  Dr.  Buckland, 
with  the  generous  kindness  which  marked  his  character,  wrote 
to  guard  me  against  venturing  to  publish  that  these  teeth,  bones, 
and  horn,  were  found  in  the  "  Iron-sand  formation,"  with  which 
the  Tilgate  beds  were  then  classed,  as  there  could  be  no  doubt 
they  belonged  to  the  superficial  diluvium  :  and  as  the  upper 
beds  of  the  conglomerate  in  which  these  first  specimens  were 
found,  was  only  covered  by  loam  and  vegetable  earth,  there 
was  no  clear  stratigraphical  evidence  to  support  a  contrary 
opinion.  Other  specimens,  however,  were  soon  procured  by 
stimulating  the  diligent  search  of  the  workmen  by  suitable 
rewards,  and  at  length  teeth  were  obtained  which  displayed 
the  serrated  edges,  the  longitudinal  ridges,  and  the  entire 
form  of  the  unused  crown.  I  then  forwarded  specimens  and 
drawings  to  Baron  Cuvier,  and  repaired  to  London,  and  with 
the  aid  of  that  excellent  man,  the  late  Mr.  Clift,  ransacked 
all  the  drawers  in  the  Hunterian  Museum  that  contained  jaws 
and  teeth  of  reptiles,  but  without  finding  any  that  threw 
light  on  the  subject.  Fortunately,  Mr.  Samuel  Stuchbury, 
then  a  young  man,  was  present,  and  proposed  to  show  me 
the  skeleton  of  an  Iguana  which  he  had  prepared  from  a 
specimen  that  had  long  been  immersed  in  spirits  ;  and,  to 
my  great  delight,  I  found  that  the  minute  teeth  of  that 
reptile  bore  a  closer  resemblance  in  their  general  form  to  the 
fossils  from  Tilgate  Forest,2  than  any  others  with  which  I  was 
able  to  institute  a  comparison. 

It  was   not,  however,  until  I  had   collected  a  series  of 

1  See  the  previous  note. 

2  A  letter  from  my  excellent  friend  the  late  Wm.  Clift,  Esq.  is  now  before 
me,  (it  is  dated  Oct.  26,  1824,)  enclosing  the  beautiful  drawing  of  the 
upper  jaw  and  teeth  of  this  Iguana,  which  is  lithographed  in  my  "  Fossils 
of  Tilgate  Forest."  He  states, "  If  you  have  occasion,  or  think  it  necessary, 
to  mention  the  specimen  of  which  you  wished  me  to  make  a  sketch,  it  is 
only  fair  to  remind  you  that  it  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Samuel  Stuchbury, 
and  that,  although  he  intends  to  present  it  to  the  Hunterian  Museum, 
it  does  not  at  present  belong  to  it.     Mr.  Stuchbury  informs  me  that  the 
present  individual  is  the  common  edible  Iguana  of  the  West-India 
Islands ;  but  he  is  no  further  acquainted  with  its  species  or  history." 


ROOM  HI.  DISCOVERY   OF  THE   IGUAXODOX.  231 

specimens,  exhibiting  teeth  in  various  states  of  maturity 
and  detrition,  that  the  correctness  of  my  opinion  was  ad- 
mitted, either  as  to  the  character  of  these  dental  organs,  or 
the  geological  position  of  the  rocks  in  which  they  were 
imbedded. 

In  the  meanwhile  I  continued  my  researches,  and  ob- 
tained additional  teeth,  which,  together  with  drawings  of 
the  most  illustrative  specimens  in  my  collection,  were  trans- 
mitted to  Baron  Cuvier,  who  favoured  me  with  the  following 
observations  on  the  subject : — 

"  J'ai  at  tend  u  pour  vous  en  donner  avis  que  j'aie  en  le  terns  de 
les  examiner.  AujourdTiui  que  je  viens  de  le  faire,  je  m'empresse  de 
vous  temoigner  ma  reconnaissance,  et  de  vous  commnniquer  quelques 
idees  que  m'ont  fait  naitre  1'examen  des  cnrienses  dents  qni  font  panic 
de  votre  envoi,  ainsi  que  celui  de  la  planche  du  Memoire  que  vous  allez 
publier  a  leur  egard. 

"Ces  dents  me  sont  certainement  inconnnes :  elles  ne  sont  point  d'nn 
animal  carnassier,  et  cependant  je  crois  qu'elles  appartiennent,  TU  lenr 
peu  de  complication,  leur  dentelure  sur  les  bords,  et  la  conche  mince 
d'6mail  qni  les  revSt,  a  1'ordre  des  reptiles.  A  1'apparence  exteneure 
on  pourrait  anssi  les  prendre  pour  des  dents  de  poissons  analogues  aux 
tetrodons  ou  aux  diodons ;  mais  leur  structure  int6rieure  est  fort  dif- 
ferente  de  celles-la.  N'aurions-nous  pas  ici  un  animal  nourean,  un 
reptile  herbivore )  et  de  m&me  qu'actuellement  chez  les  mammiferes 
terrestres,  c'est  panni  les  herbivores  que  Ton  trouve  les  especes  a  pins 
grande  taille,  de  mfime  aussi  chez  les  reptiles  d'autrefois,  alors  qu'ils 
etaient  les  senls  animaux  terrestres,  les  plus  grande  d'entr'eux  ne  se 
seraient-ils  point  nonrris  de  vegetauxl  Une  partie  des  grands  os 
que  vous  possedez  appartiendrait  a  cet  animal,  unique  jusqua  present 
dans  son  genre.  Le  terns  connrmera  on  infirmera  cette  idee,  jusqu'il 
est  impossible  qu'on  ne  trouve  pas  un  jour  une  partie  du  squelette 
re"unie  a  des  portions  de  machoires  portant  des  dents.  C'est  ce  dernier 
objet  surtont  qnll  s'agit  de  rechercher  avec  le  plus  de  perseverance. 
Si  vous  pouviez  obtenir  de  ces  dents  adhe'rentes  encore  a  nne  portion 
un  peu  considerable  de  machoire,  je  crois  que  Ton  pourrait  resoudre  le 
probleme.  J'ai  pris  la  liberty  de  parler  de  quelques-uns  de  ces  objets  dans 
le  volume  que  je  fais  imprimer  en  ce  moment,  et  j'y  ai  exprime"  toute 
la  reconnaissance  que  vous  doivent  les  naturalistes.  Si  par  de  nou- 
velles  observations  vous  verriez  a  decouvrir  de  nonveaux  faits  capables 
d'e"clairer  ces  questions,  vous  me  rendriez  un  tres  grand  service  de 
vonloir  bien  continuer  a  m'en  donner  communication.  —  Paris,  20 
Juin,  1824." 

These  remarks  of  Baron  Cuvier  were  the  only  hints  that 
I  received  from  any  of  my  scientific  friends  or  correspondents, 
as  to  the  character  and  "probable  relations  of  the  animal  to 
which  the  recently  discovered  teeth  belonged;  and  as  my 


232  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR    TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

arduous  professional  duties  in  a  provincial  town  remote  from 
museums  and  libraries  of  natural  history,  forbade  the  hope 
of  speedily  acquiring  more  satisfactory  information,  I  trans- 
mitted to  the  Eoyal  Society,  through  my  friend  Davies 
Gilbert,  Esq.,  figures  and  descriptions  of  the  most  illustra- 
tive specimens,  adopting  (at  the  suggestion  of  the  Rev. 
W.  D.  Conybeare)  the  name  of  Iguanodon  for  the  extinct 
reptile,  to  indicate  the  resemblance  between  the  fossil  teeth 
and  those  of  the  recent  Iguana,  which  Mr.  Stuchbury's  spe- 
cimen had  enabled  me  to  ascertain.1 

THE  IGUANA. — It  may  tend  to  render  our  remarks  on 
the  structure  and  economy  of  the  Iguanodon  more  easily  com- 
prehended by  the  unscientific  visitor,  if  we  preface  those 
osteological  details  which  the  palaeontologist  will  consider 
indispensable,  and  without  which,  indeed,  the  results  that  are 
of  general  interest  could  never  have  been  obtained,  by  a  few 
observations  on  the  nature  and  habits  of  the  recent  lizard, 
the  resemblance  of  whose  teeth  to  those  of  the  colossal  her- 
bivorous reptile  of  the  Wealden  suggested  the  name  so 
familiar  to  my  readers,  and  by  which  that  extraordinary 
creature  of  the  secondary  ages  is  now  generally  known. 

The  Iguanas  are  land-lizards  which  inhabit  many  parts  of 
America  and  the  West  Indies,  and  are  rarely  met  with  north 
or  south  of  the  tropics.  They  are  from  three  to  five  feet  in 
length,  and  are  perfectly  harmless,  feeding  on  insects  and 
vegetables,  and  climbing  trees  in  quest  of  the  tender  leaves 
and  buds,  which  they  chip  off  and  swallow  whole.2  They 
nestle  in  the  hollows  of  rocks,  and  deposit  their  eggs,  which 
are  like  those  of  turtles,  in  the  sands  and  banks  of  rivers. 

The  dental  organs  of  the  Iguana  consist  of  a  single  row  in 
each  jaw  of  very  small,  closely-set,  pointed  teeth  with  serrated 
edges,  which  are  not  implanted  in  distinct  sockets,  but  are 

1  "  Notice  on  the  Iguanodon,  a  newly  discovered  fossil  reptile,  from 
the  sandstone  of  Tilgate  Forest,  in  Sussex."     Philos.  Trans.  1825. 
This  memoir  was  printed  before  the  fifth  volume  of  Baron  Cuvier's 
"  Oss.  Foss."  (in  which  the  teeth  are  figured  and  described,  and  men- 
tion is  made  of  my  discoveries  in  Tilgate  Forest,)  had  reached  this 
country.    See  APPENDIX  F. 

2  Stuffed  specimens  of  the  recent  Iguanas  are  exhibited  in  that  part 
of  the  Zoological  Gallery  approached  from  Room  III.  by  the  entrance 
between  Cases  C  and  D 


ROOM  III.  LOWER  JAW   OF  THE   IGUANA.  233 

attached  by  the  external  surface  of  the  fangs  to  the  inner 
Bide  of  the  alveolar  process  (as  is  shown  in  Lign.  49) ;  and 
as  there  is  no  mesial  parapet  of  bone,  the  fangs  of  the  teeth 
are  covered  only  by  the  soft  parts  (Jig.  1,  Lign.  49).  The 
successional  germs  do  not,  as  in  the  Crocodile,  spring  up  in 
the  cavities  of  the  mature  teeth,  and  rise  through  them,  but 
are  developed  near  the  inner  part  of  the  base,  and  by  their 
upward  growth  occasion  the  absorption  of  the  fang  of  the 
old  tooth,  which  is  ultimately  displaced  and  shed,  from  the 
destruction  of  its  adhesion  to  the  alveolar  parapet.  In/$r.  3, 
Lign.  49,  the  position  of  a  germ  at  the  base  of  the  fang  is 
represented. 

The  teeth  of  the  Iguana  closely  resemble  in  form,  but  not 
in  structure,  the  perfect  young  upper  teeth  of  the  Iguanodon ; 
they  are  very  small,  scarcely  exceeding  in  size  those  of  the 
mouse.  (In  jigs.  1,  2,  Lign.  49,  the  teeth  are  figured  of  the 
natural  size.)  In  the  Iguana  the  crown  of  the  tooth  never 
presents  a  worn  or  even  surface ;  it  is  broken  or  chipped  off 
by  use,  but  not  ground  smooth  as  are  the  teeth  of  her- 
bivorous mammalia.  The  reason  is  obvious:  no  existing 
reptiles  are  furnished  with  cheeks  or  moveable  coverings  to 
their  jaws;  they  cannot  perform  mastication,  but  swallow 
their  food  whole.1 

LOWER  JAW  OF  THB  IGUANA. — Lign.  49.— Before  I  quit 
this  subject,  and  enter  upon  the  examination  of  the  teeth  of 
the  Iguanodon,  it  will  be  convenient  to  explain  the  structure 
of  the  lower  jaw  in  reptiles  ;  and  I  select  that  of  the  Iguana, 
as  it  will  not  only  serve  to  illustrate  the  osteology  of  that 
part  of  the  skeleton,  but  also  tend  to  elucidate  the  nature  of 
the  highly  interesting  fossils  that  will  hereafter  engage  our 
attention. 

In  mammalia  the  lower  jaw  is  composed  of  one  bone  on 
each  side,  and  in  many  genera  these  pieces  become  united 
in  front,  and  blended  into  a  single  bone  in  the  adult  animal; 
but  in  reptiles  this  element  always  consists  of  six  distinct 
pieces  on  each  side,  and  these  several  parts  are  variously 


1  There  are  some  of  the  large  Monitors  which  can  give  a  semi- 
rotatory  motion  to  the  back  teeth ;  but  in  no  living  species  of  reptile 
is  the  trituration  of  the  food  effected  as  in  the  mammalia  and  the 
Iguanodon. 


234 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  III. 


LIGN.  49.— THE  RIGHT  RAMUS  OF  THE  LOWER  JAW  OF  THE 

IGUANA  TUBEHCULATA. 
(Presented  to  the  Author  by  the  late  Baron  Cuvier.) 

1. — The  right  branch  of  the  lower  jaw,  viewed  on  its  inner  aspect:  (nat.  size.) 

a.  Dentary  bone. 

b.  Opercular  bone. 

c.  Complementary  bone. 

d.  Surangular  bone. 

e.  Angular  bone. 
/.  Articular  bone. 

2. — External  view  of  the  same. 

3.— Inner  aspect  of  three  teeth  (magnified')  attached  to  the  alveolar  parapet, 
with  the  germ  of  a  successional  tooth  at  the  base  of  the  middle  tooth, 
and  the  sockets  of  germs  at  the  bases  of  the  two  other  mature  teeth. 

4. — External  view  of  the  crowns  of  three  teeth,  slightly  magnified,  in  their 
natural  position,  appearing  above  the  alveolar  ridge. 


ROOM  III.       TEETH  OP  THE  IGUANODON.  235 

modified  both   in  shape  and  arrangement  in  the  different 
genera. 

The  form  and  disposition  of  the  maxillary  elements  in  the 
Iguana  are  shown  in  Lign.  49  ;  they  are  distinguished  by 
names  which  have  reference  to  their  office  or  situation,  viz. 
a,  the  dentary,  supporting  the  teeth;  b,  the  opercidar,  or 
splenial  bone;  c,  the  complementary,  or  coronoid ;  d,  the 
surangular  ;  e,  the  angular  ;  and/*  the  articular  bone,  which 
forms  the  upper  and  distal  portion  of  the  jaw,  and  includes  the 
depression  for  the  reception  of  the  condyloid  end  of  the  tym- 
panic bone,  or  os  quadratum. 

In  the  Crocodiles,  Enaliosaurians,  and  other  tribes  of  rep- 
tiles, the  elements  of  the  lower  jaw  are  greatly  diversified,  and 
a  knowledge  of  their  characters  is  an  important  aid  to  the 
palaeontologist  in  his  attempts  to  ascertain  the  affinities  of  the 
extinct  saurians,  fragments  of  whose  maxillary  organs  are 
oftentimes  the  sole  indications  that  such  types  of  animal 
organization  ever  inhabited  our  planet. 

TEETH  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — Since  the  discovery  of  the 
tooth  which  first  apprised  me  of  the  occurrence  of  the  remains 
of  gigantic  herbivorous  reptiles  in  the  Wealdeii,  I  have  col- 
lected many  hundred  specimens  of  all  sizes,  and  in  various  con- 
ditions, from  a  minute  perfect  germ,  to  the  worn-out  crown  of  a 
molar,  ground  down  above  by  mastication,  and  reduced  by 
the  upward  pressure  of  a  new  tooth  from  beneath,  to  a  mere 
plate  or  disk  of  coarse  dentine.  In  the  collection  purchased  of 
me  by  the  Trustees  of  the  British  Museum  in 
1838,  there  were  upwards  of  150  teeth  of  the 
Iguanodon,  and  among  them  were  the  most 
illustrative  specimens  then  discovered.  I  have 
since  obtained  a  few  very  instructive  examples, 
and  some  of  my  friends  have  good  specimens 
in  their  collections ;  but,  certainly,  these  teeth 
have  of  late  been  less  frequently  met  with 
than  formerly,  and  I  believe  the  specimens  in 
the  British  Museum,  and  those  in  my  private  LIGH.  so.— TOOTH  OP 
coUection,  comprise  the  most  characteristic 
forms  hitherto  observed. 

The  perfect  germ,  and  the  unused  tooth  of 
the  Iguanodon,  are  characterised  by  the  prismatic  form  of  the 
crown,  the  presence  of  from  two  to  three  or  four  longitudinal 


236  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

ridges  down  the  enamelled  face,  and  the  denticulated  lateral 
margins,  and  finely  serrated  edge  of  the  summit,  as  seen  in 
the  specimen  figured  in  Lign.  50 .  The  shank,  or  fang  of  the 
tooth  partakes  of  the  general  form  of  the  crown :  it  is  slightly 
curved,  rather  flat  anteriorly,  and  convex  on  the  opposite 
face,  and  flattened  or  compressed  at  the  sides ;  it  gradually 
diminishes  in  size  towards  the  base,  and  terminates  in  a 
point ;  a  tooth  of  this  kind  in  Case  C,  exceeds  2  \  inches  in 
length. 

There  is  considerable  variation  in  the  form  of  the  summit 
of  the  crown;  in  the  upper  teeth  it  is  as  angular  as  in  the 
recent  Iguana.  (Lign.  49,  fig.  4.)  The  inner  surface  of  the 
crown  in  the  lower  teeth,  and  the  outer  surface  in  the  upper, 
are  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  enamel,  but  the  sides  and  the 
alveolar  face  of  the  crown  have  but  a  thin  coating  of  this 
substance. 

Specimens  with  the  coronal  aspect  in  its  normal  state  are 
but  rarely  met  with,  for  the  apex  of  the  tooth  is  almost 
always 'worn  away,  and  the  crown  presents  an  oblique,  trian- 
gular, smooth  surface,  as  in  the  beautiful  example  (in  my 
collection)  figured  in  Lign.  51,  which  shows  the  anterior  and 
posterior  aspect  of  a  lower  molar,  found  imbedded  in  the  stem 
of  a  Clathraria  Lyellii  (see  ante,  p.  45),  as  if  the  tooth  had  been 
snapped  off  while  the  animal  was  in  the  act  of  gnawing  the 
tough  vegetable  trunk.  This  fossil  affords  an  excellent  illus- 
tration of  the  form  of  the  coronal  part  of  a  mature  molar,  the 
apex  of  which  is  but  slightly  worn  away. 

The  lower  part  of  the  root  is  broken  off ;  in  teeth  of  this 
kind  the  fang  generally  terminates  in  a  point,  as  in  a  specimen 
partially  imbedded  in  a  block  of  Tilgate  grit,  on  the  middle 
shelf  of  Wall-case  C.  The  apex  is  worn  down  obliquely 
(fig.  2.  &.).  The  lateral  denticulations,  which  are  so  peculiar 
a  character  of  these  teeth,  are  well  developed:  when  seen 
in  front,  as  in  fig.  1,  a,  they  appear  as  mere  serrations,  but 
viewed  laterally,  they  are  found  to  be  produced  by  a  series 
of  denticulated  plates.  A  transverse  section  of  a  tooth 
of  this  kind  exhibits  a  simple  pulp-cavity  in  the  centre  of 
a  body  of  dentine  permeated  by  calcigerous  tubes ;  with 
this  peculiarity,  that  the  dentine  is  traversed  by  medullary 
canals,  which  radiate  at  definite  intervals  from  the  centre 
towards  the  periphery  of  the  tooth ;  the  dentine  of  the  Igua- 


ROOM  III.         MATURE  LOWER  TOOTH  OF  IGUANODON. 


237 


nodon  being  of  a  coarser  and  softer  texture  than  that  of  other 
reptiles. 

In  a  series  of  specimens,  the  abrasion  of  the  coronal  summit 
by  mastication  may  be  traced  in  every  stage,  from  the 
slightest  wearing  away  of  the  apex,  and  the  more  decided 


LIGN.  51.    TOOTH  OF  AN  IGCAKODON,  WITH  THE  APEX  SLIGHTLY  WORN. 
TILGATE  FOREST,  (natural  size.) 

1. — Front  aspect,  showing  the  longitudinal  ridges,  and  denticulated  lateral 

margins  of  the  crown. 
2. — View  of  the  back,  or  inner  surface  of  the  tooth. 

a.  The  denticulated  margins. 

b.  The  apex  of  the  crown,  worn  by  use;  6.  fig.  2,  shows  the  obb'que  smooth 

surface  produced  by  mastication. 

c.  A  transverse  fracture  of  the  fang,  showing  a  section  of  the  pulp  cavity 

occupied  by  the  ossified  remains  of  the  pulp. 

d.  Marks  the  inferior  limit  of  the  denticulated  margin ;  if  a  line  were 

carried  horizontally  from  d,  across  the  tooth,  the  under  figure  would 
represent  a  tooth  worn  down  below  the  denticulations,  and  deprived  of 
its  peculiar  dental  characters,  as  in  Lign.  48 ;  it  is  in  this  state  that 
the  tooth  somewhat  resembles  an  incisor  of  a  Rhinoceros. 

degradation  observable  in  Lign.  51,  to  the  tooth  represented 
in  Lign.  48, — and  which  has  acquired  a  classical  interest  from 
having  been  mistaken  for  the  incisor  of  a  Rhinoceros, — in 
which  the  lateral  denticulations  are  entirely  effaced,  down  to 
the  deciduous  molar,  Lign.  52,  in  which  the  crown  is  worn 


238  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

smooth,  and  the  fang  entirely  absorbed  in  consequence  of  the 
pressure  of  a  successional  tooth. 

In  other  specimens  in  the  Museum,  the  crown  is  reduced 
to  a  mere  plate  of  coarse  dentine,  flat  above,  and  slightly 
concave  beneath  ;  a  proof  that  the  teeth  remained  attached  to 
the  alveolar  process,  till  the  fang  was  entirely  absorbed,  and 
the  new  crown  ready  to  pierce  the 
gum,  and  take  part  in  the  process 
of  mastication.  The  removal  of  the 
fang  by  absorption  is  manifest  in 
almost  every  specimen,  as  I  pointed 
out  in  my  earliest  memoir  on  the 
subject  ;l  and  the  effect  of  this  pro- 
cess may  be  traced  through  every 
gradation,  in  like  manner  as  the 
destruction  of  the  crown  of  which 
I  have  already  spoken.  Now  it  is 
the  power  of  perfect  mastication 
possessed  by  the  colossal  reptile  to 
which  these  teeth  belonged,  and  of 
which  we  have  such  unquestionable 
proofs  in  the  specimens  before  us, 
LTGN.  52.  that  is  so  marvellous  a  fact  to  the 

UPPER   TOOTH  OF  THE   IGUANO-  7nnio~;<,t  WV,O  rpflpr>t«  tW  flip  PWPTI 
DON:   WITH   THE  CROWN  WORN  ZOOlOglbl,  WI1C 

FLAT,  AND  THE  FANG  ABSORBED,  tial  conformation  of  the  jaws  and 
teeth  in  the  class  Reptilia,  as  exem- 
plified in  existing  forms,  forbids  the  supposition  that  such  a 
structure  as  is  implied  by  a  power  of  mastication  equal  to  that 
enjoyed  by  the  herbivorous  mammalia,  was  associated  with 
reptilian  organization.  As  we  have  already  remarked,  no 
living  reptiles  can  masticate  their  food ;  the  insects  or  vege- 
tables on  which  they  feed  are  seized  by  the  tongue  or  teeth, 
and  swallowed  whole ;  so  that  a  moveable  covering  to  the 
jaws,  similar  to  the  lips  and  Cheeks  of  the  mammalia,  is  not 
necessary,  either  for  confining  substances  subjected  to  the 
action  of  the  teeth  as  organs  of  mastication,  or  for  the  purpose 
of  seizing  or  retaining  their  prey.  The  herbivorous  reptiles 
gnaw  off  the  vegetables  on  which  they  subsist,  but  do  not 
chew  them ;  consequently  their  teeth,  when  worn  by  use, 

i  "Philos.  Trans."  1825. 


ROOM  III.         STRUCTURE  OF  TOOTH  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  239 

present  a  broken  or  chipped  appearance,  but  not  a  smooth, 
flat-worn  surface  as  in  the  Iguanodon. 

INTIMATE  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  TEETH  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — 
Mr.  Tomes,  F.R.S.,  whose  original  and  profound  microscopic 
investigations  have  shed  important  light  on  the  intimate 
structure  of  osseous  and  dental  tissues,  has  favoured  me  with 
the  following  notes  on  the  organization  of  the  teeth  of  the 
Iguanodon. 

"  The  teeth  of  the  Iguanodon  present  structural  peculiarities  which, 
with  our  present  experience  in  dental  tissues,  can  be  confounded  with 
those  of  no  other  animal.  The  enamel  is  reptilian  in  character, — that  is, 
it  exists  as  a  thin  layer,  not  exceeding  the  200th  of  an  inch  at  the  thickest 
part,  and  in  many  places  is  even  thinner;  and  then  it  has  the  usual 
structureless  appearance,  with  faint  wavy  markings,  in  contour  lines  with 
the  surface  of  the  dentine.  Here  and  there,  however,  faint  lines  may  be 
seen  proceeding  from  the  surface  of  the  dentine  to  that  of  the  enamel, 
which,  together  with  the  disposition  to  break  in  the  direction  of  the 
lines,  indicates  pretty  surely  the  existence  of  fibres. 

"  The  dentine  of  the  tooth  of  the  Iguanodon  is  very  remarkable  when 
considered  in  connexion  with  the  position  of  the  animal  in  the  scale  of 
vertebrata.  The  dentinal  tubes  are  well  marked.  They  make  a  bold 
double  curve  in  their  passage  from  the  pulp-cavity  to  the  surface,  in 
addition  to  the  minute  undulations  which  characterize  them  in  every 
part  of  their  course,  and  in  no  part  are  they  free  from  short,  minute, 
ragged,  hair-like  branches,  which  in  a  thick  section  give  a  confused 
appearance  to  the  tissue.  In  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  tooth,  the  tubes 
have  a  diameter  varying  from  the  10,000th  to  the  15,000th  of  an  inch, 
which  is  preserved  to  near  their  termination  at  the  surface  of  the  enamel, 
into  which  tissue  a  few  are  continued  a  perceptible  distance.  The  pulp- 
cavity  is  marked  by  a  series  of  indentations  at  tolerably  regular  inter- 
vals. From  the  recesses  of  these,  vascular  canals  proceed  into  the 
substance  of  the  dentine,  and  follow  the  course  of  the  dentinal  tubes,  till 
near  the  periphery  of  the  tooth,  when  they  terminate  in  dilated  extre- 
mities, or  turn  and  follow  a  parallel  course  till  they  regain  the  pulp 
cavity.  As  the  tooth  becomes  worn,  these  canals  are  filled  by  a  trans- 
parent, almost  structureless  tissue,  in  the  manner  described  in  my  paper 
on  the  teeth  of  rodents.1  It  should  also  be  remarked  that  the  dentinal 
tubes  are  connected  with  them  through  their  branches  only,  and  by 
these  but  sparingly.  Professor  Owen,  in  his  account  of  the  tooth  of  the 
Iguanodon,  ('  Odontography,'  p.  251,)  compares  the  vascular  or  medul- 
lary canals  to  those  which  occur  in  the  inner  dentine  of  the  tooth  of  the 
Megatherium.  In  the  latter,  however,  the  canals  are  far  more  numerous 
than  in  the  Iguanodon,  and,  moreover,  the  dentine  in  which  they  occur 
is  dissimilar.  In  it  the  dentinal  tubes  are  so  much  interfered  with  by 
the  very  numerous  vascular  canals  that  they  become  irregular,  and 
indeed  can  scarcely  be  called  tubes;  they  are  irregular  cells,  minute,  and 

1  "Philos.  Trans."  1850. 


240  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

without  definite  arrangement.  In  the  Iguanodon,  on  the  contrary, 
the  dentinal  tubes  and  their  branches  are  well  marked,  and  definitely 
arranged. 

"  On  careful  comparison  it  will  be  found  that  the  dentine  of  the  teeth 
of  this  great  vegetable-feeding  reptile  pretty  closely  resembles  that  of 
many  of  the  larger  herbivorous  mammalia,  and  more  especially  the 
ruminants.  In  these  we  find  the  dentine  traversed,  though  less  abun- 
dantly, by  similar  vascular  canals.  In  the  American  Tapir,  and  also  in 
the  Solipedes,  a  similar  condition  is  observable.  In  mammalian  dentine 
the  parietes  of  the  dentinal  tubes  are  well  marked,  especially  in  the 
ruminants,  where  they  are  extremely  thick ;  this  cannot  be  said  to  be 
the  case  in  the  Iguanodon,  for  although  the  parietes  may  be  seen  in 
a  favourable  section,  yet  they  are  by  no  means  so  distinct  or  so  thick ; 
neither,  indeed,  are  the  dentinal  tubes  themselves  so  large  as  in  the  great 
mammalian  herbivora.  So  far  as  my  own  experience  goes,  the  presence 
of  vascular  canals  in  the  substance  of  the  dentine  as  a  constant  character, 
is  confined  to  the  teeth  of  the  vegetable  feeders. 

"Professor  Owen  has  described,  (' Odontography,'  p.  252,)  a  third 
substance  in  the  tooth  of  the  Iguanodon.  He  says,  '  The  remains  of  the 
pulp  in  the  contracted  cavity  of  the  completely  formed  tooth,  are  con- 
verted into  a  dense  but  true  osseous  substance,  characterized  by  minute 
elliptical  radiated  cells,  whose  long  axis  is  parallel  with  the  plane  of  the 
concentric  lamellae  which  surround  the  few  and  contracted  medullary 
canals  in  this  substance.'  I  have  seen  the  concentric  lamellae  in  the 
situation  described  by  Professor  Owen,  and  these  have  been  perforated 
by  straggling,  irregular,  dentinal  tubes,  but  I  have  failed  to  observe  in 
this  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  tooth  elliptical  radiate  cells, — in  other 
words,  bone  or  cement  lacunae. 

"  In  the  central  part  of  these  teeth,  a  dark  brown  matter  is  commonly 
seen.  This  is  for  the  most  part  composed  of  small,  oval,  ferruginoiis- 
looking  bodies  about  the  size  of  bone  lacunae,  which  are  surrounded  by 
imperfectly  formed  crystalline  matter.  This  broAvn  substance  occupies 
the  pulp-cavity,  and  often  extends  a  short  distance  into  the  vascular 
canals.  In  a  thick  section  it  might  on  a  casual  inspection  be  taken  for 
cementum,  but  a  more  careful  observation  would  at  once  show  it  to  be 
a  mere  product  of  fossilization. 

"  If  I  had  to  describe  the  tooth  of  the  Iguanodon  from  its  tissues  in 
a  few  words,  I  should  say  it  was  a  tooth  having  herbivorous  (mam- 
malian ?)  dentine,  with  reptilian  enamel." 

LOWER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — Ligns.  54  and  55. — The 
importance  of  discovering  the  peculiar  construction  of  the 
maxillary  organs  which  had  impressed  such  anomalous  cha- 
racters on  the  teeth  of  a  reptile,  as  to  impart  to  those 
instruments  so  striking  a  resemblance  to  the  incisors  of  herbi- 
vorous mammalia  as  to  mislead  the  most  eminent  anatomist 
of  modern  times,  could  not  be  estimated  toojiighly  ;  and  for 
many  years,  my  curiosity  and  interest  were  painfully  excited 
by  the  desire  of  solving  the  mystery  in  which  the  subject 


ROOM  III.  LOWER  JAW   OP   THE   IGUAXODOX.  241 

was  involved ;  but  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  passed  by 
ere  that  privilege  was  attained. 

Although  the  specimen  I  am  about  to  describe  does  not 
belong  to  the  national  collection,  yet  it  throws  so  much  light 
on  'the  subject  under  review,  and  imparts  such  additional 
interest  to  the  objects  before  us,  that  I  feel  assured  the  intel- 
ligent reader  will  not  consider  the  following  somewhat  minute 
description  of  the  first  discovered  portion  of  the  lower  jaw 
of  the  Iguanodon,  as  irrelevant  to  the  immediate  purpose  of 
this  volume. 

LOWER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUANODOX.' — Lign.  53  and  54. — In 
the  deltas  and  estuaries  of  rivers  which  flow  through  coun- 
tries of  varied  geological  structure,  we  naturally  expect  to 
find  the  remains  of  terrestrial  vertebrated  animals  that  have 
been  transported  by  the  currents  from  far  distant  lands,  in  a 
more  or  less  mutilated  state  ;  the  skeletons  broken  up — the 
bones  dissevered,  fractured,  and  waterworn — the  teeth  de- 
tached from  the  jaws  and  dispersed— and  all  these  separated 
parts  promiscuously  imbedded  in  the  mud,  silt,  and  sand  of 
the  delta,  and  intermingled  with  the  debris  of  the  flora  of  the 
country,  and  the  remains  of  fishes,  mollusks,  and  crustaceans, 
that  inhabited  the  fresh  water,  or  were  denizens  of  the  adjacent 
sea.  Such,  as  we  have  already  pointed  out,  is  the  condition 
in  which  the  bones  and  teeth  of  oviparous  quadrupeds  are 
found  in  the  Wealden  formation,  and  hence  the  difficulty  of 
obtaining  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  form  and  structure  of 
the  extinct  reptiles  whose  relics  are  so  abundant  in  some  of 
the  deposits. 

To  this  cause  may  be  ascribed  the  remarkable  fact,  that 
although  many  hundred  teeth,  belonging  to  several  genera  of 
saurians,  have  been  collected  from  these  fluviatile  strata, 
scarcely  a  portion  of  the  cranium,  and  but  a  few  fragments  of 
the  jaws,  have  been  discovered.  Every  relic  of  this  kind  is 
consequently  in  the  highest  degree  interesting,  and  it  was, 

1  The  following  account  of  the  maxillary  organ  of  the  Iguanodon  is 
an  abstract  of  my  Memoir,  "  On  the  Structure  of  the  Jaws  and  Teeth  of 
the  Iiruanodon,"  communicated  to  the  Koyal  Society  in  May,  1848,  and 
published  in  the  "  Philosophical  Transactions  "  of  the  same  year.  The 
Koyal  Medal  of  the  Society  was  awarded  to  the  author  for  that  com- 
munication. 

R 


242  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

therefore,  most  gratifying  to  me  to  learn  that  at  length  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  lower  jaw,  with  teeth,  of  an 
Iguanodon,  had  been  obtained  from  the  quarry  near  Cuck- 
field,  in  Sussex,  in  which  the  teeth  of  this  colossal  herbivorous 
lizard  were  first  discovered. 

In  a  communication  addressed  to  the  Royal  Society  in 
1841,1  I  figured  and  described  a  fragment  of  the  lower  jaw  of 
a  small  reptile  as,  probably,  that  of  a  young  Iguanodon,  and 
the  anatomical  considerations  which  seemed  to  support  that 
interpretation  were  fully  detailed.  But  although,  from  the 
form  and  the  mode  of  implantation  of  the  fangs,  which  are 
the  only  vestiges  of  the  teeth  in  the  specimen,  and  the  posi- 
tion of  the  germs  of  the  successional  ones,  this  inference 
appeared  to  me  highly  probable ;  yet,  as  the  crowns  of  the 
teeth  were  wanting,  the  presumed  generic  identity  could  not 
be  established,  since  it  was  possible  the  fossil  might  belong  to 
the  Hylseosaurus,  or  to  some  unknown  genus  of  reptiles  whose 
bones  occur  in  the  Wealden  deposits,  as  afterwards  proved  to 
be  the  case. 

But  the  specimen  to  which  I  now  solicit  attention  is  the 
right  side  of  the  lower  jaw  of  an  adult  animal,  with  two  suc- 
cessional teeth  in  place,  and  the  germ  of  a  third,  and  the 
alveoli  or  sockets  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  mature  molars, 
and  is  the  first  indisputable  portion  of  the  jaw  of  the  Iguano- 
don which  has  hitherto  been  brought  to  light ;  and  although, 
from  the  absence  of  mature  teeth,  and  of  the  articular  portion 
of  the  jaw,  this  specimen  does  not  afford  a  complete  solution 
of  the  problem  discussed  in  the  preceding  pages,  it  pos- 
sesses characters  sufficiently  definite  and  intelligible  to  throw 
important  light  on  the  structure  and  functions  of  the  dental 
organs  of  the  Iguanodon ;  and  it  has  also  enabled  me  to 
determine  the  nature  of  a  portion  of  the  left  upper  maxillary 
bone,  collected  many  years  since,  and  now  in  the  British 
Museum,  but  which  I  was  previously  unable,  to  interpret. 

Before  entering  upon  the  description  of  this  unique  and 
most  interesting  fossil,  I  must  express  my  warmest  acknow- 
ledgments to  Captain  Lambart  Brickenden,  of  Warminglid, 
Sussex  (now  of  Elgin,  Scotland),  by  whom  it  was  discovered, 
and  skilfully  extricated  from  the  sandstone  in  which  it  was 

1  "  Philos.  Trans."  1841,  p.  131. 


ROOM  III.      LOWER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUANODON.          243 

imbedded,  and  who,  although  I  was  personally  unknown  to 
him,  in  the  true  spirit  of  an  ardent  cultivator  and  liberal 
promoter  of  science,  placed  it  at  my  disposal,  as  the  original 
discoverer  and  investigator  of  the  fossil  saurians  of  the 
Wealden  ;  a  tribute  of  respect  that  I  regard  as  a  high  reward 
for  my  humble  efforts  to  advance  that  department  of  natural 
knowledge,  to  which  I  have  devoted  the  leisure  moments  of  a 
life  of  professional  toil. 

This  specimen  was  found  imbedded  in  a  block  of  the  fawn- 
coloured  sandstone  which  occurs  interstratified  with  beds  of 
clay  and  limestone,  throughout  a  considerable  part  of  the 
Wealden  districts  of  the  south-east  of  England  ;  fortunately 
this  stone  is  not  very  compact,  so  that  the  organic  remains  it 
contains  may  be  extricated  by  a  skilful  manipulator,  with  but 
little  difficulty.  It  consists  of  the  dentary,  and  part  of  the 
coronoid  or  complementary  bone,  of  the  right  side,  and  is 
entire  at  the  anterior  part ;  but  the  posterior  or  opposite 
extremity  is  imperfect,  probably  to  the  extent  of  several 
inches.  Its  original  relative  position  in  the  jaw  will  be  under- 
stood by  a  reference  to  Lign.  49,  in  which  the  peculiar  con- 
struction of  the  lower  jaw  in  the  Iguana  is  exemplified. 


LIGN   53  —RIGHT  SIDE  OF  THE  LOWER  JAW  OP  THE  IGUAXODOV,  FROM  TILGATE 

FOREST,  DISCOVERED  BY  CAPTAIX  LAMBART  BRICKENDEN,  F.G  S. 

( The  inner  aspect :  }  nat.  size.) 

The  specimen  is  represented  of  the  natural  size  in  the 
"  Philos.  Trans,  for  1848,"  PL  XVI.,  of  which  Lign.  53,  and 
54,  are  reduced  sketches ;  its  dimensions  are  as  follow  : — 

Inches. 

Length  from  the  front  of  the  symphysis  to  the  posterior 
extremity  of  the  bone •  *l 

Greatest  width  of  the  outer  surface  measured  over  the 
convexity,  from  the  lower  margin  to  the  upper  al- 
veolaredge 


244  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP  III. 

Inches. 

Greatest  thickness  at  the  posterior  part 2| 

Length  of  the  alveolar  parapet  for  twenty  teeth    ...  15 
Breadth  from  the  anterior  termination  of  the  alveolar 

space  across  to  the  inner  margin 4£ 

Height  of  the  alveolar  parapet  at  the  posterior  part.     .  2 

Width  of  the  alveolar  space  at  the  posterior  part ...  1£ 

Width  of  the  alveolar  space  at  the  anterior  part    ...  f 
Length  from  the  first  anterior  tooth  to  the  symphysial 

extremity 5 

Height  of  the  successional  tooth  (a,  Lign.  53)  1^  inch; 

greatest  width  |. 

The  mesial  or  inner  aspect  of  the  fossil  (Lign.  54)  is  flat 
and  smooth  ;  it  shows  the  crown  of  a  large  successional  tooth, 
(a,)  and  the  small  germs  of  two  other  teeth,  in  their  original 
situations,  and  the  sockets  for  nineteen  or  twenty  teeth ; 
the  inner  alveolar  plate  having  been  destroyed,  and  the 
mature  molars  dislodged,  before  the  bone  was  imbedded  in 
the  rock.  The  deep  conical  groove  or  furrow,  so  constantly 
present  on  the  inner  side  of  the  dentary  bone  in  reptiles 
(and  which,  from  its  being  covered  by  the  splenial  or 
opercular  piece,  it  may  be  convenient  to  designate  the  oper- 
cular  furrow),  is  here  entirely  exposed  (6),  in  consequence 
of  the  removal  and  destruction  of  that  maxillary  element. 
It  is  very  large,  and  prolonged  anteriorly  to  within  six  inches 
of  the  symphysis ;  the  opercular  piece,  in  its  elongated 
form,  must,  therefore,  have  more  nearly  corresponded  with 
that  of  the  Varariians  or  Monitors  than  with  the  Iguanas,  in 
which  it  is  of  a  rhomboidal  figure,  and  relatively  of  limited 
extent.  The  lower  margin  of  the  jaw  is  thick  and  convex  at 
the  posterior  part,  and  gradually  becomes  thinner  towards  the 
front,  where  it  expands  horizontally  into  a  broad  scoop-like 
process,  which  is  terminated  anteriorly  by  an  obtuse  projection 
or  tubercle  (Lign.  54,  55,  c)  -}  it  thins  out  mesially  to  form  the 
symphysial  suture  that  connects  it  with  the  opposite  ramus. 

The  upper  margin  is  formed  by  the  alveolar  process,  which 
has  a  thick  external  parapet,  deeply  furrowed  on  the  inner 
side  by  the  sockets  for  the  mature  teeth ;  strongly-defined 
ridges  occupy  the  interspaces,  and  rising  above  the  sockets, 
produce  a  sharp  crenated  upper  border  on  the  alveolar  ridge. 
The  alveolar  space  is  protected  on  the  inner  side  by  a  mode- 
rately, strong  plate  or  wall,  which  must  originally  have  almost 
equalled  the  outer  parapet  in  height,  but  is  now  in  a  great 


ROOM  III.  LOWER   JAW   OF   THE   IGUANODON.  245 

measure  broken  away  ;  within  this  process  the  germs  of  the 
successional  teeth  were  developed. 

The  mode  of  implantation  of  the  teeth  appears  to  have  been 
intermediate  between  the  pleurodont  and  thecodont  types, 
for  the  teeth  were  not  anchylosed  to  the  alveolar  wall  as  in 
the  Iguanas ;  yet  as  the  ridges  that  separate  the  dental 
sockets  are  smooth  and  rounded,  it  may  be  inferred  that 
these  were  not  rendered  complete  alveoli  by  transverse  plates 
extending  from  the  outer  to  the  inner  parapet,  as  is  the  case 
in  the  Megalosaurus.1 

The  dental  sockets  diminish  in  size,  but  somewhat  irregu- 
larly, from  the  posterior  to  the  anterior  termination  of  the 
alveolar  process  ;  and  the  latter  suffers  a  corresponding  dimi- 
nution in  breadth,  and  terminates  suddenly  at  the  distance  of 
five  inches  from  the  front.  At  this  point  the  upper  margin 
becomes  attenuated  and  contracted  in  a  vertical  direction,  and 
descending  with  a  gentle  curve,  expands  horizontally  and 
niesially  to  unite  at  the  symphysial  suture  with  the  opposite 
ramus  ;  the  anterior  part  of  the  jaw  being  edentulous. 

From  the  fortunate  preservation  of  two  successional  teeth 
in  their  original  position,  the  mode  of  dental  development  in 
the  Iguanodon  is  clearly  demonstrated.  As  in  existing  saurians, 
the  germ  of  the  coronal  portion  of  the  tooth  was  first  secreted, 
and  the  entire  crown  completed  before  the  formation  of  the 
shank  or  fang  commenced.  The  formative  pulp  was  situated 
in  a  distinct  depression  or  cavity,  on  the  inner  face  of  the 
root  of  the  tooth  it  was  destined  to  supplant  :  this  is  obvious 
by  the  position  of  the  teeth  above  described  ;  and  also  by  the 
remains  of  a  third  germ,  which  is  observable  towards  the 
posterior  part.2 

Although  the  peculiar  characters  of  the  molars  of  the 
Iguanodon  have  already  been  described  somewhat  in  detail, 
and  the  present  fossil  confirms  in  every  essential  particular 
the  inferences  suggested  by  the  detached  teeth,  yet  several 
new  and  important  points  relating  to  the  development  and 
functions  of  the  dental  organs,  are  elucidated  by  the  new 


1  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  PL  23. 

2  A  reference  to  the  lithograph  in  the  "  Philos,  Trans."  PL  XVI. 
representing  the  specimen  of  the  natural  size,  is  necessary  for  the  full 
illustration  of  this  description. 


246  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

acquisition  which  Captain  Brickenden  has  so  generously 
placed  at  my  disposal,  The  second  tooth,  which  occupies  its 
natural  position  in  the  alveolar  space,  consists  of  a  perfect 
crown,  1 1  inch  in  height,  with  the  serrated  margin  as  sharp 
as  when  recent ;  and  this  was  the  first  evidence  obtained  as  to 
the  mode  in  which  the  teeth  were  implanted.  The  flat 
enamelled  face  of  the  tooth,  characterized  by  its  longitudinal 
ridges,  is  placed  mesially,  or  towards  the  inside  of  the  mouth, 
and  parallel  to,  and  within  the  inner  alveolar  wall  j  the 
smooth  convex  part  of  the  crown  fills  up  a  depression  in  the 
outer  parapet,  in  the  interspace  of  two  sockets  of  the  mature 
molars.  This  position  is  the  reverse  of  that  in  which  the 
successional  teeth  in  the  Iguana  are  developed ;  for  in  that 
reptile  the  coronal  germ  occupies  the  same  relative  place  as  in 
the  mature  state,  the  ridged  face  being  outwards,  and  the 
smooth  side  inwards,  or  towards  the  cavity  of  the  mouth. 

As  the  crown  of  the  tooth  in  the  Iguanodon  is  not  sym- 
metrical, one  lateral  margin  presenting  a  gentle  curvature, 
and  the  other  forming  a  broad  angle  at  the  base  of  the  ser- 
rated border,  the  teeth  belonging  to  one  side  of  the  lower  jaw 
may  readily  be  distinguished  from  those  of  the  other ;  the 
lateral  marginal  angle  being  always  situated  posteriorly. 
Guided  by  this  character,  Dr.  Melville  and  myself  examined 
the  numerous  teeth  in  the  British  Museum  and  in  my  own 
collection,  and  were  enabled  to  ascertain  to  which  ramus  or 
side  of  the  jaw  any  tooth  belonged.  Thus,  for  example,  the 
specimen  represented,  Lign.  50,  which  is  a  perfect  successional 
germ,  the  counterpart  of  that  implanted  in  the  jaw,  consisting 
of  the  crown  before  the  formation  of  the  fang,  belongs  to  the 
right  side. 

The  situation  of  the  germ  in  relation  to  the  tooth  it  was 
destined  to  supplant,  is  invariably  on  the  inside  of  the  mouth ; 
in  the  lower  molars  the  excavation  in  the  mature  tooth  occa- 
sioned by  the  upward  growth  of  the  germ,  is  consequently  on 
the  enamelled  mesial  or  inner  face,  as  is  shown  in  my  original 
memoir : l  in  the  upper  tooth  the  germ  was  lodged  in  an 
excavation  on  the  smooth  convex  aspect. 2 

In  some  examples  the  cavity  produced  by  the  pressure  of 

1  «  Philos.  Trans."  1825,  PL  XIV.  fig.  7  a. 

2  «  Philos.  Trans."  1848,  PL  XVIII.  fig.  2",/. 


ROOM  III.      LOWER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUANODON.          247 

the  germ  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  fang  of  the  tooth  in  place  ; 
in  others,  the  successional  dental  excavation  is  on  the  base 
of  the  enamelled  crown  ;  for  in  the  Iguanodon  the  old  teeth 
were  retained  till  nearly  the  entire  coronal  portion  was  worn 
away,  and  the  crown  of  the  tooth,  from  the  abrasion  by  use 
above,  and  the  removal  of  the  fang  by  absorption  below,  was 
often  reduced  to  a  mere  disk,  before  it  was  finally  shed.  l 

As  the  surface  of  the  crown,  when  abraded  by  mastication, 
possesses  two  distinct  facets,  it  is  obvious  that  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  lower  teeth  in  relation  to  the  upper  was  inter- 
mediate, or  subalternate,  as  is  the  case  in  the  ruminants. 

The  external  aspect  of  the  specimen2  (Lign  54)  presents  in 
its  transverse  diameter  a  gentle  convexity,  traversed  by  a 
slightly  elevated  longitudinal  ridge,  parallel  with,  and  im- 
mediately beneath,  the  row  of  vascular  foramina  commonly 
met  with  in  this  part  of  the  lower  jaw  in  reptiles  ;  and  towards 
the  posterior  extremity,  the  side  of  the  bone  is  somewhat  com- 


LIGX.  54.— EXTERNAL  VIEW  OF  THE  LOWER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUASODOX. 
(}•  not.  tize.) 

pressed  below  the  longitudinal  eminence;  agreeing  in  this 
respect  with  the  portion  of  a  lower  jaw  of  a  much  smaller 
reptile,  to  be  described  hereafter.3  The  upper  margin  of  the 
bone  is  formed  by  the  outer  alveolar  parapet,  which  is  deeply 
scalloped  or  crenated  by  the  terminations  of  the  sockets  of 
the  teeth ;  the  angular  eminences  indicate  the  intra-alveolar 

1  "  Philos.  Trans."  1848,  p.  188. 

2  Figured  in  "  Philos.  Trans."  1848,  PI.  XVI.  XVII. 

3  Described  in  "  Philos.  Trans."  1841  (PI.  V.  figs.  1,  8,  9),  as  part  of 
the  jaw  of  a  young  Iguanodon,  but  which  belongs  to  a  distinct  genus — 
the  Regnosaurus. 


248  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

ridges.     The  whole  surface  is  covered  with  minute  punctua- 
tions and  striee. 

The  numerous  and  large  vascular  foramina  which  aiforded 
passage  to  the  vessels  and  nerves  from  the  dental  canal  to  the 
external  integuments,  form  a  striking  character  in  this  aspect : 
they  open  obliquely  forwards  ;  nine  are  distributed  at  regular 
intervals  in  a  line  with  the  alveolar  margin,  from  the  posterior 
end  of  the  bone  to  nearly  opposite  the  successional  tooth  in 
place.  A  fracture  in  the  middle  of  the  outer  surface,  at  the 
distance  of  4J  inches  from  the  posterior  end,  exposes  the 
dental  canal  filled  with  sandstone  :  its  diameter  is  here  two- 
fifths  of  an  inch. 

At  the  anterior  termination  of  the  alveolar  space,  a  slight 
protuberance  marks  the  commencement  of  the  upper  margin 
of  the  symphysial  region,  which  is  defined  by  a  sharp  smooth 
ridge,  that  sweeps  downwards  and  inwards  to  form  the  front 
of  the  jaw.  A  deep  groove,  beset  with  foramina,  constitutes 
a  strong  line  of  demarcation  between  the  inner  and  outer 
boundary  of  this  area  ;  the  latter  is  thick  and  convex,  and 
terminates  anteriorly,  as  already  mentioned,  in  a  mammillary 
protuberance  or  tubercle.  A  series  of  foramina,  eight  in 
number,  extends  along  the  outer  and  inferior  surface  of  the 
symphysis ;  the  terminal  one,  which  is  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  in  its  transverse  diameter,  is  situated  immediately  under 
the  mental  tubercle  (c)  above  described.  The  mesial  or  inner 
edge  of  the  symphysis,  which  in  connexion  with  the  ramus  of 
the  left  side  formed  the  median  suture  of  the  lower  jaw,  is  thin 
and  expanded ;  the  articulating  surfaces  of  the  two  dentary 
bones  appearing  to  have  overlapped  each  other,  but  as  the 
edge  of  the  bone  is  somewhat  broken,  the  line  of  junction  is 
not  quite  determinable ;  but  the  two  rami  do  not  seem  to 
have  been  united  by  anchylosis.  On  the  under  surface  of  the 
symphysis  there  is  a  depressed  oval  area,  bounded  laterally 
and  posteriorly  by  a  slightly  elevated  ridge,  probably  for  the 
insertion  of  the  protractor  muscles  of  the  tongue.  The  coro- 
noid  bone  (d),  which  is  incomplete,  is  expanded  more  out- 
wardly than  in  any  recent  saurian. 

With  respect  to  the  length  of  the  jaw  to  which  this  speci- 
men belonged,  an  approximative  estimate  only  can  be  formed, 
since  we  have  no  means  at  present  of  determining  the  relative 
size  of  all  the  different  pieces  that  entered  into  the  construe- 


ROOM  III. 


LOWER  JAW  OP  THE  IGUANODON. 


249 


tion  of  the  maxillary  organs  of  the  Iguanodon.  From  the 
appearance  of  the  fractured  end,  it  seems  probable  that  the 
dentaiy  bone  was  prolonged 
backwards  five  or  six  inches 
before  it  united  with  the  sur- 
angular  and  angular  :  upon 
this  supposition  the  entire 
length  must  have  been  two 
feet,  and  the  number  of  teeth 
about  twenty.  In  the  Iguana 
and  most  Lizards  the  dentary 
element  is  half  the  length  of 
the  jaw  ;  and  if  this  propor- 
tion be  taken  as  the  standard 
of  comparison — and  it  ap- 
pears to  be  the  most  pro- 
bable one — the  length  of  the 
jaw  of  this  individual  was 
four  feet  An  eminent  pale- 
ontologist1 has  estimated  the 
length  of  the  head  of  the 
largest  Iguanodon  at  only 
thirty  inches;  having  taken 
as  the  basis  of  his  calculation, 
the  length  of  six  dorsal  ver- 
tebrae, which  in  the  Iguana 
is  equal  to  that  of  the  lower 
jaw.  But  the  specimen  be- 
fore us  proves  either  that  the 
same  scale  of  proportion  is 
not  applicable  to  this  co- 
lossal saurian,  or  that  much 
larger  dorsal  vertebrae  than 
those  from  which  the  mea- 
surement was  taken,  are  yet 
to  be  discovered ;  for  several 
teeth  in  my  possession  exceed  in  magnitude  the  largest 
sockets  of  this  dentary  bone.  Even  if  we  take  the  abbreviated 
proportions  of  the  short  blunt-headed  lizards  as  the  scale 

1  Reports  of  the  British  Association  for  1841.     Article,  "British 
Fossil  Reptiles,"  p.  143.     "  If  there  be  any  part  of  the  skeleton  of  the 


LIGN.  55. 

RESTORED  FIGURE  OF  THE  LO-WER  JAW  OF 

THE  IGUANODON.  SEES  FROM  ABOVE. 

(TV  Nat.  tize.) 


250  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

— as  for  example  the  Chameleons — the  length  of  the  jaw  of 
this  Iguanodon  must  have  exceeded  three  feet. 

The  sketch  of  the  lower  jaw,  represented  as  seen  from  above, 
in  Lign.  55,  is  intended  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  remark- 
able form  of  this  part  of  the  skeleton ;  the  restoration  of  the 
articular  part,  drawn  in  outline,  is  of  course  ideal ;  it  is  taken 
from  the  corresponding  portion  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the  Iguana. 

PORTION  OF  THE  UPPER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  ' — Middle 
Shelf  of  Wall-case  C. — This  specimen  consists  of  the  ante- 
rior part  of  the  left  maxillary  bone,  having  on  the  under 
surface  the  alveolar  furrow  with  the  bases  of  the  sockets  of 
ten  teeth;  and  on  the  upper,  the  deep  channels  of  the  infra- 
orbital  vessels  and  nerves  that  supplied  the  teeth  and  integu- 
ments of  the  front  of  the  jaw  and  face  on  the  left  side.  Dr. 
MELVILLE,2  who  kindly  aided  me  by  his  profound  anatomical 
knowledge  in  the  investigation  of  the  maxillary  organs  of  the 
Iguanodon,  and  devoted  much  time  and  attention  in  insti- 
tuting the  necessary  comparisons  between  the  fossils  in  my 
own  cabinet  and  those  formerly  collected  by  me,  and  now  in 
the  British  Museum,  with  the  jaws  and  teeth  of  recent  rep- 
tiles, favoured  me  with  the  following  observations  on  this 
specimen : — 

"  This  fragment  of  the  left  maxilla,  which  is  eight  inches  five  lines 
long,  and  two  inches  seven  lines  broad,  formed  the  lower  boundary  of 
the  nasal  surface ;  it  is  broken  off  where  the  vertical  parapet  rises  to 
enclose  the  olfactory  fossa.  The  corresponding  part  in  the  skull  of  an 
Iguana  (/.  tuberculata),  measuring  four  inches  two  lines  in  length,  is  six 
lines  long,  or  nearly  one-eighth  that  of  the  cranium ;  this  ratio  gives 

"  Iguana  which  may  with  greater  probability  than  the  rest  be  supposed 
to  have  the  proportions  of  the  corresponding  part  of  the  Iguanodon,  it 
is  the  lower  jaw,  by  virtue  of  the  analogy  of  the  teeth  and  the  sub- 
stances they  are  adapted  to  prepare  for  digestion.  Now  the  lower  jaw 
gives  the  length  of  the  head  of  the  Iguana,  and  this  equals  the  length 
of  six  dorsal  vertebrae ;  so  that  as  five  inches  rather  exceeds  the  length 
of  the  largest  Iguanodon  vertebra  yet  obtained,  with  the  intervertebral 
space  superadded,  on  this  calculation  the  length  of  the  head  of  the  largest 
Iguanodon  must  have  been  two  feet  six  inches" 

1 1  discovered  this  fossil  in  1838,  in  a  quarry  near  Cuckfield.  By  the 
kind  permission  of  Mr.Kb'NiG,  the  specimen  has  recently  been  cleared 
of  the  sandstone  with  which  it  was  partially  invested,  so  as  to  render 
its  characters  more  obvious.  It  is  figured  in  "  Philos.  Trans.,"  1848. 
PI.  XIX. 

2  JSTow  Professor  of  Zoology  in  Queen's  College,  Gal  way. 


ROOM  III.       UPPER  JAW  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  251 

five  feet  four  inches  as  the  length  of  the  skull  of  the  Iguanodon  to  which 
the  fossil  belonged ;  but  as  the  brain  and  the  organs  of  sense  would 
probably  bear  a  less  proportion  to  the  whole  bulk  in  these  gigantic 
saurians  than  in  the  small  species  of  existing  Lizards,  we  may  infer 
a  diminution  in  the  absolute  size  of  the  head,  corresponding  with  the 
abbreviation  and  contraction  of  the  cranium ;  and  the  length  in  the 
adult  Iguanodon  would  probably  average  about  four  feet. 

"  The  breadth  of  the  fragment  is  uniform;  in  front  it  is  rounded  off 
externally,  and  exhibits  the  oblong  terminal  irregular  surface  for  articu- 
lation with  the  intermaxillary  bone  by  which  it  appears  to  have  been 
overlap t.  The  large  infra-orbital  canal  opens  at  the  junction  of  the 
posterior  and  middle  third,  and  midway  between  its  margins  passes  into 
a  broad  and  deep  and  sigmoid  groove,  which  curves  inwards  as  it  advance?, 
so  as  nearly  to  reach  the  inner  edge  in  the  centre  of  its  course,  where  it 
gives  off  a  retrograde  furrow  extending  over  the  internal  margin. 

"  The  infra-orbital  canal,  which  is  eight  lines  wide  behind  and  four 
lines  high,  bends  inwards  as  it  retrogrades  from  its  anterior  opening. 
The  inner  surface  is  only  four  lines  from  the  nasal  aspect  of  the  frag- 
ment behind,  so  that  after  a  course  of  a  few  inches,  it  would  have 
emerged  on  the  floor  of  the  nasal  cavity.  The  roof  is  incised  obliquely 
outwards,  and  the  inner  portion  of  it  extends  forwards  to  the  retrograde 
groove.  The  portion  of  the  external  surface  of  the  alveolar  process  that 
remains,  slopes  inwards,  and  exhibits  no  traces  of  vascular  foramina." 

From  the  almost  entire  destruction  of  the  inner  walls  of 
the  alveolar  furrow,  deep  transverse  grooves  are  the  only  indi- 
cations of  the  dental  sockets.  As  the  fangs  of  the  teeth  of 
the  upper  jaw  were  more  curved  than  in  the  lower  series, 
their  implantation  presented  a  corresponding  modification,  as 
is  the  case  in  the  dental  organs  of  certain  existing  Monitors ; 
hence  the  width  of  the  alveolar  space  is  greater  than  in  the 
lower  jaw. 

Distinctive  characters  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Teeth. — 
Although  the  peculiar  characters  which  distinguish  the  teeth 
of  the  Iguanodon  from  those  of  all  other  animals  were  satis- 
factorily established  from  the  numerous  detached  specimens 
that  had  come  under  my  observation,  yet  as  the  mode  in 
which  the  teeth  were  implanted  in  the  jaws  was  then  un- 
known, no  attempt  was  made  to  ascertain  the  dextral  or 
sinistral  position  of  the  isolated  teeth,  nor  to  separate  the 
lower  from  the  upper  series,  and  thus  determine  the  dental 
arrangement  by  which  the  jaws  of  this  colossal  reptile  were 
invested  with  the  functions  of  those  of  the  existing  herbi- 
vorous mammalia.  To  ascertain  these  important  questions  it 
became  necessary  to  institute  a  rigorous  examination  and 
comparison  of  all  the  teeth  of  the  Iguanodon  to  which  we 


252  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.    III. 

could   obtain  access;   the  following   are  the  results  of   our 
investigation.1 

Teeth  of  the  Lower  Jaw. — The  lower  tooth  (Lign.  50  and 
52,  3,  4,)  is  curved  with  the  concavity  outwards,  or  towards 
the  external  alveolar  parapet ;  the  upper  and  lower  limbs, 
corresponding  respectively  to  the  wedge-shaped  crown,  and 
elongated  taper  fang,  are  not  separated  by  a  constriction 
or  neck,  but  are  flattened  in  opposite  directions.  In  the 
upper  moiety  of  the  coronal  segment,  it  is  compressed  trans- 
versely with  an  outer  convex,  and  a  flat  inner  aspect,  and 
gradually  increases  downwards  in  width  and  thickness,  from 
the  broad-rounded  eccentric  apex  to  its  greatest  longitudinal 
diameter.  It  continues  to  expand  transversely  while  decreas- 
ing in  breadth,  and  subconcave  planes  replace,  the  serrated 
edges  at  which  the  surfaces  meet  above  ;  it  obtains  its  greatest 
thickness  where  the  tooth  bends  and  forms  the  fang,  which 
diminishes  rapidly  in  both  diameters,  and  the  lateral  facets 
are  brought  in  contact  below,  and  obliterate  the  inner  sur- 
face ;  in  fully  formed  teeth  when  a  successional  germ  is  not 
developed,  the  fang  terminates  in  a  point.2 

The  enamelled  surface  is  divided  into  two  unequal  chan- 
nelled areas  by  a  primary  longitudinal  ridge ;  commencing 
at  the  apex,  it  intersects  the  long  diagonal,  and  terminates 
behind  the  lower  angle. 

The  relative  width  and  depth  of  the  longitudinal  grooves, 
and  the  prominence  of  the  intervening  ridges,  vary  in  different 
specimens.  The  serrations  are  produced  by  small  mammil- 
lated  ridges,  separated  at  slight  intervals  ;  the  inner  edges  of 
the  anterior  apical  ones  are  prolonged  downwards,  and  those 
on  the  posterior  margin  are  abraded,  apparently  by  absorp- 
tion, during  the  upward  growth  of  the  germ.  The  inner 
convex  surface  of  the  fang  is  in  apposition  with  the  outer 
alveolar  parapet.  The  lateral  planes  converge  inwards,  and 
are  grooved  longitudinally ;  they  extend  as  high  as  the  obtuse 
angle  of  the  crown,  and  leave  between  them,  as  they  diverge 
in  their  ascent,  an  unenamelled  triangular  space  on  the  inner 


1  The  details  of  this  examination  are  given  by  Dr.  Melville  in  the 
memoir  referred  to,  "  Philos.  Trans."  1848,  pp.  191 — 195. 

2  "Philos.  Trans."  1841,  Plate  VII.  figs.  1,  2.     A  specimen  of  this 
kind  is  placed  on  the  middle  shelf  of  Wall-case  C. 


ROOM  III.       UPPER  TEETH  OF  THE  IGUANODOX.          253 

aspect.  Expansions  of  the  alveolar  septa  on  each  side  are 
adapted  to  the  lateral  planes  of  the  fang,  and  the  inner 
parapet  is  deficient  opposite  the  triangular  tract  above-men- 
tioned, but  is  closed  below,  and  separates  the  alveolus  from 
the  cavity  of  reserve  in  the  secondary  dental  groove. 

The  teeth  never  become  anchylosed  to  the  sockets;  the 
great  transverse  diameter  of  the  dentary  element  of  the  jaw 
above  appears  to  have  allowed  of  the  outward  curvature  of 
the  elongating  fang,  while  the  inner  surface  was  maintained 
nearly  vertical.  By  the  same  provision  the  germ  attained  a 
considerable  size  before  it  pressed  upon  and  excavated  the 
root  of  the  tooth  it  was  destined  ultimately  to  displace. 
The  wedge-shaped  crown  and  the  anterior  serrated  recurved 
trenchant  edge,  must  have  rendered  the  teeth  in  this  early 
stage  very  efficient  instruments,  in  the  absence  of  incisors, 
for  cutting  vegetable  food. 

The  arrangement  of  the  upper  and  lower  molars,  and  the 
situation  of  a  lower  successional  germ,  are  shown  in  Lign. 
56,  in  which  two  upper  molars  of  the  right  side  are  repre- 
sented on  their  external  or  enamelled  aspect,  and  a  corre- 
sponding lower  molar  beneath  them :  in  jig.  2,  are  shown  the 
opposite  or  internal  aspect,  and  the  position  of  a  successional 
germ  in  the  fang  of  the  lower  tooth,  fig.  4. 

Teeth  of  the  Upper  Jaw. — Lign.  56,  1,  3.  —  After  the 
determination  of  the  form  and  position  of  the  teeth  of  the 
lower  jaw,  the  next  question  to  be  determined  was,  whether 
the  teeth  in  the  upper  maxilla  had  the  same  shape  and  cur- 
vature as  those  of  the  lower.  Upon  examining  the  extensive 
series  in  the  British  Museum,  several  teeth  were  found  dif- 
fering in  shape  from  the  now-ascertained  type  of  the  lower 
molars  of  the  Iguauodon;  these,  however,  so  closely  corre- 
spond in  all  essential  respects,  that  no  reasonable  doubt  can 
exist  of  their  having  belonged  to  the  upper  jaw  of  the  same 
species  of  reptile.  From  the  mutual  adaptation  of  the  grind- 
ing surfaces,  and  the  situation  of  the  excavation  produced 
by  the  replacing  germ — which  in  all  analogous  cases  is  in  the 
mesial  aspect  of  the  fang — the  inference  was  obvious  that 
these  teeth  not  only  did  belong  to  the  upper  series,  but  that 
they  were  curved  in  an  opposite  direction  to  those  of  the 
lower;  namely,  with  the  convexity  external,  and  the  con- 
cavity internal;  the  hollow  for  the  successional  germ  being 


254  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

situated  in  the  latter.     If  this  interpretation  be  correct,  then 
the  upper  and  lower  molars  were  related  to  each  other  nearly 


UPPER  MOLARS. 

Outer  aspect.  Inner  aspect. 

2 


LOWER  MOLARS. 


LIGN  56. — UPPER  AND  LOWER  TEETH  OF  THE  IGUANODON,  IN  THEIR 
PRESUMED  NATURAL  ARRANGEMENT. 

(|  not.  size.) 

Fig.  1. — Two  upper  molars,  the  crowns  worn  by  use;   the  external  aspect  showing 

the  ridged  and  enamelled  face. 
2. — Inner  aspect  of  the  same. 
3. — A  mature  lower  molar ;  the  external  aspect;  exposing  the  two  oblique  facets 

worn  by  friction  against  the  pair  of  upper  teeth. 
4. — Inner  aspect  of  a  lower  molar,   displaying  the  longitudinal  ridges,  and 

serrated  edges  ;  a  coronal  germ  of  a  successional  tooth  is  seen  in  a  cavity 

at  the  base  of  the  fang. 

as  in  the  Ruminants ;  the  outer  aspect  below  corresponding 
to  the  inner  above ;  the  triturating  facet  inclining  from  above 
downwards  and  outwards  in  the  inferior  series,  and  from  below 
upwards  and  inwards  in  the  superior;  in  the  lower  teeth  the 
enamelled  edge  is  within  and  the  most  elevated,  while  in  the 
upper  it  is  external  and  the  lowest. 

By  this  adjustment  the  harder  dentine  with  its  coating  of 
enamel,  played  on  the  softer  vaso-dentinal  tract  of  the  tooth 
opposed  to  it  below ;  and  a  bevelled  or  chisel-like  surface  was 
maintained  for  triturating  the  food  when  drawn  into  the 


ROOM  III.         TYMPANIC   BONE    OF   THE   IGUANODON.  255 

mouth  by  the  large  prehensile  tongue,  which  is  indicated  by 
the  procumbent  and  inferiorly  excavated  symphysis.  The 
upper  molars  are  also  distinguished  by  the  smaller  antero- 
posterior  diameter  of  the  crown — by  the  great  prominence  of 
the  primary  ridge — by  the  breadth  of  the  vertically  convex 
surface  of  the  fang — by  the  width  of  the  lateral  facets — and 
by  the  contraction  of  the  internal  or  vertically  concave  sur- 
face which  becomes  ridge-like  below.1 

As  it  is  very  rarely  that  a  specimen  occurs  in  which  the 
absorption  of  the  fang,  from  the  upward  growth  and  pressure 
of  a  new  tooth,  has  not  taken  place  in  a  greater  or  lesser  de- 
gree, it  is  evident  that  the  formation  of  successional  teeth  was 
in  constant  progress  at  all  periods,  as  is  the  case  in  most 
saurians. 

We  have  seen  that  the  internal  structure  of  the  teeth  is  in 
striking  accordance  with  the  external  form  and  mechanical 
arrangement  of  the  dental  organs;  for  the  central  body  of 
dentine  or  tooth-ivory  is  of  a  softer  and  coarser  texture  than 
in  any  known  reptiles,  and  closely  resembles  that  of  the 
large  herbivorous  mammalians.  The  peculiar  arrangement 
of  substances  of  different  degrees  of  hardness,  must  have 
rendered  the  teeth  in  every  stage  instruments  admirably 
adapted  for  the  trituration  and  comminution  of  vegetable 
substances.  The  dental  pulp  became  ossified  in  the  old  teeth, 
so  that  whatever  the  degree  of  abrasion,  the  exposed  masti- 
cating surface  was  solid.  This  is  seen  even  in  the  last 
stage,  when  the  crown  is  reduced  to  a  mere  plate  or  disk 
of  dentine. 

TYMPANIC  BONE. —  Wall-case  C,  see  p.  227. — As  the  arti- 
cular piece  which  contains  the  socket  of  the  lower  jaw  for 
receiving  the  inferior  head  of  the  os  quadratum  is  unfortu- 
nately wanting,  the  mechanism  of  the  articulation  of  the 
jaws  can  only  be  conjectured;  for  although  a  very  fine 
example  of  the  tympanic  bone — which  in  reptiles  as  in  birds 
connects  the  lower  with  the  upper  maxilla — is  preserved  in 
my  former  collection,  the  specimen  is  not  sufficiently  perfect 
to  indicate  the  adjustment  of  these  parts  of  the  maxillary 
organs. 

1  The  distinction  between  the  upper  and  lower  molars  was  first 
suggested,  and  subsequently  worked  out  and  established  by  Dr.  Melville. 


256  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

A  large  bone  of  this  kind  from  Tilgate  Forest,  which  I 
refer  to  the  Iguanodon,  approximates  in  many  respects  to 
that  of  the  Mosasaurus  (ante,  p.  196.)  The  body  bears  some 
resemblance  to  that  of  a  vertebra,  but  the  large  cells  and 
hollows  which  pervade  it  throughout  readily  distinguish  it. 
It  forms  a  thick  pillar  or  column,  which  is  contracted  in  the 
middle,  and  terminates  at  both  extremities  in  an  elliptical 
and  nearly  flat  surface.  Two  lateral  processes  pass  off  ob- 
liquely, and  are  small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  column. 
On  placing  this  fossil  beside  the  homologous  bone  of  the 
Iguana,  we  at  once  perceive  that  the  relative  proportions  of 
these  parts  are  reversed ;  for  in  the  latter  the  pillar  is  small 
and  the  lateral  processes  large. 

From  the  great  size  of  the  body,  and  the  extreme  thinness 
of  its  walls,  the  tympanic  cells  must  have  been  very  consi- 
derable in  number  and  magnitude,  and  have  constituted  a 
large  portion  of  the  auditory  cavities.  This  bone  is  6  inches 
high,  and  5|  inches  in  its  greatest  diameter.  It  is  larger 
than  the  tympanic  bone  of  the  Mosasaurus,  and  exceeds  by 
14  times  in  linear  dimensions  that  of  an  Iguana,  four  feet 
long.  This  specimen  is  figured  on  a  reduced  scale  in  the 
"  Geology  of  the  S.  E.  of  England,"  PL  XI.  fig.  5. 

SPINAL  COLUMN  OF  THE  IGUANODON. —  Wall-case  C. — (ante, 
p.  138.) — The  bones  composing  the  vertebral  column  are  the 
most  important  elements,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most 
numerous  remains  of  the  skeleton,  that  occur  in  the  Wealden 
deposits  ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  structure  of  the  neural  arch 
and  its  processes  renders  the  characteristic  parts  of  the  ver- 
tebrae so  liable  to  injury,  that  it  is  but  rarely  the  specimens 
imbedded  in  the  rocks  are  in  a  perfect  state,  or  can  be 
extricated  entire.  For  reasons  previously  mentioned,  con- 
nected portions  of  the  skeleton  are  but  seldom  met  with  in 
fluviatile  deposits  ;  hence,  but  few  examples  of  vertebrae  in 
juxtaposition  have  been  obtained.  Of  the  Iguanodon  but 
one  specimen  has  been  discovered,  exhibiting  the  cervical, 
dorsal,  lumbar,  and  caudal,  vertebrae  of  the  same  indi- 
vidual. 

The  difficulty  of  arriving  at  any  satisfactory  conclusions  as 
to  the  generic  relations  of  the  mutilated  vertebrae  which  were 
among  the  earliest  indications  of  the  Wealden  reptiles  at  the 
commencement  of  my  researches,  can  scarcely  be  conceived 


BOOM  ML         SPDTAL  COLUMN  OF  THE   IGUAXODOST.  257 

by  the  anatomist  of  the  present  day,  who  is  surrounded  by 
the  richest  osteological  museum  in  the  world,  and  has  spread 
before  him  the  collections  made  during  the  last  thirty  years 
by  diligent  labourers  in  the  field,  who  discovered  the  bones  in 
the  strata,  and  with  their  own  hands  extricated  and  developed 
them  from  the  rock,  unaided  by  pecuniary  rewards  from 
associations,  or  societies,  or  by  government  grants  ;  and  who 
toiled  on,  actuated  solely  by  that  ardent  thirst  for  knowledge, 
and  desire  to  advance  a  favourite  science,  which  the  genuine 
worker  and  searcher  after  truth  can  alone  comprehend  and 
appreciate.  If  the  Hunterian  Professor,  with  the  immense 
advantages  which  are  at  his  command,  and  standing  on  a  pin- 
nacle raised  by  the  labours  of"  genuine  workers  and  searchers 
after  truth,**  sometimes  feels  embarrassed,  and  in  extenua- 
tion of  mistaken  interpretations  of  dismembered  portions  of 
skeletons,  finds  it  necessary  to  observe, — tha^  "Above  all 
tilings,  in  our  attempts  to  gain  a  prospect  of  an  unknown 
world  by  the  difficult  ascent  of  the  fragmentary  ruins  of  a 
former  temple  of  life,  we  ought  to  note  the  successful  efforts, 
as  well  as  the  occasional  deviations  from  the  right  track,  with 
a  clear  and  unprejudiced  glance,  and  record  them  with  a 
strict  regard  to  truth : "  ' — how  much  more  may  the  original 
discoverer,  explorer,  and  interpreter  of  "the  fragmentary 
ruins  of  former  temples  of  life,"  up  which  the  Hunterian 
Professor  has  ascended,  claim  indulgent  consideration  for  his 
guesses  at  truth,  from  those  who  have  so  greatly  profited  by 
them ;  and  deprecate  the  "  unamiable  exaggeration "  of  his 
imperfect  investigations,  and  the  disparagement  of  his  labours, 

•  and  the  "  misrepresentations,"  that  appear  in  the  Monograph 
from  which  the  above  admonition  is  extracted. 

Vertebral  Column. — The  structure  of  the  middle  dorsal,  and 
anterior  caudal  vertebrae  of  the  Iguanodon,  was  first  made 
known  by  the  figures  and  descriptions  in  my  various  works  on 
the  Geology  and  Fossil  remains  of  the  South-East  of  England ; 
and  subsequently  established  by  the  discovery  of  corresponding 
bones  in  the  Maidstone  specimen,  associated  with  other  parts 
of  the  skeleton ;  for  although  the  vertebrae  in  that  fossil  are 

\.  greatly  distorted,  their  distinctive  characters  may  be  recog- 

I  nised  by  due  attention. 

1  "Monograph  on  the  Fossil  Beptilia  of  the  Cretaceous  Formation." 
Palaeontographical  Society,  1851,  p.  83. 


258  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

In  1841,  the  elaborate  and  critical  examination  of  all  the 
saurian  vertebrae  from  the  Wealden,  collected  by  myself  and 
others,  in  the  able  "  Reports  on  the  British  Fossil  Reptiles," 
established  some  important  diagnostic  characters  by  which 
the  isolated  parts  of  the  spinal  column  of  several  genera  of 
reptiles,  whose  remains  are  found  promiscuously  imbedded  in 
those  deposits,  might  be  identified.  But  the  determination  of 
the  cervical,  anterior  dorsal,  lumbar,  and  terminal  caudal  of 
the  Iguanodon  is  not,  even  now,  satisfactorily  accomplished ; 
for  although,  in  my  earlier  attempts  to  interpret  the  dissevered 
parts  of  the  skeletons  which  were  from  time  to  time  exhumed, 
certain  large  vertebrae  of  dissimilar  forms  were  vaguely  assigned 
to  the  Iguanodon, — rather  from  their  collocation  with  un- 
doubted bones  of  that  reptile,  and  the  absence  of  remains  of 
the  extremities  of  other  genera  to  which  they  could  have  be- 
longed, than  from  their  anatomical  characters, — many  of  these 
bones  have  since  been  referred  to  distinct  genera,  upon  grounds 
scarcely  more  valid.1 

Among  the  vertebrae  I  have  obtained  of  late  years,  are 
cervicals,  anterior  dorsals,  and  posterior  caudals,  which  so 
closely  approximate  in  their  essential  characters  to  the  known 
vertebrae  of  other  parts  of  the  spinal  column  of  the  Iguano- 
don, as  to  render  it  highly  probable  that  they  belong  to  that 
animal ;  and  although,  in  the  absence  of  connected  portions 
of  the  different  regions  of  the  spine,  absolute  certainty  cannot 
be  obtained,  the  typical  affinity  of  the  bones  in  question  ap- 
pears to  support  this  view  of  the  subject,  rather  than  that  which 
assigns  them  to  distinct  genera,  of  which  no  other  less  ques- 
tionable vestiges  have  been  discovered  in  the  same  deposits.2 

1  See  "  Reports  on  British  Fossil  Reptiles,"  vol.  for  1841,  pp.  88—94. 

2  In  a  work  like  the  present,  I  can  only  state  the  general  result  of  a 
careful  examination  of  all  the  specimens  to  which  Dr.  Melville  and 
myself  could  obtain  access  ;  and  I  would  refer  to  my  "  Memoir  on  the 
Osteology  of  the  Iguanodon  and  Hylseosaurus  in  "  Philos.  Trans,  for 
1849,"  p.  271,  for  figures  and  details.     I  may  add  that,  during  the 
last  year  my  private  collection  has  been  enriched  by  upwards  of  thirty 
vertebrae,  among  which  are  larger  and  more  perfect  dorsals  of  the  Igua- 
nodon than  any  previously  discovered  ;  others  are  cervicals,  dorsals,  and 
caudals,  of  allied  genera.     Should  Providence  grant  me  life  and  health 
to  continue  these  investigations,  I  hope  to  obtain  some  highly  important 
results,  and  advance  our  knowledge  of  the  structure  and  economy  of  the 
stupendous  saurians  of  the  Wealden,  whose  osteology  is  still  but  very 
imperfectly  worked  out. 


ROOM  III.  SPINAL   COLUMN   OF   THE   IGUAXODON.  259 

In  the  "  Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England"  (p.  307), 
several  large  convexo-concave  vertebrae  from  Tilgate  Forest 
are  described  as  presenting  the  true  lacertian  form,  being 
concave  anteriorly,  and  convex  posteriorly,  as  in  the  Iguana, 
Monitor,  Crocodile,  &c. ;  but  in  1841,  Professor  Owen  ascer- 
tained that  the  relative  position  of  these  vertebrae  in  the 
skeleton  was  the  reverse  of  the  ordinary  type,  the  convexity 
being  anterior ',  and  the  concavity  posterior.  A  similar  devia- 
tion from  the  usual  rule  had  long  previously  been  detected 
by  Baron  Cuvier,  in  a  fossil  crocodilian  found  at  Honfleur, 
(figured and  described  in  " Ossemens Fossiles"  tome  v.  p.  155) ; 
and  which  was  referred  by  Geoffrey  St.  Hilaire  to  the  genus 
Steneosaurus,  but  has  since  been  named  by  Herm.  von 
Meyer,  Streptospondylus  (reversed  spine) ;  an  objectionable 
term,  since  the  same  character  is  present  in  several  fossil 
genera,  as  well  as  in  existing  mammalia ;  and  the  vertebrae 
from  Tilgate  Forest  were  assigned  by  Professor  Owen  to  the 
same  genus  as  Streptospondylus  major.1 

But  notwithstanding  the  high  respect  I  entertained  for  the 

n found  anatomical  knowledge  of  the  Hunterian  Professor, 
3uld  not  divest  myself  of  the  idea  that  this  opinion  was 
untenable,  from  the  fact  that  all  the  convexo-concave  ver- 
tebrae hitherto  found  in  the  Wealden  were  cervical  j  it  was, 
indeed,  this  circumstance,  together  with  the  extreme  rarity  of 
this  type,  which  deterred  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Conybeare  and 
myself,  at  the  commencement  of  my  researches,  from  as-, 
signing  them  to  the  Iguanodon.2 

The  inspection  of  a  large  anterior  dorsal  vertebra  of  the 
convexo-concave  system  in  my  collection,  first  suggested  to 
Dr.  Melville  the  idea  that  this  bone,  as  well  as  the  cervicals 
above  mentioned,  belonged  to  the  Iguanodon,  and  he  spared 
neither  time  nor  trouble  in  endeavouring  to  ascertain  the 
correctness  of  this  opinion  :  to  him,  therefore,  alone  is  due  the 

1  "  British  Association  Reports,"  1841,  p.  91.     The  eminent  author 
appears,  however,  to  have  entertained  some  doubts  whether  the  vertebrae 
in  question  might  not  belong  to  his  genus  "  Cetiosaurus ;  "  but  he  dis- 
misses the  suspicion  with  the  remark,  "  that  the  general  constancy  of 
the  vertebrae  of  the  same  Saurian  in  their  antero-posterior  diameter 
forbids  the  supposition  of  a  vertebra  six  inches  in  length  in  the  neck, 
being  associated  with  one  three  inches  in  length  in  the  back,"  p.  96. 

2  See  "  Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England,"  p.  307. 


260  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

merit  of  having  first  interpreted  the  characters  of  this  im- 
portant part  of  the  skeleton,  should  future  discoveries  con- 
firm this  view  of  the  subject. 

The  gradual  transition  from  the  anteriorly  convex  cervicals, 
to  the  plano-concave  vertebrae  of  the  posterior  dorsal  and 
lumbar  regions,  appears, — at  least  in  the  absence  of  the  only 
certain  evidence,  a  naturally  connected  spinal  column, — to 
warrant  the  conclusion  that  all  these  vertebral  elements  are 
referable  to  the  same  gigantic  herbivorous  saurian.1 

I  proceed  to  point  out  the  most  instructive  examples  of 
the  vertebrae  which,  according  to  the  present  state  of  our 
knowledge,  are  referable  to  the  Iguanodon. 

CONVEXO-CONCAVE  CERVICAL  VERTEBRA.  Wall-case  C. — 
The  two  anteriorly  convex  cervicals  above  referred  to,  are  on 
the  upper  shelf,  immediately  to  the  left  of  the  slab  containing 
six  caudal  vertebrae,  in  the  lowest  compartment  of  the  Case, 
see  the  Diagram,  ante,  p.  227  ;)  the  small  figures  in  Lign. 
5,  fig.  5,  7,  p.  164,  may  serve  to  assist  the  visitor  in  recog- 
nising them.  They  are  labelled,  "  Streptospondylus  recentior 
Ow"*  These  vertebrae  are  thus  described  in  my  "Geology  of 

1  If  the  discrepancy  in  the  relative  proportions  and  configuration  of 
the  cervical,  dorsal,  and  caudal  vertebrae,  be  regarded  as  presenting 
objections  to  this  view,  let  it  be  remembered  that  in  the  spinal  column 
of  our  domestic  Mammalia  an  equal  dissimilarity  prevails ;  for  example, 
in  the  Ox,  in  which  the  cervical  are  convex  anteriorly,  and  the  convexity 

.  gradually  disappears  in  the  posterior  regions  of  the  spine ;  and  the 
bodies  of  the  distal  caudals,  instead  of  being  solid  throughout  as  in  the 
anterior  vertebra,  have  a  large  medullary  cavity  in  the  centre,  as  in 
the  fossil  reptile,  called  Poikilopleuron,  (ante,  p.  166.)  Even  in  the 
typical  form  of  the  genus  Streptospondylus,  the  same  disappearance  of 
the  convexo-concave  character  in  the  middle  and  posterior  dorsals,  takes 
place.  See  Cuvier's  "  Oss.  Foss.,"  tome  v.  p.  156. 

2  These  vertebrae  are  described  under  another  name,  (S.  major,  nob.) 
together  with  others  from  the  oolite  of  Wilts,  which  unquestionably 
belong  to  the  genus  Streptospondylus,)  in  "Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1841, 
p.  88.  These  vertebrae  have  therefore  now  two  specific  names,  one  of  which 
must  be  abandoned ;  and  are  referred  to  a  genus,  to  which  at  present 
their  claim  is  at  least  very  doubtful.    "  The,  coining  of  names  for  things 
glanced  at  and  imperfectly  understood, — the  fabrication  of  signs  without 
due  comprehension  of  the  tiling  signified, — becomes  a  hindrance  instead 
of  a  furtherance  of  true  knowledge"    Quoted  from  Professor  Owen  on 
Mr.  Bowerbank's  Pterodactyle,  DIXON'S  FOSSILS,  p.  404. 

In  Cuvier's  "  Oss.  Foss."  (tome  v.)  there  are  figures  of  the  convexo- 
concave  type  from  Honfleur.  A  model  of  the  British  oolitic  specimen 
may  be  obtained  of  Mr.  Tennant,  149,  Strand. 


ROOM  III.        CONVEXO-CONCAVE  CERVICAL  VERTEBRAE.  261 

the  South-East  of  England"  :— "The  vertebrae  of  the  fourth 
system  are  very  rare ;  they  are  of  the  true  lacertian  type, 
having  the  articular  facets  of  the  body  convex  posteriorly  and 
concave  anteriorly,  and  are  wider  than  high,  as  in  the  Iguanas 
and  Monitors,  and  not  in  the  reverse  proportion,  as  in  the 
existing  Crocodiles.  In  two  large  but  mutilated  cervicals,  the 
admeasurements  are  as  follow  : — 

Heisrht  of  the  concave  extremity      ....     3  J  inches. 

Width  of  the  same 4£       „ 

Length  of  the  body 6        „ 

"  It  is  not  obvious  whether  the  annular  part  be  united  by 
suture  or  otherwise ;  the  articular  apophyses  are  horizontal 
and  very  strong,  the  spinous  process  is  destroyed."1  In  the 
same  work,  (p.  307)  when  referring  provisionally  the  "somewhat 
angular  dorsal  and  caudal  vertebrae"  to  the  Iguanodon,  I  men- 
tion "  that  the  above  cervical  vertebrae  correspond  so  entirely 
with  those  of  the  Iguana  and  Monitor,  that  it  would  >  seem 
a  more  probable  conclusion  that  they  belonged  to  this  herbi- 
vorous reptile  :  yet  the  extreme  rarity  of  this  type  renders  it 
questionable,  since  there  appears  no  reason  why  the  vertebrse 
should  not  have  been  found  in  as  considerable  numbers  as  the 
teeth."  On  this  statement  Professor  Owen  remarks, — "  It  is 
the  fortunate  preservation  of  the  two  articular  or  oblique 
processes  at  one  of  the  extremities  of  the  annular  part  of  this 
fine  vertebra,  now  in  the  Mantellian  Collection,  Brit.  Mus. 
No.  •ZTTS,  that  has  enabled  me  to  correct  the  error  into  which 
the  Founder  of  that  noble  collection  has  in  this  instance 
fallen.  The  flat  oblong  articular  surface  of  each  of  the  strong 
and  well-marked  oblique  processes  looks  downwards  and  out- 
wards, thus  determining  them  to  be  the  posterior  pair ;  and 
they  overhang  the  concave  extremity  of  the  body  of  the  ver- 
tebra, showing  that  to  be  the  posterior  part.  The  opposite,  or 
anterior  end  of  the  body  of  the  same  fossil  is  convex.  The 
few  other  large  convexo-concave  vertebrae  from  the  Wealden 
of  Tilgate  correspond  with  the  one  here  described  in  these 
important  characters  of  the  genus  Streptospondylus,  and 
equally  differ  from  the  vertebrse  of  the  Iguance,  Monitors, 
and  all  existing  Sauria.  Of  the  fossil  cervical  vertebra  six 

1  "  Geology  of  the  S.E.  of  England,"  1833,  p.  300. 


262  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

inches  long,  the  anterior  part  of  the  body  is  further  indicated 
by  the  position  of  the  costal  tubercle,  or  transverse  process, 
which  is  developed  as  a  strong  obtuse  ridge  from  the  middle 
part  of  that  half  of  the  centrum  which  is  nearest  the  convex 
articulation."1 

In  the  Memoir  in  the  "Philos.  Trans."  1849,  p.  286, 
Professor  Melville  enters  at  length  on  the  reasons  assigned  by 
Professor  Owen  for  referring  the  above  vertebras  to  the  croco- 
dilian genus  Streptospondylus ;  the  following  summary  will 
suffice  for  our  purpose ;  the  British  student  in  fossil  Erpe- 
tology,  (when  such  an  aspirant  for  scientific  distinction  shall 
arise),  I  would  refer  to  the  original  memoir.2 

"  The  large  cervical  vertebrae  from  the  Wealden  strata,  with 
reversed  convexo-concave  joints,  (Streptospondylus  major  of 
Professor  Owen,)  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  cervical 
region  of  the  spinal  column  of  the  Iguanodon.  We  are  led 
to  this  conclusion  by  the  following  considerations  : — 

"  Istly,  An  anterior  dorsal  vertebra  (in  Dr.  Mantell's  cabinet) 
from  the  same  deposits,  with  similar  but  less  marked  devia- 
tions in  the  form  of  the  articular  facets,  and  with  a  configura- 
tion of  the  neural  arch,  so  far  as  it  is  perfect,  identical  with 
that  existing  in  more  posterior  dorsal  vertebrae  with  plano- 
concave joints,  well-recognized  as  belonging  to  this  great 
herbivorous  reptile,  links  together  these  apparently  discrepant 
vertebral  types. 

2ndly,  The  amount  of  variation  here  assumed  is  parallel  to 
that  which  exists  in  its  affine  among  the  Crocodilidae,  the 
Steneosaurus  rostro-minor3 ;  and  similar  changes  in  the  form 
of  corresponding  articular  facets  occur  in  the  spinal  column  of 
the  Ruminants,  Solipeds,  and  other  Pachyderms ; 

3rdly,  Other  alterations  in  the  sculpturing  of  the  neural 
arch  of  equal  value  with  the  modifications  in  the  form  of  the 
articular  aspects  of  the  body,  are  concomitant  with  these 
changes  in  the  different  vertebrae  just  mentioned,  and  are 
equalled  in  kind  and  degree  by  those  which  occur  in  the 
series  of  neural  arches  of  the  spine  in  the  recent  Crocodiles  ; 

4thly,  These  convexo-concave  cervical  vertebrae  are  found 


1  "Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1841,  p.  92. 

2  "Philos.  Trans."  1849. 

3  Vide  Cuvier,  "  Oss.  Fossiles,"  vol.  ix.  8vo.  edit. 


BOOM  III.       CERVICAL  VERTEBRAE  OP  THE  IGUANODON.  263 

in  such  collocation  with  other  well-determined  bones  and 
vertebrse  of  the  Iguanodon,  as  to  leave  no  reasonable  doubt  of 
their  belonging  to  that  animal. 

othly,  The  number  of  these  vertebrse  of  different  ages  and 
sizes  in  our  collections  is  such  as  we  might  have  expected  on 
that  supposition ;  and 

Gthly,  if  these  be  not  the  cervical  vertebrae  of  the  Igua- 
nodon, we  have  the  (assumed)  Streptospondylus  major  with 
nothing  but  a  neck,  whilst  the  Iguanodon,  as  yet  known, 
is  wholly  destitute  of  that  region  of  the  spine.  Is  it  not, 
therefore,  more  probable  that  the  neck  of  the  so-called  Strep- 
tospondylus belongs  of  right  to  the  Iguanodon,  especially  as 
the  bones  of  that  reptile,  tested  by  the  fortunate  discovery  of 
the  Maidstone  specimen,  constitute  the  great  majority  of  the 
osseous  relics  from  the  deposits  of  the  Weald1? — in  other 
words,  the  Iguanodon  is  the  reptile  par  excellence  characteristic 
of  the  Wealden  formation. 

"The  Streptospondylian  form  of  the  body  of  a  vertebra- 
can  no  more  characterize  a  genus  of  Keptiles  than  the  am  phi - 
ccelian  or  ccelospondylian  modifications ;  each  is  common  to 
a  group  of  species  constituting  not  only  distinct  genera  and 
families,  but  also  orders  and  subclasses.  Nay,  the  Strepto- 
spondylian type  is  not  even  persistent  throughout  the  elements 
of  the  same  spinal  column ;  it  disappears  towards  the  middle 
of  the  dorsal  region  in  the  Steneosaurus  rostro^ninor,  the  best 
known  example  of  this  structure,  and  that  in  which  it  was 
first  recognized  by  Baron  Cuvier.  The  genus  /Streptospondylus 
of  V.  Meyer  ought  therefore  to  be  abolished,  and  the  residual 
generic  application  Steneosaurus  (G.  St.  Hilaire)  be  retained 
to  designate  Cuvier's  first  Gavial  of  Honfleur.  The  amphi- 
coelian  and  procoelian  forms  are  generally  continued  through 
the  whole  length  of  the  vertebral  column ;  the  Streptospon- 
dylian modification  in  the  last  sacral  replaces,  and  in  the  first 
caudal  is  superadded  to,  the  proccelian  form  of  the  vertebral 
bodies  characteristic  of  the  living  Crocodiles. 

"  In  the  Report  on  British  Reptiles  much  stress  is  laid  on 
the  uniformity  in  length  of  the  bodies  of  the  same  vertebral 
series  in  Reptiles ;  this  indeed  holds  good  within  certain 
limits  among  the  less  complicated  smaller  existing  Lacertee, 
but  will  lead  us  into  error  if  rigidly  applied  to  the  more 
highly  organized  extinct  Saurians  and  Crocodiles.  The  rela- 


264  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

tive  length  of  a  vertebra  must  always  be  taken  exclusively  of 
the  articular  convexity,  whether  that  be  in  front  or  behind, 
as  is  the  practice  in  stating  the  absolute  length  of  the  spine 
or  of  its  individual  regions.  Deterred  by  the  great  length  of 
the  cervical  vertebrae  referred  to  the  Streptospondylus  major, 
when  compared  with  the  shortness  of  the  dorsal  or  lumbar 
vertebne  assigned  by  him  to  the  Cetiosaurus  brevis,  Professor 
Owen  was  unwilling  to  associate  them  together  as  belonging 
to  the  spinal  column  of  the  same  species  of  reptile,  which, 
however,  appears  to  be  really  the  case,  as  I  shall  afterwards 
have  occasion  to  demonstrate."1 

If  Professor  Owen's  opinion  be  correct,  and  the  bones  in 
question  belong  to  the  Streptospondylus,  then  the  vertebrae 
composing  the  neck  of  the  Iguaiiodon  are  at  present  un- 
known. 

The  only  specimen  that  appears  to  me  to  afford  conclusive 
evidence  on  this  question  is  in  the  possession  of  J.  S.  Bower- 
bank,  Esq.  F.R.S.,  and  consists  of  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  spinal  column  of  a  very  young  Iguanodon,  imbedded  in 
calciferous  grit.  Found  with  this  fossil,  but  detached  from 
it,  and  without  any  indication  of  its  connexion  with  the  spine, 
to  which,  I  believe,  it  unquestionably  belongs,  is  a  series  of 
three  cervical  vertebrae,  which,  with  his  characteristic  libe- 
rality, Mr.  Bowerbank  allowed  me  to  figure  in  illustration  of 
my  fourth  Memoir  on  the  Iguanodon,  in  "Philos.  Trans.," 
18,49.  PI.  XXIX.  fig.  9. 

These  vertebrae  are  especially  instructive  because  they  de- 
monstrate the  true  characters  of  the  bones  of  the  neck  in  a 
very  young  Iguanodon  ;  for  it  is  to  this  reptile  this  verte- 
bral column  must  be  ascribed.  Unfortunately,  the  bodies  of 
the  vertebrae  have  been  crushed  and  compressed  almost  flat 
laterally,  and  the  natural  form  of  the  inferior  part  of  the 
centrum  is  destroyed,  the  visceral  aspect  presenting  a  sharp 
ridge,  and  thus  assuming  a  different  contour  to  that  of  an 
adult  cervical  in  my  cabinet,  which  has  been  compressed  in 
an  opposite  direction.  Nevertheless,  the  close  analogy  be- 
tween these  vertebrae  is  sufficiently  obvious  ;  the  structure  of 

1  In  confirmation  of  the  remarks  of  Professor  Melville,  I  may  add 
that  among  the  large  convexo-concave  saurian  vertebrae  recently  obtained 
from  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest,  are  cervicals  and  dorsals,  belonging  to 
two,  if  not  three,  distinct  generic  types. 


ROOM  III.    DORSAL  VERTEBRAE  OF  THE  IGUANODOX.        265 

the  neural  arch  is  identical ;  and  the  only  essential  difference 
between  the  bodies  of  the  respective  vertebrae  is,  that  the  an- 
terior articulating  facet  is  less  convex  in  the  young  reptile 
than  in  the  adult ;  but  as  the  posterior  articular  end  of  the 
centrum  is  deeply  concave,  it  is  probable  that  in  the  recent 
state  the  anterior  facet  possessed  a  cartilaginous  convex 
epiphysis,  by  which  the  ball-and-socket  joint  was  completed  : 
as  in  the  skeleton  of  the  young  Gavialihe  facets  of  the  sacro- 
coccygeal  vertebra  are  flat,  though  very  convex  in  the  adult ; 
(ante.  p.  167.)  so  in  the  Iguanodon,  the  ball  and  socket  of  the 
cervicals  may  not  have  been  fully  developed  and  ossified  till 
the  reptile  arrived  at  maturity. 

The  detached  neural  arch  of  a  small  cervical  vertebra  on 
the  shelf  on  the  extreme  left  of  Wall-case  C,  merits  notice, 
because  I  submitted  it  to  the  examination  of  Baron  Cuvier 
in  1830,  who  expressed  his  belief  that  it  was  the  axis  of  a  young 
Iguanodon.  The  bone  was  then  imbedded  in  a  block  of 
Tilgate  grit,  and  the  cast  of  the  spinal  canal  in  calcareous 
spar  was  visible,  resembling  the  prolongation  of  the  medulla 
oblongata :  the  surrounding  stone  has  since  been  removed, 
and  the  fossil  proves  to  be  the  neural  arch  of  a  cervical  ver- 
tebra— probably,  of  a  crocodilian  reptile. 

DORSAL  VERTEBRAE. —  Wall-case  C,  lowest  compartment. — As 
the  anterior  dorsal  vertebrae  have  not  been  found  in  juxtaposi- 
tion with  other  known  parts  of  the  skeleton,  our  knowledge  of 
this  region  of  the  spinal  column  is  scarcely  more  definite  than 
that  of  the  cervical.  A  large  convexo-concave  anterior  dorsal 
in  my  possession,  is  figured  and  described  by  Dr.  Melville 
("Philos.  Trans.,"  1849,  p.  284,  PL  XXVIII.)  as  a  vertebra  of 
the  Iguanodon;  and  if  that  accurate  observer's  reference  of  the 
cervicals  proves  to  be  correct,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
dorsal  in  question  belongs  to  a  reptile  of  the  same  genus. 
Although  there  are  no  vertebrae  of  this  type  in  the  Museum, 
yet  the  following  notes  may  be  useful  to  the  anatomical 
inquirer  : — 

"  The  anterior  convexity  is  much  less  than  in  the  cervical, 
and  the  posterior  concavity  shallower ;  the  section  of  the 
body  would  present  a  deep  triangular  outline,  with  the  apex 
below,  corresponding  to  a  thick  median  crest.  The  body  is 
contracted  in  the  centre,  so  that  the  sides  are  concave 
parallel  to  its  axis,  but  convex  vertically,  owing  to  the  great 


266  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

prominence  of  a  broad  longitudinal  ridge,  equivalent  to  that 
bearing  the  parapophysial  surface  in  the  cervical,  above  and 
below  which  there  is  a  deep  concavity.  The  spinal  canal  has 
a  transversely  oval  outline,  and  enlarges  considerably  towards 
each  extremity.  The  length  of  the  body  is  4J  inches. 

The  median  dorsal  vertebrae  are  typical  of  the  Igua- 
nodon,  several  having  been  found  connected  with  the  extremi- 
ties and  other  parts  of  the  skeleton.  There  is  a  fine  example 
(Mantellian  collection,  2160)  on  the  lower  shelf  to  the  left  of 
the  group  of  caudal  vertebrae  (see  Diagram,  p.  227) ;  but  I 
have  several  larger  and  more  perfect  than  any  in  the  British 
Museum. 

The  centrum  has  the  sides  smooth,  concave  in  their  antero- 
posterior  diameter,  and  slightly  convex  in  the  opposite  or  ver- 
tical direction  ;  the  articular  faces  are  nearly  flat,  or  slightly 
concave ;  in  some  examples  they  are  flat  in  front,  and  depressed 
behind ;  of  an  oval  form  vertically,  and  flattened  laterally ; 
the  sides  of  the  centrum  converge  towards  each  other  below, 
so  as  to  impart  a  wedge-like  shape  to  the  inferior  part  in  a 
vertical  section.  The  suture  uniting  the  body  to  the  neura- 
pophysis  is  almost  obliterated  in  the  adult  state.  The  neural 
arch  rises  into  a  broad  expansion,  or  platform,  which  is  sup- 
ported on  each  side  by  a  strong  buttress,  or  pillar,  that 
springs  from  the  hinder  and  outer  angle  of  the  base  of  the 
neurapophysis.  The  spinous  process  rises  from  the  entire 
median  width  of  the  neural  platform,  contracts  as  it  ascends, 
and  inclines  gently  backwards. 

The  articulating  depression  for  the  head  of  the  rib  is  of  an 
elliptical  form,  and  is  situated  on  the  side  of  the  neural  arch ; 
in  the  anterior  dorsals  it  is  placed  on  the  centrum. 

The  anterior  oblique  processes  are  oval,  and  face  each 
other ;  their  upper  margins  are  four  inches  apart :  but  their 
inferior  ones  are  separated  only  by  a  slight  notch  in  front  of 
the  spinous  process ;  they  extend  but  little  from  the  neural 
platform.  The  hinder  oblique  processes  are  sent  off  from  the 
under  and  back  part,  and  overhang  the  posterior  surface  of 
the  centrum ;  their  articulating  facets  are  turned  down- 
wards, and  outwards.  The  upper  transverse  process  is  very 
strong,  and  of  a  trihedral  form ;  it  is  directed  upwards  and 
outwards,  with  an  inclination  backwards  from  the  sides  of  the 
neural  platform,  and  is  supported  by  a  diagonal  buttress,  or 


ROOM  III.   DORSAL  VERTEBRA  OF  THE  IGUANODON.        267 

ridge,  which  passes  outwards  from  beneath,  and  is  gradually 
blended  with  the  process.  The  spinal  canal  is  nearly  circular, 
and  expands  slightly  in  front,  where  it  assumes  a  transversely 
oval  outline.  The  following  are  the  dimensions  of  the  ver- 
tebra above  described  : — 

Antero-posterior  length  of  the  body 5  inches. 

Transverse  diameter  of  anterior  face 5  „ 

Vertical  diameter  of  the  same 6  „ 

Height  from  the  base  of  the  centrum  to  the  neural  plat- 
form    7  n 

Height  of  the  spinous  process 7  „ 

Width  of  spinal  canal  anteriorly \\    „ 

The  essential  distinctive  characters  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae 
of  the  Iguanodon,  as  demonstrated  by  Professor  Owen 
("  Brit.  Reports,"  p.  127),  are  the  strong,  broad,  and  lofty 
bony  platform  into  which  the  neural  arch  expands,  with  its 
supporting  buttresses  ;  and  the  presence  of  a  lower  transverse 
process  (parapophysis)  for  the  reception  of  the  head  of  the 
rib,  either  on  the  side  of  the  centrum,  as  in  the  anterior 
dorsal  vertebrae,  or  from  the  side  of  the  neural  arch,  as  in 
the  middle  dorsal;  characters  which  distinguish  these  ver- 
tebrae from  those  of  ophidians,  lacertians,  and  enalosaurians  ; 
while  the  absence  of  the  posterior  convex  facet  on  the  cen- 
trum, separates  them  from  those  of  the  existing  species  of 
crocodilians  and  lizards. 

The  usual  condition  in  which  dorsal  vertebrae  are  found, 
is  the  centrum  or  body  deprived  of  its  neural  arch,  as  in 
Lign.  35,  fig.  8  (ante,  p.  164) ;  specimens  with  the  upper  trans- 
verse processes  (diapophysis  of  Professor  Owen),  and  the 
neural  arch  (as  in  fig.  6,  which  is  either  a  posterior  dorsal 
or  lumbar),  are  comparatively  rare ;  a  few  vertebrae  only 
have  been  obtained  with  the  spinous  process  entire.  In  the 
Maidstone  specimen,  (ante  p.  146,  Plan  p.  138,  Case  No.  23) 
there  is  a  series  of  dorsal  vertebrae  (some  are  probably  lum- 
bar), but  these  are  so  much  distorted  by  compression,  that 
not  one  presents  the  normal  form,  either  of  the  body  or  the 
apophyses. 

The  great  strength  and  expansion  of  the  transverse  pro- 
cesses of  the  posterior  dorsals  indicate  the  large  development 
of  the  abdominal  region  in  this  stupendous  reptilian  vegetable 
feeder. 

RIBS. — Wall-case   C,   lowermost   compartment. — There  are 


268  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

many  fragments  of  ribs,  and  a  few  with  the  spinal  end 
entire  :  the  magnificent  specimen  on  the  shelf  to  the  right  of 
the  group  of  caudal  vertebrae,  is  the  largest  example  of  this 
part  of  the  Iguanodon  that  has  come  under  my  observation. 
It  was  broken  into  numerous  pieces  in  extracting  the  block  of 
sandstone  in  which  it  was  imbedded,  and  these  were  chiselled 
out  singly,  and  connected  together,  and  now  form  the  finest 
bone  of  this  kind  collected  in  Tilgate  Forest ;  though  but  a 
portion  of  the  entire  rib,  it  is  forty-six  inches  in  length,  and 
five  inches  wide  at  its  greatest  breadth.1  The  ribs  of  the 
Iguanodon  have  very  rarely  been  found  in  connexion  with 
the  vertebrae  ;  but  the  two-fold  articulation  of  the  costal  pro- 
cesses by  means  of  a  tubercle  and  the  head,  as  previously 
manifested  in  the  structure  of  the  anterior  dorsal  vertebrae, 
are  characters  which  enable  us  to  recognize  the  detached  ribs 
of  the  gigantic  herbivorous  saurian.  In  the  anterior  ribs  the 
head  is  large,  and  of  an  ovate  form  ;  the  neck  is  very  long,  as 
may  be  seen  in  several  of  the  specimens  in  the  collection,  de- 
creases progressively  in  the  middle  region  of  the  spine,  and 
finally  disappears :  the  posterior  ribs  being  attached  to  the 
ends  of  the  transverse  processes.  This  construction  of  the 
costal  elements  corresponds  with  that  of  the  crocodiles  ;  in 
the  lizards  the  attachment  of  the  ribs  to  the  vertebrae  is  by  a 
single  tubercle  011  the  side  of  the  body  of  the  vertebra. 

Sacral  Vertebrce. — The  most  important  and  novel  feature 
in  relation  to  the  osteology  of  the  Wealden  reptiles  enun- 
ciated in  Professor  Owen's  Reports,  was  the  remarkable  struc- 
ture of  the  Sacrum  in  the  three  extinct  genera  of  Dinosau- 
rians ;  namely,  the  Megalosaurus,  Hylaeosaurus,  and  Igua- 
nodon ;  a  character  first  observed  in  a  fine  specimen  consisting 
of  six  vertebrae,  with  portions  of  the  two  iliac  bones  attached, 
in  the  interesting  collection  of  W.  D.  Saull,  Esq.  of  Aldersgate 
Street.2  No  one  had  previously  suspected  that  in  these  rep- 
tiles the  pelvic  arch  was  composed  of  more  than  two  anchy- 
losed  vertebrae,  as  in  the  living  Saurians  (see  ante  p.  167), 
and  that  the  neural  arches  were  transposed  from  their  usual 
place  over  the  middle  of  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae,  to  the 
ossified  intervertebral  spaces  formed  by  the  anchylosis  of  the 

1  Several  portions  of  ribs  are  figured  in  my  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate 
Forest,"  PI.  XI. 

2  See  "  Reports  on  Brit.  Foss.  Reptiles,"  1842,  p.  105. 


ROOM  III.         SACRUM  OF  THE  IGUAXODON.  269 

contiguous  bones ;  the  foramina  for  the  transmission  of  the 
sacral  nerves  from  the  spinal  chord,  being  situated  above  and 
behind  the  middle  of  the  bodies. 

Fragments  of  the  pelvic  arch,  consisting  of  the  centrum 
of  one  vertebra,  with  portions  of  others  anchylosed  to  the 
articular  ends,  are  not  uncommon;  and  so  long  since  as 
1826,  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  transmitted  to  Baron  Cuvier 
a  specimen  of  this  kind,  found  at  Loxwood  in  Sussex,1  with 
several  lumbar  and  caudal  vertebrae.  Upon  these  bones 
M.  Cuvier  remarked,  that  the  united  bodies  of  the  ver- 
tebrae "seem  to  indicate  that  the  animal  to  which  they 
belonged  made  such  feeble  use  of  its  tail  that  the  caudal 
vertebrae  were  occasionally  anchylosed  together."2  Even  the 
magnificent  specimen  of  the  sacrum  of  the  Megalosaurus, 
consisting  of  a  series  of  five  united  vertebrae,  figured  and 
described  by  Dr.  Buckland,  in  1824,  did  not  suggest  the  true 
structure  of  this  part  of  the  skeleton.  The  announcement  of 
this  fact  was  therefore  to  me  of  special  interest,  since  it  eluci- 
dated the  nature  of  several  fossils  in  my  collection  that  were 
previously  unintelligible. 

With  the  view  of  acquiring  an  accurate  idea  of  the  vertebrae 
composing  the  sacrum  of  the  Iguanodon,  I  obtained  Mr. 
Saull's  permission  to  have  his  unique  and  most  instructive 
specimen  completely  developed  at  my  own  expense,  as  its 
characters  were  in  some  measure  obscured  by  a  layer  of  hard 
calcareous  grit,  with  which,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight  Wealden  bones,  it  was  partially  encrusted.3 

This  Fossil  was  obtained  from  the  Wealden  beds  in  Sandown 
Bay,  and  is  strongly  impregnated  with  oxide  of  iron,  and 
traversed  by  veins  of  calcareous  spar.  It  is  the  sacrum  of 
a  young  animal,  and  consists  of  six  anchylosed  vertebrae  (not 

1  "  Geological  Transactions,"  vol.  ii.  (New  Series),  p.  105,  Plate  XV. 
figs.  4,  6. 

2  On  Baron  Cuvier's  last  visit  to  England,  in  1 830, 1  showed  him  some 
vertebrae  anchylosed  in  like  manner,  and  on  which  he  made  the  same 
remark. 

3  The  specimen  is  figured  (for  the  first  time)  in  PL  XXVI.  of  my 
"Memoir  on  the  Iguanodon,  Phil.  Trans."  1849.     As  Mr.  Saull,  with 
great  liberality,  throws  his  museum  open  to  visitors  every  Thursday 
after  mid-day,  this  unique  fossil  can  be  seen  by  any  person  interested  in 
this  department  of  Palaeontology. 


270  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

of  Jive  as  described  in  "Brit.  Foss.  Reptiles,"  p.  130),  with  the 
right  iliac  bone  attached.  The  relative  size  and  proportions 
of  the  several  bones  composing  the  sacral  arch  are  now  well 
displayed.  The  body  of  the  first  or  anterior  vertebra  is  large, 
strong,  and  expanded,  forming  a  powerful  buttress  in  front ; 
the  bodies  of  the  two  posterior  vertebrae  are  likewise  large 
and  strong ;  but  the  second,  third,  and  fourth,  are  constricted 
laterally  in  the  middle,  and  are  more  slender  than  either  the 
anterior  or  posterior ;  by  this  modification  of  the  elements  of 
the  sacral  arch,  both  lightness  and  strength  were  obtained.1 
A  similar  conformation  is  observable  in  every  specimen  of  the 
sacrum  that  has  come  under  my  observation,  whether  of  young 
and  small,  or  of  old  and  large  individuals  ;  in  all,  the  vertebrae 
have  the  same  relative  proportions.2  The  only  portion  of  the 
sacrum  of  the  Iguanodon  in  the  British  Museum,  is  the 
detached  vertebra  placed  above  the  tray  containing  the  femur 
marked  No.  5,  in  the  upper  division  of  Wall -case  C.  (See 
diagram,  ante,  p.  227. 2.)  It  evidently  belonged  to  a  young  in- 
dividual, for  the  body  has  separated  from  the  contiguous  bones 
without  fracture. 

THE  PELVIS. — ILIUM. — Of  the  bones  of  the  pelvis,  namely 
the  Ilium,  Ischium,  and  Pubis,  specimens  of  the  first  only 
have  been  found  in  connexion  with  the  sacrum,  or  associated 
with  other  parts  of  the  skeleton.  The  right  and  left  iliac 
bones,  detached  from  the  pelvic  arch,  are  imbedded  near  each 
other,  in  the  Maidstone  fossil:  and  in  Mr.  Saull's,  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  right  ilium  remains  attached  in  its 
natural  position.3  Captain  Lambart  Brickenden  has  the 
finest  detached  example  of  this  element  of  the  pelvis  that  has 


1  A  detailed  anatomical  description  of  this  sacrum  is  given  in  "  Philos. 
Trans."  1849,  pp.  297—299. 

2  Among  the  water-worn  masses  of  bone  strewn  along  those  parts  of 
the  southern  shores  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  which  are  bounded  by  cliffs  of 
the  Wealden  strata,  I  had  often  met  with  specimens  in  which  the  body 
of  a  very  large  vertebra  was  anchylosed  to  one  so  disproportionately 
small,  that  1  could  not  explain  their  origin,  until  Professor  Owen's 
description  of  the  structure  of  the  sacrum  suggested  their  true  nature. 
These  fossils  in  fact  consist  of  one  of  the  large  bones  either  of  the  ante- 
rior or  posterior  end  of  the  sacrum  united  to  one  of  the  slender  middle 
vertebrae. 

3  "Philos.  Trans."  1849,  PI.  XXYI.  A. 


ROOM  III.         PELVIS  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  271 

come  under  my  observation ;  it  was  found  imbedded  in  the 
friable  sandstone  of  Tilgate  Forest,  from  which  it  has  been 
successfully  extricated. 

The  ilium  of  the  Iguanodon  resembles  that  of  the  monitors 
in  its  hatchet-like  form,  and  in  the  prolonged  extremity ;  in 
the  Maidstone  specimen  one  of  the  iliac  bones  shows  the 
inner  or  sacral  surface,  and  the  other  the  outer  aspect.  The 
slender  prolonged  extremity  described  by  Professor  Owen  as 
the  posterior  part,  is  regarded  by  Professor  Melville  as  the 
anterior,  and  "  only  an  exaggerated  condition  of  the  short 
spine  projecting  forwards  from  the  ilium  in  the  smaller  lacertae." 
The  discovery  of  perfect  specimens  of  the  bone,  or  character- 
istic portions  in  connexion  with  the  sacrum,  will  determine  this 
question  :  that  the  anterior  part  of  the  sacrum  is  that  so 
described  by  Dr.  Melville  in  the  "  Philosophical  Transactions," 
is  confirmed  by  the  specimens  subsequently  obtained. 

Os  PUBIS.  Wall-case  C,  uppermost  shelf.  (Diagram,  ante, 
p.  227.) — A  fragment  of  a  very  broad  and  curved  plate  of  bone, 
(labelled  2132),  16  inches  long,  and  9|  wide,  and  but  3  inches 
in  its  greatest  thickness,  and  which  required  many  hours  of 
labour  to  extricate  from  the  stone  in  which  it  was  imbedded,  is 
evidently  a  portion  of  the  pubis  of  a  gigantic  saurian  ;  it  is, 
with  great  probability,  ascribed  to  the  Iguanodon  by  Professor 
Owen,  who  thus  describes  it.  "The  Pubis/which  presents  a 
simple  spatulate  form  in  the  Crocodiles,  already  begins  to  in- 
crease in  breadth  at  its  symphysial  extremity  in  the  extinct 
family  with  concave  vertebrae ;  and  in  the  larger  existing 
species  of  Lizards  is  expanded  at  both  extremities,  and  has  a 
very  marked  and  recognisable  character  superadded,  in  being 
bent  outwards  with  a  considerable  curvature. 

"  A  massive  fragment  of  a  broad  osseous  plate,  bearing 
a  segment  of  a  large  articular  cavity  at  its  thickest  margin, 
and  theDce  extended  as  a  thinner  plate,  bent  with  a  bold 
curvature,  and  terminated  by  a  thick  rounded  labrum,  offers 
characters  of  the  Lacertian  type  of  the  pubis  too  obvious  to 
be  mistaken ;  and  since  the  modifications  of  the  ilium  of  the 
Tguanodon  in  the  Maidstone  skeleton  approximate  to  the 
Lacertian  type  of  the  bone,  and  especially  as  manifested  by 
the  great  Varani,  in  which  the  recurved  character  of  the 
pubic  plate  is  most  strongly  marked,  we  may  with  much 


272  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

probability,  assign  the  fossil  in  question  to  the  pelvis  of  the 
Iguanodon. 

"  This  fine  portion  of  pubis  is  of  an  inequilateral  triangular 
form,  16  inches  in  its  longest  diameter,  9J  inches  across  its 
base,  or  broadest  part,  6£  inches  across  its  narrowest  part. 
The  fractured  surface  of  the  bone  near  the  acetabulum,  is  3| 
inches  thick.  The  acetabular  depression  is  seven  inches  across, 
a  proportion  which  corresponds  with  that  of  the  acetabular 
concavity  in  the  ilium,  and  with  the  size  of  the  cavity  in 
which  the  head  of  the  Iguanodon's  femur  must  have  been 
received.  One  angle  of  the,  cavity  corresponding  with  the  an- 
terior one  in  the  Varanus,  is  raised ;  a  broad  and  low  obtuse 
ridge  bounds  the  rest  of  the  free  margin  of  the  cavity.  The 
smooth  labrum  exchanges  its  character  near  one  of  the  frac- 
tured edges  of  the  bone  for  a  rough  surface,  which  indicates 
the  commencement  of  the  symphysis.  In  the  apparent  absence 
of  the  perforation  below  the  acetabular  depression,  the  present 
bone  agrees  with  the  Crocodilian  type." — Brit.  Assoc.  Rep. 
1841,  p.  136. 

ISCHIUM  1  Wall-case  0.  Upper  shelf. — :Near  the  specimen 
last  described,  there  is  a  fragment  of  a  large  lamelliform  bone, 
(labelled  ^ff^-),  which  Professor  Owen  considers  to  bear  most 
resemblance  in  its  general  form  and  slightly  twisted  character 
to  the  Ischium,  with  traceable  modifications  intermediate  to 
those  presented  by  the  extinct  Goniopholis,  and  modern 
Varani  and.  Iguance.  I  had  often  attempted  to  discover  the 
true  character  of  this  bone  when  in  my  possession,  but  could 
not  arrive  at  any  satisfactory  conclusion  respecting  it  \  it 
struck  me  as  more  nearly  resembling  a  bone  of  the  arm  than 
of  the  pelvis,  and  that  it  might  possibly  be  the  humerus  oi 
an  unknown  species  or  genus  of  saurians ;  its  surface  and 
texture  differ  from  those  of  the  bones  of  the  Iguanodon. 

CAUDAL  VERTEBRAE  AND  H^EMAPOPHYSES.  Wall-case  C,  lowest 
compartment. — These  elements  of  the  spinal  column  have  been 
discovered  from  time  to  time  in  numerous  localities  of  the 
Wealden  strata ;  the  caudal  vertebrae  collected  by  myself,  or 
submitted  to  my  examination,  amount  to  several  hundred 
specimens.  The  most  splendid  example  beyond  comparison 
is  the  series  of  six  anterior  caudal  vertebrae  with  their  pro- 
cesses almost  entire,  and  three  chevron-bones  or  hsemapophyses. 


ROOM  III.   CAUDAL  VERTEBRAE  OP  THE  IGUANODON.       273 

imbedded  in  a  slab  of  Tilgate  grit,  that  is  placed  in  the  middle 
of  the  lowest  compartment  of  this  Case. 


6 

LIGX.  57.  Six  CAUDAL  VERTEBRAE  OF  THE  IGUANODON;  FROM  TILGATE  FOREST. 
(^nat.tize.) 

a.  a.  The  spinous  processes,  from  13  to  15£  inches  in  height. 

6.  b.  Three  displaced  chevron  bones,  or  hamapophyses,  imbedded  in  the  stone 

near  their  original  position  between  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae, 
c.  Anterior  articular  face  of  a  vertebra. 

The  characters  of  the  anterior  caudal  of  a  young  Igua- 
nodon  are  beautifully  displayed  in  this  invaluable  specimen. 
The  bodies  of  the  vertebrae  lie  in  natural  juxta-position,  the 
anterior  oblique  processes  embracing  the  posterior ;  the  spinous 
processes  are  entire  and  in  their  normal  situation,  and  the 
transverse  but  little  mutilated.  Three  displaced  chevron-bones 
are  imbedded  near  the  corresponding  articular  surfaces  of  the 
bodies  of  the  vertebrae,  the  proximal  ends  of  two  of  them 
being  almost  in  contact  with  the  intervertebral  spaces  to 
which  they  belonged.  The  original  position  of  the  respective 
parts  will  be  understood  by  reference  to  Lign.  35,  p.  164, 
figs.  3,  and  3  a,  which  is  intended  to  illustrate  the  normal 
characters  of  the  caudal  vertebrae  of  the  Iguanodon,  and  the^ 


274  PETKIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

relative  proportions  of  the  apophyses ;  the  figure  is  £  the  size 
of  the  original. 

Fig.  4  of  the  same  lignograph  is  a  lateral  view  of  a  caudal 
vertebra,  remarkable  for  the  deep  cavity  left  between  the 
centrum  and  the  base  of  the  neurapophysis,  (o)  by  the  re- 
moval of  the  pleural  element  or  transverse  process,  which 
had  dropped  out  before  the  bone  was  imbedded  in  the 
sandstone. 

In  the  caudal  vertebrae  the  centrum  is  more  cuneiform  than 
in  the  dorsals,  the  sides  are  smooth  and  almost  flat  vertically, 
and  but  slightly  depressed  in  their  antero-posterior  diameter ; 
at  their  inferior  convergence,  instead  of  uniting  in  a  rounded 
ridge  as  in  the  dorsals,  they  are  separated  by  a  deep  longitu- 
dinal furrow,  bounded  anteriorly  and  posteriorly  by  the 
oblique  extremity  of  the  centrum,  which  is  truncated  at  both 
ends  to  articulate  with  the  inferior  spinous  process  or  chevron- 
bone  (see  Jig.  3,  Lign.  35).  The  articular  faces  of  the  bodies 
correspond  with  those  of  the  posterior  dorsals ;  the  anterior 
surface  is  almost  flat,  the  posterior  slightly  concave ;  the 
neural  arch  no  longer  presents  the  peculiar  characters  ob- 
servable in  the  dorsal  and  lumbar  vertebrae ;  it  is  attached 
by  a  wide  base  to  the  body,  and  the  two  laminae  in  some 
instances  extend  transversely  over  the  latter  so  as  to  complete 
the  spinal  canal,  as  in  many  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae.  The 
anterior  zygapophyses  (which  are  shown  in  Lign.  57)  have 
their  elliptical  articular  surfaces  almost  vertical,  and  closely 
embrace  the  corresponding  posterior  processes;  the  latter 
spring  off  from  the  base  of  the  neural  spine,  and  project  over 
the  centrum.  The  neural  spine,  or  spinous  process,  is  very 
long ;  it  rises  by  an  anterior  basal  ridge  from  the  neural  arch 
as  in  the  dorsals,  but  is  greatly  contracted  at  its  commence- 
ment, and  increasing  in  breadth  as  it  ascends,  terminates 
in  a  thick  truncated  summit.  The  longest  spine  in  the 
specimen  before  us  is  nearly  16  inches  in  height,  and  2 
inches  in  antero-posterior  diameter  at  the  summit ;  the  spine 
is  thin  in  a  transverse  direction,  the  truncated  summit  is 
but  \  inch  thick.  The  transverse  processes  are  relatively 
short  and  strong.  The  height  from  the  base  of  the  centrum 
to  the  top  of  the  spinous  process  is  22  inches,  and  as  the 
chevron-bone,  when  perfect,  would  be  nearly  five  inches  in 
length,  the  vertical  expansion  of  the  tail  in  the  young  Igua- 


ROOM  III.  CHEVRON-BONE   OF   THE   IGUANODON.  275 

nodon  to  which  these  vertebrae  belonged,  must  have  been  at 
least  twenty-seven  inches. 

CHEVRON-BOXE,  or  hcemapophyses. —  Wall-case  C,  left-hand 
shelf,  lowest  compartment. — The  form  of  this  element  of  the 
caudal  region  is  well  shown  in  this  large  and  perfect  specimen, 
which  is  figured  in  my  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  pi.  xii. 
It  is  eleven  inches  in  length,  and  2  inches  in  antero-posterior 
diameter.  The  two  laminae  of  which  this  bone  essentially 
consists,  are  in  the  Iguanodon  blended  at  the  proximal  end 
into  an  expanded  cuneiform  head,  which  fits  into  the  corre- 
sponding intervertebral  space  left  by  the  truncated  angles  of 
two  contiguous  vertebrae ;  and  the  distal  portion  constitutes 
a  strong  solid  spine,  a  wide  interspace,  forming  the  canal  for 
the  passage  of  the  large  blood-vessels  of  the  tail,  being  left  at 
the  upper  part  (as  is  shown  in  Lign.  35,  fig.  2,  3,  and  3  a,  /, 
p.  1 64) ;  this  channel  is  three  inches  long  in  the  specimen 
before  us.  The  blending  of  the  proximal  articular  ends  of 
the  haemapophyses  into  a  single  head,  is  constant  throughout 
the  caudal  region  of  the  Iguanodon,  so  far  as  my  knowledge 
extends ;  among  the  hundreds  of  caudal  vertebrae  which  I 
have  examined,  the  unity  of  the  hamapophysial  surface  is 
distinctly  impressed.1 

OTHER  VERTEBRAE,  in  Wall-case  C. — It  would  extend  this 
article  to  an  undue  length  were  I  to  dwell  on  the  anato- 
mical characters  of  the  other  vertebrae  in  this  Case,  some  of 
which,  Dr.  Melville  and  myself  believe  to  be  referable  to  the 
Iguanodon,  while  Professor  Owen  refers  them  to  other  genera. 
On  many  of  these  points  the  evidence  appears  to  me  to  be  in- 
sufficient to  warrant  a  positive  decision ;  and  it  will  be  most 
conducive  to  the  successful  elucidation  of  the  subject  by  future 
inquirers,  if,  in  this  place,  I  subjoin  a  list  of  the  specimens, 
with  Professor  Owen's  interpretation  of  them. 


1  The  figure  of  a  caudal  vertebra  with  two  distinct  hsemapophysial 
surfaces,  in  Professor  Owen's  Monograph  on  "  Cretaceous  Fossil  Beptiles," 
PL  XXXVII.  is  certainly  not  a  representation  of  a  normal  character : 
neither  is  the  circular  face  of  the  centrum  of  the  dorsal  vertebra  in 
PL  XXXVI. ;  nor  the  posterior  zygapophysis  in  PL  XXXV.  In  fact, 
all  these  parts  of  the  skeleton  in  the  Maidstone  specimen  are  so  dis- 
torted, that  it  is  impossible  an  artist  can  give  the  true  characters  of  the 
original  bones :  especially  when  seen  through  the  glass  case  that  covers 
them. 


276  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Vertebra  marked  -^^;l  body  with  the  bases  of  the  neural  arch; 
figured  in  my  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest," 
PL  IX.  fig.  11. 

„  „        g*gs  ;    body  of  a  dorsal  vertebra. 

These  are  assigned  to  the  crocodilian  reptile  to  which  the  slender,  flat, 
acuminated  teeth  belong ;  under  the  name  of  fiuchosaurus  cultridens. 

A  Caudal  Vertebra — split  vertically,  the  body  having  a  central  cavity 
which  is  filled  with  white  calcareous  spar,  -ggfa,  ^^.  Referred  to  the 
Poikilopleuron ;  a  crocodilian  reptile  found  at  Caen.  Neural  arch  of 
an  anterior  dorsal  vertebra  grrr :  ngured  in  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest," 
PI.  XII.  fig.  1,  is  also  provisionally  referred  to  the  same  genus. 

Two  convexo-concave  cervical  vertebrae  ^y^-;  referred  to  Strepto 
spondylus  major  in  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep.,"  and  now  labelled  8.  recentior, 
in  all  probability  belong  to  the  Iguanodon. 

.Posterior  caudal  vertebrae  2112,  2142,  2153  :  referred  to  Cetiosaurus 
brevis. 

Large  posterior  dorsal  -gf^. 

„  „  „     eight  inches  in  diameter  ^J^. ;  these  are  also 

referred  to  Cetiosaurus  brevis. 

Four  perfect  anterior  caudal  s.  These  are  also  assigned  to  Cetiosaurus 
brevis;  described  provisionally  by  Dr.  Melville  as  C.  Conybeari,  and 
since  referred  by  me  to  the  genus  Pelorosaurus,  to  be  described 
hereafter. 

Two  elongated  subangular  bodies  of  posterior  caudals,  figured  in 
"Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PL  IX.  fig.  8,  and  PL  X.  fig.  1 ;  assigned  to 
Cetiosaurus  brevis :  referred  to  Iguanodon  by  Dr.  Melville.  The  last 
reference,  which  appears  to  me  the  most  probable,  must,  however,  be 
regarded  as  only  conditional. 

Dorsal  vertebra  ^^ ;  assigned  to  Cetiosaurus  brachyurus. 

Caudal  vertebra  ^VrJ  to  the  same,  referred  by  Dr.  Melville  to 
Iguanodon 

Dorsal  vertebra  -^-^  and  -/ggg ;  referred  to  Iguanodon. 

Caudal  vertebra  "^-^  >  referred  to  the  Iguanodon. 

Sacral  vertebra  2WrJ  to  tne  same. 

All  the  specimens  above  enumerated  are  described  in 
"  Reports  on  Brit.  Foss.,"  with  that  minuteness  of  detail  and 
consummate  skill,  which  characterise  the  anatomical  investi- 
gations of  the  Hunterian  Professor. 

The  following  extract  from  Professor  Melville's  commentary  on  the 
above  generic  and  specific  determinations  will  put  the  scientific  inquirer 
in  possession  of  the  opinions  of  that  eminent  anatomist  on  the  ques- 
tionable references : — "  I  can  perceive  no  difference  between  the  posterior 
dorsal  or  lumbar  vertebrae  (No.  2,133,  2,115)  assigned  by  Professor  Owen 


1  The  numbers  refer  to  those  affixed  to  the  specimens  in  the  "  Cata- 
logue of  the  Mantellian  Collection  in  the  British  Museum." 


ROOM  III.       VERTEBRA  OP  THE  IGUANODON.          277 

to  the  Cetiosaurus  brevis,  and  that  last  described  as  corresponding  in 
some  respects  to  the  fifth  dorsal  in  the  spinal  column  of  the  Crocodile, 
than  a  diminution  in  the  relief  of  the  buttress  supporting  the  transverse 
process.  In  No.  2,115  the  neural  arch  is  broken  away,  and  the  tract  of 
the  centrum  left  uncovered  behind  to  form  the  floor  of  the  mtervertebral 
foramen,  is  of  greater  extent  than  in  No.  2,1 33,  indicating  a  more  pos- 
terior situation  in  the  vertebral  series.  The  approach  to  the  quadran- 
gular form  of  the  body  of  this  vertebra  is  no  proof  whatever  of  a 
specific  and  still  less  of  a  generic  distinction ;  otherwise  the  first  sacral 
vertebra,  which  is  more  decidedly  quadrate,  if  found  separate,  would 
be  equally  entitled  to  a  generic  value ;  but  its  association,  in  the  sacrum 
from  Mr.  Saull's  collection,  with  other  vertebral  bodies  of  a  very  dis- 
similar character,  and  with  the  ilium  of  the  Iguanodon,  prevents  our 
falling  into  an  error  of  such  magnitude.  We  may  therefore  reasonably 
conclude,  that  these  vertebrae,  to  wit,  Nos.  2,133,  2,115,  belong  to  the 
Iguanodon,  and  that  No.  2,115,  in  the  form  of  the  body,  approached  the 
first  sacral,  and  was  one  of  the  proper  lumbar  series. 

"  The  vertebra,  No.  2,109,  attributed  in  the  above-mentioned  report  to 
the  (so-called)  second  species  of  Cetiosaurus  found  in  the  Wealden 
formation  (C.  brachyurus),  is  also  a  posterior  dorsal  or  lumbar  vertebra 
of  the  Iguanodon ;  the  neural  arch  is  much  mutilated.  The  only  other 
element  of  the  skeleton  of  that  species  is  a  caudal  vertebra,  No.  2,161, 
which  also  belongs  to  the  Iguanodon ;  being  in  fact  one  of  the  most 
anterior  of  the  caudal  series,  and  contrary  to  the  character  of  the 
genus  to  which  it  was  referred,  it  presents  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  instructive  examples  of  the  rough  surface  on  the  sides  of  the  upper 
aspect  of  the  centrum,  left  by  the  removal  of  the  unanchylosed  neural 
arch.  The  so-called  Cetiosaurus  brevis  being  thus  founded  only  on  two 
vertebrae  which  belong  to  the  Iguanodon,  must  be  expunged  from  the 
list  of  extinct  reptiles. 

"  The  angular  posterior  caudal  vertebrae  referred  in  the  Report  on 
British  Reptiles,  to  the  Cetiosaurus  brevis,  I  am  also  inclined  to  assign 
to  the  Iguanodon  for  the  following  reasons  : — Istly,  a  similar  vertebra, 
as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  exists  in  the  Maidstone  specimen,  and  in 
this  case  an  admixture  of  bones  of  distinct  animals  can  scarcely  be 
suspected ;  2dly,  the  numerical  ratio  of  the  vertebrae  of  this  kind 
occurring  in  the  Wealden,  to  those  from  the  same  deposits  and  localities 
belonging  to  other  regions  of  the  spinal  column,  all  referable  to  the 
Iguanodon,  excepting  the  few  megalosaurian  and  crocodilian  vertebrae, 
is  such  as  long  ago  to  have  induced  Dr.  Mantell  to  regard  them  as 
characteristic  of  that  saurian ;  and  the  occurrence  of  such  vertebrae 
with  those  of  the  sacrum  and  other  bones  of  the  Iguanodon  in  Western 
Sussex,  described  by  Cuvier,  has  already  been  commented  on:1 — 3dly, 

1  In  reference  to  the  somewhat  angular  caudals,  alluded  to  in  the  text, 
I  would  remark  that  with  the  unquestionable  sacral  vertebrae  of  the 
Iguanodon  found  at  Loxwood,  and  transmitted  to  Baron  Cuvier  by  Sir 
Roderick  Murchison,  (ante,  p.  269,)  there  were  several  that  appeared  to 
belong  to  the  same  individual,  which  possessed  the  angular  form  and 
sulcated  base  of  the  bones  described  in  the  text,  as  may  be  seen  by 


278  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

as  the  four  large  anterior  caudal  vertebrae  in  the  Mantellian  Collection, 
also  assigned  by  the  author  of  the  Report  to  the  Cetiosaurus  brevis, 
cannot  be  transmuted  into  the  vertebrae  in  question  by  any  changes 
occurring  in  a  consecutive  series,  there  is  left  for  that  animal  only  some 
terminal  caudal  vertebrae ;  while  to  complete  the  tail  of  the  Iguanodon 
just  those  are  wanting ;  4thly,  but  independently  of  the  evidence 
furnished  by  the  Maidstone  specimen,  we  have  seen  examples  which 
point  out  the  series  of  changes  by  which  these  angular  vertebrae  are 
produced  from  those  of  the  middle  caudal  region.  These  changes, 
again,  are  not  greater  than  those  that  take  place  in  the  tail  of  the 
Hylaeosaurus,  and  other  extinct  reptiles,  as  well  as  in  that  of  many 
mammalia. 

"  Let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  the  vertebrae  of  the  tail  of  the  Mosa- 
saurus  as  contrasted  with  those  of  other  regions  of  the  spinal  column  in 
that  reptile,  and  we  shall  then  be  prepared  to  admit  far  greater  modifi- 
cations than  are  here  assumed.  Could  we  a  priori  correctly  restore  the 
vertebral  column  of  any  animal  from  scattered  fragments,  belonging  to 
different  individuals,  without  making  any  allowance  for  the  changes 
occurring  in  the  series  of  segments  composing  that  column  ? 

"  In  the  form  of  the  terminal  caudal  vertebrae  we  may  expect  to  find 
a  very  great  similarity  even  in  remote  genera,  and  hence  it  is  unsafe  to 
base  a  generic  character  on  their  peculiarities.  The  genus  Cetiosaurus 
(restricted  to  the  species  medius  and  longus  from  the  Oolite)  is  founded 
chiefly  on  such  trivial  distinctions,  and  we  may  refer  to  it  any  caudal 
vertebra  of  considerable  dimensions  with  plano-concave  or  biconcave 
facets,  not  referable  to  other  known  and  perfectly  determinate  genera, 

a  reference  to  the  "  Geol.  Trans."  vol.  ii.  New  Series,  PI.  XV.  figs.  1,  3. 
The  figures  were  drawn  by  Mr.  Scharf,  and  I  can  vouch  for  their  accuracy  ; 
but  without  the  actual  connexion  of  vertebrae  with  such  character,  with 
known  parts  of  the  skeleton,  I  should  not  consider  this  opinion  deci- 
sive. H.  von  Meyer  has  justly  remarked,  "that  conclusions  drawn 
from  a  single  part  of  a  fossil  skeleton,  and  applied  to  the  whole,  must 
necessarily  prove  erroneous,  and  have  deceived  even  such  anatomists  as 
Camper.  While  we  remain  ignorant  of  the  plan  according  to  which  the 
structure  of  the  whole  animal  is  formed,  but  little  can  be  deduced  from 
the  single  parts.  A  fossil  saurian,  with  an  elongated  beak,  like  that  of 
a  Gavial,  is  not  necessarily  from  that  circumstance  alone,  a  Gavial, 
a  creature  for  which  it  has  commonly  been  taken ;  the  other  portions  of 
the  skeleton  may  be  totally  different  from  this  latter  animal.  How- 
little  we  can  infer  from  one  fossil  saurian  as  to  the  structure  of  another, 
is  shown  by  the  Megalosaurus  and  Geosaurus,  the  teeth  of  which  are 
very  similar,  while  they  have  nothing  else  in  common.  In  the  appa- 
ratus of  the  teeth  of  the  fos&il  saurians,  which  we  have  to  consider,  there 
is  usually  expressed  a  combination  of  the  characters  of  the  crocodile 
with  those  of  the  lacertse ;  to  which  are  occasionally  added  peculiarities 
which  remind  us  of  the  apparatus  of  the  teeth  of  fish,  of  cetacea,  and 
even  of  the  land  mammalia,  both  herbivorous  and  carnivorous." — "Palceo-^ 
logica.  Geschichte  der  Erde  und  ihrer  Geschopfe  ;  Hermann  von  Meyer." 
Frankfort,  1832. 


ROOM  III.  PECTORAL  ARCH  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  279 

such  as  the  Ichthyosaurus  and  Plesioaaurus,  of  which  we  have  fortunately 
nearly  perfect  skeletons,  and  hence  cannot  be  led  astray  in  the  labyrinth 
of  fragments  from  which  we  are  compelled,  in  most  instances,  to  con- 
struct the  lost  denizens  of  the  former  lands  and  seas  of  our  globe." ! 

PECTORAL  ARCH  OP  THE  IGUANODON. — In  the  lacertian 
reptiles  the  construction  of  the  pectoral  arch  is  much  more 
complicated  than  in  the  Crocodiles.  The  sternum  is  a  long, 
narrow,  and  depressed  bone,  that  gives  out  two  lateral 
branches,  and  between  which  its  point  sometimes  passes  and 
proceeds  more  in  front  under  the  neck.  There  is  also  a  still 
greater  difference,  in  the  development  of  the  coracoid,  and  in 
the  constant  presence  of  a  clavicle.  The  coracoid  furnishes 
nearly  one  half  of  the  glenoid  cavity,  or  socket  for  the  head 
of  the  humerus,  and  gives  out  one  or  more  apophyses  to  sup- 
port a  large  cartilaginous  arch  which  passes  over  the  narrow 
bone  in  front  of  the  sternum,  and  crosses  that  of  the  coracoid 
on  the  other  side.  There  is  always  a  foramen  for  the  vessels, 
pierced  in  the  neck  of  the  bone,  between  its  apophyses  and 
the  glenoid  facet.  The  scapula  or  omoplate  forms  the  other 
portion  of  the  glenoid  cavity ;  in  the  middle,  or  about  one 
third  of  its  length,  the  osseous  part  suddenly  terminates,  and 
is  continued  by  a  cartilaginous  portion  :  this  frequently 
becomes  ossified,  and  then  the  scapula  is  constantly  divided 
into  two  bones.2 

The  dismembered  state  in  which  even  the  more  strongly 
connected  bones  of  the  skeleton  occur  in  the  Wealden  deposits, 
rendered  it  very  unlikely  that  the  elements  of  the  pectoral 
arch  should  be  found  in  such  contiguity  as  to  exhibit  the 
construction  of  this  important  part  of  the  fabric ;  and  it  is 
only  within  the  last  three  years  that  I  have  obtained  data  by 
which  the  restoration  of  its  structure  could  be  attempted. 
The  slender  and  complicated  bone  that  enters  into  the  com- 
position of  the  pectoral  arch  of  the  Iguanodon,  the  Clavicle, 
was  obtained  entire  before  the  lamented  death  of  the  illustrious 
Cuvier ;  yet  this  bone,  like  the  teeth,  was  so  anomalous  in  its 
characters,  as  to  render  its  interpretation  very  difficult. 

CLAVICLE  OP  THE  IGUANODON.  —  Wall-case  C,  lowest  com- 
partment, (ante,  p.  227.) — The  clavicle  in  the  Iguanas  and 


"  Philos.  Trans.,"  1849 ;  pp.  293,  294. 
2  Cuvier's  "fiegne  Animal" 


280  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

Monitors  is  a  slender,  gently  curved,  bone,  stretching  from 
the  scapula  to  the  sternum,  and  attached  to  each  by  a  simple 
extremity ;  but  in  others  of  the  lacertians  the  median  or 
pectoral  end  is  more  complicated,  and  in  some  respects  re- 
sembles the  clavicle  which  I  have  ascribed  to  the  Iguanodon. 

None  of  the  isolated  bones  of  the  Iguanodon  occasioned 
me  more  perplexity  than  this  element  of  the  pectoral  arch, 
especially  as  a  fragment  of  the  mesial  extremity  was  for  a 
long  while  the  only  portion  obtained.  Even  when  the  perfect 
bone  in  the  Case  before  us  was  discovered,  it  was  very  em- 
barrassing to  determine  to  what  part  of  the  skeleton  it 
belonged.  Baron  Cuvier,  to  whom  I  sent  a  sketch  of  the 
fossil,  thought  at  first  it  was  a  fibula,  and  afterwards  that  it 
might  be  a  clavicle ;  but  if  it  were,  it  did  not  resemble  that  of 
a  reptile,  nor,  indeed,  of  any  other  living  creature.  Upon 
taking  it  to  the  Hunterian  Museum,  Mr.  Clift  could  discover 
no  bone  at  all  resembling  it,  excepting  the  first  rib  of  an 
Ostrich,  which  has  processes  bearing  a  distant  resemblance  to 
the  apophyses  observable  at  the  pectoral  extremity. 

In  the  "Geol.  S.E.  of  England,"  this  bone  is  figured  (Plate 
IV.)  and  described,  with  the  remark  that  the  only  place  in 
the  skeleton  it  could  be  referred  to,  was  either  the  thorax  or 
the  lower  extremities :  "  it  may  be  a  fibula,  a  rib,  or  a  clavicle  ; 
and  that  it  is  a  clavicle  of  some  extraordinary  extinct  reptile 
is  the  most  probable  supposition." 

In  1841,  when  labouring  under  a  severe  indisposition  from 
which  recovery  was  thought  hopeless,  I  communicated  to 
the  Royal  Society  a  few  notes  on  the  reptilian  remains  I  had 
collected,  with  a  view  to  assist  future  observers,  and  at  the 
same  time  I  presented  to  Professor  Owen  the  drawings  of  all 
my  principal  specimens,  which  I  had  prepared  with  a  view  to 
publication ;  for  I  was  anxious  that  the  labour  I  had  bestowed 
upon  this  investigation  might  be  made  available  to  science.1 
In  that  Memoir,  the  bone  in  question  is  thus  described : — 
"  Several  bones  evidently  referable  to  a  complicated  sternal 
apparatus,  and  approximating  to  that  of  the  Lizards,  were 
discovered  many  years  since  ;  and  one  of  these  of  a  very 
extraordinary  form  was  figured  and  described  in  "  Foss.  Tilg. 

1  Appendix  G.  Drawings  of  remains  of  Fossil  Keptiles  from  Tilgate 
Forest. 


ROOM  III.       CLAVICLE  OF  THE  IGUAXODOX.  281 

For."  and  "Geol.  S.E.  of  England,"  under  the  provisional 
name  of  Clavicle. 

"  This  bone  is  long,  slender,  slightly  arched,  of  a  prismatic 
form  in  the  middle,  and  enlarged  and  flat  at  both  extremities. 
At  the  distance  of  not  quite  one-third  from  the  widest  (sternal) 
extremity,  a  small  apophysis  is  sent  off,  and  the  bone  then 
enlarges  and  terminates  in  two  unequal  flat  processes.  A 
perfect  specimen  is  29  inches  long,  and  3^  inches  wide  at  the 
expanded  sternal  end ;  and  there  are  portions  of  others,  indi- 
cating a  total  length  of  3  feet.  In  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon 
there  are  two  bones  of  this  kind  in  a  mutilated  state.  In 
none  of  the  skeletons  of  reptiles,  nor  indeed  of  any  other 
animals  to  which  I  have  had  access,  are  there  any  bones 
with  which  the  fossils  can  be  identified.  Mr.  Owen  pointed 
out  to  me  a  bone  attached  to  the  coracoid  and  omoplate  of 
a  small  lizard  that  bore  some  analogy  to  the  fossil;1  and 
I  have  no  doubt  that  a  more  extended  anatomical  investi- 
gation will  ere  long  afford  a  solution  of  the  question.  It  is 
satisfactory  to  find  that  the  correctness  of  my  first  appro- 
priation of  this  bone  to  the  Iguanodon  many  years  before  it 
was  found  in  connexion  with  any  part  of  the  skeleton,  has 
been  confirmed  by  subsequent  discoveries.  Doubtful,  how- 
ever, whether  this  bone  should  be  regarded  as  a  clavicle,  I 
propose  to  distinguish  it  by  a  distinct  name,  Os  Cuvieri,  till 
future  discoveries  demonstrate  whether  it  is  a  new  element 
superadded  to  the  pectoral  arch  of  the  colossal  herbivorous 
saurian  whose  structure  is  in  other  respects  so  anomalous,  or 
a  true  clavicle."*  Subsequent  discoveries  have  established 
the  correctness  of  my  original  conclusion. 

CORACOID  OF  THE  IGUAXQDOX.  Wall-case  C,  uppermost  shelf, 
(ante,  p.  227.) — "  A  coracoid  bone,  ten  inches  wide,  was  found 
imbedded  in  a  block  of  Tilgate  grit  with  bones  of  the  Igua- 
nodon. It  resembles  in  its  hatchet-like  form  the  corresponding 
bone  in  the  lacertians,  and  its  articulating  surface  furnishes,  as 
in  that  family,  one-half  of  the  glenoid  cavity  for  the  reception 
of  the  head  of  the  humerus ;  but  its  margin  is  entire,  and  not 

1  "  The  bone  attached  to  the  coracoid  and  omoplate  of  a  small  lizard 
which  I  pointed  out  to  Dr.  Mantell  as  resembling  the  one  in  question, 
was  the  clavicle  of  Cydodus  nigroluteu8."—Prof.  Owen  in  Brit.  Assoc. 
Report,  p.  136. 

2  "Philos.  Trans."  1841,  p.  137. 


282  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIE   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

produced  into  one  or  more  apophyses  as  in  the  Monitors, 
Iguanas,  &c. ;  and  instead  of  a  perforation  in  the  neck  of  the 
bone  for  the  passage  of  vessels,  there  is  a  deep  fissure  or  notch, 
separating  the  glenoid  cavity  from  the  scapular  facet."1  A 
reduced  figure  of  a  coraceid  of  this  kind  is  given  in  Lign.  58. 
In  the  collection,  there  are  portions  of  other  coracoids  of  the 
same  character. 


LIGN.  58.    1.  CORACOID  :  2.  SCAPULA;    OP  THE  IGUAXODON.    TILGATE  FOREST. 
(i  nat.  size.) 

SCAPULA  OF  AN  UNKNOWN  REPTILE. —  Wall-case  C. — Overr 
the  above  specimen,  there  is  a  very  remarkable  bone  which  it 
will  be  convenient  to  notice  in  this  place.  It  is  thus 
described  in  my  Memoir,  "  Philos.  Trans."  1841  : — "A  scapula 
or  omoplate  eighteen  inches  long,  associated  with  bones  and 
teeth  of  the  Iguanodon,  and  probably  referable  to  that  animal, 
presents,  like  the  coracoid,  some  important  modifications  of  the 
usual  lacertian  type.  This  bone  is  very  thin  and  flat,  and  of 
an  elongated  form ;  it  differs  considerably  from  the  omoplate 
of  the  Monitors  and  Iguanas.  It  somewhat  resembles  the 
scapula  of  the  Seines,  and  it  throws  off  a  long  tripartite  apo- 
physis  (a,  &,)  which  is  imperfect  in  the  only  specimen  hitherto 
discovered ;  this  process  probably  afforded  support  to  a  carti- 
laginous arch  as  in  the  existing  lizards. 

"  But  although,  from  circumstances  which  it  is  unnecessary 


1  From  my  Memoir  in  "  Philos.  Trans."  1841.  The  reader  will  please 
to  remember  that  at  this  period  Professor  Owen  had  not  entered  on 
this  department  of  Palaeontology,  which  he  has  since  so  greatly  advanced  i 
by  his  anatomical  knowledge  and  indefatigable  labours. 


ROOM  III.          SCAPULA   OF  AN   UNKNOWN   REPTILE.  283 

to  detail,  I  entertain  but  little  doubt  that  the  coracoid  and 
omoplate  above  described  belong  to  the  Tguanodon,  it  is  so 
hazardous  in  palseontological  inquiries  to  affirm  as  certain  what 
is  merely  probable,  and  so  many  impedi- 
ments to  accurate  inductions  have  been 
occasioned  by  hasty  and  positive  determi- 
nation of  a  tooth  or  bone  from  imperfect 
analogies,  that  I  deem  it  necessary  to 
repeat,  that  these  specimens  were  not 
found  in  juxta-position  with  other  parts  of 
the  skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon,  but  merely 
imbedded  in  the  same  mass  of  stone." — 
Philos.  Trans.  1841. » 

SCAPULA  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  Lign.  58. 
—The  prudence  of  the  above  reservation 
was  shortly  demonstrated  by  the  disco-    GATE  FOREST. 
very  of  a  scapula  of  a  very  different  type, 
of  which  a  reduced  sketch  is  given  in  Lign.  58,  and  which 
unquestionably  belongs  to  the  Iguanodon  :  the  scapula  above 
described  must  therefore  be  referred  to  some  other  genus  of 
the  Wealden  reptiles ;  it  may  possibly  belong  to  the  Megalo- 

1  Professor  Owen  in  "  Reports  on  Brit.  Foss.  Kept"  offers  the  following 
remarks  on  this  unique  and  peculiar  scapula : — 

"  The  scapula  has  not  hitherto  been  discovered  so  associated  with  other 
unequivocal  portions  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon  as  to  permit  the 
characteristics  of  this  bone  to  be  confidently  recognised.  The  bone,  (No. 
194,  Omoplate  of  Iguanodon,  Mantettian  Catalogue,)  agrees  with  the 
undoubted  scapula  of  the  Hylaeosaurus,  and  with  that  of  certain  lacer- 
tians,  especially  of  the  genus  Scincus,  (Dr.  Mantell  has  pointed  out  this 
resemblance  in  his  Memoir  in  the  'Phil.  Trans.'  1841,)  in  the  produc- 
tion of  a  long  slender  pointed  process,  continued  at  nearly  right  angles 
with  the  body  of  the  bone,  from  the  anterior  part  of  the  articular  surface 
for  the  coracoid ;  but  it  differs  from  the  scapula  of  the  Hylaeosaurus  in 
the  presence  of  two  short  processes  given  off  from  the  lower  part  of  the 
base  of  the  long  process,  and  in  the  absence  of  the  thick  and  strong 
transverse  acromial  ridge  which  overarches  the  glenoid  depression,  and 
in  the  deeper  concavity  of  the  posterior  margin  of  the  ascending  plate 
or  body  of  the  bone.  This  part,  in  its  shape  and  relation,  length  and 
breadth,  is  intermediate  between  the  crocodilian  and  lacertian  type  of 
the  scapula,  at  least  as  exemplified  in  the  monitors  and  iguanas,  where 
it  is  broad  and  short.  The  Seines  and  Chameleons,  in  the  more  croco- 
dilian proportions  of  their  scapulae,  resemble  the  Hylaeosaurus,  and  the 
great  species  of  extinct  saurian,  most  probably  the  Iguanodon,  to  which 
the  present  bone  belongs."— Brit.  Ass.  Rep.  p.  134. 


284  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

saurus,  in  which  the  coracoid  ("  Geol.  Trans."  vol.  vi.  pi.  xliii. 
fig.  3)  is  of  a  more  complicated  structure  than  in  the  Iguano- 
don  and  Hylaeosaurus,  and  somewhat  resembles  that  of  the 
Iguanas  or  Varanians. 

"  I  had  often  vainly  attempted  to  find  such  a  correspond- 
ence between  the  articulating  facets  of  the  coracoid  and 
scapula  above  mentioned,  as  would  warrant  the  conclusion! 
that  they  originally  belonged  to  the  same  genus  of  saurians. 
By  the  fortunate  discovery  of  a  perfect  Scapula  which  fulfils 
these  conditions,  and  can  also  be  shown  to  belong  to  the 
Iguanodon,  both  the  bones  forming  the  scapular  arch  are  now 
for  the  first  time  demonstrated. 

"  This  specimen  is  represented  l  the  natural  size  in 
'Philos.  Trans.'  1849,  pi.  xxx.  fig.  10 ;  when  obtained  it  was 
firmly  imbedded  in  the  hard  Tilgate  sandstone,  and  broken 
into  several  pieces  :  I  succeeded  in  extricating  the  whole  from 
the  rock,  and  in  reuniting  the  dissevered  parts,  so  as  to  demon- 
strate the  perfect  form  of  this  most  interesting  fossil.  It  is 
the  right  scapula,  and  is  13  inches  long,  5^  inches  wide  at 
the  humeral,  and  4  at  the  upper  or  spinal  extremity ;  like 
that  of  the  Crocodile,  it  is  slender,  flat,  and  slightly  arched  : 
at  the  humeral  end  it  is  thick,  and  expands  to  form  the  apo- 
physial  surface  that  united  with  the  coracoid,  and  the  outer 
half  of  the  glenoid  cavity  to  receive  the  head  of  the  humerus  . 
it  is  flat  and  thin  at  the  upper  or  distal  end.  This  bonei 
differs  essentially  from  the  scapula  of  the  Iguanas,  Monitors.  | 
&c.,  and  approximates  to  that  of  the  Crocodiles  and  Seines  : 
the  minute  scapula  of  the  Chameleons  presents  the  samej 
simple  characters. 

"  Upon  placing  this  Scapula  in  juxtaposition  with  the  Cora-<! 
coid  above  assigned  to  the  Iguanodon,  it  will  be  manifest  thai 
the  two  bones  must  have  belonged  to  the  same  scapulai, 
arch  •  as  is  shown  in  Lign,  58.  The  close  resemblance  be-  i 
tween  this  form  of  pectoral  arch  and  that  of  the  Hylseosaurus ! 
will  be  seen  at  a  glance  by  reference  to  the  latter.  The 
Scapula  of  the  Iguanodon  differs  from  that  of  the  Hylaeosaurus 
in  having  the  body  more  arched  and  slender,  and  the  neck 
more  contracted ;  and  in  the  absence  of  the  strong  acromial 
ridge  which  characterises  the  latter.  The  Coracoid  differs 
chiefly  in  its  greater  external  convexity,  and  inner  conca- 
vity, and  in  the  apophysial  scapular  surface  being  separated 


ROOM  III.  SCAPULA   OF   THE   IGUANODON.  285 

rom  the  glenoid  facet  by  a  deep  notch  for  the  passage  of 
ressels,  instead  of  having  a  simple  perforation  as  in  the 
lyleeosaurus.  In  both  these  reptiles,  however,  there  is  a 
general  analogy  in  the  structure  of  the  pectoral  arch." 1 

"  While  examining  the  above  Coracoid  and  Scapula  I  was 
reminded  of  the  fractured  portion  of  two  long  flat  bones  in 
;he  Maidstone  specimen,  (see  Lign.  65,)  which  had  hitherto 
emained  perfectly  unintelligible  ;  and  upon  repairing  to  the 
British  Museum,  the  analogy  between  these  mutilated  bones 
and  the  scapula  was  apparent,  but  it  required  much  careful 
jxamination  and  comparison  before  their  identity  could  be 
satisfactorily  determined.  The  fragments  in  the  Maidstone 
fossil  are,  I  think,  unquestionably  the  remains  of  the  left  and 
•ight  scapulae,  which  when  perfect  were  of  the  type  above 
lescribed. 

'  As  the  clavicles,  coracoids,  and  scapulae,  are  now  deter- 
mined, the  structure  of  the  ^pectoral  arch  of  the  Iguanodon 
may  be  regarded  as  established;  and  although  the  sternum 
is  at  prjesent  unknown,  and  the  relative  positions  of  the  several 
parts  can  only  be  conjectured,  I  have  ventured  to  attempt 
,he  restoration  of  this  important  part  of  the  skeleton." 2 

HUMERUS  OP  THE  IGUANODON. —  Wall-case  C,  lowest  com- 
partment on  the  right,  (ante,  p.  227.) — Although  numerous 
femora,  tibiae,  and  other  bones  of  the  hinder  extremities  were 
early  discovered  by  me  in  many  localities  in  Sussex,  and  the 
[sle  of  Wight,  no  certain  remains  of  the  fore-limbs,  except  the 
metacarpals,  were  recognised  until  the  summer  of  1848.  In 
the  "  Report  on  British  Fossil  Reptiles,"  Professor  Owen 3  sug- 

1  "  Phil os.  Trans."  1849,  p.  278. 

2  See  my  Memoir  communicated  to  the  Koyal  Society,  and  published 
JL  "  Philos.  Trans."  1849,  p.  279,  in  which  a  restored  figure  is  given  of 
rhe  pectoral  arch  of  the  Iguanodon. 

3  "  Humerus—  This  important  bone  has  not  been  hitherto  satis- 
'actorily  determined ;  it  differs  less  from  thf^kmur  in  form  in  Reptiles 
:ftan  in  Mammalia.     In  the  modern  Crocodile  the  chief  distinction  in 
ihe  form  of  the  humerus  is  the  ridge  at  the  l|»per  third  of  the  bone ;  in 
Lizards  this  distinction  is  almost  lost.     If  we  find  the  femur  of  the 
fguanodon  distinguished  from  that  of  all  other  reptiles  by  the  presence 
of  a  peculiar  process  from  the  inner  aide  of  the  bone,  there  are  not 
wanting  grounds  to  expect  that  the  humerus  may  present  a  similar 
cttaracter.     As  the  reasons  for  suspecting  that  some  of  the  large  bones, 
hitherto  uniformly  regarded  as  the  femora,  may  be  the  humeri  of  the 
Iguanodon,  will  best  appear  in  the  description  of  the  femur,  I  shall  now 


286 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 


gested  that  some  of  the  bones  in  the  British  Museum  which 
I  had  regarded  as  femora,  were  in  all  probability  humeri,  and 
the  observations  of  a  correspondent 
are  quoted  by  him  in  corroboration 
of  this  opinion ;  but  no  one  who 
had  given  due  attention  to  the  sub- 
ject, would  for  a  moment  admit 
the  validity  of  the  reasons  adduced 
by  the  Hunterian  Professor. 

The  question,  however,  is  now 
decided  by  the  discovery  of  a  bone 
in  the  Wealden  of  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  associated  with  other  re- 
mains of  the  Iguanodon,  which  is 
undoubtedly  a  humerus,  and  pos- 
sesses all  the  essential  characters  of 
the  principal  bone  of  the  anterior 
extremity  of  a  gigantic  saurian ; 
most  fortunately,  too,  it  can  be 
proved  to  belong  to  the  Iguanodon ; 
for  it  is  identical  with  a  well-pre- 
served, but  much  distorted  and 
smaller  bone,  in  the  Maidstone 
specimen,  which  is  figured  in  my 
Memoir  in  "Philos.  Trans."  1841,1 
with  the  remark  that  "  it  probably 
belongs  to  the  brachial  extremity ; 
it  is  imbedded  near  the  two  meta- 
carpals,  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  determine  its  character  satisfac- 
torily." The  relatively  very  small 
size  of  this  bone  appeared  to  me  an 
insuperable  objection  to  the  regard- 
ing it  as  a  humerus,  and  I  thought  it  more  probable  that  it 
belonged  to  the  fore-arm,  and  was  possibly  the  radius.  In  the 

proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  large  bones  with  which  the  femur  is 
articulated." — Prof.  Owen,  Brit  Assoc.  Reports,  p.  135. 

The  reader  will  perceive  how  completely  the  Hunterian  Professor  was 
at  fault ;  and  that  the  attempt  to  show  that  my  interpretation  of  the 
colossal  bones  in  the  Case  before  us  was  erroneous,  utterly  failed. 

i  «  Philos.  Trans."  PI.  VIII.  fig.  5. 


LIGN.  60. 

HUMERTJS  OF  THE  IGUANODOH  j 

POSTERIOR  ASPECT. 

(&  nat.  size.) 


ROOM   III.  HUMERUS   OF   THE   IGUAXODON.  287 

"  Reports  on  British  Fossil  Reptiles,"  Professor  Owen  states 
that  this  bone  corresponds  with  certain  bones  of  the  foot 
found  at  Horsham ; l  but  both  extremities  of  the  fossil  in 
question  entirely  differ  from  the  articulating  surfaces  of  all 
the  metacarpals  and  metatarsals  of  the  Iguanodon  that  have 
come  under  my  observation ;  a  comparison  with  the  humerus 
from  the  Isle  of  Wight  will  at  once  establish  its  true 
relations. 

This  bone  was  obtained  from  the  Wealden  deposits  on  the 
southern  shore  of  the  island,  by  Mr.  Fowlstone,  to  whom 
I  am  indebted  for  permission  to  have  a  cast  taken  of  it  :  it  is 
figured  in  Lign.  60.  It  is  perfect,  with  the  exception 
of  the  outer  tuberosity  of  the  head  ;  its  dimensions  are  as 
follow  : — 

Greatest  length '3    feet. 

Length  in  a  straight  line  from  the  inner  tubercle  of 

the  head  to  the  inner  condyle 31£  inches. 

From  the  outer  tubercle  of  the  head  to  the  external 

condyle 33        „ 

Circumference  of  the  head 23^      „ 

round  the  condyles 21£      „ 

Circumference  of  the  shaft  at  the  deltoid  crest    .     .  19£      „ 
one-third  from  the  dis- 
tal extremity 16^      ,, 

The  medullary  cavity  only  extends  to  within  one-third  of  the 
top  of  the  bone  ;  it  is  three  inches  in  diameter  :  the  greatest 
thickness  of  the  wall  of  the  shaft  is  one  inch. 

The  head  of  the  bone  presents  the  usual  posterior  pro- 
tuberance of  the  humerus  in  Lizards,  but  the  epiphysis  of  this, 
as  well  as  of  the  distal  extremity,  is  wanting,  as  is  the  ease 
in  all  the  long  bones  of  the  Wealden  reptiles.  At  about  three 
inches  from  the  top,  the  ridge  or  crest  for  the  insertion  of  the 
deltoid  muscle  is  considerably  developed,  and  extends  fifteen 
inches  down  the  shaft,  which  rapidly  contracts  below,  and 
finally  expands  to  form  the  condyloid  extremity.  The  ar- 
ticular face  of  the  latter  is  divided  into  two  nearly  equal  con- 
dyles ;  the  inner  or  ulnar  segment  is  traversed  by  an  anterior 
furrow,  which  is  more  strongly  marked  in  the  humerus  of  a 
younger  individual  in  my  cabinet ;  the  posterior  or  olecranal 

1  "  The  bone  of  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon  (marked  7  in  the  figure  above 
cited  in  the '  Wonders  of  Geology ')  corresponds  with  the  above  described 
bones  of  the  foot"— Professor  Owen.  "Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  p.  140. 


288  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

fossa  is  simple,  and  somewhat  deeper  than  the  anterior.  On 
the  whole,  the  aspect  of  this  humerus  more  closely  corresponds 
with  that  of  the  crocodiles  than  with  its  homologue  in  the 
ordinary  lizards. 

Thus,  after  the  lapse  of  fifteen  years,  two  important  ele- 
ments of  the  skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon  contained  in  the 
Maidstone  fossil  are  for  the  first  time  determined.  The 
small  size  of  the  humerus,  as  compared  with  that  of  the 
femur,  seemed  at  first  to  present  an  insuperable  objection, 
and  it  occasioned  Dr.  Melville  and  others  of  my  scientific 
friends  to  hesitate  ere  they  received  my  interpretation  of  a 
bone  which  had  so  long  proved  enigmatical ;  but  the  dif- 
ference is  not  greater  than  obtains  in  many  other  fossil 
saurians,1  as  well  as  in  recent  Lizards.  The  length  of  the 
Maidstone  humerus  is  about  twenty  inches ;  that  of  the  con- 
tiguous femur,  thirty-three  inches ;  but  as  the  latter  is  flat- 
tened and  extended  by  compression,  the  difference  is  probably 
not  more  than  one-third.  The  Isle  of  Wight  thigh-bone  is  three 
feet  long :  the  largest  specimen  I  have  seen  is  four  feet  eight 
inches  in  length  :  the  average  length  of  the  femur  in  the  adult 
may  be  estimated  at  four  feet  five  or  six  inches  :  the  humerus 
from  the  Isle  of  Wight  is,  therefore,  not  relatively  longer 
than  that  in  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon. 

I  have  lately  seen  a  fine  distal  extremity  of  a  humerus  of 
the  Iguanodon,  that  was  collected  from  the  cliffs  at  Hastings 
by  S.  H.  Beckles,  Esq.,  and  I  have  obtained  a  caudyloid 
extremity  of  a  humerus  one  third  larger  than  the  specimen  of 
which  a  cast  is  placed  in  Case  G. 

METACARPALS,  PHALANGE  ALS,  AND  UNGUALS. — Wall-case  C, 
right-hand  shelf  in  lowest  compartment — I  have  sought  in 
vain  for  some  certain  indication  of  the  bones  of  the  fore-arm ; 


1  "  C'est  un  fait  &  peu  pres  ge"ne"ral  que  les  membres  anterieurs  des 
reptiles  crocodiliens  et  lacertiens  sont  plus  courts  et  plus  faibles  que  les 
posterieurs ;  chez  quelques  especes  la  difference  est  treVprononcee.  Mais 
nos  reptiles  fossiles  des  environs  de  Caen  annoncent  une  disproportion 
beaucoup  plus  forte  encore  entre  ces  membres:  le  Poekilopleuron,  le 
Steneosaurus  de  Quilly,  les  Teleosaurus,  en  fournissent  la  preuve.  Ces 
derniers  surtout  avaient  les  membres  anterieurs  d'une  excessive  petitesse ; 
les  deux  paires  de  membres  difteraient  entre  elles  plus  peut-6tre  qu'elles 
ne  different  les  Gerbilles  et  les  Kangaroos." — DESLONGCHAMPS,  Memoir e 
sur  le  Pcekilopleuron  Bucklandii^.  81. 


ROOM  III.     METACARPALS  OF  THE  IGUANODON.         289 

but  with  the  supposed  radius  of  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon, 
I  lost  the  sole  relic  that  could  reasonably  be  referred  to 
that  member  of  the  anterior  extremity.  The  only  specimens 
in  the  Museum  that  appear  to  belong  to  the  fore-arm  of  the 
Iguanodon,  are  the  two  small  subcylindrical  bones  of  a  jet 
black  colour,  that  are  affixed  to  the  left  hand  side  of  Case  C, 
above  the  middle  shelf.  These  were  dug  up  from  a  bed  of 
weald  clay  near  Eusper  in  the  west  of  Sussex,  with  many 
bones  of  a  young  Iguanodon ;  I  have  a  beautiful  femur,  14 
inches  long,  that  was  found  with  them.  These  fossils  are, 
however,  too  imperfect  to  admit  of  satisfactory  interpretation, 
till  some  clue  is  obtained  as  to  their  nature  from  more  in- 
structive specimens. 

Metacarpals. — I  have  not  seen  any  bones  that  could  be 
ascribed  to  the  carpus ;  but  of  metacarpals  several  have  been 
found,  which  are  unquestionably  referable  to  the  Iguanodon. 
The  two  fine  metacarpals  in  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon  (Lign. 
65,  No.  6)  appear  to  me  decisive  on  this  point ;  an  outline 
of  one  of  these  is  given  in  Lign.  63,  fig.  4.  These  bones  lie 
in  close  contact,  and  though  somewhat  distorted  by  com- 
pression (as  are  all  the  bones  in  that  specimen),  still  their 
characters  are  well  defined.  A  transverse*  section  of  one  of 
them  is  shown,  Lign.  63,  fig.  4,  a  ;  in  chiselling  away  the  sur- 
rounding stone,  one  of  these  metacarpals  broke  transversely, 
and  became  detached,  and  a  drawing  was  made  before  it  was 
replaced  and  cemented  in  its  original  situation. 

When  I  had  ascertained  that  the  supposed  radius  was  the 
humerus,  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  two  bdnes  in  question 
might  be  the  radius  and  ulna;  but  upon  repairing  to  the 
Museum,  and  examining  the  specimen  anew,  I  found  that 
my  original  interpretation  was  the  true  one;  as  the  intelli- 
gent visitor  may  convince  himself  by  a  careful  inspection,  for 
the  extremities  of  both  bones  are  exactly  alike.  The  proximal 
ends,  which  are  distinctly  visible  on  the  side  of  the  block  of 
stone  in  which  they  are  imbedded,  are  in  close  contact,  and " 
both  present  the  same  form ;  there  is  not  the  slightest  differ- 
ence between  them ;  they  closely  resemble  those  of  the 
metatarsals :  that  is,  they  are  compressed  laterally,  are  higher 
than  wide,  and  have  a  nearly  flat  articular  surface.  The 
shafts  are  subcylindrical,  long,  and  slender,  and  the  distal 
ends  form  two  well-marked  trochlear  articulations.  If  they 

u 


290  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

were  the  bones  of  the  fore-arm  (as  Professor  Owen  presumes 
them  to  be  *),  the  ulna  would  be  characterised  by  its  ole- 
cranon  or  large  proximal  end,  and  the  radius  by  its  carpal 
extremity;  but  the  proximal  as  well  as  the  distal  ends  of  the 
two  bones  are  in  every  respect  similar  to  each  other,  and 
present  the  usual  characters  of  metacarpals. 

A  slender  phalangeal  bone,  imbedded  in  another  part  of 
the  Maidstone  specimen  (Lign.  63,  fig.  5),  is  probably  one  of 
the  second  series  of  the  fore-foot. 

In  Wall-case  C,  there  is  a  group  of  four  metacarpals,  or 
metatarsals,  of  a  saurian,  which  differ  from  the  known  cor- 
responding bones  of  the  Iguanodon,  and  may  probably  belong- 
to  another  species  or  perhaps  genus.  These  bones  are  re- 
spectively 8  inches,  7J  inches,  6J  inches,  and  3|  inches  in 
length. 

Ungual  Bones  of  the  Fore-foot  ? —  Wall-case  C,  loivest  com- 
partment.— In  Lign.  63,  Jig.  7,  is  a  reduced  outline  of  a 
compressed,  hook-shaped,  ungual  bone,  with  curved  lateral 
grooves,  which  closely  resembles  the  claw-bone  of  the 
Iguana ;  it  is  figured  and  described  in  my  "  Geology  of 
the  S.  E.  of  England  "  (PL  III.  fig.  1),  as  probably  the  nail- 
bone  of  the  fore-foot  of  the  Iguanodon,  but  of  course  upon 
no  other  grounds  than  its  presumed  analogy;  this  specimen 
was  seen  by  Baron  Cuvier,  who  concurred  in  the  probability 
of  the  conjecture. 

There  are  two  specimens  of  this  kind  in  the  Case  before 
us.  The  largest  has  the  distal  extremity  destroyed :  if 
perfect,  it  would  be  four  inches  in  length;  the  vertical  dia- 
meter of  the  articular  end  is  2|  inches,  and  the  transverse 
but  little  exceeds  an  inch ;  proportions  altogether  different 
from  those  of  the  unguals  of  the  hind  foot.  Whether,  as  the 
relatively  slight  humerus,  and  the  elongated  metacarpal 
bones  and  phalarigeals  seem  to  indicate,  the  fore  limbs  of  the 
Iguanodon  were  long  and  slender,  and  the  toes  armed  with 
curved  claws  as  in  the  Iguana — an  inference  which  appears  to 


i  Pcdceontograpkical  Monograph,  1851. — "  The  radius  and  ulna  lie 
with  their  proximal  ends  next  the  right  hand  upper  corner  of  the  slab 
of  the  Maidstone  specimen,  the  latter  being  distinguished  by  its  pro- 
minent olecranon,  which  is  rounded  as  in  the  great  Monitor  ( Varanus 
.  112. 


ROOM  III.       HINDER  EXTREMITIES  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  291 

ine  highly  probable — is  a  question  that  cannot  be  determined 
until  the  bones  of  the  anterior  extremity  are  found,  either 
in  juxtaposition,  or  collocated  in  such  manner  as  to  demon- 
strate their  natural  relations  and  connexions. 

HINDER  EXTREMITIES  OF  THE  IGUANODON. —  Wall-case  C. — 
Several  specimens  of  the  femur  or  thigh-bone,  and  of  the 
tibia  and  fibula  or  leg-bones,  and  of  the  metatarsal,  phalan- 
geal,  and  ungual  bones  of  the  hind  feet,  have  from  time  to 
time  been  obtained  from  various  localities.  The  first  indica- 
tion of  the  colossal  magnitude  of  the  reptiles  whose  teeth 
and  bones  were  imbedded  in  the  Wealden  deposits,  was  the 
fragment  of  a  thigh-bone,  consisting  of  a  portion  of  the 
middle  of  the  shaft,  which  is  of  a  quadrangular  form;  and 
this  was  so  stupendous,  shapeless,  and  unintelligible,  that 
many  years  elapsed  before  I  could  ascertain  to  what  part  of 
the  skeleton  it  belonged.  This  first  discovered  specimen  is 
figured  in  «  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PL  XVIII. 

It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  a  fragment  of  a  thigh- 
bone may  be  obtained  from  a  quarry,  and  after  an  interval 
of  some  weeks,  the  corresponding  portions  be  exhumed. 
This  was  remarkably  exemplified  in  the  first  specimen  which 
revealed  to  me  the  peculiar  characters  of  the  femur  of  the 
Iguanodon.  The  distal,  or  condyloid  extremity  of  a  gigantic 
femur,  firmly  impacted  in  a  block  of  Tilgate-grit,  was  found 
in  the  quarry  at  Cuckfield  :  as  the  fracture  was  evidently 
recent,  I  requested  the  quarry-men  to  make  diligent  search 
for  the  corresponding  portion,  but  without  success.  Several 
months  afterwards,  upon  a  fresh  explosion  of  the  rock,  the 
head  of  a  large  bone  was  found  loose  among  the  fallen 
mass ;  but  there  were  no  indications  that  it  belonged  to  the 
specimen  previously  found,  and  it  was  regarded  as  another 
relic  of  some  one  of  the  colossal  animals  whose  bones  are 
distributed  in  the  Wealden  deposits.  Teeth,  fragments  of 
bones,  and  other  fossils,  were  from  time  to  time  obtained 
from  the  same  quarry,  and  at  length  a  huge  quadrangular 
mass  of  bone,  similar  to  the  portion  that  had  so  long  been 
in  my  possession,  and  had  defied  all  attempts  to  ascertain 
its  character.  It  was  some  time  before  it  occurred  to  me, 
that  these  three  pieces  of  colossal  bone  might  belong  to 
the  same  specimen ;  but  eventually  they  were  found  to 
correspond,  and  upon  cementing  them  together,  the  femur 


292 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 


LlGN.   61. 

LEFT  FEMUR  OF  THE  IGUANODON; 

ANTERIOR  ASPECT. 

(^  nat.  size.) 

a.  Outer  trochanter. 

b.  Median  trochanter. 

c.  Inner  condyle. 

d.  Outer  condyle 

e.  Anterior  intfa-condyloid 

fissure. 
/.  The  head  of  the  femur. 


of  the  Iguanodon  was,  for  the  first 
time,  developed. 

In  the  Case  before  us,  there  are 
several  splendid  specimens  of  this 
gigantic  member  of  the  skeleton 
of  the  Iguanodon — some  of  pro- 
digious magnitude  ;  others  that 
must  have  belonged  to  reptiles 
but  recently  hatched,  or  else  to  a 
very  diminutive  species  of  the 
same  genus:  the  former  is  the 
most  probable  conclusion. 

FEMUR  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — 
Wall-case  C  (ante,  p.  227).— The 
femur  of  the  Iguanodon  is  remark- 
able from  the  combination  of 
mammalian  characters  which  it 
presents  in  its  well-marked  head 
and  neck,  trochanters,  condyles, 
and  medullary  cavity.  The  head 
(Lign.  61,/.)  is  hemispherical,  and 
projects  inwards  over  the  shaft,  as 
in  the  mammalia ;  there  is  no 
appearance  of  a  ligamentum  teres. 
A  flattened  lateral  process  or  tro- 
chanter (a)  forms  an  external 
buttress  or  boundary  to  the  neck 
of  the  bone,  from  which  it  is  sepa- 
rated by  a  deep,  narrow,  vertical 
fissure. 

The  shaft  of  the  bone  is  sub- 
quadrangular  ;  a  slightly  elevated 
ridge,  produced  by  the  union  of 
two  broad,  flat,  longitudinal  sur- 
faces, indicating  the  attachment  of 
powerful  muscles,  extends  down 
the  middle  of  the  anterior  face, 
and  diverging  towards  the  inner 
condyle,  gradually  disappears. 
The  shaft  terminates  below,  in 
two  large,  rounded,  laterally-com- 


ROOM  III.         TIBIA  AND  FIBULA  OF  THE  IGUANODON. 


293 


pressed  condyles  (c,  d),  which  are   separated  in  front  and 
behind  by  a  deep  furrow  (e). 

Near  the  middle  of  the  shaft, 
the  mesial  or  inner  edge  forms 
a  compressed  ridge,  which  extends 
into  an  angular  median  projec- 
tion or  trochanter  (6). 

Thus  the  upper  part  of  the 
femur  may  be  recognised  by  the 
presence  of  the  outer  trochanter 
(a)  •  and  if  that  be  absent,  by  the 
fractured  surface  indicating  the 
position  it  occupied.  If  a  frag- 
ment of  the  middle  part  of  the 
shaft  only  is  found,  the  flattened 
angular  spaces,  and  the  sub-me- 
dian trochanter  (6),  or  the  mark 
of  its  attachment,  will  identify  it. 
The  lower  end  may  be  known  by 
the  deep  grooves  between  the  con- 
dyles both  in  front  and  behind. 

The  medullary  cavity  is  very- 
large,  and  generally  filled  with 
sandstone :  it  is  sometimes  occu- 
pied by  white  calcareous  spar, 
spangled  with  golden  pyrites. 

TIBIA  AND  FIBULA. —  Wall-case 
C.  (ante,  p.  227).— The  bones  of  the 
leg,  though  presenting  deviations 
from  those  of  the  Iguana,  mani- 
fest a  close  affinity  to  the  lacer- 
tian  type.  4 

The  head  of  the  tibia,  is  subtri- 
angular,  and  slightly  excavated  to  receive  the  condyloid 
extremity  of  the  femur.  The  shaft  is  subcylindrical,  and 
very  strong,  with  a  large  medullary  cavity ;  its  distal  end  is 
transversely  oblong  and  very  thick,  and  terminates  on  the 
inner  aspect  in  a  strong  buttress. 

The  iihula  is  a  long  slender  bone,  with  a  subcylindrical 
shaft,  widest  in  its  antero-posterior  diameter ;  it  is  flattened 
on  the  tibial  aspect,  and  terminates  above  in  a  laterally  com- 
pressed head,  which  is  in  close  apposition  to  the  tibia  \  its 


LIGN.  62. 

1.  FIBULA;  2,  TIBIA, OF  THE 
IGUANODON. 
(JL  not.  tize.) 


294  PETRIFACTIONS  AND  THEIR  TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

distal  extremity  is  thick  and  broad.  This  bone  almost  equals 
the  tibia  in  length  ;  the  figure,  Lign.  62,  1.  is  somewhat  too 
short  in  proportion  to  the  corresponding  tibia. 

Bones  of  the  thigh  and  leg  of  Iguanodon,  in  Wall-case  C 
(ante,  p.  227). — The  fragment  of  an  enormous  thigh-bone  on 
the  uppermost  shelf;  this  is  the  first  specimen  discovered, 
and  is  figured  in  my  "Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PL  XVIII. 

Femur,  tibia,  fibula,  and  two  metatarsals  of  a  young 
Iguanodon.  These  were  found  near  each  other,  imbedded  in 
a  block  of  sandstone,  and  evidently  belonged  to  the  same 
individual.  This  is  a  most  valuable  series,  because  it  affords 
data  for  determining  the  relative  length  and  size  of  the  thigh, 
leg,  and  foot. 

A  fine  shaft  of  a  femur ;  marked  No.  4. 

Part  of  the  femur,  the  tibia  and  fibula  of  the  same  indivi- 
dual. These  massive  bones  were  exhumed  from  a  bed  of 
clay,  and  were  lying  close  to  each  other ;  they  are  evidently 
the  bones  of  the  same  individual ;  the  femur  is  labelled 
No.  2 ;  it  is  on  the  right  extremity  of  the  shelf ;  the  tibia 
and  fibula  are  on  the  extreme  left ;  but  by  the  aid  of  the 
table  (ante,  p.  227),  they  may  be  readily  identified. 

Femur,  marked  No.  3.  This  is  a  remarkably  fine  and 
nearly  perfect  femur. 

The  largest  and  most  perfect  femur  of  the  Iguanodon  in 
the  Museum  (labelled  No  1).  It  was  dug  up  from  the  Weald 
clay  at  Loxwood,  to  the  west  of  Horsham,  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  shaft,  was  broken  into  numerous  pieces  in 
extracting  it.  The  shaft  is  figured  in  Sir  Roderick  Mur- 
chison's  Memoir  on  Western  Sussex ;  the  first  contribution  of 
that  distinguished  geologist  to  the  science  he  has  so  greatly 
advanced  by  his  genius  and  indomitable  perseverance  and 
activity.  It  was  many  years  in  the  state  in%vliich  it  is  there 
represented  ;  but  at  length  my  warm  and  generous  friend, 
the  late  Earl  of  Egremont,  obtained  it  for  me,  together  with 
all  the  fragments,  and  many  other  bones  that  were  exhumed 
at  the  same  time  by  J.  King,  Esq. ;  and  I  succeeded  in  re- 
pairing the  bone  as  it  now  appears.  The  form  of  the  head, 
condyles,  and  the  two  characteristic  trochanters,  are  well 
displayed. 

Femur,  marked  No.  5. — This  is  a  fine  specimen,  though 
the  condyloid  end  is  crushed.  It  was  from  the  ferruginous 
sandstone  of  Cuckfield. 


P.OOM  III.  METATARSALS   OF   THE   IGUANODON.  295 

It  is  the  thigh  bones,  marked  Nos.  4  and  5,  which  Pro- 
fessor Owen  observes  "  we  might  conclude  to  be  humeri" — 
("  Brit.  Rep."  p.  137.)  And  in  the  next  page  he  describes 
a  bone  (an  undoubted  femur)  that  corresponds  "  in  form 
with  the  bones  Nos.  4  and  5  of  the  Mantellian  Collection." 
Professor  Owen  then  observes — "  As  the  absence  of  the  deep 
fissure  between  the  condyles  of  the  femur  is  repeated  in  the 
humerus  of  the  Iguana,  so  may  its  presence  be  repeated  in  the 
humerus  of  the  Iguanodon"  p.  138.  The  remarks  of  a  cor- 
respondent, Mr.  Holmes,  are  then  inserted  to  "  support  the 
view  I  had  taken  of  their  nature."  (See  note  to  p.  286.) 

On  the  narrow  front  shelf  (ante,  p.  227,)  there  is  a  femur  of 
a  very  young  Iguanodon,  but  nine  inches  in  length. 

BOXES  OF  THE  HIND  FEET  ;  metotarsals,  phalangeals,  and 
unguals.  The  bones  composing  the  hind  foot  of  the  Iguano- 
don, have  already  been  alluded  to,  as  presenting  in  their 
massive  proportions  the  characters  of  mammalian  rather  than 
of  reptilian  metatarsals.  No  specimens  have  come  under  my 
notice  that  could  with  certainty  be  assigned  to  the  tarsus. 
I  have  some  very  massive  and  solid  bones  of  a  cuboidal  form, 
but  much  waterworn,  that  were  collected  from  the  shore  at 
Sandown  Bay,  whence  the  gigantic  phalangeal,  figured  by  Dr. 
Buckland  in  "  Geol.  Trans.,"  was  obtained ;  and  these  speci- 
mens may  possibly  belong  to  the  tarsus  of  the  Iguanodon. 

Metatarsals. —  Wall-case  C,  lower  shelf.  —  A  considerable 
number  of  metatarsals  belonging  to  animals  of  various  ages 
and  magnitude  have  been  collected  ;  and  there  are  some  fine 
specimens  in  the  Case  before  us.  They  are  easily  recognised 
by  their  peculiar  form,  as  shown  in  Lign.  63,  fig.  8. 

The  proximal  extremity  is  very  much  compressed  laterally, 
the  vertical  diameter  being  thrice  that  of  the  transverse ;  the 
articular  surface  is  almost  flat.  The  bone  is  contracted  in  the 
middle,  and  forms  at  the  distal  end  a  bold  trochlear  articulation 
divided  by  a  vertical  depression. 

The  large  metatarsal  on  this  shelf  is  figured  in  "  Fossils  of 
Tilgate  Forest,"  PL  XV.  fig.  8 ;  it  has  the  following  propor- 
tions :  — 

Length 10  inches. 

Proximal  end ;  vertical  diameter    ...     7 

transverse  diameter      .    .     2| 

Distal  end ;  vertical  diameter     ....     4^ 
transverse  diameter     ...    3^ 


296 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 


The  proximal  articular  surface  is  nearly  flat ;  the  distal  end 
that  unites  with  the  first  phalangeal  is  a  bold  trochlear 
articulation. 


LIGN.  63.— BONES  OF  THE  FEET  OF  THE  IGUANODON,  AND  MEGALOSAURUS. 
( Wealden.     Tilgate  Forest. ) 

Fig.  1.  Metatarsal  of  Iguanodon  :  upper  surface ;  original  six  inches  long. 

2.  Metacarpal  bone  of  Megalosaurus. 

3.  Under  surface  of  fig.  1. 

4.  A  metacarpal  bone  of  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon;  the  original  14  in.  long. 
4a.  A  transverse  section  of  the  same,  showing  the  medullary  cavity. 

5.  One  of  the  first  or  second  phalangeal  bones  of  the  fore-foot. 

6.  View  from  above  of  a  claw-bone  of  one  of  the  hind-toes;  -J-  nat.  size. 

7.  Profile  of  claw-bone  of  fore-foot:  -J-  nat.  size. 

8.  Metatarsal,  £  nat .  size. 

a.  Denotes  the  proximal  articulation. 

b.  The  distal  extremity. 

Phalangeals. — The  first  phalangeals  that  articulate  with 
the  metatarsals  are  less  arched,  and  the  extremities  are  more 
equal,  than  in  the  preceding  bones. 

The  second  and  third  phalangeals  are  more  subcylindrical ; 
the  ungual  phalanx  exceeds  the  length  of  the  latter,  in  the 
only  connected  series  I  have  met  with. 

In  the  Maidstone  specimen  there  are  several  metatarsals, 
phalangeals,  and  unguals  of  the  hind-feet,  of  which  I  shall 
treat  more  particularly.  But  I  would  here  direct  attention 


ROOM  III.  HIND  FEET  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  297 

to  two  phalangeals  in  this  Case  (the  one  is  a  cast  of  a  bone 
in  the  Maidstone  fossil),  which  are  remarkably  abbreviated  ; 
these  are  probably  median  phalanges,  but  their  position  in 
the  series  is  not  shown  in  any  specimen  that  has  come  under 
my  notice. 

Unguals,  or  distal  phalangeals.  —  Wall-case  C,  Lowermost 
compartment. — The  ungual  bones,  or  those  which  constituted 
the  nail  or  claw,  and  were  covered  by  a  horny  integument, 
are  very  large,  depressed,  and  broad  above,  with  two  deep 
curved  lateral  grooves  with  rounded  margins,  which  are 
often  impressed  with  vascular  furrows.  The  proximal  end 
has  a  transverse,  irregularly  elliptical,  shallow  depression,  for 
articulation  with  the  penultimate  phalangeal.  Lign.  63,  fig.  6, 
is  the  outline  of  an  ungual  bone  of  the  hind  foot  from  the 
Maidstone  specimen,  and  shows  the  broad  margins  sepa- 
rated from  the  median  convexity  by  the  deep  vascular 
lateral  furrows. 

There  is  considerable  variation  in  the  convexity  of  the  un- 
gual bones,  and  in  its  direction ;  in  some  instances,  it  is 
nearly  straight,  and  the  lateral  lobes  are  symmetrical ;  other 
examples  are  twisted  obliquely  outwards,  and  the  furrows 
are  partially  obliterated.  These  differences,  doubtless,  have 
relation  to  the  respective  toes  to  which  these  phalanges 
belonged.  The  straight  unguals  are  probably  those  of  the 
middle  toes;  those  with  the  oblique  outward  curve  may  have 
belonged  to  the  outer  or  inner  toes.  The  largest  specimens  of 
the  ungual  bones  I  have  seen  are  five  inches  in  length,  three 
in  breadth,  and  two  in  height  at  the  proximal  end. 

The  following  are  the  respective  lengths  of  a  consecutive 
series  of  phalangeals  in  the  collection  of  S.  H.  Beckles,  Esq. : — 

Metatarsal 8  inches. 

Proximal  phalangeal    ....  4^ 

Second  phalangeal 3£ 

Ungual,  or  distal  phalangeal      .  5 

On  the  shelf  in  the  lowest  compartment  of  this  Case,  there 
is  a  fine  ungual  bone,  4J  inches  in  length,  from  Tilgate 
Forest,  (No.  384,)  with  the  characteristic  lateral  furrows  ;  this 
specimen  was  imbedded  in  a  block  of  the  most  compact  Til- 
gate  grit,  and  was  extracted  with  great  difficulty :  hence  the 
roughness  of  the  surface  occasioned  by  the  chisel  in  clearing 
the  bone  from  its  matrix. 


298  PETEIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

HORN  OR  DERMAL  TUBERCLE  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — Wall- 
case  C,  (on  the  narrow  front  ledge,  ante,  p.  227.) — Allusion  has 
been  made  in  an  early  page  of  this  chapter  to  a  fossil  ob- 
tained from  the  quarry  at  Cuckfield,  soon  after  my  discovery 
of  the  teeth  of  the  Iguanodon,  which  some  of  my  scientific 
friends  supposed  to  be  the  lesser  horn  of  a  Rhinoceros.  This 
very  curious  relic  was  figured  and  described  in  1827,  in  my 
"Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest"  (PL  III.  fig.  5),  as  the  frontal 
tubercle  or  Horn  of  the  Iguanodon;  Mr.  Pentland,  the  emi- 
nent naturalist,  having  first  suggested  its  true  nature. 

In  the  "  Geology  of  the  S.  E.  of  England,"  (published  in 
1833,)  this  specimen  was  again  figured  and  described,  its 
dermal  character  having  been  confirmed  by  Baron  Cuvier,  to 
whom  I  showed  it  on  his  visit  to  London.1  This  interesting 
fossil  is  placed  on  the  front  ledge  of  Case  C.  Two  or  three 
dermal  bones  of  this  kind  have  since  been  found;  and  I  have 
a  series  of  three  conical  tubercles  of  a  similar  character  im- 
planted in  a  coarse  osseous  substance,  which  closely  resemble, 
on  a  gigantic  scale,  the  dermal  spines  on  the  back  of  the 
well-known  Australian  lizard,  termed  the  "  Moloch." 

This  fossil  is  of  a  conical  form,  slightly  bent,  with  an  obtuse 
apex.  It  is  4  inches  high ;  and  the  base,  which  is  of  an  irre- 
gular elliptical  form,  and  slightly  excavated,  like  the  corre- 
sponding part  of  the  dermal  spine  of  the  Hylseosaurus,  is 
3.2  inches  in  the  largest  diameter,  and  2.1  inches  in  the 
shortest.  (Lign.  67,  jig.  2.)  Its  structure  presents  that  pecu- 
liar disposition  of  the  osseous  fibres  which  is  observable 
in  the  dermal  bones  of  certain  reptiles ;  the  surface  is  dis- 

,  1  "  Among  the  recent  genera  of  lizards  the  Iguanas  are  distinguished 
by  their  exuberant  dermal  appendages  ;  many  of  the  species  have  enor- 
mous serrated  processes  on  the  back ;  others  on  the  tail  and  guttural 
pouch,  while  some  have  warts  or  horny  protuberances  on  the  head.  These, 
however,  are  so  small, — the  horn  in  the  most  favoured  species,  Iguana, 
cornuta,  being  scarcely  a  quarter  of  an  inch  high  in  an  animal  five  feet 
long, — that  no  one  could  have  imagined  the  corresponding  part  of  an 
extinct  reptile  would  have  been  preserved  in  a  fossil  state.  This  relic 
is  of  so  extraordinary  a  nature,  that  although  it  has  been  noticed  in  my 
former  work,  I  am  anxious  to  dwell  on  it  in  this  place,  that  I  may  in- 
troduce the  remarks  of  M.  Cuvier,  by  whom  it  was  examined  during 
his  last  visit  to  London,  and  at  whose  suggestion  a  more  accurate 
representation  is  here  given,  than  that  in  the  '  Fossils  of  Tilgate 
Forest.' " — "  Geology  of  the  S.  E.  of  England,"  p.  312.  1  vol.  8vo, 
1833. 


ROOM  III.         HORN  OF  THE  IGUANODON.  299 

tiuctly  impressed  by  the  vessels  of  the  integument  by  which 
it  was  originally  covered. 

There  is  no  evidence  to  prove  that  this  bone  belonged  to 
the  Iguanodon,  but  that  it  is  a  dermal  tubercle  there  cannot 
be  any  reasonable  doubt;  and  as  it  closely  resembles  the 
frontal  horn  of  the  Iguana  cornuta,  it  is  highly  probable 
it  was  such  an  appendage:  or  it  may  have  been  one  of  a 
series  extending  down  the  back.  In  the  present  state  of  our 
knowledge,  we  are  warranted  in  retaining  the  name  sanctioned 
by  the  illustrious  Cuvier.1 

Dimensions  of  the  Hinder  Limbs  of  the  Iguanodon. — Al- 
though the  prodigious  size  of  the  hind  limbs  of  the  herbi- 
vorous reptile  of  the  Wealden  is  sufficiently  apparent  from 
the  single  bones  deposited  in  the  British  Museum,  and  de- 
scribed in  the  preceding  pages,  yet  with  the  view  of  convey- 
ing to  the  reader  a  just  idea  of  the  stupendous  proportions 
of  this  part  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon,  I  will  offer  a  few 
remarks  on  some  enormous  bones,  which  have  been  collected 
from  the  Wealden  deposits  of  Tilgate  Forest  and  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  in  the  course  of  the  last  few  years,  and  which  are  either 
in  my  own  possession,  or  in  the  collections  of  my  friends. 

"  In  the  course  of  last  autumn  I  procured  from  the  cliffs 
near  Brook  Point, — a  locality  well  known  to  the  British  geo- 
logist from  the  fossil  forest  exposed  at  its  base,2 — portions  of 
two  corresponding  femora,  tibiae,  and  several  vertebrae,  frag- 
ments of  ribs,  &c.  of  Iguanodons.  The  most  entire  bone  is 
the  left  femur ;  it  consists  of  the  shaft  from  above  the  popli- 
teal space  to  the  root  of  the  outer  trochanter :  the  head  and 
condyles  are  both  wanting;  the  inner  trochanter  remains: 
the  length  of  this  fossil  is  3  feet;  circumference  of  the  shaft 

1  After  the  lapse  of  eighteen  years,  the  Hunterian  Professor,  it  would 
seem,  has  discovered  that  this  "horn"  is  an  ungual  bone:  for,  alluding 
to  a  bone  of  the  Mosasaurus,  Professor  Owen  remarks : — "  The  phalanx 
in  question  much  resembles  that  in  the  British  Museum  (No.  384  Man- 
tellian  Collect.),  which  has  bee^i  described  as  the  '  Horn  of  the  Iguano- 
don.'"— ("Fossil  Keptilia  of  the  Cretaceous  Formations,"  1851,  p.  36.) 
I  have  again  carefully  examined  three  of  these  bones,  and  may  remark, 
that  in  addition  to  the  reasons  assigned  in  the  text,  the  absence  of 
lateral  furrows  in  the  dermal  horns  or  spines,  and  the  constant  presence 
of  such  vascular  grooves  in  every  reptilian  ungual  phalanx  hitherto  found 
in  the  Wealden,  and  the  form  of  the  base,  substantiate  my  opinion. 

2  "  See  my  «  Geological  Excursions  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,'  p.  277." 


300  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

27  inches.  The  greatest  thickness  of  the  wall  of  the  shaft 
is  2  inches;  the  diameter  of  the  medullary  cavity  5  inches 
by  3.  In  all  the  femora  which  I  have  examined,  the  medul- 
lary canal  extends  from  above  the  condyles  to  within  one- 
third  of  the  top  of  the  bone.1  Of  the  right  femur,  which 
from  its  correspondence  in  size  is  probably  referable  to  the 
same  individual  as  the  left,  two  large  portions  of  the  shaft 
were  alone  obtained.  Now,  if  we  take  as  a  scale  of  propor- 
tions the  large  femur  in  the  Walkcase  0,  the  bone  above 
described,  if  perfect,  would  be  of  the  following  dimensions : — 

Total  length 4  feet  8  inches. 

Circumference  of  the  head  exclusive  of  the  outer 

.    v      trochanter 3        2 

the  shaft  at   the  base  of  the 

middle  trochanter 2        1 

the  distal  end  round  the  condyles  3        6 


"  A  tibia  found  with  the  above,  consists  of  about  two-thirds 
of  the  shaft,  with  the  distal  or  tarsal  extremity  nearly  entire ; 
it  measures  as  follows : — 

"  Length  along  the  middle  of  the  shaft 27  inches. 

Length  to  the  distal  inner  process 32 

Circumference  of  the  distal  or  tarsal  end    ....     25 

middle  of  the  shaft  ....     18 

upper  part 20£ 

Probable  length  of  this  tibia  when  perfect,  4  feet. 

"  A  fragment  of  the  shaft  of  another  tibia  is  23  inches  in 
circumference ;  and  the  distal  end  of  one  from  Sandown  Bay 
27  inches. 

"As  a  contrast  to  these  gigantic  remains,  bones  of  the 
extremity  occasionally  occur  so  small,  yet  so  compact,  as  to 
suggest  the  probability  that  they  may  belong  to  distinct 
species;  but  at  present  I  have  not  been  able  to  detect  other 
characters  which  would  warrant  such  an  inference.  A  left 
femur  in  my  possession,  from  Rusper  in  Sussex,  is  14  J  inches 

1  "  In  this  enormous  bone  the  interna.1  structure  is  beautifully  pre- 
served ;  sections  properly  prepared  exhibit  the  peculiar  form  and  pro- 
portions which  Mr.  Bowerbank  considers  to  be  characteristic  of  the 
reptilian  type.  That  eminent  microscopic  observer  has  kindly  favoured 
me  with  his  measurements  of  the  bone-cells  in  portions  of  this  femur. 
The  general  average  of  the  proportions  of  the  length  and  diameter  of 
the  cells  is  as  one  to  eleven ;  the  length  being  -^^  and  the  diameter 
th  of  an  inch." 


ROOM  III.     HINDER  LIMBS  OF  THE  IGUANODON.         301 

long;  the  circumference  of  the  shaft  6  inches:  this,  there- 
fore, is  but  one-fourth  the  size  of  the  specimen  from  Brook. 
The  lower  portion  of  another  thigh-bone,  which  in  the  cha- 
racters of  its  condyloid  extremity  entirely  agrees  with  all  the 
recognised  femora  of  the  Iguanodon,  is  but  3J  inches  in  cir- 
cumference round  the  condyles,  and  but  2J  round  the  shaft 
immediately  above  them;  the  total  length  of  this  femur, 
when  entire,  could  not  have  exceeded  4J  inches. 

"  In  general  the  circumference  of  the  shaft  of  the  thigh- 
bone immediately  below  the  base  of  the  inner  trochanter,  is 
nearly  equal  to  half  the  length  of  the  entire  bone;  for  ex- 
ample, the  large  right  femur  from  Loxwood,  (No.  1,)  which 
is  3  feet  8  inches  long,  is  21  inches  round  the  shaft.  But 
there  are  exceptions  to  these  proportions ;  thus,  a  femur  from 
Brook  Point,  presented  by  me  to  the  Hunterian  Museum  of 
the  Koyal  College  of  Surgeons,  is  relatively  shorter,  for  it  is 
only  3i  feet  long,  while  the  circumference  of  the  shaft  is  24 
inches.  The  thigh-bone  of  the  Maidstone  fossil  is  of  more 
slender  proportions. 

"  The  tibia  is  about  one-tenth  shorter  than  the  correspond- 
ing femur ;  and  the  fibula  somewhat  shorter  than  the  tibia. 

"  With  the  view  of  affording  a  general  idea  of  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  known  parts  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon 
to  which  the  largest  femur  in  my  possession  belonged,  the 
following  list,  calculated  from  the  average  size  of  numerous 
specimens,  is  subjoined.  The  length  of  the  corresponding 
bones  in  the  Maidstone  fossil  is  added  for  comparison : — 

Isle  of'wiffht          Maidstone  Iguanodon. 
"  Femur,  length  of  ....     4  feet  8  inches.        2  feet  9  inches. 

Tibia 4         1  2         6 

Fibula 3         8 

Humerus 3         2 


Clavicle 3  8 

Scapula 3  4 

Metacarpals 2  0 

Ilium 3  10 

Metalarsals 2  0 


1  8 

2  4 
2  1 

1  2 

2  6 
1  2 


8}  " 


Ungual  bones 5f 

THE  MAIDSTONE  IGUANODON. — Case  23. — (See  Plan  of  Room 
III.  ante,  p.  139.)— The  fine  old.  town  of  Maidstone,  in  Kent, 

1  From  a  "  Memoir  on  the  Osteology  of  the  Ignanodon  and  Hylaeo- 
saurus-,"  published  in  the  "Philos.  Trans."  for  1849,  pp.  282,  283. 


302  PETKIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

is  situated  on  the  gentle  slope  of  a  valley  of  Greensand, 
through  which  the  river  Medway  winds  its  way  to  "  The 
Nore,"  and  flows  into  the  British  Channel.  The  country 
around  is  deeply  covered  by  diluvial  clay  and  loam,  in  which 
teeth  and  bones  of  species  of  Elephant,  Horse,  Ox,  and  other 
pachyderms,  are  occasionally  found.  These  beds  are  of  con- 
siderable thickness,  amounting  in  some  localities  to  forty  feet. 

The  grey  arenaceous  limestone  of  the  cretaceous  formation, 
provincially  termed  Kentish-Rag,  occurs  interstratified  with 
the  more  friable  beds  of  greensand,  and  has  long  been  ex- 
tensively quarried  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Maid- 
stone  ;  the  most  calcareous  varieties  being  used  for  lime,  and 
the  harder  rock  for  buildings  and  roads. 

On  the  north-west  of  the  town,  the  greensand  strata  dip 
beneath  the  upper  series  of  the  Cretaceous  formation,  viz.  the 
Gait,  Chalk-Marl,  and  Lower-Chalk,  that  appear  in  succession 
on  the  surface,  in  passing  to  the  neighbouring  North  Downs, 
which  are  a  continuation  of  the  Surrey  range  of  Upper  or 
flinty  Chalk,  and  extend  eastward,  till  they  terminate  in  the 
precipitous  cliffs  of  Dover.1 

The  greensand  strata  in  this  locality  abound  in  the  marine 
shells  which  characterise  the  lowest  subdivision  of  the  Chalk 
formation,  viz.  the  Atherfield  or  Neocomian  series,  to  which 
the  elaborate  researches  of  Dr.  Fitton  h^re  imparted  a  high 
degree  of  geological  interest. 

Trigonise,  pernae,  gervillise,  terebratulse,  ammonites,  nautili, 
remains  of  crustaceans,  scales  and  teeth  of  various  kinds  of 
fishes,  bones  and  teeth  of  marine  saurians  (Polyptychodon, 
ante,  p.  200),  remains  of  turtles,  &c.,  occur  in  these  beds  in 
the  vicinity  of  Maidstone.  Waterworn  blocks  of  fossil  wood 
perforated  by  boring- shells,  fragments  of  stems,  and  branches 
of  monocotyledonous  and  coniferous  vegetables,  are  also  occa- 
sionally found  imbedded  with  the  marine  exuviae,  having 
evidently  been  transported  by  rivers  or  land-floods,  and 
drifted  into  the  bed  of  the  chalk-ocean. 

At  Rock  Hill,  on  the  south-western  side  of  the  river,  at 
about  half  a  mile  from  Maidstone,  there  is  an  extensive  quarry 
of  Kentish- Rag  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Bensted,  which, 
thanks  to  the  sagacity  and  zeal  of  its  intelligent  proprietor, 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  297. 


ROOM   III.  THE   MAIDSTONE   IGUANODOX.  303 

has  acquired  an  enduring  celebrity  in  British  Palaeontology  ; 
for  from  this  quarry  was  obtained,  a  few  years  since,  the  most 
considerable  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Iguanodon  hitherto 
discovered. 

Mr.  Bensted,  whose  active  and  intelligent  mind  was  alive 
to  the  various  objects  of  interest  with  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded, and  who  had  assiduously  collected  the  fossils  that 
were  from  time  to  time  brought  to  light  in  his  quarry,  had 
instructed  his  workmen  to  preserve  every  shell  or  bone  im- 
bedded in  the  rock. 

In  May  1834,  upon  blasting  a  large  block  of  limestone, 
the  workmen  observed  in  some  of  the  masses  that  were 
blown  off,  pieces  of  a  brown  substance,  which  they  supposed 
to  be  petrified  wood  ;  they  preserved  some  of  the  largest 
portions  for  the  inspection  of  Mr.  Bensted,  who  at  once  per- 
ceived they  were  fragments  of  the  bones  of  some  gigantic 
animal.  He  therefore  directed  that  every  piece  should  be 
collected,  and  succeeded  in  regaining  some  fragments  that 
had  been  taken  to  the  river-side  ;  and  after  much  trouble  he 
gathered  together  the  dissevered  masses  of  rock,  which,  when 
united,  formed  the  specimen  in  Case  23. 

Mr.  Bensted  assiduously  cleared  away  the  investing  lime- 
stone, as  far  as  the  very  brittle  condition  of  the  bones  would 
admit;  and  when  , I  visited  him,  in  company  with  \V.  D. 
Saull,  Esq.,  the  characters  of  the  principal  bones  were  suffi- 
ciently exposed  to  view,  to  admit  of  my  recognising  them  as 
analogous  to  those  which  I  had  ascribed  to  the  Iguanodon. 

Some  gentlemen  of  Brighton,  anxious  that  a  specimen 
which  shed  so  much  light  on  the  osteology  of  the  Iguanodon, 
should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  individual  who  first  dis- 
covered the  teeth  and  bones  of  that  extraordinary  type  of 
reptilian  organization,  purchased  the  fossil  of  Mr.  Bensted, 
and  presented  it  to  the  author.1  It  was  brought  to  me  by 

1  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  donors;  the  proposal  originated  with 
the  two  gentlemen  whose  names  are  placed  first. 

M.  RICARDO,  ESQ.  Sir  Richard  Hunter. 

HORACE  SMITH,  ESQ.  E.  Lindo,  Esq. 

Rev.  J.  S.  M.  Anderson.       J.  Masquerier,  Esq. 
Thomas  Attree,  Esq.  Dr.  Price. 

George  Basevi,  Esq.  Rev.  Thomas  Rooper. 

Thomas  Bodley,  Esq.  W.  Tennant,  Esq. 

Dr.  Hall.  Rev.  H.  M.  Wagner. 

R,  Heaviside,  Esq.  J.  Sarel,  Esq. 


304  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Mr.  Bensted  in  the  fragmentary  and  shapeless  state  in  which 
it  was  collected,  with  a  drawing  and  plan  of  the  respective 
bones  and  pieces  of  stone,  to  assist  rne  in  its  reparation.  How 
far  the  labour  spent  in  its  restoration  was  successful,  is  shown 
by  the  present  state  of  this  interesting  group  of  bones  of  the 
same  individual. 

"  The  genuine  worker  and  searcher  after  truth  may  well 
conceive  my  feelings "  upon  receiving  so  gratifying  a  tribute 
of  respect  from  my  fellow-townsmen,  and  so  unexpected  a 
confirmation  of  the  correctness  of  my  interpretation  of  the 
scattered  bones  of  a  reptile  whose  osteology  presented  such 
anomalous  characters  ;  for  to  my  great  delight,  I  found  that 
every  bone  I  had  ascribed  to  the  Iguanodon  solely  from 
analogy,  was  present  in  the  Maidstone  specimen.  / 


LIGN.  64. — IGUANODON  QUARRY,  or  Mr.  W.  H.  BENSTED,  NEAR  MAIDSTONE. 

The  section  exposed  in  the  quarry  whence  this  fossil  was 
obtained,  is  shown  in  the  annexed  sketch  from  a  drawing  with 
which  Mr.  Bensted  favoured  me,  when  he  delivered  the  speci- 
men into  my  hands. 

The  Kentish-rag  is  seen  in  nearly  horizontal  layers,  sepa- 
rated by  thin  seams  of  loose  sand.  A  deep  vertical  chasm 
intersects  the  strata,  and  this  fissure  was  filled  with  loam, 
gravel,  and  other  alluvial  detritus,  which  constitute  the 


ROOM    III.  THE   MAIDSTONE   IGUAXODON.  305 

immediate  subsoil  of  the  district,  and  form  a  bed  of  from 
ten  to  twenty  feet  thick  above  the  regular  strata  of  the 
quarry.  This  chasm  had  evidently  been  a  watercourse  before 
the  deposition  of  the  drift,  for  the  face  of  the  rock  on  each 
side  bore  unequivocal  marks  of  the  long-continued  action  of 
currents. 

/  The  mass  of  limestone  in  which  the  Iguanodon  was  im- 
bedded, was  situated  on  the  left  of  the  fissure,  and  near  the 
upper  part  of  the  section.1 

The  intelligent  reader  will  remark  that  the  geological 
position  of  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon,  forms  a  striking  ex- 
ception to  the  circumstances  under  which  all  the  remains  of 
this  terrestrial  reptile  hitherto  described  were  obtained  j  for 
while  in  the  "VVealden  deposits  the  bones  were  associated 
with  fluviatile  and  terrestrial  exuviae  only,  this  specimen  was 
imbedded  in  a  marine  stratum,  and  marine  shells  were  at- 
tached to  the  femur.  This  fact,  however,  in  no  wise  affects 
the  validity  of  the  arguments  previously  advanced  as  to 
the  fluviatile  origin  of  the  Wealden  Formation.  It  merely 
shows  that  part  of  the  delta  of  the  ancient  river  had  sub- 
sided, and  was  covered  by  the  ocean  that  deposited  the 
greensand  strata,  whilst  the  Country  of  the  Iguanodon  still 
remained  above  the  waters ;  so  that  the  carcass  of  one  of 
these  reptiles  was  drifted  out  to  sea,  and  became  ingulfed 
in  the  deposits  then  in  progress ;  in  like  manner  as  at 
the  present  day,  remains  of  land  quadrupeds  may  not  only 
be  imbedded  in  the  deltas  of  rivers,  but  also  in  the  depths  of 
the  ocean. 

There  are  two  bones  missing  in  the  specimen,  and  which, 
I  fear,  are  irretrievably  lost.  One  is  the  ungual  bone  repre- 
sented at  fig.  5.  It  was  narrower,  and  more  convex  and 
elongated,  than  the  ungual  that  remains  near  the  metatarsal 
fig.  4.  This  bone  was  3J  inches  long :  its  proximal  end  was 
H  inch  in  transverse  diameter,  and  1J  in  the  vertical;  the 
distal  end  was  f  inch  wide. 

The  other  missing  bone  was  a  remarkably  abbreviated 
phalangeal,  imbedded  near  the  former.  Its  dimensions  were 
as  follow : —  Antero- 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  431,  for  an  account  of  the  molluskite, 
discovered  in  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon  quarry,  by  Mr.  Bensted. 

x 


306  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 


LISK.  65.— REMAINS  OF  THE  SKELETON  OF  A  YOUNG  IGUANODON,  IMBEDDED  IN 

A  BLOCK  OF  KKNTISH  RAG:   FROM  NEAR  MAIDSTONE. 

(Size  of  the  original,  6  ft.  4  in.  by  G  ft.  2  in.) 

This  specimen  consists  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  skeleton  of  a  young  animal, 
the  bones  being  disconnected,  distorted,  and  imbedded  in  the  rock  in  a  very  confused 
manner.  The  following  are  those  I  have  been  able  to  determine  : — 

Figs.  1,2.  Right  and  left  femur  :  33  inches  long. 

3.  Tibia :  20  inches  long. 

4,  4,  4.  Metatarsal  and  phalangeal  bones. 

5,  5.  Ungual  bones. 

6.  Two  metacarpal  bones :   14  inches  long.  Near  these  are  portions  of  small 

cylindrical  bones,  apparently  fragments  of  abdominal  costal  processes. 

7.  Humerus:  20  inches  long. 

8*  8*    Dorsal  vertebrae.     The  group  on  the  right  belongs  to  the  same  series  as 
that  on  the  left :  the  *  *  point  out  th«Hr  junction.     In  my  "  Wonders 
of  Geology,"  the  true  form  of  the  specimen  is  represented. 
9.    Fragments  of  Ribs. 
10,10.    Clavicles:   28  inches  long.     Under  the  distal  end  of  the  lowermost 

clavicle  there  is  a  bone  not  yet  made  out. 
11,  11.     Iliac  bones. 

12.  Chevron-bone,  or  haemapophysis.  Beneath  this  process  there  is  a  hatchet- 

shaped  bone,  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  decypher. 

13.  A  tooth  and  the  imprint  of  another.     Unfortunately  lost  in  removing 

the  specimen  from  Brighton. 
14,  14.     The  two  corresponding  portions  of  a  Scapula. 

15.    The  distal  part  of  the  other  Scapula. 
16,16.     Caudal  vertebrae. 

*    Indicates  the  cavity  left  by  the  bore  in  which  the  charge  was  placed  to 
blast  the  stone. 


ROOM  III.  THE    MAIDSTONE   IGUANODON.  307 

Antero-posterior  diameter 1  inch. 

Transverse 2^ 

Vertical    ........ If 

The  impressions  left  by  these  two  bones  remain  distinct  on 
the  stone,  and  as,  fortunately,  I  had  moulds  taken  of  them 
when  in  my  possession,  casts  of  these  important  parts  of  the 
skeleton  may  be  restored.1 

As  the  bones  in  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon  have  been 
described  when  treating  of  the  anatomical  characters  of  the 
several  parts  of  the  skeleton,  it  is  unnecessary  to  extend 
this  notice  of  a  specimen  whose  interest  chiefly  depends  on 
the  collocation  of  the  principal  elements  of  the  osteology  of 
the  colossal  reptile  of  the  Wealden. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  INFERENCES  AS  TO  THE  STRUCTURE  AND 
ECONOMY  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — In  instituting  a  comparison 
between  the  maxillary  organs  of  the  Iguanodon,  and  those  of 
the  existing  herbivorous  lizards,  with  the  view  of  obtaining 

1  The  Lignograph  65,  is  merely  a  diagram  or  plan  to  show  the  posi- 
tion of  the  several  parts,  without  any  pretensions  to  accuracy,  and  in- 
tended to  assist  the  visitor  in  identifying  the  bones  referred  to  in  the 
previous  descriptions.  The  original  drawing,  from  which  the  litho- 
graph published  in  the  "  Monograph  of  the  Palseontological  Society  " 
was  taken,  was  executed  by  Mr.  Dinkel,  with  great  care,  when  the  spe- 
cimen was  in  my  museum  at  Brighton  (see  Appendix  G.) ;  I  therefore 
regret  that  the  lithograph  is  a  modified  copy,  and  does  not  convey  an 
accurate  idea  of  the  original.  The  lithograph  in  my  "  Wonders  of 
Geology,"  sixth  edition,  PL  III.,  is  very  faithful,  but  on  too  small  a  scale 
to  admit  of  anatomical  details. 

The  palaeontologist  desirous  of  ascertaining  the  structure  of  the  Igua- 
nodon, and  the  relative  proportions  of  the  respective  bones,  will  I  fear 
be  embarrassed  by  the  manifest  difference  between  the  measurements  of 
some  of  the  bones  given  by  me,  and  those  by  Professor  Owen  in  the 
"  Monograph  "  referred  to.  The  scale  of  Professor  Owen's  Plate  XXXIII. 
is  mentioned  to  be  "  2  inches  to  the  foot "  =  £ ;  and  the  bone  which  is 
termed  the  ulna,  (but  which  I  believe  to  be  a  metacarpal  bone,)  is  stated 
to  be  eighteen  inches  long,  (See  "  Monograph,"  p.  114) ;  yet  in  the  Plate 
XXXI 1 1.  this  bone  measures  2-£  inches,  which  is  only  equal  to  between 
13  and  14  inches;  a  length  which  nearly  agrees  with  that  given  by  me, 
namely,  14  inches. 

The  "genuine  worker"  is  therefore  requested  to  judge  for  himself, 
by  a  careful  examination  of  the  specimen;  for  there  are  several  other 
incongruities  equally  important ;  for  example,  the  Clavicle,  which  when 
the  specimen  was  in  my  possession  measured  28  inches,  is,  according  to 
Professor  Owen's  table,  nine  inches  longer,  namely  37  inches.  ("  Mono- 
graph," p.  113.) 


308  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

some  physiological  deductions  from  their  peculiar  osteological 
characters,  we  are  at  once  struck  with  their  remarkable  de- 
viation from  all  known  types  in  the  class  Reptilia.  In  the 
Amblyrhynchi,  the  most  exclusively  vegetable  feeders  of  the 
saurian  order,  the  alveolar  process,  beset  with  teeth,  is  con- 
tinued round  the  front  of  the  mouth;  the  junction  of  the 
two  rami  of  the  lower  jaw  at  the  symphysis  presenting  no 
edentulous  interval  whatever,  and  the  lips  not  being  more 
produced  than  in  other  reptiles ;  for  these  creatures  chip  off 
and  bruise  their  food,  and  cannot  grind  or  masticate  it:  in 
the  Iguanas,  as  previously  shown,  the  same  character  exists. 
In  the  carnivorous  saurians  the  teeth  are  also  continued  to 
the  symphysial  suture  on  each  side.  The  extinct  colossal 
lizards  offer  no  exception  to  this  rule ;  in  the  acrodont  Mosa- 
saurus  of  the  Chalk,  and  in  the  thecodont  Megalosaurus  of 
the  Oolite  and  Wealden,  the  jaws  are  armed  with  teeth  round 
the  anterior  extremity.  In  short,  the  edentulous,  expanded, 
scoop-shaped,  procumbent,  symphysis  of  the  lower  jaw  of  the 
Iguanodon,  has  no  parallel  among  either  existing  or  fossil 
reptiles,  and  we  seek  in  vain  for  maxillary  organs  at  all  analo- 
gous, except  among  the  herbivorous  mammalia.  The  nearest 
approach  is  to  be  found  in  certain  Edentata, — as  for  example 
in  the  Cholcepus  didactylus,  or  Two-toed  Sloth, — in  which  the 
anterior  part  of  the  lower  jaw  is  edentulous  and  much  pro- 
longed. The  correspondence  is  still  closer  in  the  gigantic  ex- 
tinct Mylodon,  in  which  the  symphysis  resembles  the  blade  oi 
a  spade  used  by  turf-diggers,  and  has  no  traces  of  incisive 
sockets;  and  were  not  this  part  of  the  jaw  elevated  vertically 
in  front,  and  the  two  rami  confluent,  it  would  present  the 
very  counterpart  of  that  of  the  Iguanodon.1 

The  great  size  and  number  of  the  vascular  foramina  distri- 
buted along  the  outer  side  of  the  dentary  bone,  and  beneath 
the  border  of  the  symphysis,  in  the  Iguanodon,  and  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  anterior  outlets  which  gave  exit  to  the  vessels 


1  In  the  Mylodon  Darwinii  the  rami  of  the  lower  jaw  anterior  to  the 
teeth  are  contracted  vertically,  and  converge  to  a  longer  and  narrowei 
symphysis,  which  is  inclined  forwards  at  a  more  open  angle  with  the 
horizontal  ramus,  than  in  the  Mylodon  robustus,  and  therefore  stil! 
more  nearly  approaches  that  of  the  Iguanodon.  See  Professor  Owen  on 
the  Mylodon. 


ROOM  III.  PHYSIOLOGICAL   INFERENCES.  309 

and  nerves  that  supplied  the  front  of  the  mouth,  indicate  the 
great  development  of  the  integuments  and  soft  parts,  with 
which  the  lower  jaw  was  invested. 

The  sharp  ridge  bordering  the  deep  groove  of  the  sym- 
physis,  in  which  there  are  also  several  foramina,  evidently 
gave  attachment  to  the  muscles  and  integuments  of  the 
under  lip ;  while  two  deep  pits  for  the  insertion  of  the  pro- 
tractor muscles  of  the  tongue,  manifest  the  mobility  and 
power  of  that  organ.  There  are  therefore  strong  reasons  for 
supposing  that  the  lip  was  flexible,  and,  in  conjunction  with 
the  long  fleshy  prehensile  tongue,  constituted  the  instruments 
for  seizing  and  cropping  the  leaves  and  branches,  which,  from 
the  construction  of  the  molars,  we  may  infer  constituted  the 
chief  food  of  the  Iguanodon.  The  mechanism  of  the  maxil- 
lary organs,  as  elucidated  by  recent  discoveries,  is  thus  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  remarkable  characters  wThich  ren- 
dered the  first  known  teeth  so  enigmatical ;  and  in  the  Wealden 
herbivorous  reptile  we  have  a  solution  of  the  problem,  how 
the  integrity  of  the  type  of  organization  peculiar  to  the  class 
of  cold-blooded  vertebrata  was  maintained,  and  yet  adapted, 
by  simple  modifications,  to  fulfil  the  conditions  required  by 
the  economy  of  a  gigantic  terrestrial  reptile,  destined  to  ob- 
tain support  exclusively  from  vegetable  substances;  in  like 
manner  as  the  extinct  colossal  herbivorous  Edentata  which 
flourished  in  South  America,  ages  after  the  Country  of 
the  Iguanodon  and  its  inhabitants  had  been  swept  from  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

Thus  in  the  unlimited  production  of  successional  teeth  at 
every  period  of  the  animal's  existence,  in  the  mode  of  im- 
plantation of  the  teeth,  and  in  the  composite  structure  of  the 
lower  jaw, — each  ramus  consisting  of  six  distinct  elements, — 
the  saurian  type  of  organization  is  unequivocally  manifest; 
while  the  intimate  structure  of  the  dental  organs  approaches 
that  of  the  Sloths,  and  the  subalternate  arrangement  and 
reversed  position  of  the  upper  and  lower  series  of  teeth 
corresponds  with  that  of  the  Ruminants.  And  again,  the 
edentulous  and  prolonged  symphysis,  and  the  great  develop- 
ment of  the  lower  lip  and  the  integuments  of  the  jaws,  as 
indicated  by  the  size  and  number  of  the  vascular  foramina, 
present  a  striking  analogy  to  the  Edentata.  They  who  doubt 
the  correctness  of  this  interpretation,  should  remember  that 


310  PETKIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

it  is  in  this  order  of  Mammalia  that  we  find  the  nearest 
approach  to  the  Reptilia :  in  the  scaly  covering  of  the  skin, 
the  imperfections  of  the  dental  system,  the  smallness  of  the 
brain,  and  the  long  continuance  of  the  irritability  of  the 
muscular  fibre  after  death ;  which  are  so  many  decadencies 
of  organization,  so  to  speak,  that  indicate  a  step  towards  that 
class,  of  which  the  Iguanodon  appears  to  have  been  the 
highest  type. 

If  the  opinion  previously  advanced  (ante,  p.  260)  be  correct, 
that  the  anterior  part  of  the  spinal  column  consisted  of  con- 
vexo-concave, and  the  dorsal  of  plano-concave  vertebrae,  the 
adult  Iguanodon  must  have  approached  in  this  part  of  its 
skeleton,  as  well  as  in  its  sacrum, — in  its  massive  femora, 
with  their  large  medullary  cavities,  trochanters,  and  con- 
dyles, — and  in  its  short  and  strong  metatarsals  and  pha- 
langeals, — to  that  of  the  large  herbivorous  mammalia. 

The  position  of  the  hinder  limbs  (the  thighs  and  legs)  in 
relation  to  the  pelvis,  cannot  be  accurately  determined  from 
the  data  at  present  obtained;  but  the  form  of  the  head  and 
shaft  of  the  femur,  and  the  character  of  its  articulations  and 
processes,  so  closely  resemble  those  of  the  largest  pachyderms, 
as  to  suggest  the  idea,  that  unlike  the  rest  of  its  class,  the 
Iguanodon  had  the  body  supported  as  in  the  mammalia,  and 
the  abdomen  suspended  higher  from  the  ground  than  in  any 
existing  saurians. 

In  fine,  we  have  in  the  Iguanodon  the  type  of  the  terres- 
trial herbivora,  which  in  that  remote  epoch  of  the  earth's 
physical  history,  termed  by  geologists  "  The  Age  of  Reptiles," 
occupied  the  same  relative  station  in  the  scale  of  being,  and 
fulfilled  the  same  general  purposes  in  the  economy  of  nature, 
as  the  Mastodons,  Mammoths,  and  Mylodons,  of  the  tertiary 
periods,  and  the  existing  Pachyderms. 

With  regard  to  the  probable  magnitude  of  the  individuals 
to  which  the  largest  bones  in  my  collection  belonged,  a  gene- 
ral estimate  only  can  be  formed,  because  the  relative  propor- 
tions of  the  limbs,  head,  and  body,  are  still  unknown  ;  sooner 
or  later  an  entire,  or  a  considerable  portion  of  the,  skeleton 
of  a  young  Iguanodon  will  be  brought  to  light,  and  yield  the 
information  necessary  to  enable  the  palaeontologist  to  ascertain 
.the  dimensions,  and  delineate  the  physiognomy,  of  the  living 
original. 


ROOM  III.        PHYSIOLOGICAL  INFERENCES.  311 

The  size  of  the  largest  Iguanodon  has  been  estimated  as 
follows : !  length  of  the  head,  three  feet — of  the  trunk,  twelve 
feet — of  the  tail,  thirteen  feet — total  length,  twenty-eight  feet. 

This  statement  will  surprise  the  reader  who,  from  the 
popular  notions  of  the  magnitude  of  the  Iguanodon,  has 
entertained  the  idea  that  this  reptile  attained  seventy  feet  in 
length ;  but  the  discrepancy  between  the  above  estimate  and 
that  first  suggested  by  me,  admits  of  an  easy  explanation. 

In  my  earliest  notices  of  the  Iguanodon,  which  were  pub- 
lished from  time  to  time,  as  fresh  discoveries  disclosed  new 
modifications  of  structure  in  this  prodigious  creature,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  estimate  the  probable  magnitude  of  the 
original,  by  instituting  a  comparison  between  the  fossil  bones 
and  those  of  the  Iguana;  the  recent  type  which  the  form  of 
the  teeth  seemed  to  point  out  as  the  one  most  nearly  related 
to  the  extinct  reptile.  It  was  thus  shown  that  if  the  propor- 
tions were  the  same  in  both,  the  Iguanodon  must  have  at- 
tained seventy  feet  or  more  in  length.  But  this  statement 
was  qualified  (more  than  eleven  years  since)  by  the  remark — 
"It  is  not,  of  course,  pretended  that  such  an  estimate  can 
offer  more  than  a  very  distant  approximation  to  the  truth  ; 
yet  it  may  be  confidently  affirmed  that  a  reptile,  which  re- 
quired a  thigh-bone  larger  than  that  of  the  Elephant  to  sup- 
port it,  could  not  be  of  less  colossal  dimensions.  In  truth, 
I  believe  that  its  magnitude  is  here  underrated,  for,  like 
Frankenstein,  I  was  struck  with  astonishment  at  the  monster 
which  my  investigations  had,  as  it  were,  called  into  existence, 
and  was  more  anxious  to  reduce  its  proportions  than  to  exag- 
gerate them.  Should  subsequent  discoveries  prove  that  the 
Iguanodon  more  nearly  corresponded  in  the  proportions  of 
the  tail  with  the  Crocodilian  family  than  with  the  Lizards,  its 
total  length  would  be  much  less  than  is  here  inferred ;  and 
from  the  shape  of  some  of  the  metacarpals  and  phalangeals,  it 
seems  highly  probable  chat  the  original  was  more  bulky  in 
proportion  to  its  length,  than  the  existing  Lacertians." 

In  subsequent  notices  this  opinion  was  reiterated,  and  on 
the  discovery  of  several  perfect  anterior  caudals,  I  expressed 
my  conviction  that  the  tail  of  the  Iguanodon  was  shorter 
than  in  the  Iguana,  and  instead  of  being  long  and  round,  was 

1  "  Brit.  Kep."  1841,  p.  144. 


312  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

compressed  laterally,  and  largely  developed  in  a  vertical  di- 
rection. In  my  Memoir,  in  the  "Phil.  Trans"  1841  (pp. 
137 — 140),  it  is  stated  that  "from  the  shortness  of  the 
caudal  vertebrae,  and  the  length  of  the  spinous  processes, 
indicating  a  great  vertical  development  of  the  tail,  it  is  pro- 
bable this  organ  was  not  long  and  slender,  as  in  the  Iguana, 
but  approximated  more  nearly  to  the  tail  of  the  Dory- 
phorus" 

"  The  length  of  the  united  head  and  trunk,  according  to  my 
estimate,1  is  seventeen  feet  and  a  half ;  by  Professor  Owen's  it 
is  reduced  to  fifteen  feet :  a  difference  of  no  importance  in 
such  merely  approximative  calculations,  particularly  when 
the  form  of  the  cranium  is  unknown.  The  great  discrepancy 
is  in  the  estimated  length  of  the  tail ;  if  the  Iguanodon  re- 
sembled the  Iguana  in  its  caudal  proportions,  its  total  length 
would  be  seventy  feet ;  but  if  the  tail  was  short,  the  total 
length  of  the  animal  would,  of  course,  be  proportionately 
reduced,  and  the  most  gigantic  individuals  may  not  have 
exceeded  thirty  feet  in  length." 

A  recent  discovery,  however,  supports  the  idea  first  sug- 
gested by  the  stupendous  size  of  the  bones  of  the  extremities. 

In  a  block  of  calciferous  grit  picked  up  on  the  sea-shore, 
I  have  laid  bare  a  chain  of  eleven  caudal  vertebrae,  belonging 
to  the  middle  region  of  the  tail ;  and  the  bodies  of  these 
bones,  instead  of  being  abbreviated,  as  the  shortness  of  the 
known  anterior  caudals  led  us  to  infer,  are  elongated  as  in 
the  corresponding  part  of  the  skeleton  of  the  recent  Iguana. 
The  length  of  four  of  these  vertebras  is  equal  to  that  of  five 
dorsals ;  and  their  spinous  and  transverse  processes  are  so 
well  developed,  as  to  show  that  the  tail  must  have  been 
greatly  prolonged — probably,  in  the  same  degree  as  in  the 
existing  lizards.  The  length  of  the  femur  of  this  individual 
is  equal  to  six  caudal,  or  eight  anterior  dorsal  vertebrae.  It 
is,  therefore,  according  to  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge, 
not  at  all  improbable,  that  the  largest  Iguanodons  may  have 
attained  a  length  of  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet. 

Although  some  important  points  in  the  osteology  of  the 
Iguanodon  are  still  unknown,  we  may  safely  conclude  that 
this  stupendous  reptile  equalled  in  bulk  the  large  herbivo- 

1  "  Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England,"  p.  316. 


ROOM  III.  PHYSIOLOGICAL   INFERENCES.  313 

rous  mammalia,  and  was  as  massive  in  its  proportions ;  for, 
living  exclusively  on  vegetables,  it  must  have  had  the  abdo- 
minal region  greatly  developed. 

Its  limbs  must  have  been  of  proportionate  size  and 
strength  to  sustain  and  move  so  enormous  a  carcass ;  the 
hinder  extremities,  in  all  probability,  resembled  the  unwieldy 
contour  of  those  of  the  Hippopotamus  or  Rhinoceros,  and 
were  supported  by  strong,  short  feet,  protected  by  broad 
ungual  phalanges :  the  fore  feet  appear  to  have  been  less 
bulky,  and  adapted  for  seizing  and  pulling  down  the  foliage 
and  branches  of  trees  j  the  jaws  and  teeth  demonstrate  its 
power  of  mastication,  and  the  character  of  its  food ;  while  the 
remains  of  coniferous  trees,  arborescent  ferns,  and  cycadeous 
plants,  which  are  found  imbedded  with  its  remains,  attest  the 
nature  of  the  flora  adapted  for  its  sustenance. 


CHAPTER  III., 

PART  VI. 
WEALDEN   REPTILES. 

HYL^EOSAURUS — DISCOVERY  OP  THE  FIRST  SPECIMEN  —  CHARACTER  OF  THE 
SKELETON — DERMAL  BONES — SPINES — SPECIMEN  OF  HYL.EOSAURUS  FROM 
BOLNEY  —  HUMERUS  AND  SCAPULAE  —  SPINAL  COLUMN  FROM  TILGATE 
FOREST — VERTEBRAE  OF  HYL^EOSAURUS —  TOOTH  OF  HYL.EOSAURUS — ME- 
GALOSAURUS —  PELOROSAURUS —  REGNOSAURUS— THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE 
IGUANODON. 

THE  present  section  of  this  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  the 
examination  of  the  fossil  remains  of  the  other  genera  of 
saurians  from  the  Wealden  formation  of  the  south-east  of 
England,  that  are  contained  in  this  department  of  the  na- 
tional Museum. 

The  most  remarkable  of  these  extinct  forms  is  the  Hylceo- 
saurus,  or  Wealden  Lizard,  of  which  there  are  three  highly 
interesting  specimens,  which  were  formerly  in  my  collection. 

HYL^EOSAURUS  OwENii.1 — Wall-case  B  :  in  the  middle  of  the 
lowermost  compartment,  (ante,  p.  139.) — In  the  summer  of 
1832,  upon  visiting  the  quarry  in  Tilgate  Forest,  now  fami- 
liar to  my  readers,  I  perceived  traces  of  bones  in  some  large 
masses  of  stone  thrown  on  the  road-side  ;  and  on  repairing  to 
the  quarry,  found  the  workmen  had  put  by  other  fragments 
for  my  inspection ;  but  the  numerous  pieces  into  which  the 
original  block  of  stone  was  now  broken,  the  excessive  hardness 
and  refractory  character  of  the  grit,  and  the  unpromising  ap- 
pearance of  the  few  vestiges  of  bone  that  were  visible,  seemed 
to  render  it  hopeless  to  obtain  anything  of  interest.  I  re- 
solved, however,  to  collect  the  scattered  fragments,  and  after 
much  labour,  succeeded  in  cementing  them  together,  and  re- 
ducing the  specimen  to  the  state  in  which  it  now  appears. 

1  From  v\t],  sylva,  wood,  Weald,  or  forest ;  and  saurus,  lizard ;  the 
WEALDEN  LIZARD,  or  Fossil  Lizard  of  Tilgate  Forest. 


ROOM    III.  HYL.EOSAURUS   OWEXII.  315 

It  is  4 1  feet  long,  and  2  feet  3  inches  broad  at  its  widest 
extremity,  but  not  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  original  mass 
remain ;  of  the  other  third  many  pieces  were  lost,  and  those 
that  were  preserved  could  not  be  made  to  fit  together.  The 
portion  of  the  skeleton  displayed  consists  of  the  anterior 
part,  or  thoracic  region,  and  comprises  the  following  bones, 
namely  : — 

1st, — A  series  of  ten  vertebrae,  five  cervical  (Lign.  66. -1), 
and  five  dorsal  (2),  adhering  to  the  stone  by  their  spinous 
processes ;  and  of  three  other  dorsal  vertebrae,  which  are  dis- 
located, but  lie  near  to  each  other  :  there  are,  likewise,  two 
detached  dorsals  in  other  parts  of  the  block. 

2dly, — Several  ribs  (3,  3),  more  or  less  displaced,  situated 
on  each  side  of  the  vertebral  column. 

3dly, — Near  the  end  of  the  fifth  dorsal  vertebra,  two  Cora- 
coid  bones  (6,  6). 

4thly, — Two  Scapulae  or  Omoplates  (7,  7). 

These  bones  are  somewhat  displaced,  the  left  coracoid  over- 
lying the  right,  and  concealing  one  third  of  its  sternal  portion ; 
in  fact,  the  left  scapula  and  coracoid  appear  as  if  they  had 
been  driven  with  great  violence  against  the  vertebral  column, 
and  over  the  opposite  bone,  and  had  occasioned  the  removal 
of  the  four  dorsal  vertebrae  from  their  place. 

5thly, — On  the  left  side  of  the  column  is  a  series  of  bony 
processes  (4,  4,  4,  4),  of  the  form  of  an  isosceles  triangle ; 
they  are  irregularly  disposed,  yet  seven  of  these  are  placed 
somewhat  in  a  parallel  line  with  the  vertebral  column ;  three 
of  the  largest,  and  most  remarkable  in  form  (5,  o,  5),  lie  near 
to  each  other,  and  in  a  direction  at  right  angles  with  the 
former,  and  above  the  level  of  the  coracoid  bones. 

Fragments  of  ribs  and  other  bones,  with  two  dermal  osseous 
scutes,  and  here  and  there  traces  of  lignite  and  vegetables, 
and  casts  of  freshwater  shells,  are  observable  on  the  face  of 
the  stone  which  is  presented  to  view. 

On  the  opposite  side  (which  it  was  necessary  to  place  in 
cement),  the  ends  of  the  spinous  processes  of  the  vertebrae 
were  visible ;  and  I  found  some  interesting  vegetable  re- 
mains, and  extracted  a  fine  portion  of  the  stem  of  Clathraria 
Lyellii,  as  well  as  several  seed-vessels,  which  may  have  be- 
longed to  the  same  plant. 

Thus  the  specimen  before  us  consists  of  a  considerable 


316 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 


number  of  the  cervical  and  anterior  dorsal  vertebrae,  eleven 
ribs,  and  the  bones  of  the  pectoral  arch  almost  in  juxta- 
position ;  with  numerous  dermal  scutes  and  spines ;  but  there 
are  no  vestiges  of  the  cranium,  jaws,  teeth,  or  bones  of  the 
extremities. 


LIGN.  66.    PART  OF  THE  SKELETON  OF  THE  HYLJEOSAURUS  ;  FROM  TILGATE 
FOREST. 

(Length  of  the  specimen  tyfeet.) 

1.  Cervical  vertebrae. 

2.  Dorsal  vertebras. 

3.  Ribs :  for  the  most  part  perfect,  and  but  little  displaced. 
4,  4,  4.  &c.  Dermal  spines. 

5.  5.  5.  Three  very  large  Dorsal  dermal  Spines ;  15  inches  in  length. 

6.  6.  The  Coracoid  bones. 

7.  7.  The  Scapula: ;  the  heads  of  these  bones,  united  to  the  corre- 

sponding Coracoids,  are  the  only  parts  seen. 

Vertebrae. — "  Of  the  cervical,  the  remains  of  five  are  recog- 
nisable. The  compressed  bony  mass  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
spinal  column,  are  probably  the  remains  of  two  vertebrae ; 
then  follows  one  that  is  compressed,  but  its  outline  is  denned. 
The  succeeding  vertebra  is  entire  ;  it  has  two  tubercles  for  the 
attachment  of  the  costal  processes,  the  transverse  processes  are 
short  and  very  strong  :  this  bone  is  1  -7  inch  long  and  2  inches 
wide. 

The  seventh  cervical  is  much  crushed ;  it  has  traces  of  the 
left  lateral  apophysis. 

The  first  dorsal  vertebra  is  entire,  it  is  2  inches  long,  and 
2*2  inches  wide  at  the  extremities;  it  is  depressed  laterally, 


ROOM  III.  VERTEBILE    OF   THE   HYL.EOSAURUS.  317 

"  the  anterior  part  of  the  body  is  rounded,  the  tubercle  for  the 
attachment  of  the  rib  well  marked,  and  the  transverse  pro- 
cess short  and  strong :  its  rib  is  near  it,  and  shows  the  deep 
bifurcation  of  the  head,  as  in  the  Crocodiles. 

The  second,  third,  fourth  and  fifth  dorsals  succeed,  and 
differ  but  little  from  each  other;  except  that  the  third  is 
more  carinated ;  the  fifth,  which  is  2^  inches  long,  has  its  left 
rib  near  it ;  and  the  latter,  unlike  the  four  other  ribs,  has  no 
strongly  marked  bifurcation,  but  its  process  sinks  into  a  single 
head,  as  in  the  corresponding  rib  of  the  crocodile ;  and  it 
is  this  character  which,  in  the  absence  of  other  evidence,  has 
been  taken  to  determine  the  respective  situations  in  the 
column  to  which  the  vertebrae  belonged. 

The  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  Ribs  are  seen  on 
the  left  side  of  the  vertebrae ;  on  the  right,  the  first,  second 
and  fourth  only  remain  ;  the  face  of  the  sixth  dorsal  vertebra 
is  shown  beneath  the  sternal  margin  of  the  left  coracoid,  and 
one  of  its  transverse  processes  appears  near  the  fourth  rib. 
The  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  dorsals  are  displaced,  and  lie 
in  a  hollow  formed  by  the  extremities  of  the  left  ribs  and  the 
corresponding  Coracoid.  Another  vertebra  of  the  back,  2-8 
inches  long,  (perhaps  the  tenth,)  is  thrown  to  the  left  side  of 
the  stone,  and  rests  on  portions  of  two  ribs ;  the  body  is 
smooth  and  rounded,  slightly  arched,  and  its  extremities,  which 
are  flat,  are  nearly  circular,  and  two  inches  in  diameter. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  observe,  that  the  ribs  and  verte- 
brae above  described  are  decidedly  of  the  fossil  crocodilian 
structure  ;  the  union  of  the  annular  part  by  suture  occurring, 
as  M.  Cuvier  observes,  in  the  living  reptiles,  in  the  crocodiles 
and  turtles  only ;  and  if  these  bones  were  the  only  data  from 
which  to  form  an  opinion  of  the  nature  of  the  original  animal, 
we  could  not  hesitate  to  assign  it  to  some  one  of  the  fossil 
crocodiles  mentioned  in  a  former  part  of  this  Memoir.  But 
the  bones  we  have  next  to  describe  incontrovertibly  prove  that 
the  animal  could  not  have  belonged  even  to  the  same  family ; 
and  they  afford  another  striking  example  of  that  union  and 
blending,  as  it  were,  of  different  generic  characters,  which 
geology  is  constantly  presenting  to  the  comparative  anatomist. 

In  the  Crocodile,  the  sternum  consists  of  a  long,  slender, 
flat  bone,  pointed  both  before  and  behind ;  and  this  is  sup- 
ported on  each  side  of  the  middle  of  its  lateral  edges  by 


318  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

"  a  coracoid  of  an  elongated  form,  which  has  a  thick  neck  near 
the  humeral  extremity,  that  enlarges  into  a  plane  and  wide 
portion,  to  attach  itself  to  the  sternum.  The  omoplate  or 
scapula  is  not  unlike  the  coracoid ;  its  plane  forms  a  narrow 
isosceles  triangle  ;  its  neck  is  sub-cylindrical  and  curved 
internally,  and  widens  to  present  a  face  to  the  coracoid  :  on 
the  external  edge  of  this  is  an  articular  apophysis,  which  with 
the  corresponding  one  of  the  coracoid,  forms  the  cavity  for 
the  reception  of  the  head  of  the  humerus.  There  are  no 
traces  of  clavicles ;  the  coracoid  alone  appearing  to  have 
formed  a  buttress  against  the  sternum. 

The  Scapulae  of  the  Hylseosaurus,  (Lign.  69,  fig.  1,)  cor- 
respond in  many  particulars  with  those 
of  the  Crocodiles  above  described,  and 
unite  with  the  Coracoids  in  a  similar 
manner.  The  head  of  the  bone  is  six 
inches  wide,  and  very  thick ;  it  is  con- 
tracted at  the  neck,  and  passes  off  into 
a  flat  and  wide  extremity  :  the  articular 
facet  is  2^  inches  high,  and  3J  wide. 
These  bones  are  about  twelve  times 
larger  than  the  scapulae  of  a  crocodile 
LIGN.  67.  3  feet  long ;  they  are  marked  7,  7,  in 

CORACOID  BONE  OF  THE    £iqn.  66. 

HYLJEGSAURUS.  JJ_  A*    /*     a 

(inat.size.)  ^ne  Coracoid  bones,  (Lign.  66,  6,  6, 

and  Lign.  67,)  are  entirely  distinct  from 
those  of  the  Crocodile,  and  are  like  the  coracoids  of  the  true 
lizards,  hatchet-shaped,  but  not  emarginated ;  they  have  no 
apophyses  corresponding  with  those  of  the  recent  Monitors 
and  Iguanas,  or  the  fossil  Megalosaurus. 

The  longest  diameter  of  the  Coracoid  is  7  inches;  the 
transverse  diameter  5-1  inch  :  it  presents  a  large  articular 
surface  for  the  glenoid  cavity,  which  is  formed  mutually  by 
this  bone  and  the  scapula. 

Near  the  neck  of  the  bone  there  is  a  foramen  for  the 
passage  of  vessels,  as  is  the  case  in  the  lizards,  but  not  in  the 
Plesiosaurus,  Ichthyosaurus,1  Megalosaurus,  or  Crocodile." 

1  I  have  seen  an  exception  in  a  coracoid  of  an  Ichthyosaurus,  in  which 
the  humeral  extremity  throws  off  a  kind  of  apophysis,  that  unites  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  glenoid  cavity,  and  produces  a  foramen.  The  above 
account  is  extracted  from  my  "  Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England." 


ROOM  III.        DERMAL   BOXES   OF   THE   HYL^OSAURUS. 


319 


DERMAL  BOXES. — Elliptical  and  circular  dermal  bones, 
having  the  under  surface  flat,  and  the  upper  convex  with  a 
conical  tubercle,  were  first  noticed  in  this  specimen  of  the 
Hylceosaurus ;  I  have  since  discovered  similar  scutes  asso- 
ciated with  other  remains  of  this  extraordinary  reptile.  (See 
Lign.  68,  figs.  1,  3.) 


LIGX. 


DERMAL  BOXES  OF  REPTILES;  FROM  TILGATE  FOREST. 


Fig.  1,  and  3. — Dermal  scutes  of  the  HYLJEOSATJRUS  :  £  not.  size. 

la. — The  under  surface  of  a  fragment  of  a  dermal  bone,  displaying  fine 

spicula,  decussating  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  indicating  a 

similar  structure  to  that  of  the  Corium:  nat.  size. 
\b. — A  portion  of  the  same,  highly  magnified,  and  viewed  by  transmitted 

light. 
2.— HORN  or  DERMAL  TUBERCLE,  probably  of  the  IGUANODON  :  i  nat. 

size. 
4. — A  DORSAL  DERMAL  SPINE  of  the  HYLJEOSAURUS ;  the  original  is 

thirteen  inches  long. 

The  structure  of  these  scutes  is  very  remarkable ;  upon 
closely  inspecting  either  the  under  side,  or  the  surface  exposed 
by  a  transverse  fracture,  very  minute  osseous  spicula,  decus- 
sating each  other  at  right  angles,  are  distinctly  seen.  (Lign. 
68,  fig.  la.)  In  fig.  lb,  a  thin  slice  of  a  bone,  magnified,  and 
viewed  by  transmitted  light,  displays  medullary  canals,  with 
very  fine"  lines  radiating  from  them.  The  peculiar  character 


320  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.      CHAP.  III. 

of  this  organization  consists  in  the  disposition  of  the  straight 
bony  spicula ;  an  appearance  which  first  attracted  my  atten- 
tion when  chiselling  away  the  stone,  and  led  to  the  discovery  of 
some  perfect  bones,  that  otherwise  would  have  been  destroyed. 
This  structure  closely  resembles  that  presented  by  the  liga- 
mentous  fibres  of  the  corium,  or  skin,  and  seems  to  have 
resulted  from  an  ossified  condition  of  the  dermal  integument. 
These  scutes  vary  from  half  an  inch  to  three  or  four  inches  in 
diameter,  and  were,  probably,  disposed  in  longitudinal  series 
on  each  side  the  spine,  diminishing  in  size  as  they  approached 
the  tail. 

Dermal  Spines. — With  the  scutes  above  described  there  are 
associated  in  the  specimen  before  us  several  flat,  thin,  angular, 
osseous  plates,  from  three  to  seventeen  inches  in  length,  (one 
of  these  is  figured  Lign.  67,  fig.  4.)  The  manner  in  which 
they  are  imbedded  is  shown  in  Lign.  66. 

The  probable  nature  of  these  spines  was  suggested  in  my 
original  Memoir  on  the  Hylseosaurus,  as  follows  : — 

"  We  have  next  to  direct  our  attention  to  the  triangular 
processes  which  lie  on  the  left  of  the  vertebral  column,  and 
three  of  which  are  very  conspicuous  near  the  base  of  the  left 
scapula  (marked  5,  5,  5,  in  Lign.  66).  Of  these  bones  there 
are  no  less  than  ten,  more  or  less  perfect,  in  different  parts  of 
the  block ;  they  vary  in  size  from  5  to  17  inches  in  length, 
and  from  3  to  7J  inches  in  width  at  the  base.  The  largest 
spine  is  17  inches  long,  and  3J  wide  at  six  inches  from  the 
base,  which  is  4  inches  thick ;  it  differs  somewhat  in  shape 
from  the  corresponding  spines,  and  more  nearly  resembles  one 
of  the  displaced  bones.  The  middle  process  is  13|  inches 
long,  and  4-7  inches  wide  at  the  base,  and  is  flat,  and  slightly 
depressed  in  the  centre  :  the  third  is  also  very  flat,  and  is  1 1 
inches  long.  What  the  nature  of  these  processes  may  be,  it 
must  be  confessed  is  extremely  problematical."  After  stating 
the  objection  to  their  being  regarded  as  processes  of  verte- 
brae, or  of  ribs,  it  is  observed  that  "  another  conjecture  has 
occurred  to  me,  and,  extravagant  as  it  may  seem,  appears  to 
be  the  most  probable.  It  is  known  that  many  of  the  lizards, 
particularly  the  Iguanas,  have  large  cartilaginous  processes 
with  horny  coverings,  which  form  a  sort  of  dermal  fringe,  or 
crest,  along  the  back ;  in  an  animal  5  feet  long,  these  spines 
are  about  an  inch  in  height. 


ROOM  III.    DERMAL  BONES  OF  THE  HYL.EOSAURUS.       321 

"  Now  the  situation  which  the  spines  in  the  fossil  occupy, 
is  precisely  that  which  the  remains  of  such  a  dermal  appen- 
dage would  have  been  pressed  into,  if  the  carcass  of  the  original 
animal  had  sunk  down  and  become  imbedded  on  its  back,  and 
the  serrated  dorsal  integument  squeezed  to  one  side." ! 

Such  were  the  reasons  which  led  me  nearly  twenty  years 
ago  to  ascribe  these  remarkable  bones,  then  for  the  first  time 
made  known,  to  the  dermal  system  of  my  newly  discovered 
saurian, 

In  the  "Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1841,  Professor  Owen, 
whilst  admitting  that  "  this  ingenious  suggestion  carries  with 
it  a  high  degree  of  probability,"  points  out  objections  to  this 
hypothesis,  and  concludes  that  these  singular  bones  are  in  all 
probability  abdominal  ribs ;  and  referring  to  the  great  breadth 
of  the  abdominal  as  compared  with  the  vertebral  ribs  in  the 
Ornithorhynchus,  observes  that  "  after  the  close  repetition  in 
the  Ichthyosaurus  of  another  of  the  remarkable  deviations  in 
those  aberrant  mammals  from  the  osteological  type  of  their 
class,  viz.  in  the  structure  of  their  sternal  and  scapular  arch, 
the  reappearance  of  the  monotrematous  modification  of  the 
sternal  ribs  in  the  present  extinct  reptile,  would  not  be 
surprising.2 

It  was  some  years  after  Professor  Owen's  objection  to  my 
views  had  appeared,  before  I  obtained  a  fragment  of  a  dorsal 
spine  for  microscopical  examination  ;  but  that  test  at  once 
corroborated  my  original  interpretation;3  and  in  1850,  through 
the  liberality  of  Mr.  Peter  Fuller  of  Lewes,  I  obtained  a  spine 
fifteen  inches  in  length,  with  the  corrugated  depressed  base 
entire  ;  and  which  perfectly  accords  in  its  mode  of  implanta- 
tion, as  well  as  in  its  internal  structure,  with  the  dermal 
scutes  of  the  Hylseosaurus  and  other  reptiles.  A  model  of 
this  spine  lies  on  the  shelf  to  the  right  of  the  fossil  repre- 
sented in  Lign.  66.4 

The  question,  therefore,  is  now  decided  in  the  affirmative, 
and  we  have  certain  proof  that  in  its  dermal  system  the 

1  "  Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England." 

2  "  Report  on  Brit.  Foss."  1841 ;  p.  116. 

3  "  Wonders  of  Geology ;"  6th  edit.  vol.  i.  p.  437. 

4  See  my  memoir  "  On  a  Dorsal  dermal  Spine  of  the  Hylseosaurus, 
recently  discovered  in  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest." — "  Philos.  Trana." 
for  1850,  p.  391,  PL  XX VII. 

Y 


322 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 


Hylseosaurus  must  have  borne  a  general  resemblance  to  the 
Cycluras,  Iguanas,  and  other  Lacertian  reptiles,  in  which  the 
appendages  of  the  scaly  integument  are  greatly  developed. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  back  of  this  gigantic  saurian 
was  armed  with  a  row  of  large  angular  spines  covered  by 
a  thick  horny  investment. 

HYL^OSAURUS  FROM  THE  WEALD-CLAY  NEAR  BOLNEY. — 
Wall-case  B  (ante,  p.  178). — The  second  specimen  of  the  Hy- 
lseosaurus that  came  under  my  notice  was  discovered  in 
a  stratum  of  Weald  clay,  near  the  little  hamlet  of  Bolney  in 
Sussex,  and  unfortunately  was  sadly  mutilated,  and  many  of 


LIGN.  69. — SCAPULA  ANI>  HUMERUS  op  THE  HYL^OSAURUS: 
FROM  BOLNEY,  SUSSEX. 

1.  The  Scapula.  2.  The  Humerus. 

(£  nat.  size.) 

the  bones  destroyed  by  the  labourers,  before  I  was  aware  of 
the  discovery,  and  could  arrive  at  the  spot  to  superintend 
their  exhumation.  From  the  relative  proportions  of  the  bones 
that  T  was  enabled  to  collect,  there  is  reason  to  conclude  that 
they  all  belonged  to  the  same  skeleton.  The  principal  spe- 
cimens are  placed  on  the  shelves  on  each  side  the  fossil 


ROOM  III.   SPINAL  COLUMN  OF  THE  HYL.EOSAURUS.        323 

previously  described,  but  the  quantity  collected  was  very 
considerable ;  there  was,  also,  a  large  number  of  mutilated 
ribs,  and  of  fragments  of  bones  too  imperfect  to  be  deci- 
phered. The  following  are  worthy  of  notice  : — 

A  perfect  Scapula  (Lign.  69,  fig.  1),  eighteen  inches  long, 
and  the  proximal  or  pectoral  end  of  the  corresponding  bone. 

One  Humerus,  sixteen  inches  long  ;  this  bone  is  perfect,  and 
the  radio-ulnar  or  distal  articulation  beautifully  displayed 
(Lign.  69,  fig.  2.). 

A  phalangeal  bone  of  very  abbreviated  proportions. 

Ribs :  some  are  perfect,  but  several  specimens  show  the 
well  developed  neck  and  tubercle  for  articulation  with  the 
vertebra, 

A  very  peculiar  character  in  some  of  these  costal  frag- 
ments, is  the  enormous  expansion  of  the  outer  border  of 
the  rib,  so  as  to  constitute  a  wide  plate,  approaching  to  that 
of  the  Chelonian  reptiles.  This  anomalous  character  may 
possibly  have  relation  to  the  largely  developed  dermal  ap- 
pendages of  the  dorsal  region. 

SPINAL  COLUMN  OP  THE  HYLJEOSAURUS. — Wall-case  B. — 
A  third  example  of  this  saurian  was  brought  to  light  in  a 
quarry  in  Tilgate  Forest,  but  a  short  time  before  I  left 
Brighton,  in  the  autumn  of  1837.  This  fossil,  like  the 
former,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  parish  labourers,  who  were 
unacquainted  with  the  increased  value  of  carefully  extracted 
specimens.  From  the  connected  state  of  the  vertebrae,  even 
when  first  seen  by  me,  it  is  certain  that  a  much  larger  portion 
of  the  skeleton  was  imbedded  in  the  rock,  and  might  have 
been  obtained  with  due  care. 

This  most  valuable  specimen  is  placed  immediately  above 
that  first  described.  It  consists  of  three  distinct  portions  of 
the  spinal  column,  comprising  twenty-five  caudal  vertebra?, 
which  bear  three  distinct  and  peculiar  modifications  of  the 
ha3mapophyses. 

Along  each  side  of  the  vertebral  column,  there  are  several 
dermal  bones  of  a  circular  or  discoidal  form,  varying  from  one 
to  three  inches  in  diameter.  There  are  likewise  the  bases  of  some 
very  large  angular  dermal  spines,  analogous  to  those  described 
in  the  first  specimen  (ante,  Lign.  66).  Thus  while  the  sca- 
pulae and  ribs  prove  the  generic  relations  between  the  first 
and  second  specimens,  the  dermal  bones  and  vertebral  column 


324  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP  III. 

yield  evidence  equally  conclusive,  that  the  last  discovered 
fossil  belongs  to  a  reptile  of  the  same  genus. 

VERTEBRA  OF  THE  HYLJEOSAURUS. — It  is  remarkable  that 
detached  vertebrae  of  the  Hylseosaurus  are  very  rarely  met 
with.  In  two  of  the  specimens  previously  described,  there 
is  a  considerable  number  of  vertebrae  but  little  removed 
from  their  natural  juxtaposition  :  in  the  collection  of  de- 
tached bones  from  Bolney,  but  few  remains  of  vertebrse  were 
observed. 

Fortunately,  the  state  of  integrity  of  the  anterior,  middle, 
and  caudal  regions  of  the  spine,  in  the  fossils  alluded  to, 
affords  ample  information  as  to  the  structure  of  the  vertebral 
column  in  this  remarkable  genus  of  saurians. 

The  cervical  and  anterior  dorsals  are  seen  in  the  first  dis- 
covered specimen,  and  the  caudals  in  the  fossil  placed  imme- 
diately over  it. 

In  their  general  characters  the  vertebrse  of  the  Hylseo- 
saurus  agree  with  those  of  the  other  Dinosaurians ;  there  is 
the  same  vertical  development  and  expansion  of  the  neural 
arch  and  platform  in  the  dorsals,  but  the  bodies  are  some- 
what shorter  than  in  the  Iguanodon,  and  both  the  articular 
facets  are  flat  and  nearly  circular,  not  plano-concave  and  sub- 
elliptical,  and  contracted  at  the  inferior  part,  as  in  that  ani- 
mal :  there  is  a  depression  on  each  side  of  the  base  of  the 
transverse  process. 

The  cervicals,  the  visceral  aspect  of  which  is  shown  in  the 
large  specimen  (Lign.  66),  are  somewhat  flattened  below  and 
laterally,  so  as  to  present  a  quadrate  form  ;  and  the  trans- 
verse processes,  and  costal  surface  for  the  attachment  of  the 
ribs,  are  displayed  ;  and  several  of  the  ribs  are  seen  lying 
nearly  in  their  original  position.  In  the  dorsal  the  visceral 
aspect  forms  an  obtuse  ridge,  and  this  gradually  becomes 
broader  in  the  more  distal  vertebrse  :  the  antero-posterior 
diameter  of  the  longest  dorsal  is  2|  inches. 

SACRUM  OF  THE  HYL^OSAURUS. —  Wall-case  C. — Above  the 
trays  containing  the  large  femora  of  the  Iguanodon  (ante, 
p.  237.1),  the  specimen  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  remains 
of  sacra  there  deposited  is  a  portion  of  a  pelvic  arch,  which 
is  referred,  with  much  probability,  in  "Brit.  Assoc.  Rep." 
(1841,  p.  114),  to  the  Hylseosaurus.  This  sacrum  (labelled 
consists  of  the  bodies  of  two  vertebrse,  two  inches 


ROOM  III.       CAUDAL   VERTEBRA    OF   THE   HYKEOSAURUS.  325 

long,  and  parts  of  two  others  anchylosed  together,  with  por- 
tions of  the  transposed  neural  arches.  These  vertebrae  are 
more  elongated  than  in  the  Iguanodon,  and  have  the  visceral 
aspect  slightly  furrowed.  This  fossil  is  minutely  described 
in  the  work  referred  to. 

But  I  have  recently  obtained  a  much  finer  specimen  of  this 
part  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Hylaeosaurus,  if,  as  I  believe,  Prof. 
Owen's  determination  of  the  fossil  above  described  be  cor- 
rect. It  consists  of  the  bodies  of  four  anchylosed  sacral  vertebrae, 
with  portions  of  the  haemapophyses,  and  the  medullary  canal 
well  defined.  It  was  obtained  by  my  friend  Captain  Lambart 
Brickenden,  from  the  quarry  in  which  the  first  known  example 
of  this  saurian  was  discovered.1 

As  neither  of  the  bones  in  this  fossil  appears  to  be  a  termi- 
nal one,  it  is  probable  that  the  sacrum  of  the  Hylaeosaurus, 
like  that  of  the  Iguanodon,  consisted  of  six  vertebrae.  In  the 
complete  anchylosis  of  the  bodies  of  the  vertebrae,  the  position 
of  the  sacral  ribs  and  neural  laminae,  and  the  slightly  sul- 
cated  visceral  aspect  of  the  bodies,  it  entirely  accords  with 
the  fragment  of  a  sacrum  in  the  Case  before  us. 

CAUDAL  VERTEBRAE  OF  THE  HYL.EOSAURUS. — The  structure  of 
the  caudal  portion  of  the  spine  of  this  remarkable  saurian  is 
admirably  shown  in  the  fine  series  of  twenty-six  vertebrae 
from  Tilgate  Forest  (ante,  p.  323).  This  chain  of  bones  com- 
prises the  base  of  the  tail,  and  extends  to  a  length  of  six  feet ; 
and  though  broken  into  three  portions,  and  somewhat  dis- 
placed, and  the  intermediate  parts  wanting,  exhibits  the 
various  modifications  of  the  vertebrae,  and  corresponding 
chevron-bones,  which  characterise  the  caudal  region  of  the 
Hylaeosaurus. 

The  anterior  caudals  are  2J  inches  in  length,  and  have 
remarkably  long  and  thick  transverse  processes,  which  pro- 
ceed from  the  neural  arch,  and  extend  outwards  and  slightly 
forwards ;  the  width  of  the  tail  at  this  part  must  have  been 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  inches.  A  longitudinal  furrow  tra- 
verses the  visceral  aspect  of  these  vertebrae,  and  is  terminated 
at  each  end  by  two  tubercles  for  articulation  with  the  cor- 
responding chevron  bone,  which  is  about  five  inches  hi  length, 

1  This  fossil  is  figured  and  described  in  "  Philos.  Trans."  1849,  PI. 
XXVII.  p.  301. 


326  PETRTFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

and  has  two  diverging  and  distinct  processes  of  attachment,  as 
in  the  crocodiles. 

The  bodies  of  the  middle  caudals  are  longer,  narrower, 
sub-angular,  and  somewhat  enlarged  in  the  centre  ;  they  are 
2 1  inches  long,  and  1|  in  vertical  diameter.  The  transverse 
processes  proceed  from  the  centrum  in  these  vertebrae,  and 
gradually  become  less,  till  they  are  lost  in  the  terminal 
caudals.  The  corresponding  chevron  bones  are  hatchet- 
shaped  ;  the  length,  1 1  inch,  is  equalled  by  the  antero-pos- 
terior  diameter  of  the  distal  expansion  of  the  bone  ;  the  two 
laminae  unite  at  the  proximal  end,  and  form  a  distinct  canal 
for  the  passage  of  the  blood-vessels.  The  terminal  caudal 
vertebrae  are  elongated,  and  have  mere  rudimentary  pro- 
cesses ;  length  of  the  body  2  inches,  vertical  diameter,  f  of 
an  inch.  The  chevron  bone  undergoes  a  corresponding 
change ;  its  antero-posterior  extent  equals  the  length  of  the 
vertebra,  but  its  vertical  dimension  is  only  |  of  an  inch  :  the 
contiguous  haemapophyses,  therefore,  meet  in  the  centre  of 
the  body  of  each  vertebra,  a  mechanism  which  conferred  great 
strength  and  flexibility.1 

The  osteological  characters  here  pointed  out,  show  that 
the  tail  of  the  Hylaeosaurus  presented  a  striking  contrast, 
in  its  form  and  construction,  to  that  of  the  Iguanodon. 
Instead  of  being  greatly  developed  in  a  vertical  direction, 
the  tail  was  broad  and  flat  at  the  base,  and  gradually 
tapered  off  into  a  nearly  cylindrical  flexible  chord,  several 
feet  in  length. 

TEETH  OF  THE  HYL^IOSAURUS  ?— No  known  vestiges  of  the 
cranium  or  jaws  of  this  reptile  have  been  discovered,  nor  any 
teeth  that  can  with  certainty  be  ascribed  to  it.  Never- 
theless, in  the  same  strata  with  the  remains  of  the  skeletons 
previously  described,  there  have  been  found  several  teeth  of  a 
peculiar  character,  which  do  not  belong  to  the  other  species 
of  reptiles  whose  remains  are  recognised  in  the  same  beds, 
and  may  in  all  probability  be  referred  to  the  genus  under 
consideration.  These  teeth  are  about  If  inch  in  height, 
and  commence  at  the  base  with  a  cylindrical  shank,  which 


1  See  "  Philos.  Trans."  1849,  PI.  XXXII.:  a  lithograph,  £  the  natural 
size,  of  the  specimen  in  the  British  Museum  which  exhibits  this  part  of 
the  spinal  column  of  the  Hylgeosaurus. 


ROOM  III.  TEETH   OF   THE   HYL^OSAURUS.  327 

gradually  enlarges  into  a  crown  of  an  obtusely  lanceolate 
form,  convex  in  front,  slightly  depressed  behind,  and  termi- 
nating in  an  angular  rounded  apex,  the  margins  of  which 
are  generally  more  or  less  worn,  as  if  from  detrition  (Lign. 
70.).  The  crown  is  solid,  but  the  fang  encloses 
a  small  pulp-cavity  ;  the  surface  is  enamelled, 
and  covered  with  very  fine  longitudinal  striae  ; 
the  base  in  every  specimen  appears  broken 
transversely,  and  has  not  a  smooth  surface,  as 
if  it  had  been  loosened  by  absorption,  and  shed 
naturally.  The  fang  never  presents  an  appear- 
ance of  lateral  adhesion,  as  if  it  had  belonged  to 
a  pleurodont  lizard. 

Transverse  sections  of  these  teeth  expose  a 
simple,  central,  medullary  canal,  the  upper 
part  of  which  is  generally  filled  with  the  ossi- 
fied pulp  ;  this  is  surrounded  by  a  mass  of 
firm  dentine,  with  extremely  minute  calci-  LlG*-  7.°-—  TOOTH 

,1  j.      ,.  /.  ,1  ,         OF  A  REPTILE  PROM 

gerous  tubes  radiating  from    the    centre   to  TILGATE  FOREST: 
the  periphery  of  the  tooth,  that  is  invested  ^™£*s™*s™E 
with  a  relatively  thick   coat   of    enamel,   in       (not.  tize.j 
which  no  structure  is  apparent.1 

The  reference  of  these  dental  organs  to  the  Hylaeosaurus 
must  not,  however,  be  deemed  conclusive,  until  confirmed  by 
the  discovery  of  similar  teeth  attached  to  a  jaw,  in  connexion 
with  other  parts  of  the  skeleton.2 

The  locomotive  organs  of  the  Hylseosaurus  are  but  im- 
perfectly known  ;  a  humerus,  one  phalangeal  bone,  and 
fragments  of  the  fibula,  are  the  only  remains  of  the  extremi- 
ties that  have  come  under  my  observation. 

The  Hylaeosaurus,  so  far  as  the  size  and  form  of  its  body 
may  be  inferred  from  the  remains  of  the  skeletons  hitherto 
discovered  (for  of  its  head  and  jaws  nothing  is  at  present 
known),  probably  attained  a  length  of  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet.  The  body  was  broader  than  high,  and  terminated  in  a 
long,  slender,  flexible  tail  ;  the  limbs  were  relatively  short  ; 
the  skin  was  studded  with  scutes  and  tubercles  ;  and  a  row  of 
very  large,  thin,  angular  spines  extended  down  the  back,  and 


1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  PI.  VI.  fig.  6*. 

»_"  Phil.  Trans."  1841,  p.  144,  PI.  VT.  figs.  9,  10,  11. 


328  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

formed  a  serrated  dermal  crest.  The  coracoids,  scapulae,  and 
ribs,  indicate  a  pectoral  arch,  in  which  were  blended  the 
osteological  characters  of  the  Monitors  and  Crocodilians. 

MEGALOSAURUS  BUCKLANDI. —  Wall-case  A,  lowermost  shelf. 
— The  oolitic  limestone  of  Stonesfield  in  Oxfordshire  has  long 
been  celebrated  for  its  fossil  remains,  and  especially  for  the 
teeth  and  bones  of  a  carnivorous  reptile  almost  equal  in  bulk 
to  the  Iguanodon.  Several  teeth  of  this  kind  are  figured  in 
Lhwyd's  "  Lithophylacii  Brit.  Ichn."  but  the  description  of 
the  lower  jaw  with  teeth,  several  vertebrae,  and  bones  of 
the  pectoral  arch  and  extremities,  by  Dr.  Buckland  in  1824, 
("  Geol.  Trans.""  vol.  i.  new  series),  was  the  first  scientific 
determination  of  the  nature  and  relations  of  this  reptile, 
which,  from  its  gigantic  dimensions,  has  been  named  the 
Megalosaurus.  Before  the  publication  of  Dr.  Buckland's 
memoir,  similar  teeth  and  bones  had  been  discovered  in 
Tilgate  Forest,  and  were  described  in  my  "Fossils  of  the 
South  Downs;"  a  work  in  which  was  first  pointed  out  the 
general  analogy  between  the  fossil  terrestrial  animals  and 
plants  of  Stonesfield,  and  Tilgate  Forest.1 

There  are  in  the  British  Museum  a  considerable  number  of 
the  teeth,  and  several  bones  of  the  Megalosaurus,  from  the 
Wealden  of  the  South-East  of  England,  but  these  specimens 
are  not  at  present  arranged  with  the  reptilian  remains  under 
review.  There  are  also  some  stupendous  coracoid  bones,  part 
of  a  clavicle,  and  a  femur,  of  the  same  species  of  reptile  from 
Stonesfield,  which  are  for  the  present  deposited  in  Room  II. 
Wall-case  0. 

In  Room  III.  Wall-case  A,  there  is  placed  on  the  lowermost 
shelf,  a  cast  of  the  portion  of  the  lower  jaw  in  the  possession 
of  Dr.  Buckland,  which  was  presented  to  me  by  that  eminent 
palaeontologist.  There  is  likewise  a  femur  of  the  Megalo- 
saurus from  Tilgate  Forest,  in  Wall-case  C,  (ante,  p.  227,) 
and  a  portion  of  a  large  sacrum  of  this  reptile,  from 
Stonesfield. 

The  osteological  characters  of  the  known  parts  of  the  Mega- 
losaurus are  so  fully  described  and  illustrated  in  Dr.  Buck- 
land's  "Bridgewater  Treatise,"  (PI.  XXIII.  p.  234),  that  a 
brief  notice  only  is  requisite. 


"  Illustrations  of  the  Geology  of  Sussex,"  p.  59. 


ROOM  III. 


LOWER   JAW   OF   MEGALOSAURUS. 


329 


The  specimen  of  the  lower  jaw  from  which  the  cast  in  Wall- 
case  A  was  taken,  consists  of  a  portion  of  the  dentary  bone, 
1  1  inches  long,  and  3|  inches  vertically  ;  it  contains  one  perfect 
tooth,  3  inches  high  and  1  inch  wide,  and  the  germs  of 
several  others.  The  tooth  has  a  conical,  laterally  com- 
pressed crown,  resembling  a  sabre  with  the  point  curved  back- 
wards; the  edges  are  trenchant  and  finely  serrated.  It  is 
composed  of  a  central  body  of  dentine,  the 
crown  having  a  coating  of  enamel,  and  the 
whole  an  external  investment  of  cement, 
which  forms  a  thicker  layer  around  the 
fang  ;  the  pulp-cavity  is  occupied  by  coarse 
bone  in  the  adult  tooth.  The  microscopical 
examination  shows  the  dentine  to  consist  of 
very  fine  calcigerous  tubes,  ^.Woth  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  without  any  admixture  of 
medullary  canals,  radiating  from  the  pulp- 
cavity  at  right  angles  with  the  external 
surface  of  the  tooth,  and  sending  off  nume- 
rous secondary  branches  ;  these  ultimately 
dilate  into,  or  inosculate  with,  a  stratum  of 
calcigerous  cells  that  separates  the  dentine 
from  the  enamel.1 

The  implantation  of  the  teeth  is  very  peculiar,  and  exhibits 
the  dentition  of  the  Crocodilians  blended  with  that  of  the 
Lacertians.  The  jaw  has  an  outward  parapet,  as  in  the 
true  lizards,  but  the  teeth  are  fixed  in  distinct  sockets,  formed 
by  transverse  partitions,  that  are  attached  to  a  mesial,  or 
inner  parapet,  composed  of  a  series  of  triangular  ossaous 
plates  ;  the  bases  of  the  old  teeth,  and  the  germs  of  the  new 
ones,  being  thus  enclosed  and  concealed. 

The  form  of  the  lower  jaw  is  but  imperfectly  revealed  in 
this  unique  specimen  ;  it  seems  to  have  been  very  much  com- 
pressed laterally,  so  that  the  original  animal  must  have  had 
a  very  narrow  and  acute  muzzle,  strikingly  contrasting  with 
that  of  its  colossal  herbivorous  contemporary. 

The  Sacrum  of  the  Megalosaurus  is  composed  of  five  (six  ?) 
anchylosed  vertebra  ;  and  of  this  part  of  the  skeleton  four 


LIGN.  71. 


1  "Odontography,"  p.  271.    See  also  "Medals  of  Creation,"  PI.  VI. 
.  7. 


330  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

examples,  more  or  less  entire,  have  been  collected.1  The  first 
discovered  specimen,  which  clearly  demonstrates  the  peculiar 
construction  of  the  sacrum,  is  figured  and  described  by  Dr. 
Buckland  :  a  portion  of  a  sacrum  from  Stonesfield,  in  Wall- 
case  G,  is  the  only  example  in  the  British  Museum. 

The  Vertebrae  have  the  same  remarkable  development  of 
the  neural  arch  and  platform  as  in  the  Iguanodon,  but  the 
bodies  are  rounded,  not  laterally  compressed  ;  and  there  are 
other  obvious  differences. 

The  Coracoids  differ  entirely  from  those  of  the  Iguanodon 
and  Hylseosaurus,  and  closely  resemble  the  corresponding 
bones  in  the  Monitors.  The  Clavicle  bears  considerable 
analogy  to  that  of  the  Iguanodon. 

The  Femur  is  easily  recognised  by  two  large  rounded 
trochanters  of  nearly  equal  size  below  the  head  of  the  bone  : 
its  shaft,  which  like  that  of  the  Iguanodon  has  a  large  medul- 
lary cavity,  is  subcylindrical  and  slightly  arched.  There  is  a 
model  of  a  metatarsal  or  metacarpal  bone,  twelve  inches  long, 
in  Wall-case  A  :  the  original  is  in  the  museum  at  Oxford. 

The  decided  trenchant  character  of  the  teeth  leaves  no 
doubt  that  the  Megalosaurus  was  highly  carnivorous ;  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  terrestrial  animal,  and  probably  preyed 
on  the  smaller  reptiles,  and  on  the  young  of  the  colossal 
Iguanodon,  Hylseosaurus,  and  others  of  its  contemporaries. 

PELOROSAURUS2  CoNYBEAREi. —  Wall-case  C. — In  the  lower- 
most compartment  on  the  left  side  of  this  case  there  are  four 
very  large  and  remarkably  perfect  caudal  vertebrae,  of  a  rich 
umber  colour,  and  though  completely  petrified,  the  neural 
arch,  and  the  lateral  processes,  are  almost  as  perfect  as  when 
the  bones  were  recent.  These  magnificent  fossils  were  pro- 
miscuously imbedded  in  a  block  of  fawn-coloured  sandstone 
in  Cuckfield  Quarry,  together  with  the  bifurcated  chevron 
bone,  and  the  two  detached  processes,  placed  above  them.  I 
chiselled  away  the  sandstone,  extricated  the  vertebrae,  and 
succeeded  in  developing  them  in  their  present  perfect  condi- 
tion. When  first  obtained  I  ascribed  them  to  the  Iguanodon  ; 
in  fact,  every  large  bone  found  in  the  same  quarry  was  natu- 


1  See  "Brit.  Assoc.  Eep.  Foss.  Reptiles,"  1841,  p.  105. 

2  Pelorosaurus;  from  Tl4\wp,pelor,  monstrous,  or  unusually  gigantic. 


ROOM  III.        VERTEBRA  OF  PELOROSAURUS  CONYBEAREI.  331 

rally  referred  to  that  stupendous  creature  ;  for  it  was  not 
supposed  that  the  remains  of  several  genera  of  gigantic  reptiles 
were  entombed  in  those  previously  unproductive  deposits. 

These  vertebrae  are  distinguished  by  their  great  size  and 
extreme  shortness  ;  the  antero-posterior  diameter  of  the  body 
being  but  little  more  than  three  inches,  and  the  transverse  di- 
ameter of  the  articular  face  upwards  of  seven  inches.  They  are 
doubly  concave  ;  the  anterior  face  being  the  most  depressed. 
They  were  ascribed  by  Professor  Owen,  ("Brit.  Assoc.  Reports," 
1841,  p.  101,)  to  a  genus  of  marine  saurians,  whose  vertebrae 
and  other  parts  of  the  skeleton  occur  in  the  Oolitic  deposits  ; 
and  which,  from  the  presumed  general 
resemblance  to  the  cetaceans  in  the  short, 
doubly  concave  vertebrae,  and  the  solid 
bones  and  natatory  character  of  the  extre- 
mities, has  been  named  Cetiosaurus  :  the 
present  vertebrae  being  described  as  a  new 
species,  —  Cetiosaurus  brevis. 

Referring  the  scientific  inquirer  to 
"Philos.  Trans."  1849,  for  the  considera- 
tions which  led  Dr.  Melville  and  myself 
to  question  the  correctness  of  this  deter- 
mination, it  will  only  be  necessary  to  state 
that  these  vertebrae  are  remarkably  distin- 
guished  by  the  entire  absence  of  projecting 
posterior  articular  processes,  or  zygapo- 
physes.  The  base  of  the  neural  spine  has  on  the  posterior 
part  a  deep  depression  on  each  side,  and  the  anterior  processes 
extend  over  the  body  of  the  vertebra,  and  are  articulated  to 
the  corresponding  surfaces  of  the  spinous  process  of  the  con- 
tiguous bone. 

The  following  are  the  dimensions  of  the  largest  vertebra  :  — 


OTHE  PE. 
tmus  CONTBEAREI. 


Antero-posterior  diameter  of  the  body 

Transverse  diameter        

Vertical  diameter  of  the  anterior  face  . 

posterior   „     . 

Height  to  the  top  of  the  spinous  process 
Diameter  of  the  neural  canal   .    .    .    . 


3£  inches. 

e! 

6 

13 
2 


The  general  resemblance  of  these  caudals  to  two  vertebrae 
found  at  Honfleur,  struck  me  when  I  first  discovered  them ; 
but  the  latter  appear  to  be  generically  distinct;  they  are  figured 


332  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

and  described  by  Baron  Cuvier,  ("  Oss.  Foss"  tome  v.  PI. 
XXII.  figs.  1  &  2,  p.  352,)  as  follows  :— 

"  Corps  cylindrique,  presque  aussi  long  que  large,  marque"  de 
chaque  cote  d'une  petite  fossette,  a  faces  planes,  circulaires,  & 
canal  me"dullaire  fort  e"troit,  k  partie  annulaire  non  articulee  ; 
1'apophyse  e"pineuse,  haute,  et  droite  ;  les  transverses  au  niveau 
du  canal  medullaire,  grosses,  cylindriques,  dilatees  verticale- 
ment  an  bout ;  et,  ce  qui  est  tres  remarquable,  les  articulaires 
posterieures  petites,  pointues,  rapprochees,  et  donnant  dans 
deux  petites  fossettes  entre  les  anterieures  et  au-devant  de  la 
basse  de  1'epineuse." 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1849, 1  obtained  from  Mr.  Peter 
Fuller,  of  Lewes,  the  most  stupendous  hurnerus  of  a  terrestrial 
reptile  ever  discovered ;  it  is  4J  feet  in  length,  and  32  inches 
in  circumference  at  the  distal  end.  It  was  found  in  the  Igua- 
nodon  quarry  near  Cuckfield,  in  the  bed  of  sandstone  whence 
the  gigantic  vertebrae  under  examination  were  exhumed  ; 1  and 
two  distal  caudals,  with  the  same  remarkable  character  of  the 
zygapophyses,  have  since  been  obtained.  It  appears  to  me 
highly  probable  that  the  gigantic  bone  of  the  fore-limb  and 
these  vertebrae,  belonged  to  the  same  genus  of  terrestrial  sau- 
rians ;  and  as  the  vertebrae  are  unquestionably  distinct  from 
those  of  the  Cetiosauri,  I  would  provisionally  assign  them  to 
the  new  genus  Pelorosaurus ;  for  I  have  obtained  dorsal  ver- 
tebrae, chevron-bones,  coracoids,  and  scapulae,  which  prove 
that  the  original  animal  is  referable  to  the  Dinosaurian 
order,  as  characterised  by  a  sacrum  composed  of  five  or  six 
anchylosed  bones,  and  vertebrae  with  high  and  expanded  neu- 
rapophyses  like  the  Iguanodon  and  Megalosaurus. 

These  vertebrae  are  distinguished  by  the  subquadrangular 
form  of  the  articular  facets,  and  the  shortness  of  the  an- 
tero-posterior  diameter  of  the  bodies.  They  are  slightly  con- 
cave in  front,  and  almost  flat  behind,  the  upper  part  of  the 
anterior  face  being  the  deepest  :  the  sides  of  the  body  are 
concave,  both  lengthwise  and  vertically,  with  a  tranverse 
median  convexity. 

The  inferior  surface  of  the  centrum  is  slightly  concave 

1  See  "Memoir  on  the  Pelorosaurus,  an  undescribed  gigantic  terres- 
trial reptile,  whose  remains  are  associated  with  those  of  the  Iguanodon, 
in  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest."  "Philos.  Trans."  1850,  p.  379. 
See  APPENDIX — H. 


ROOM  III.  REGXOSAURUS   NORTHAMPTON!.  333 

in  its  antero-posterior  diameter,  and  divided  by  a  longitudinal 
depression,  whose  termination  obscurely  indicates  the  position 
of  the  hsemapophysial  articulations ;  but  it  must  be  remarked 
that  no  unequivocal  surfaces  for  the  attachment  of  the  chevron- 
bone  are  apparent. 

The  neural  arch  is  large,  and  anchylosed  to  the  anterior 
half  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  centrum,  the  posterior  part  of 
which  is  left  free.  The  anterior  zygapophyses  project  directly 
forwards,  and  advance  over  the  exposed  part  of  the  body  of 
the  contiguous  vertebrae,  and  articulate  with  the  depressions 
on  each  side  the  spinous  process.  The  transverse  processes 
are  very  strong  and  short,  and  project  at  nearly  right  angles 
from  the  body.  The  spinous  process  is  short  and  thick. 

These  four  vertebrae  are  placed  on  the  shelf  in  a  consecutive 
line,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  two  right  hand  bones  are 
in  their  natural  order  ;  it  seems  probable  that  there  was  an 
intermediate  vertebra  between  the  second  and  third,  and  be- 
tween the  third  and  fourth,  so  that  two  more  would  be  re- 
quired to  complete  the  series.1 

The  chevron-bone  found  in  the  same  block,  and  suspended 
above  the  vertebras,2  is  obviously  too  small  for  articulation 
with  either  of  the  above ;  it  is,  however,  important,  as  showing 
the  crocodilian  modification  of  the  process,  if  this  bone  belonged 
to  the  same  species  of  reptile  ;  but  that  is  doubtful,  for  chev- 
ron-bones found  with  similar  vertebrae  in  the  Isle  of  "Wight, 
have  the  head  confluent,  as  in  the  corresponding  element  of 
the  Iguanodon.3 

REGNOSAURUS  NORTHAMPTONI. — Wall-case  C. — A  portion 
of  the  right  side  of  the  lower  jaw  of  a  lacertian  reptile,  placed 
on  the  narrow  front  shelf  in  this  case  (see  ante,  p.  227),  although 
a  mere  fragment,  and  destitute  of  the  crowns  of  the  teeth,  is 
highly  interesting,  because  it  unequivocally  indicates  a  genus 


1  See  figures  and   descriptions  of  these  fossils  in  "  Phil.  Trans.," 
1850,  p.  381,  PI.  XXII.  XXIV.  XXV. 

2  Ibid.  PL  XXII.  fig.  8. 

3  Cetiosaurus. — Professor  Owen  ascribes  a  few  other  vertebrae  from 
the  "VVealden,  which  are  deposited  in  this  case,  to  the  genus  Cetiosau- 
rus ;   but  as  no  bones  of  the  extremities  of  strictly  aquatic  saurians 
have  been  found  in  the  strata  of  the  Wealden,  it  appears  more  pro- 
bable that  these  remains  of  the  spinal  column  are  referable  to  other 
genera. 


334  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

of  reptiles  distinct  from  the  Megalosaurus,  Iguanodon,  Gonio- 
pholis,  and  other  saurians,  whose  maxillary  organs  are  known. 
Before  the  jaw  of  the  Iguanodon  was  recognised,  I  thought  it 
probable  this  fragment  might  belong  to  a  species  of  that  genus, 
and  under  this  impression,  I  communicated  a  description, 
with  figures,  to  the  Royal  Society,  in  184 1.1  Professor  Owen 
("  Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1842)  expressed  his  opinion  that  the 
fossil  in  question  might,  with  greater  reason,  be  ascribed  to  the 
Hylaeosaurus.  Subsequent  observations  have  led  me  to  con- 
clude that  it  is  generically  distinct,  and  in  my  Memoir  on  the 
Jaw  of  the  Iguanodon  ("  Phil.  Trans.1"  1848,  p.  183),  I  pro- 
posed to  distinguish  the  reptile  to  which  it  belongs  by  the 
name  of  Regnosaurus?  with  the  specific  appellation  Northamp- 
toni,  as  a  tribute  of  the  highest  respect  and  regard  to  my 
deeply  lamented  friend  the  late  noble  President  of  the  Royal 
Society. 

This  specimen  is  a  portion  of  the  right  side  of  the  lower 
jaw,  three  inches  in  length,  and  If  of  an  inch  in  the  vertical 
direction,  at  the  proximal  end.  It  consists  of  the  middle 
portion  of  the  dentary  bone,  and  the  distal  part  of  the  oper- 
cular.  It  contains  the  lower  third  of  the  fangs  of  fifteen 
teeth,  and  the  imprints  of  three  others,  with  indications  of 
the  germs  of  four  successioiial  teeth.  The  fangs  are  cylindri- 
cal, |  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  six  occupy  the  space  of 
one  inch ;  all  the  crowns  are  broken  off,  some  close  to  the 
margin  of  the  parapet,  others  low  down  in  the  socket ;  and 
this  must  have  taken  place  before  the  jaw  was  imbedded 
in  the  strata,  for  the  sandstone  filled  up  all  the  sockets, 
and  there  were  no  traces  of  teeth  in  the  surrounding  block. 
The  dentary  bone  forms  a  strong  parapet ;  its  inner  as- 
pect is  deeply  sculptured  with  the  alveoli,  to  which  the 
fangs  of  the  teeth  are  anchylosed,  in  the  same  manner  as  in 
the  Iguanas  ;  but  the  partitions  which  separate  the  teeth  are 
very  regular  :  the  germs  occupy  the  same  relative  position  at 
the  base  of  the  mature  teeth  as  in  those  reptiles.  There  are 
indications  of  a  thin  mesial  alveolar  process,  but  its  extent 
cannot  be  determined,  and  it  seems  probable  that  the  fangs  of 


1  "  Phil.  Trans.,"  1841,  PI.  V.  p.  131. 

2  Sussex  Saurian.— The  County  of  Sussex  was  anciently  inhabited  by 
the  Regni. 


ROOM  III.     THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  IGUANODON.          335 

the  teeth  had  no  osseous  protection  on  the  inner  side,  and  were 
not  implanted  in  complete  sockets,  but  simply  covered  by 
the  germ  as  in  the  existing  lizards.  The  upper  margin  of  the 
alveolar  parapet  is  regularly  scalloped  by  the  termination  of 
the  dental  sockets,  and  presents  a  convex  outline,  which  gently 
bends  towards  the  front  of  the  jaw ;  the  same  part  is  straight 
in  the  corresponding  space  of  the  jaw  of  the  Iguanodon.  A 
few  small  vascular  foramina  issue  below  the  alveolar  ridge ; 
the  external  surface  of  the  bone  is  minutely  striated  and 
punctated.  The  fractured  proximal  end  displays  the  oper- 
cular  furrow,  and  the  canal  for  the  maxillary  vessels  and 
nerves ;  the  anterior,  or  apical  extremity  is  solid. 

The  opercular  bone  was  evidently  of  a  rhomboidal  form, 
and  extended  but  a  short  distance  over  the  dentary;  it  has 
two  vascular  perforations ;  characters  which  correspond  with 
those  of  the  Iguana. 

The  well-marked  generic  difference  between  this  maxillary 
organ  and  that  of  the  Iguanodon,  will  be  obvious  upon  com- 
paring the  above  description  with  the  figures  Liyn.  53  and  54, 
ante,  p.  245. 

For  the  arguments  in  support  of  the  reference  of  this  jaw  to 
the  Hylseosaurus,  the  reader  should  consult  the  "  Reports  on 
British  Fossil  Reptiles,"  1842,  p.  119;  to  me  they  do  not" 
appear  conclusive,  for  this  jaw  clearly  belonged  to  an  adult 
reptile,  very  much  smaller  than  the  Hylasosaurus ;  and  the 
teeth  of  the  latter  are  not  positively  ascertained.  In  the  hope 
of  determining  the  question  by  the  microscope,  Mr.  Tomes 
kindly  examined  a  portion  of  a  tooth  for  me,  but  without  deci- 
sive results  :  for  as  the  fang  was  the  only  part  remaining,  its 
structure  afforded  no  evidence  as  to  the  nature  of  the  dentine 
?f  the  coronal  portion  ;  I  could  only  ascertain  that,  as  com- 
pared with  the  fang  of  the  tooth  conjectured  to  belong  to  the 
Hyla3osaurus,  (Lign.  70,  ante,  p.  327,)  it  presented  a  much 
coarser  osseous  tissue.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  conceive 
it  desirable  to  retain  a  distinct  generic  appellative  for  this 
remarkable  specimen,  until  further  discoveries  reveal  its  true 
character  and  relations.1 

THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  IGUANODON. — We  have  now  exa- 


1  APPENDIX  I.    ^Notice  of  the  Author's  collection  of  Organic  Remains 
now  in  the  British  Museum. 


336  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

mined  the  principal  specimens  of  the  terrestrial  plants  and 
animals  of  the  Wealden  formation  of  the  south-east  of  England, 
that  are  contained  in  the  British  Museum,  and  I  will  conclude 
this  section  of  the  present  chapter  with  some  general  remarks 
on  the  physical  geography,  and  the  nature  of  the  fauna  and 
flora,  of  the  Country  inhabited  by  the  stupendous  reptiles, 
whose  fossil  remains  have  so  long  engaged  our  attention. 

From  the  nature  of  the  alluvial  sediments  accumulated  in 
the  lapse  of  innumerable  ages  in  the  deltas  and  estuaries, 
which  now  constitute  a  great  part  of  the  area  of  the  south- 
east of  England,  and  of  the  north  of  Germany,  a  general  idea 
may  be  obtained  of  the  aspect  of  the  country  through  which 
the  river  flowed,  and  the  character  of  the  superficial  strata ; 
and  from  the  fossil  remains  we  may  learn  the  nature  of  the 
trees  and  plants  which  clothed  its  soil,  and  of  the  animals 
that  roamed  over  the  land,  or  inhabited  the  waters. 

Whether  that  country  were  an  Island  or  a  Continent  can- 
not be  determined;  but  that  it  was  diversified  by  hills  and 
valleys,  and  irrigated  by  streams  and  rivers,  and  enjoyed  a 
climate  of  a  higher  temperature  than  any  part  of  modern 
Europe,  is  most  evident.  Coniferous  trees  in  all  probability 
clothed  its  alpine  regions ;  palms,  arborescent  ferns,  and  cyca- 
deous  plants,  constituted  the  groves  and  forests  of  its  plains 
and  valleys;  and  in  its  fens  and  marshes  the  equisetacese, 
and  plants  of  a  like  nature,  prevailed.  That  the  soil  was  of 
a  sandy  character  on  the  hills  and  elevated  grounds,  and 
argillaceous  in  the  plains  and  marshes,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  vegetable  remains,  and  the  materials  in  which 
they  are  imbedded.  Sands  and  clays  every  where  prevail 
throughout  the  Wealden  formation,  and  have  probably  resulted 
from  the  decomposition  of  micaceous  and  felspathic  rocks. 

Some  inferences  also  may  be  drawn  as  to  the  prevailing 
atmospheric  condition  of  the  country,  from  the  undulated 
surfaces  of  the  laminated  sandstones  and  shales,  and  from  the 
stems  of  the  fossil  trees.  In  the  former  we  have  proof,  that 
when  the  land  of  the  Iguanodon  existed,  the  water  was  rippled 
by  the  breezes  which  then,  as  now,  varied  in  intensity  and 
direction  in  a  brief  space  :  from  the  latter  we  learn  that  in 
certain  situations  the  wind  blew  from  a  particular  quarter 
for  a  great  part  of  the  year,  and  that  the  mean  annual  tempe- 
rature was  as  variable  as  in  modern  times. 


ROOM  III.     THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  IGUANODON.          337 

If  we  attempt  to  portray  the  vertebrated  animals  of  that 
unknown  country,  our  description  will  partake  more  of  the 
character  of  a  romance  of  the  fabulous  ages,  than  of  a  legiti- 
mate deduction  from  established  facts.  Turtles  of  various 
tinds  must  have  been  seen  on  the  banks  and  in  the  waters  of 
ts  rivers  and  lakes,  and  groups  of  enormous  crocodiles  basking 
in  its  fens  and  marshes.  The  colossal  Megalosaurus  and 
Pelorosauras,  and  yet  more  marvellous  Iguanodon,  to  whom 
the  groves  of  clathrarise  and  arborescent  ferns  would  be  mere 
beds  of  reeds,  must  have  been  of  such  prodigious  magnitude, 
that  the  existing  animal  creation  presents  us  with  no  fit  objects 
of  comparison.  Imagine  an  animal  of  the  lizard  tribe,  three 
or  four  times  as  large  as  the  largest  alligator,  with  jaws  and 
teeth  equal  in  size  to  those  of  the  rhinoceros,  and  with  legs  as 
massive  in  their  proportions  as  the  limbs  of  the  elephant — 
such  a  creature  must  have  been  the  Iguanodon. 

From  what  has  been  advanced,  it  must  not,  however,  be 
supposed,  that  the  country  of  the  Iguanodon  occupied  the  site 
of  the  South-East  of  England,  and  that  the  animals  and 
terrestrial  plants  of  the  Wealden  lived  and  died  near  the  area 
where  their  relics  are  entombed ;  for,  with  the  exception  of 
the  shells  and  crustaceans,  and  certain  marsh  and  aquatic 
plants,  all  the  fossil  remains  bear  unequivocal  marks  of  having 
been  transported  from  a  great  distance.  But  though  three- 
fourths  of  the  bones  discovered  have  evidently  been  broken 
and  rolled  before  their  deposition,  the  teeth  detached  from  their 
sockets,  the  vertebrae,  and  the  bones  of  the  extremities,  with 
but  very  few  exceptions,  disjointed  and  scattered  here  and 
there,  the  stems  and  branches  of  the  trees  torn  to  pieces  and 
stripped  of  their  foliage, — there  is  no  intermixture  of  sea-shells, 
nor  of  beach  or  shingle  :  these  remains  have  been  subjected  to 
abrasion  from  river  currents,  but  not  to  attrition  from  the 
waves  of  the  ocean. 

The  gigantic  limbs  of  the  large  saurians  could  not  have 
been  dissevered  from  their  sockets  without  great  violence, 
except  by  the  decomposition  of  their  tendons  from  long  mace- 
ration in  water ;  and  if  the  latter  were  alone  the  cause  of  the 
dislocation  of  the  bones,  we  should  not  find  them  broken  and 
waterworn,  but  lying  more  or  less  in  juxtaposition,  as  is  the 
case  in  the  skeletons  of  the  marine  reptiles  of  the  liassic 
deposits.  But  the  condition  in  which  the  fossil  relics  of  the 

z 


338  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

Wealden  occur,  proves  that  they  were  floated  down  the 
streams  and  rivers,  with  rafts  of  trees  and  other  spoils  of  the 
land,  till,  arrested  in  their  course,  they  sank  down  and  became 
buried  in  the  fluviatile  sediments  then  in  progress. 

The  state  of  the  first  discovered  specimen  of  the  Hylaeo- 
saurus  is  in  this  point  of  view  highly  instructive  :  many  of  the 
bones  are  crushed  and  splintered,  yet  the  fractured  portions 
remain  near  each  other ;  the  vertebrae  are  more  or  less  dis- 
placed, yet  they  maintain  relation  to  the  positions  they  origi- 
nally occupied;  the  bones  of  the  fore-legs  have  been  torn 
from  their  sockets,  and  this  must  have  taken  place  before  the 
specimen  was  imbedded  in  the  mud  and  sand,  for  the  glenoid 
cavities  were  filled  with  stone  :  these  facts  prove  that  the 
carcass  of  the  original  must  have  undergone  mutilation  before 
the  bones  were  reduced  to  a  skeleton  ;  and  that  the  dislocated 
and  broken  parts  were  held  together  by  the  muscles  and  inte- 
guments ;  in  this  state  the  trunk  was  borne  down  the  stream, 
and  at  length  sank  into  the  mud  of  the  delta,  and  formed  a 
nucleus  around  which  the  stems  and  leaves  of  cycadeous  plants 
and  ferns  were  accumulated,  and  river  shells  became  inter- 
mingled in  the  general  mass. 

The  phenomena  here  contemplated  cannot,  T  conceive,  be 
satisfactorily  explained  upon  any  other  supposition  than  that 
which  implies  a  long  transport,  by  the  agency  of  streams  and 
currents  :  the  carcasses  of  the  colossal  reptiles  must  have  been 
exposed  to  such  an  action  for  a  considerable  time,  and  the 
source  of  the  mighty  river  which  flowed  through  the  Country 
of  the  Iguanodon,  must,  therefore,  like  that  of  the  Mississippi, 
have  been  far  distant  from  the  delta  which  in  the  course  of 
innumerable  ages  accumulated  at  its  mouth.1 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  444,  and  pp.  483-490. 


CHAPTER   III. 

PART  VII. 
THE  PLESIOSAURI. 

ENALIOSAURIANS — STRUCTURE  OP  THE  PLESIOSAURUS — DISCOVERT  OP  THE 
PLESIOSAURUS  DOLICHODEIRUS  BY  MR.  CONYBEARE — HABITS  OF  THE  PLESIO- 
SAURI  PLESIOSAURUS  HAWKINSII  —  PLESIOSAURUS  ARCUATU8 — PLESIO- 
SAURUS MACROCEPHALUS — PLESIOSAURUS  RUGOSUS — PLESIOSAURI  OF  THE 
WEALDEN. 

EXALIOSAURIANS. — As  in  the  tertiary  and  modern  epochs,  the 
predominant  terrestrial  vertebrata,  the  mammalia,  were  repre- 
sented by  aquatic  forms  of  gigantic  size  which  inhabited  the 
sea,  so  also  during  the  "Age  of  Reptiles,"  types  of  the  prevailing 
class  of  land  quadrupeds  swarmed  in  the  ocean,  and  equalled 
in  numbers,  and  almost  in  magnitude,  the  cetaceans  of  the 
present  day.  These  reptilian  denizens  of  the  seas  of  the 
secondary  ages,  constitute  the  order  Enaliosauria,  (i.e.  marine 
saurians,)  which  comprises  two  principal  groups  ;  namely,  the 
Ichthyosauri,  or  fish-like  lizards  ;  and  the  Plesiosauri,  which, 
as  the  name  implies,  are  more  nearly  allied  to  the  saurians 
than  the  animals  of  the  former  division;  both  were  air-breathing, 
cold-blooded,  carnivorouSj  vertebrate  animals,  with  two  pairs 
of  natatory  extremities.  The  Plesiosauri  first  claim  our 
attention,  because  the  specimens  of  this  genus  are  deposited  in 
the  cases  of  the  Room  at  present  under  survey.1 

The  perfect  skeletons  which  will  now  engage  the  visitor's 
attention,  present  a  remarkable  contrast  with  the  isolated  and 

1  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Treatise"  contains  an  admirable  expo- 
sition of  their  habits  and  organization ;  and  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  1839, 
an  elaborate  osteological  investigation  of  both  genera. 


340  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 


ROOM  III.  PLESIOSAURUS.  341 

fractured  bones  and  waterworn  relics  of  the  terrestrial  reptiles 
whose  remains  formed  the  subject  of  the  previous  section  of 
this  chapter.  The  beautiful  state  of  preservation  of  many  of 
the  Plesiosauri, — the  entire  skeleton,  from  the  point  of  the 
muzzle  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail,  lying  in  relief,  as  if  it  had 
sunk  down  quietly  on  the  soft  clay,  and  become  petrified  on 
the  spot, — manifests  how  different  were  the  conditions  in  which 
the  strata  of  the  Lias  and  the  Wealden  were  deposited ;  while 
the  exquisite  manner  in  which  the  investing  stone  has  been 
removed,  attests  the  consummate  skill  and  indefatigable  zeal  of 
the  gentleman  by  whom  these  superb  fossils  were  developed.1 

I  shall  reserve  for  the  next  chapter  an  account  of  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  matchless  series  of  Enalio- 
saurian  remains  in  our  National  Museum  were  obtained ;  and 
restrict  my  remarks  to  the  description  of  the  individual  speci- 
mens in  the  Wall-cases  D,  E,  and  F,  of  this  Room ;  those 
in  Case  D  are  arranged  as  under  : — 

WALL-CASE  D.  [4.] 

Original  specimen  of  Plesiosaurus  dolichodeirus.  I  — 

(Rev.  W.  D.  Conybeare,  "  Geol.  Trans."  vol.  i.  PI.  XVIII.  |  2Op" 

Plesiosaurus  Hawkinsii.— PL  XXIV.  of  Mr.  Hawkins's  work. 


Bones  of  the 

Plesiosaurus 

arcuatus. 


Plesiosaurus  dolichodeirus : 

the  under  surface  of  lower  jaw  exposed, 

and  two  paddles  on  the  right  side. 


Bones  of  the 

Plesiosaurus 

arcuatus. 


PLESIOSAURUS. — The  animals  of  this  genus  present  in  their 
osteological  structure  a  remarkable  deviation  from  all  known 
recent  and  fossil  reptiles  ;  uniting  the  characters  of  the  head 
of  a  lizard,  with  the  teeth  of  a  crocodile,  to  a  neck  of  inordi- 
nate length,  and  with  such  modifications  of  the  ribs,  the 
pectoral  and  pelvic  arches,  and  the  paddles,  as  to  justify  the 
graphic  simile  of  an  eloquent  Professor,  that  the  Plesiosaurus 
might  be  compared  to  a  serpent  threaded  through  the  shell  of 
a  turtle. 

The  character  which  immediately  strikes  the  observer,  is 


1  Thomas  Hawkins,  Esq.  The  splendid  volume  of  this  gentleman  on 
these  marine  saurians  cannot  fail  to  delight  the  reader  by  its  graphic 
descriptions,  and  beautiful  illustrations.  See  APPENDIX  K,  Mr.  Haw- 
kins's Collection  of  Enaliosauria. 


342  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

the  extraordinary  length  of  the  neck,  and  the  relative  small- 
ness  of  the  head.  The  neck,  which  in  most  animals  is  formed 
of  but  five  vertebrae,  and  in  the  extremest  recent  example,  the 
Swan,  does  not  exceed  twenty-four,  is  in  certain  species  of 
Plesiosaurus  composed  of  from  twenty  to  forty  vertebrae,  and 
is  four  times  as  long  as  the  head,  and  equal  in  longitudinal 
extent  to  the  body  and  tail ;  while  the  length  of  the  head  (in 
P.  dolichodeirus)  is  less  than  one-thirteenth  of  the  entire 
skeleton  ;  the  tail  is  very  short. 

The  skull  resembles  that  of  the  Crocodiles  in  its  general 
form,  but  is  proportionately  smaller  ;  the  breathing  apertures 
are  situated  anterior  to  the  orbits,  on  the  highest  part  of  the 
head.  The  orbit  is  relatively  large,  and  furnished  with  a  zone 
of  bony  plates,  as  in  the  sclerotica  of  certain  lizards  and  birds.1 
The  lower  jaw  has  the  usual  structure  of  the  saurians ;  but 
the  dentary  bone  is  greatly  expanded  anteriorly,  and  united 
in  front. 

The  teeth  are  implanted  in  separate  sockets,  and  there 
are  from  thirty  to  forty  on  each  side  the  jaws.  They  are 
conical,  slender,  long,  pointed,  slightly  recurved,  and  lon- 
gitudinally grooved  from  the  base  upwards,  and  have  a  long 
round  fang.  The  pulp-cavity  is  long  and  simple,  surrounded 
by  a  body  of  firm  dentine,  covered  on  the  crown  with  a  layer 
of  enamel,  and  at  the  base  with  cement.  The  dentition  in 
the  Plesiosauri  differs  from  that  of  the  Crocodiles,  in  the 
successional  teeth  emerging  through  distinct  apertures  on 
the  inner  side  of  the  sockets  of  their  predecessors,  and  not  J 
through  the  pulp-cavity.2  The  vertebrae  are  relatively  longer 
than  in  the  Ichthyosaurus,  and  their  articular  faces  are  either 
flat,  or  slightly  excavated  towards  the  periphery,  with  a  gentle 
convexity  in  the  centre. 

The  Pectoral  arch  is  remarkable  for  the  greatly  elongated 
and  broad  Coracoid  bones.  The  Ribs,  which  are  very  nume- 
rous, and  extend  throughout  a  great  portion  of  the  vertebral 
column,  are  connected,  anteriorly,  by  slender  bones;  the 
Ichthyosaurus  has  a  similar  structure.  As  these  connecting 
parts  are  so  constructed  as  to  admit  of  a  certain  degree  of 
gliding  motion  upon  each  other,  it  is  inferred  that  consi-. 

1  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridge  water  Essay,"  PI.  X. 

2  See  Professor  Owen's  "  Odontography,"  p.  282. 


ROOM  III.  PLESIOSA.URUS  DOLICHODEIRUS.  343 

derable  expansion  of  the  pulmonary  cavities  took  place  in  these 
air-breathing  marine  lizards. 

The  bodies  of  the  vertebrae  are  subcylindrical,  and  their 
articular  surfaces  nearly  flat ;  there  are  two  pits  on  the  under 
part ;  the  haemapophyses  and  costal  processes  are  not  anchy- 
losed  to  the  body ;  and  the  haemapophyses  consist  of  two 
distinct  laminae  which  do  not  coalesce  distally  into  a  spine, 
and  form  a  true  chevron-bone.1 

The  paddles  are  composed  of  fewer  and  more  slender  bones 
than  in  the  Ichthyosaurus,  and  must  have  been  of  a  more 
elegant  form,  and  of  greater  flexibility.  The  carpus  consists 
of  a  double  row  of  round  ossicles,  which  are  succeeded  by 
elongated  metacarpals,  and  these  by  slender  and  slightly- 
curved  phalangeal  bones. 

PLESIOSAURUS  DOLICHODEIRUS. — Wall-case D. — The  specimen 
on  the  top  of  this  Case  is  invested  with  a  classical  interest,  for 
it  was  the  subject  of  the  admirable  Memoir  on  this  remarkable 
genus  by  the  present  Dean  of  Llandaff,  (the  Rev.  "VV.  D.  Cony- 
beare,)  on  the  Plesiosaurus  dolichodeirus  (long-necked},  read 
before  the  Geological  Society,  Feb.  20, 1824,  and  published  in 
the  " Geol.  Trans."  vol.  i.  New  Series*  In  the  Case  below, 
there  is  another  specimen  of  the  same  species  from  Lyme  Regis ; 
it  is  nine  feet  in  length,  has  the  two  right  paddles,  and  exhibits 
the  under  surface  of  the  lower  jaw.  A  third  specimen  of  this 
species,  consisting  of  the  trunk  and  paddles,  is  deposited  in 
the  upper  compartment  of  Case  F. 

This  species  presents  such  extraordinary  deviations  from 
the  ordinary  saurian  type,  in  the  great  length  of  its  neck,  and 
the  extreme  smallness  of  the  head,  that  the  correct  inter- 
pretation of  its  characters  and  affinities,  at  the  dawn  of 

1  For  anatomical  details  consult  "  Brit.  Assoc  Report,"  1839. 

2  This  specimen  is  figured  in  "Geol.  Trans."  vol.  i.  new  series,  PI. 
XL VI II.  p.  381.     It  was  discovered  and  developed  by  the  late  Mary 
Anning,  of  Lyme  Eegis,  and  purchased  by  the  late  Duke  of  Buckingham 
for  (I  believe)  105?.     I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  present  when  Mr. 
Conybeare  read  the  Memoir  at  the  meeting  of  the  Geological  Society  in 

4  Bedford  Street,  Covent  Garden  ;  the  specimen  was  placed  in  the  narrow 
vestibule  at  the  entrance,  for  want  of  room.  Some  years  afterwards  I 
saw  it,  in  company  with  Dr.  Buckland,  at  the  princely  mansion  of  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  at  Stowe.  On  the  dispersion  of  the  treasures  of 
nature  and  art  in  that  noble  collection,  it  was  bought  for  the  British 
Museum. 


344  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

British  Palaeontology,  attests  in  a  striking  manner  the  sagacity, 
and  consummate  skill,  and  profound  knowledge  of  the 
Cuvierian  philosophy,  of  our  eminent  countryman,  the  Rev. 
W.  D.  Conybeare. 

In  the  first  specimen,  the  cranium  and  jaws  are  somewhat 
crushed;  of  the  vertebral  column,  a  great  portion  of  the 
cervical  and  caudal  regions  has  the  bones  in  connexion ;  but 
the  dorsals  are  much  dislocated,  and  the  ribs  displayed.  The 
anterior  right,  and  the  left  hinder  extremity,  are  almost  entire : 
the  corresponding  paddles  are  imperfect,  and  somewhat  dis- 
placed. The  pectoral  arch  is  not  seen,  but  the  "  sterno-costal- 
arcs"  that  protected  the  abdomen,  are  perceptible.  Of  the 
pelvis,  the  principal  bones  remain ;  the  caudal  vertebrae  and 
their  hsemapophyses  are  beautifully  shown. 

A  good  idea  of  the  general  form  of  the  living  Plesiosaurus 
is  conveyed  by  this  fine  specimen ;  and  the  correctness  of  the 
restoration  of  the  entire  skeleton  given  by  Mr.  Conybeare, 
(PL  XLIX.  of  the  same  vol.)  has  been  established  by  subse- 
quent discoveries,  and  especially  by  the  perfect  examples 
which  the  researches  of  Mr.  Hawkins  have  brought  to  light. 
I  subjoin  a  few  remarks  from  the  original  Memoir,  and  some 
additional  details  of  the  structure  of  these  marine  saurians. 

"The  neck  is  fully  equal  in  length  to  the  body  and  tail 
united  ;  and  which,  surpassing  in  the  number  of  its  vertebrae 
that  of  the  longest-necked  birds,  even  the  Swan,  deviates  from 
the  laws  which  were  heretofore  regarded  as  universal  in  quad- 
rupedal animals  and  the  cetacea.  The  whole  vertebral  column 
numbers  about  90  joints,  viz.  35  cervical,  6  anterior  dorsal, 
21  dorsal  and  lumbar,  2  sacral,  and  26  caudal.  The  propor- 
tion of  these  parts  will  stand  nearly  thus ;  taking  the  head  as 
1,  the  neck  will  be  5,  the  body  4,  and  the  tail  3  :  the  whole 
length  being  13  times  that  of  the  head. 

"  The  general  proportions  of  the  Tortoise,  its  length  of  neck, 
shortness  of  tail,  and  the  small  ness  of  its  head,  are  in  some 
degree  analogous  to  what  we  observe  in  the  Plesiosaurus  ;  but 
the  structure  of  the  head  and  teeth  of  the  latter,  and  its  want 
of  shell,  entirely  negative  the  idea  of  its  being  intimately 
allied  to  the  chelonians,  and  decidedly  connect  it  with  the 
saurian  order." 

The  vertebrse  are  recognised  by  their  nearly  flat  articular 
facets,  and  the  presence  of  two  small  vascular  pits  on  the 


ROOM  III.  PLESIOSAURUS  DOLICHODEIRUS.  345 

inferior  aspect  of  the  centrum ;  and  they  are  rather  wider 
than  long.  The  annular  part  is  united  to  the  body  by  suture, 
but  not  anchylosed  to  it.  The  spinous  process  is  rather 
elevated ;  the  posterior  zygapophyses  are  higher  than  the 
anterior,  and  rest  almost  horizontally  on  those  of  the  conti- 
guous vertebrae. 

The  anterior  cervical  vertebrae  support  small  ribs,  which  are 
articulated  by  two  tubercles,  and  terminate  in  a  hatchet-form, 
like  the  analogous  elements  in  the  Crocodile.  In  the  six 
succeeding  vertebrae,  the  ribs  are  elongated,  and  assume  by 
degrees  the  form  of  the  dorsal  costal-processes. 

The  vertebras  of  the  tail  are  distinguished  by  the  small 
facets  for  the  haemapophyses,  which,  as  in  the  crocodiles,  are 
articulated  between  the  junction  of  two  vertebrae,  so  that 
there  are  two  articular  depressions  for  each  of  the  laminae,  the 
centrum  having  four,  viz.  two  at  the  anterior  edge  and  two 
at  the  posterior ;  the  transverse  processes  of  the  caudals  are 
attached  by  suture  as  in  the  young  crocodile. 

The  humero-pectoral  arch  in  the  Plesiosaurus  is  very 
remarkable  for  the  great  size,  and  antero-posterior  expansion 
of  the  coracoids,  (see  Lign.  73). 

The  structure  of  the  ribs  is  also  peculiar  ;  for  each  pair  of 
costal  processes  formed  an  osseous  cincture,  which  encircled  the 
body,  and  was  composed  of  five  distinct  parts ;  namely,  the 
two  spinal,  which  were  articulated  to  the  centrum  by  a  bifur- 
cated head ;  and  three  slender  vertical  bones  that  were  fitted 
to  one  another  by  oblique  grooves ;  the  median  piece  being 
transversely  elongated,  and  slightly  curved  and  pointed  at 
both  extremities ;  these  intermediate  processes  are  termed  by 
Mr.  Conybeare  the  " sterna-costal  arcs;"  a  similar  structure 
exists  in  the  Chameleons  and  certain  species  of  Iguanas.  This 
mechanism  admits  of  great  expansion  of  the  abdominal 
muscles  and  integuments  during  the  inflation  of  the  lungs ; 
and  hence  M.  Cuvier  suggested  the  probability  that  the 
pulmonary  organs  in  the  Plesiosaurus  were  very  large,  and 
that  this  marine  saurian,  like  the  Chameleon,  changed  the 
colour  of  its  skin  according  to  the  varied  intensity  of  its 
respiration. 

The  principal  bones  of  the  anterior  extremities,  or  paddles, 
consist  of  the  usual  normal  elements,  viz.  a  humerus,  radius, 
and  ulna ;  the  first  is  a  stout  bone,  with  a  rounded  head,  and 


, 


346  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  Ill 

has  the  distal  extremity  expanded  to  articulate  with  the  short 
flat  bones  of  the  fore-arm  ;  the  carpus  or  wrist  is  composed  of 
a  double  row  of  from  six  to  eight  discoidal  ossicula,  which 
support  the  slender  elongated  metacarpals,  that  articulate  with 
the  digital  or  phalangeal  bones ;  the  latter  are  connected  by 
flattened  surfaces.  The  entire  series  of  bones  was,  doubtless, 
enveloped  in  one  common  integument,  in  like  manner  as  the 
paddles  of  the  cetacea. 

The  pelvis,  which  is  well  shown  in  the  specimen  before  us, 
consists  of  strong  and  short  iliac,  and  broad  pubic  and  isckiac 
bones  ;•  the  two  latter  being  expanded  in  the  antero-posterior 
direction,  like  the  coracoids. 

The  hinder  paddles  are  very  similar  in  their  construction  to 
the  anterior,  which  they  equal  in  size. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  INFERENCES. — Mr.  Conybeare  concludes  his 
admirable  memoir  with  the  following  general  remarks  on  the 
habits  and  economy  of  this  tribe  of  marine  saurians  : — 

"  In  its  progression  the  Plesiosaurus  must  have  more  nearly 
resembled  the  Turtles  than  any  other  reptiles.  That  it  was 
aquatic  is  evident  from  the  form  of  its  paddles ;  that  it  was 
marine  is  almost  equally  so  from  the  remains  with  which  its 
bones  are  universally  associated  ; ]  that  it  may  have  occasionally 
visited  the  shore,  the  resemblance  of  its  extremities  to  those 
of  the  turtle  may  lead  us  to  conjecture,  but  its  motion 
must  have  been  very  awkward  on  land  :  its  long  neck  must 
have  impeded  its  motion  through  the  water,  presenting  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  organization  which  so  admirably  fits 
the  Ichthyosaurus  to  cut  through  the  waves.  May  it  not, 
therefore,  be  concluded,  since,  in  addition  to  these  circum- 
stances, its  respiration  must  have  required  frequent  access  of 
air,  that  it  swam  upon  or  near  the  surface,  arching  its  long 
neck  like  the  swan,  and  occasionally  darting  it  down  at  the 
fish  which  happened  to  float  within  its  reach?  It  may, 
perhaps,  have  lurked  in  shoal  water  along  the  coast,  concealed 
among  the  sea- weed,  and  raising  its  nostrils  to  a  level  with  the 
surface  from  a  considerable  depth,  may  have  found  a  secure 
retreat  from  the  assaults  of  its  enemies ;  while  the  length  and 
flexibility  of  its  neck  may  have  compensated  for  the  want  of 
strength  in  its  jaws,  and  its  incapacity  for  swift  motion  through 

1  Remains  of  Plesiosauri  have  since  been  discovered  in  the  Wealden 
formation.  See  "  Fossils  of  Tilgate  Forest,"  PI.  IX. 


ROOM  III.  PLESIOSAURUS   HAWKIKSTI.  347 

"  the  water,  by  the  suddenness  and  agility  of  the  attack  which 
they  enabled  it  to  make  on  every  animal  fitted  for  its  prey 
that  came  within  its  extensive  sweep."  l 

PLESIOSAURUS  HAWKINSII. —  Wall-case  D. — The  splendid 
specimen  thus  labelled  (Lign.  73)  in  the  upper  compartment 
of  this  Case,  was  one  of  the  earliest  examples  placed  before  the 
scientific  world  by  Mr.  Hawkins,  as  evidence  of  his  consum- 
mate skill,  and  untiring  patience  and  perseverance,  in  develop- 
ing the  enaliosaurian  skeletons  from  the  liassic  deposits  of 
England.  This  fossil,  beautifully  perfect  as  it  now  appears, 
was  reduced  to  fragments  in  removing  it  from  the  stratum 
in  which  it  was  discovered,  and  as  in  the  instance  of  the 
Maidstone  specimen,  would  have  thrown  no  light  on  the 
structure  of  the  original  animal,  but  for  the  successful  result 
of  the  labour  bestowed  on  its  reparation.2 

1  "  Geol.  Trans."  vol.  i.  new  series,  pp.  388,  389. 

2  The  following  account  of  the  discovery  of  this  specimen  is  too 
graphic  and  characteristic  to  be  omitted.     Premising  that  the  specimen 
named  as  above  by  Professor  Owen  is  described  by  Mr.  Hawkins  as 
Plesiosaurus  triatarsostinus,  I  give  the  following  extract  from   the 
"  Memoirs  of  Ichthyosauri  and  Plesiosauri,  extinct  monsters  of  the 
ancient  earth,"  by  Thomas  Hawkins,  Esq.  F.G.S.* 

"  I  was  spending  the  winter  of  1831,  as  usual,  in  London — the  pesti- 
lence came  just  in  time  to  drive  me  thence  to  Somerset,  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  Triatarsostinus.  Listen,  reader  !  December  gave  up  the 
ghost  amidst  a  thousand  frightful  rumours  of  the  coming  cholera :  if 
I  remember  right,  the  first  of  January,  1832,  is  mournfully  distinguished 
as  the  day  on  which  one  of  the  morning  papers  announced  '  the  scourge ' 
present  iu  Southwark.  Who  will  ever  forget  the  panic  that  followed? 
London  was  comparatively  deserted  within  twenty-four  hours.  Tuesday 
six  cases  were  bulletined  as  having  occurred  since  its  breaking  out — a 
distinguished  physician  assured  me  that  600  were  nearer  the  truth; 
along  the  Borough  bank  of  the  Thames,  in  those  crowded  houses,  what 
havoc  and  death  ! 

"  Wednesday  fatal  cases  trebled — about  twenty  were  publicly  acknow- 
ledged— at  least  a  hundred  and  twenty  known  to  the  intelligent  few. 
Ah  !  I  was  smoking  cigars  on  the  box  of  the  Bath  mail  all  the  night, 
and  at  ten  o'clock,  Thursday,  galloping  over  the  Mendips — the  British 
Alps— on  "  the  Exeter."  The  first  thing  that  1  ever  do  when  1  come  to 
Glastonbury,  is  to  call  on  my  friend — my  Pythias — there  :  the  second, 
to  drink  a  cup  of  cofifee  as  sedative  after  my  140  miles  journey ;  the 
third  is  to  dash  over  to  the  lias  quarries  at  a  neck-hazard  tangent.  Now 

*  In  one  vol.  royal  folio,  with  numerous  beautiful  plates,  1834. 
Copies  of  this  splendid  and  scarce  work  may  be  obtained  of  Professor 
Tennant,  149,  Strand. 


348  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  III. 

The  skeleton  is  attached  to  the  slab  of  stone  by  its  dorsal 
aspect,  consequently  the  under  surface  of  the  lower  jaw,  and 
the  series  of  cervical  vertebrae,  is  exposed.  The  pectoral  arch, 
with  its  large  coracoids  and  anchylosed  scapulae  and  clavicles, 
is  well  preserved ;  the  humerus,  radius,  and  ulna,  of  each 
side  are  in  situ,  and  the  right  carpus,  and  some  of  the  pha- 
langes. The  sterno-costal  arcs  of  the  abdominal  region  are 
beautifully  shown ;  and  the  pubic  and  ischiac  bones  of  the 
pelvis  are  clearly  developed  •  there  are  no  anchylosed  sacral 
vertebrae  in  the  Plesiosaurus.  The  femora,  tibiae,  and  fibulae, 
and  many  of  the  tarsal  and  digital  bones  of  the  paddles,  are 
likewise  well  denned ;  and  the  series  of  caudal  vertebrae, 
though  dislocated  from  the  sacrum,  and  thrown  out  of  the 
normal  position,  is  very  distinct. 

This  specimen  was  figured  and  described  by  Dr.  Buckland 
and  other  authors  as  Plesiosaurus  dolichodeirus ;  but  Professor 

"  it  happened  that  a  person  of  Street,  by  name  Creese,  a  quarrier,  a 
worthy  man  enow,  came  across  the  Triatarsostinus  a  few  days  before, 
and  as  I  had  given  him  no  inconsiderable  monies  for  the  bones  that  he 
had  met  with  in  the  course  of  his  business,  he  was  at  the  pains  of  taking 
it  home  in  hopes  of  getting  more.  The  Philistines  from  Dan  to  Beer- 
sheba  know  what  a  vile  tendency  to  mischief  every  beautiful  object  that 
he  can  set  his  paw  upon  disgraces  John  Bull.",' 

Mr.  Hawkins  found  that  in  the  attempt  to  clear  the  specimen,  the 
men  had  broken  it  into  a  hundred  pieces,  and  lost  many  of  the  frag- 
ments. The  narrative  thus  proceeds : — 

"  May  heaven  forgive  me — magna  componere  parvis — I  have  never 
forgiven  the  Goths  that  sacked  the  Eternal  City,  the  infamous  Caliph 
that  destroyed  the  Alexandrian  library — nor  these  men  !  When  I  came 
to  Street  so  opportunely,  they  had  thrown  away  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
two  anterior  paddles,  and  the  whole  of  the  posterior  right  one — they  had 
reduced  the  flag-stone  to  nearly  thirty  pitiful  pieces,  and  stabbed  the 
bone  as  a  Spanish  Matadore  does  a  bull — all  over.  But  I  should  congratu- 
late myself  upon  such  fortune  as  fell  to  my  lot,  and  thank  the  stars  and 
the  cholera  that  it  was  no  worse,  as  had  I  not  arrived  at  that  very  four 
of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  Bruin  had  resolved  to  chissel  away  the 
surface  of  the  stone,  never  dreaming  that  the  process  would  have  swept 
away  the  bones  too  ! 

"  Creese  paid  a  severe  penalty  for  his  temerity  :  instead  of  giving  him 
as  much  as  my  conscience  told  me  was  the  worth  of  it — a  rule  that  I 
have  never  departed  from  but  in  this  deserving  instance — I  was  content 
to  pay  him  liberally  for  the  trouble  he  had  been  at  in  noticing  it.  The 
rest  of  the  chapter  is  short.  Some  parts  of  the  three  minor  paddles 
are  recovered.  1  forgot  the  pestilence,  sat  up  at  work  all  day  and  all 
night,  and  in  about  two  months  the  Triatarsostinus,  my  hewn-god,  was 
finished." 


ROOM   III.  PLESIOSAURUS   ARCUATUS.  349 

Owen,  in  his  masterly  review  of  the  osteology  of  the  Enalio- 
sauriaus,  has  established  its  specific  distinction,  and  assigned 
to  it  the  name  of  its  discoverer.  There  are  three  other  re- 
markably choice  examples  of  this  species  in  Cases  E  and  F. 
That  in  the  latter  case  is  the  most  exquisite  fossil  skeleton  in 
the  British  Museum ;  the  perfection  of  the  bones,  the  ad- 
mirable manner  in  which  the  stone  has  been  chiselled  away, 
and  the  graceful  position  of  the  neck,  head,  and  limbs,  render 
this  precious  relic  invaluable. 

The  specific  characters  which  distinguish  the  Plesiosaurus 
Hawkinsii  from  the  typical  P.  dolichodeirus,  are  chiefly  dif- 
ferences in  the  relative  proportion  of  various  parts  of  the 
skeleton. 

The  head  is  somewhat  larger  :  it  is  three  times  the  length 
of  the  neck,  instead  of  being  four  times,  as  in  P.  dolicho- 
deirus. The  length  of  the  neck  only  slightly  exceeds  that  of 
the  trunk,  whereas  in  the  latter  it  is  equal  to  that  of  the 
united  body  and  tail.  The  number  of  cervical  vertebrae  is 
twenty-nine  ;  in  P.  dolichodeirus,  thirty-five.1  There' are  also 
recognisable  differences  in  the  forms  and  relative  sizes  of  the 
ulna  and  tibia. 

PLESIOSAURUS  ARCUATUS. —  Wall-case  D  :  and  on  the  top  of 
Wall-case  E. — Many  detached  bones  of  this  species  are  placed 
on  each  side  the  specimens  above  described  in  Case  D. 
This  species  is  distinguished  by  the  development  of  distinct 
transverse  processes,  from  the  sides  of  the  centrum  of  the  ver- 
tebra, for  the  support  of  the  cervical  ribs,  especially  from 
those  of  the  posterior  moiety  of  the  cervical  region.  "  These 
processes  have  the  articular  surfaces  traversed  by  a  longitu- 
dinal groove,  as  in  other  Plesiosauri,  and,  consequently,  thus 
present  the  appearance  of  the  two  normal  transverse  processes 

1  Cei-vical  vertebra.— Professor  Owen  reckons  as  cervicals  those  in 
which  the  centrum  or  body  of  the  vertebra  bears  the  whole,  or  a  part  of 
the  costal  articular  surface.  "  The  body  of  a  cervical  may  always  be  dis- 
tinguished from  that  of  a  caudal  vertebra  in  being  without  any  trace  of 
haemapophysial  pits.  The  dorsal  vertebrae  are  those  in  which  the 
costal  surface  is  situated  wholly  on  the  neurapophysis.  The  caudal 
vertebrae  are  characterised  by  having  both  costal  and  neurapophysial 
impressions  on  the  body,  except  the  terminal  ones,  which  are  readily 
distinguished  by  their  small  size,  the  absence  of  both  the  above-named 
impressions,  and  by  the  concave  character  of  their  articular  surfaces." — 
•'  Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1839,  p.  58. 


350 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 


confluent  at  the  base.  The  dorsal  vertebrae  are  distinguished 
by  the  correspondingly  great  development  of  the  transverse 
processes  upon  the  neurapophyses."  x 

Top  of  the  Cases, — Specimens  of  Plesiosaurus  Arcuatus. 
WALL-CASE  E.  [5.]  WALL-CASE  F.  [6.] 


Cast  of 
Plesiosaurus 
macrocephalus  : 
presented  by 
the  Earl  of 
Enniskillen. 

Plesiosaurus 
rugosus  : 
from  the  Lias 
near  Belvoir 
Castle. 
The  trunk  with; 
four  paddles. 

Two  noble 
specimens  of 
Plesiosaurus 
Hawkinsii. 

Plesio- 
saurus 
from 
Newark  ; 
figured 
in  Phil. 
Trnns. 
1719. 

Plesiosaurus  dolicho- 
deirus  :   the  trunk  and 
paddles. 

Magnificent  specimen  of 
Plesiosaurus  Hawkinsii. 
(Plate  2  7  of  Mr. 
Hawkins's  work. 
Edit.  1840.) 

PLESIOSAURUS  MACROCEPHALUS.  —  Wall-case  E. — A  fine 
skeleton,  between  four  and  five  feet  in  length,  from  Lyme 
Kegis,  discovered  and  developed  by  the  late  Miss  Mary 
Anning,  was  figured  and  described  by  Dr.  Buckland  under 
the  name  of  P.  macrocephalus,  from  the  relatively  great  size 
of  the  cranium  as  compared  with  that  of  the  typical  P.  doli- 
chodeirus.2  A  cast  of  this  specimen  was  presented  to  the 
British  Museum,  by  that  eminent  and  zealous  palaeontologist, 
the  Earl  of  Enniskillen  ;  and  the  osteology  of  this  species  is 
fully  elucidated  by  Professor  Owen.3 

The  arched  position  into  which  the  vertebral  column  has 
been  thrown,  presents  the  entire  skeleton  on  a  comparatively 
small  area.  The  upper  part  of  the  cranium,  with  the  orbits, 
and  the  jaws  and  teeth,  are  exposed.  The  cervical  and  dorsal 
vertebrae  form  a  continuous,  and  but  slightly  dislocated  series  : 
the  tail  is  imperfect ;  the  anterior  and  posterior  paddles  of  the 
left  side  are  entire. 

The  length  of  the  neck  exceeds  that  of  the  lower  jaw  only 
twice,  instead  of  thrice  as  in  P.  Hawkinsii.  The  greater  de- 
velopment of  the  head  is  associated  with  thicker  and  stronger 
vertebrae  ;  there  are  twenty-nine  in  the  cervical  region  ;  the 


1  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  p.  75. 

2  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  PI.  XIX. 

3  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1839,  pp.  62—69. 


ROOM  III.       PLESIOSAURIAN  REMAINS  FROM  THE  WEALDEN.        351 

vertebrae  are  shorter  than  in  the  species  previously  described, 
and  approach  in  their  proportions  to  those  of  the  Ichthyosau- 
rus :  the  processes  of  the  cervical  vertebrae  are  stronger. 

The  dorsal  vertebrae  differ  from  those  of  P.  Hawkinsii  in 
the  bodies  being  more  flattened  antero-posteriorly,  and  more 
concave  laterally.  Other  osteological  characters,  establishing 
the  specific  distinction  of  this  Plesiosaurus,  are  minutely  de- 
tailed in  the  Reports  so  often  cited. 

PLESIOSAURUS  RUGOSUS. —  Wall-case  D. — This  specimen  of  a 
very  rare  species  of  Plesiosaurus  was  discovered  in  the  Lias 
near  Belvoir  Castle,  and  presented  to  the  British  Museum  by 
the  Duke  of  Rutland.  It  consists  of  the  cervical  region  of 
the  vertebral  column,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  bones  of 
the  trunk,  those  of  the  four  paddles,  and  some  of  the  vertebrae 
of  the  tail ;  but  the  latter  are  much  displaced.  The  cranium 
is  wanting. 

Some  detached  Plesiosaurian  vertebrae,  readily  distinguished 
from  all  others  by  the  peculiarly  rugous  character  of  the  free, 
or  non-articular  surfaces  of  the  body,  were  ascribed  to  a  dis- 
tinct species,  under  the  name  of  P.  rugosus,  in  "  Brit.  Rep." 
1839  ;  and  other  characters  of  these  isolated  bones  were 
pointed  out.1  The  discovery  of  the  skeleton  before  us  has 
confirmed  the  accuracy  of  the  distinction. 

Among  other  peculiarities,  Prof.  Owen  remarks,  that  the 
two  costal  impressions  on  each  side  the  bodies  of  the  middle 
cervical  vertebrae  are  in  this  species  completely  divided,  and 
by  a  wider  and  deeper  groove ;  and  they  are  situated  near  the 
lower  margin  of  the  vertebra.  The  contour  of  the  articular 
surface  of  the  vertebral  body  is  almost  circular,  the  peripheral 
border  being  convex,  and  leading  inward  to  a  concavity,  and 
the  centre  of  this  surface  is  slightly  convex. 

The  absence  of  the  cranium,  and  the  dislocated  state  of  the 
spinal  column,  together  with  the  loss  of  many  of  the  vertebrae, 
render  it  useless  to  give  a  more  particular  description. 

PLESIOSAURIAN  REMAINS  FROM  THE  WEALDEN. — Among  the 
reptilian  bones  discovered  in  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest,  were 
dorsal  and  cervical  vertebrae  of  Plesiosauri,  referable  to  one  of 
the  typical  species  previously  described  :  probably  the  P.  doli- 
chodeirus  :  some  of  them  are  figured  in  my  "  Fossils  of  Til- 

1  "  Brit  Assoc.  Rep."  1839,  p.  82. 


352  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  III. 

gate  Forest."  l  Several  teeth,  and  specimens  of  the  median 
bones  of  the  sterno-costal  arcs,  and  portions  of  coracoids  of 
plesiosauri,  have  also  been  found  in  other  localities.  These 
remains  were  in  the  same  fragmentary  and  waterworn  con- 
dition as  those  of  the  terrestrial  reptiles. 

The  occurrence  of  the  bones  of  this  remarkable  type  of 
marine  saurians  in  the  freshwater  formation  of  the  south-east 
of  England,  may  be  attributable  to  the  influx  of  the  tidal 
waters  into  the  ancient  estuaries  and  bays ;  but  it  is  also 
probable,  from  the  presumed  habits  of  the  Plesiosauri,  that 
the  embouchure  of  the  river  of  the  Country  of  the  Iguanodon 
was  frequented  by  shoals  of  these  reptiles,  as  well  as  by 
turtles  and  predatory  fishes.  Unfortunately,  the  bones  of 
Plesiosauri  collected  by  me,  and  transferred  to  the  British 
Museum  in  1839,  are  not  yet  placed  so  that  they  can  be 
referred  to  in  this  volume  ;  but  the  fact  is  worthy  of  record 
in  relation  to  the  history  of  the  Wealden  formation. 

%*  In  consequence  of  the  arrangement  of  the  fossils  in 
this  room,  we  must  defer  the  consideration  of  the  other  group 
of  Enaliosaurians,  the  Ichthyosauri,  till  the  next  chapter,  and 
proceed  to  notice  the  contents  of  Wall-case  G,  which  chiefly 
consist  of  an  interesting  series  of  mammalian  and  other 
remains,  from  the  tertiary  deposits  of  Central  France.  (See 
ante,  p.  143.) 

1  1  Vol.  4 to.  Published  in  1827,  PI.  IX.  figs.  4,  5  ;  PI.  XVII.  fig.  20, 
p.  79. 


CHAPTER    III. 

PART  VIII. 
FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  MAMMALIA. 


GEOLOGICAL  PHENOMENA  OF  AUVERGNE — EOCENE  AND  MIOCENE  MAMMALIA 
— DISCOVERIES  OP  M.  POMEL — COLLECTION  OP  MAMMALIAN  REMAINS  FROM 
AUVERGNE  IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM — FOSSIL  BEAVER;  TROGONTHERIUM 
—TAILS  OF  GLTPTODONS. 


GEOLOGICAL  PHENOMENA  OF  AUVERGNE. —  Wall-case  G. — The 
Fossils  in  this  cabinet  are  chiefly  remains  of  extinct  mammalia 
from  tertiary  lacustrine  marls  and  limestones,  and  were  col- 
lected by  M.  Pomel,  an  eminent  French  naturalist,  from  a 
province  in  Central  France,  named  the  Limagne  cFAuvergne  ; 
a  district  of  surpassing  interest  in  a  geological  point  of  view, 
for  it  presents  the  remarkable  phenomenon  of  an  extensive 
tract  of  country  which  has  been  subjected  through  long 
periods  to  successive  volcanic  eruptions,  and  yet  the  area  of 
those  physical  revolutions,  though  studded  with  extinct 
jraters,  and  traversed  by  lava  currents,  still  preserves  its 
ancient  geographical  features. 

The  specimens  are  at  present  unarranged;  and  many  of 
the  bones,  teeth,  crania,  and  jaws,  are  not  entirely  cleared 
from  the  rock ;  but  the  eminent  zoologist,  MR.  WATERHOUSE, 
of  the  paleeontological  department  of  the  British  Museum, 
has  already  with  great  skill  and  patience  brought  to  light 
many  unexpected  treasures  in  the  collection  purchased  of 
M.  Pomel  by  the  Trustees,  and  is  diligently  engaged  in 

A   A 


354  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

developing  and  determining  the  zoological  characters  and 
relations  of  this  highly  interesting  series  of  mammalian 
remains. 

The  country  whence  these  fossils  were  obtained,  and  which 
is  the  site  of  the  extinct  volcanoes,  is  about  220  miles  south 
of  Paris,  and  forms  a  vast  plain,  situated  in  the  department 
of  the  Limagne  d'Auvergne.  It  is  so  remarkable  for  its 
fertility,  that  it  is  called  the  Garden  of  France ;  a  quality 
attributable  to  the  detritus  of  volcanic  rocks  which  enters  into 
the  composition  of  the  soil.  It  is  enclosed  on  the  east  and 
west  by  two  parallel  ranges  of  gneiss  and  granite.  Its  average 
breadth  is  twenty  miles,  its  length  between  forty  and  fifty, 
and  its  altitude  about  1,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.' 
The  immediate  subsoil  of  this  plain  is  formed  of  alluvial 
deposits  composed  of  granitic  and  basaltic  pebbles  and 
boulders,  spread  over  beds  of  freshwater  limestone. 

Hills  of  various  elevations  are  scattered  over  the  plain ; 
and  the  river  Allier  flows  through  the  district  over  strata  of 
limestone,  marl,  and  sandstone,  except  where  it  has  excavated 
a  channel  through  these  sedimentary  beds  to  the  foundation 
rock  of  granite.  The  calcareous  deposits  are  the  remains  of  a  1 
.formation  which  once  constituted  an  ancient  plain  of  a  higher 
elevation  than  the  present  tract ;  many  of  these  hills  are  capped 
by  a  crest  of  basalt,  to  which  their  preservation  is  in  great 
measure  owing ;  others  have  escaped  destruction  in  conse- 
quence of  the  durable  and  hard  nature  of  the  limestone  of 
which  they  are  composed. 

Thus  we  have  as  the  ground  plan  of  the  district,  an  exten- 
sive plain,  checquered  with  low  hills  of  fresh-water  limestone, 
that  are  capped  with  compact  lava  j l  the  boundaries  of  this 
tract  being  a  range  of  primary  rocks,  3,000  feet  high.  To  the 
westward  the  limestone  disappears,  and  a  plateau  of  granite 
rises  to  a  height  of  1,600  feet  above  the  valley  of  Clermont, 
being  3,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This  elevated  tract- 
supports  a  chain  of  volcanic  cones  and  dome-shaped  mountains,2 
about  seventy  in  number,  which  vary  in  altitude  from  100  to  j 
500  feet  above  their  bases,  and  form  an  irregular  range  of ,' 

1  I  would  refer  the  reader  to  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  268,  for  a  more 
particular  account  of  these  phenomena;  the  classical  works  on  the 
geology  of  Auvergne  are  therein  pointed  out. 

>  Ibid.  PI.  II.  ^ 


ROOM  III.          GEOLOGICAL  PHENOMENA  OF  AUVERGNE.  355 

nearly  twenty  miles  in  length,  and  two  in  breadth.  The 
highest  point  of  this  chain  is  the  Puy  de  Dome,  which  is 
4,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  entirely  composed 
of  volcanic  matter ;  it  has  a  regular  crater  which  is  300  feet 
deep,  and  nearly  1,000  feet  in  circumference. 

The  volcanic  vents  of  Central  France  are  of  very  different 
ages ;  some  being  of  immense  antiquity,  whilst  others  are 
evidently  of  comparatively  recent  origin,  for  they  have  exploded 
through  ancient  beds  of  basalt :  but  even  the  most  modern  of 
the  craters  and  lava  streams,  belong  to  a  period  very  remote 
in  relation  to  the  present  condition  of  the  country. 

In  the  plains,  and  on  the  flanks  of  the  volcanic  mountains, 
and  rising  into  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  are  a  series  of 
fresh- water  strata,  with  alternations  of  scoriae,  basalt,  &c.  based 
on  the  foundation  rocks  of  granite  and  gneiss.  The  lowermost 
oeds  are  for  the  most  part  composed  of  clay,  sand,  and  breccia, 
without  organic  remains.  The  next  in  order  are  fresh-water 
tertiary  limestones  and  calcareous  marls,  in  nearly  horizontal 
strata,  amounting  in  total  thickness  to  900  feet.  It  is  in 
these  beds  that  the  mammalian  remains  we  have  to  notice 
occur  :  they  are  associated  with  lacustrine  and  fluviatile  shells, 
as  potamides,  planorbis,  helix,  limnea,  &c.  and  terrestrial 
plants.  In  some  localities  there  are  beds  of  gypseous  and 
iaminated  marls,  and  intercalations  of  siliceous  limestones ;  in 
other  areas,  the  limestone  has  an  intermixture  of  volcanic 
matter,  and  presents  the  characters  of  a  sediment  tranquilly 
deposited  in  a  lake,  into  which  ashes  and  scorise  were  showered 
Tom  a  neighbouring  volcano. 

The  fresh-water  limestones  are  in  many  places  covered  by 
thick  beds  of  basalt  and  scorise,  and  the  summits  of  the  lower 
aills  composed  of  these  strata  are  capped  by  basaltic  lava.  The 
Drift,  or  alluvial  sand  and  gravel,  contains  bones  of  mastodons, 
elephants,  hippopotami,  &c.  as  in  other  countries  of  Europe  ; 
and  the  more  modern  superficial  soil  abounds  in  remains  of 
dogs,  hares,  beavers,  bears,  &c. 

EOCENE  AND  MIOCENE  MAMMALIA. — The  mammalian  re- 
mains from  this  region  have  been  referred  to  three  very 
distinct  geological  epochs ; !  viz. : — 

1  See  Sir  Charles  Lyell,— "  Proceedings  of  the  Geol.  Society,"  1845, 
p.  75. 


356  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

I.  Mammalia  of  the  most  ancient  fresh-water  strata ;  from 
the  presence  of  remains   of  palseotheria,  anoplotheria,  and 
other  Cuvierian  pachyderms,  these  deposits  are  regarded  as 
Eocene  and  Miocene  tertiary. 

II.  Mastodon,  Hippopotamus,  Elephant,  Horse,  Tapir,  &c. 
all  supposed  to  be  extinct  species ;  the  beds  in  which  these 
occur  are  separated  from  the  previous  group  by  ancient  lavas. 

III.  Bones  from  the  sandy  marl  and  alluvial  debris.    These 
are  referable  to  small  Rodents  (Lagomys),  and   nearly  50 
species  of  other  existing  mammalia  ;  as  Squirrel,  Hare,  Martin, 
Dog,  Cat,  &c.  Hog,  Ox,  Deer,  Horse ;  and  Reptiles,  as  Frogs, 
Lizards,  Snakes ;  several  kinds  of  Birds ;  and  eggs  of  reptiles 
and  birds.1 

DISCOVERIES  OF  M.  POMEL. — Sir  Charles  Lyell,  in  the  recent 
edition  of  his  "  Elements  of  Geology,"  remarks,  that  it  cannot 
with  certainty  be  determined  whether  all  the  fresh-water  strata 
of  the  Limagne  d'Auvergne  belong  to  one  period,  because  ex- . 
tensive  beds  both  of  the  arenaceous  and  marly  groups  are 
often  devoid  of  fossils.  "  Much  light  has  been  thrown  on  the 
mammalian  fauna  by  the  labours  of  MM.  Bravard  and  Croizefc, 
and  by  those  of  M.  Pomel.  The  last-mentioned  naturalist  has 
pointed  out  the  specific  distinction  of  all,  or  nearly  all,  the 
mammalia,  from  those  of  the  tertiary  gypseous  series  near 
Paris.  Nevertheless,  many  of  the  forms  are  analogous  to; 
those  of  eocene  quadrupeds.  The  Cainotherium,  for  example, 
is  not  far  removed  from  Anoplotherium,  and  is,  according 
to  Mr.  Waterhouse,  the  same  as  the  genus  Microtherium  of  i 
the  German  naturalists.  There  are  two  species  of  marsu- 
pial animals  allied  to  Didelphys,  a  genus  also  found  in  the 
Paris  gypsum.  The  Amphitragulus  elegans  of  Pomel,,  has 
been  identified  with  a  Rhenish  species  from  Weissenau  near 
Mayence,  called  by  M.  Kaup  Dorcatherium  nanum;  and 
other  Auvergne  fossils,  e.g.  Microtherium  Reuggeri,  and  a 
small  rodent,  Titanomys,  are  specifically  the  same  with  mam- 
malia of  the  Mayence  basin."2 

COLLECTION  IN   Wall-case  G.  — The  collection  formed  by 
M.  Pomel,  which  is  now  before  us,  is  chiefly,  as  I  am  informed 


1  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  274. 

2  "Manual  of  Elementary  Geology,"  1851,  p.  188.  See  also  p.  425,  of 
the  same  volume. 


ROOM  III.  FOSSIL   MAMMALIA   OP  AUVERGXE.  357 

by  Mr.  Waterhouse,  from  the  eocene  marls  and  limestones,  near 
Clermont ;  fresh-water  shells  are  associated  with  the  bones,  and 
no  traces  of  marine  remains  of  any  kind  have  been  discovered. 

The  bones  and  teeth,  though  friable,  are  in  a  beautiful 
state  of  preservation  ;  and  Mr.  Waterhouse  has  most  success- 
fully developed  some  exquisite  crania  and  jaws  of  an  extra- 
ordinary little  extinct  Pachyderm  (not  larger  than  a  rabbit) 
which  inhabited  ancient  Auvergne. 

There  are  bones  and  teeth  of  many  genera  of  Anoplothe- 
ridse. 

Anthracotherium,  several  species. 

Cainotherium  :  a  sub-family  of  Anoplotheridse. 

A  small  and  very  peculiar  Ruminant. 

An  animal  approaching  the  Musk-deer  (Amphitragalus  of 
M.  Pomel). 

Hysenodon  (found,  also,  at  Hordwell,  in  Hants).1 

Many  small  Rodents  of  species  and  genera  discovered  by 
Searles  Wood,  Esq.,  in  the  eocene  deposits,  at  Hordwell,  in 
Hants.2 

Small  carnivora,  allied  to  the  Weasels.  (Mustelidce.) 

Jaws  of  small  marsupials.  (Didelphidce.) 

Fresh- water  Turtles.  (Emydians.) 

Crocodilian  and  batrachian  reptiles. 

Small  lacertian  reptiles. 

Birds  :  several  species  and  genera. 

Eggs  of  birds,  and  probably,  also  of  reptiles. 

For  the  above  list  of  this  highly  interesting  series  of  mam- 
malian remains  from  the  tertiary  lacustrine  deposits  of  the 
volcanic  regions  of  France,  I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Waterhouse  ;  when  this  collection  is  thoroughly  arranged, 
and  the  characters  of  the  species  and  genera  are  determined,  it 
is  to  be  hoped  this  accomplished  naturalist  will  lay  before  the 
public  a  full  account  of  these  palseontological  treasures. 

TROGONTHERIUM  CUVIEKI.  —  Wall-case  G. — The  rivers  of 
England  and  of  the  Continent  were  inhabited  by  Beavers  at 
no  very  remote  period,  and  in  more  ancient  times  extinct 
species  or  sub-genera  of  this  family,  of  a  large  size,  were  de- 
nizens of  modem  Europe.  In  the  lowermost  compartment  of 

1  See  my  "  Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  p.  438. 

2  Figured  and  described  in  "  London  PalaeontologicalJouraal,"  PI.  II. 


358  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  III. 

this  case  there  is  a  very  interesting  fossil  relic  of  this  kind — 
the  half  of  the  lower  jaw  of  a  gigantic  animal  allied  to  the 
existing  genus  Castor,  which  was  discovered  by  the  Rev.  J. 
Green,  in  a  lacustrine  deposit  of  clay  and  sand  at  Ostend, 
near  Bacton,  on  the  coast  of  Norfolk ;  a  locality  which  has 
yielded  remains  of  mammoths,  deer,  roe-bucks,  large  water- 
moles,  &C.1 

The  incisor  (which  is  longer  and  stronger  than  in  the 
existing  Beavers),  the  molar  teeth,  and  the  articulation  of  the 
jaw,  are  beautifully  displayed  in  this  highly  interesting  British 
example  of  a  gigantic  extinct  rodent,  whose  relics  were  first 
discovered  in  Russia,  a  cranium  having  been  found  by  M. 
Fischer,  on  the  borders  of  the  Sea  of  Azof,  in  1822. 2  The 
original  was  probably  about  one  fifth  longer  than  the  common 
species  of  Beaver.  The  skull  and  jaws  of  a  much  larger  ro- 
dent related  to  the  Castor,  has  lately  been  discovered  in  the 


LIGN.  74. — LOWER  JAW  OF  AN  EXTINCT  GIGANTIC  BEAVER,  FROM  OSTEND, 
NORFOLK.     (^  nat.  size.) 

alluvial  deposits  that  contain  the  remains  of  Mastodons,  in; 
the  State  of  Ohio.  An  admirable  memoir  on  this  cranium  has 
been  published  by  the  eminent  American  palaeontologist,  Dr.j 
Jeffries  Wyman.  The  name  of  Castoroides  Ohioensis  has  been 
given  to  this  colossal  beaver ;  the  entire  length  of  the  original 

1  See  Professor  Owen's  elegant  and  interesting  "  History  of  British : 
Fossil  Mammals,"  p.  25. 

2  Described  by  Baron  Cuvier,  under  the  name  of  Castor  Trogonthe-4 
T  ium,  "  Oss.  Foss."  Vol.  v.  Part  I.  p.  59. 


ROOM  III. 


TROGONTHERIUM.  —  GLYPTODON. 


359 


animal  is  estimated  at  twice  that  of  the  existing  species,  viz. 
five  feet.1 

GLYPTODON.  —  Wall-case  G.  —  In  the  lowermost  compart- 
ment of  this  case,  there  are  two  remarkable  relics  of  colossal 
edentate  animals  allied  to  the  Armadillos,  to  which  I  would 
direct  the  visitor's  attention  ;  but  it  will  be  convenient  to 
reserve  an  account  of  the  geological  conditions  in  which  these 
and  similar  remains  occur,  till  the  skeletons  of  gigantic  ani- 
mals of  this  order  in  Room  VI.  come  under 
examination. 

I  will,  therefore,  only  remark  that  these 
fossils  are  the  osseous  dermal  cases,  or  sheaths, 
of  the  tails  of  two  distinct  species  of  Glyp- 
todon  ;  an  animal  somewhat  resembling  the 
Armadillo,  being  covered  with  a  coat  of 
mail,  formed  of  polygonal  osseous  plates, 
united  by  sutures,  that  constituted  an  im- 
penetrable covering  to  the  body.  The  plates 
of  this  bony  investment  were  not  disposed 
in  rings,  as  in  the  Armadillos,  but  were  ar- 
ticulated to  each  other,  and  formed  a  tes- 
selated  cuirass  ;  the  tail  was  inclosed  in  a 
case  of  this  kind,  like  a  sword  in  its  scab- 
bard.2 

One  of  the  specimens  in  the  British 
Museum  appears  to  belong  to  the  species 
named  Glyptodon  clavipes  ;  but  the  other 
(see  Lign.  75),  which  is  nearly  three  feet  in 
length,  is  remarkable  for  the  expanded  lobes  OF  THE  TAIJ;  OF  A 

>  .  *"L  SPECIES    OF  GLTPTO- 

n  ear   the   distal    termination   of    the   tail.  DON  (^  not.  size.) 
These  fossils  are  deserving  of  particular  examination  ;    they 
will,  I  presume,  sooner  or  later,  be  placed  in  Room  VI.  with 
the  other  remains  of  the  Edentata  of  South  America.3 


1  "  Boston  Journal  of  Nat.  Hist."  1846. 

2  A  splendid  specimen  of  the  bony  cuirass  of  the  Glyptodon  is  in  the 
Hunterian  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  in  London. 

3  A  restored  figure  of  the  Glyptodon  forms  the  frontispiece  of  the 
highly  interesting  work  on  "  Buenos  Ayres  and  the  Province  of  Rio  de 
la  Plata,"  by  Sir  Woodbine  Parish,  K.C.H.  &c.  ;  the  indefatigable  explorer, 
to  whom  science  is  indebted  for  the  most  important  examples  of  the 
extinct  colossal  Edentata  hitherto  brought  to  Europe. 


PLAN  OF  ROOM  IV. 


Room  III. 


I 

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.Room  F. 

CHAPTER    IV. 
PART  I. 

PLAN  OF  BOOM   IV. — SYNOPSIS   OP   CONTENTS — ICHTHYOSAURI    COLLECTED    BY 
MR.  HAWKINS — ICHTHYOSAURUS  TENUIROSTRIS — I.  INTERMEDIUS — I.  LONQI- 

PENNIS — I.  COMMUNIS 1.  PLATYODON  —  I.  LONCHIODON — I.  LONGIROSTRIS 

FOSSIL  REMAINS  OF  RUMINANTS  —  FOSSIL  CARN1VORA  OF  THE  CAVERNS — 
MACHAIROI>US — FOSSIL  MAMMALIAN  FROM  STONESFIELD — MINERALS — UNI- 
VALVE SHELLS  OF  THE  OOLITE  AND  CRAG — FOSSIL  ZOOPHYTES. 

THE  Wall-cases  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  on  the  south  or  left  side  of 
Room  IV.,  like  those  in  the  apartment  we  have  just  surveyed, 
are  assigned  to  fossil  remains  of  reptiles,  and  contain  a 
noble  collection  of  ICHTHYOSAURI,  from  the  liassic  deposits  of 
England.  With  but  few  exceptions,  these  splendid  specimens 
were  obtained  and  developed  by  Thomas  Hawkins,  Esq.  of 
whom  they  were  purchased  by  the  Trustees  of  the  British 
Museum,  together  with  the  unrivalled  series  of  Plesiosauri 
described  in  the  former  chapter. 

A  collection  of  bones  of  ruminants  from  the  alluvial  deposits 
[of  the  valley  of  the  Thames,  chiefly  from  Grays  and  Ilford  in 
[Essex,  is  deposited  in  Wall-case  F.  It  comprises  some  fine 
[skulls,  jaws  with  teeth,  and  bones  of  the  extremities,  of  several 
[species  of  Bos  or  Ox,  Deer,  &c. 

In  Wall-case  G,  there  is  a  considerable  number  of  very 
[perfect  crania,  jaws  with  teeth,  &c.  of  extinct  species  of 
[Bears,  from  the  ossiferous  caves  of  Gailenreuth,  in  Germany; 
land  a  most  interesting  and  precious  fossil  relic — the  half  of 
fthe  lower  jaw  of  a  small  terrestrial  mammalian,  from  the 
lower  Oolite  of  Stonesfield. 

Besides  the  fossils  above  specified,  there  are  many  species 
land  genera  of  tertiary  and  secondary  univalve  shells,  and 


362  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  IV. 

corals  and  other  zoophytes,  which  occupy  three  Table-cases. 
The  other  cabinets  contain  minerals  only. 

These  numerous  and  diversified  objects  will  be  noticed 
under  the  following  sections;  viz. — I.  Synopsis  of  Contents. 
II.  The  Ichthyosauri.  III.  Fossil  remains  of  Ruminants. 
IV.  Fossil  Carnivora  of  the  Caverns.  V.  The  Fossil  Mam- 
malian  of  Stonesfield  ;  and  VI.  the  collections  of  Shells  and 
Zoophytes  :  of  the  last,  a  brief  notice  only  is  within  the  scope 
of  the  present  volume. 


ROOM  IV. 

(62  feet  long.) 

SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS. 

OEGANIC  REMAINS. 

WALL-CASES  :  these  contain  a  fine  suite  of  Ichthyosauri 
from  the  Lias  formation  of  England. 
A.  [1.]  Specimens  of 
Ich 


thyosaurus  tenuirostris. 
inlermedius. 
longipennis. 
communis. 


In  one  specimen  coprolites  are  seen  in  the  abdominal  space 

Ichthyosaurus  platyodon. — There  is  a  very  large  and  fin 

skull  and  jaws  of  this  species,  with  the  osseous  plates  of  th 

sclerotica  perfect,  and  part  of  the  spinal  column. 

B.  [2.]  Two  specimens  of  Ichthyosaurus  inter  medius. 

On  a  slab  of  Lias  limestone  there  is  a  fine  Ichthyosaurus, 
with  the  spine  in  an  arched  position,  and  the  four  paddles 
nearly  entire  ;  from  Street,  Somersetshire. 

There  are  in  this  compartment  many  small  examples  ol 
paddles,  and  other  detached  parts  of  Ichthyosauri. 

C.  [3.]  In  this  Case  is  a  noble  skeleton  of  Ichthyosaurvm 
platyodon,  eighteen  feet  long;    and  a  small  and   beautiful; 
Ichthyosaurus,  presented  by  Mr.  Brodejip. 


ROOM  IV.  MINERALS.  363 

D.  [4.]  In  the  upper  division  is  a  splendid  specimen  of 
Ichthyosaurus  communis. 

The  lower  compartment  contains  a  large  example  of  Ichthy- 
osaurus lonchiodon;  the  paddles  imperfect.  In  the  angle  on 
the  right,  is  deposited  a  small  and  beautiful  head  of  Ichthyo- 
saurus tenuirostris :  and  below,  a  specimen  of  Ichthyosaurus 
latifrons. 

E.  [5.]  An   interesting  example  of  Ichthyosaurus  tenui- 
rostris is  placed  in  the  upper  division.     In  the  lower,  there 
is  an  exquisite  Ichthyosaurus  intermedius,  showing  the  upper 
surface  of  the  skull,   the  spinal  column,  and  paddles ;  and 
a  specimen  of  Ichthyosaurus  longirostris. 

F.  This   Case   contains   numerous  bones   of  Ruminants, 
among  which  is  a  skull  of  Bos  longifrons  ;  bones  and  antlers 
of  Deer,  &c. 

On  the  top  of  this  Case  is  placed  the  skull  and  horn-cores 
of  a  species  of  Bos,  from  Texas. 

G.  This  Case,  which  is  at  the  east  end  of  the  room,  to 
the  right  of  the  doorway  on  entering,  contains  many  skulls 
and  bones  of  Bears,  Hyaenas,  and  other  carnivora,  from  the 
caves  of  Gailenreuth,  &c. 

On  the  upper  shelf  there  is  a  cast  of  the  skull  and  jaws  of 
the  Machairodus,  (Ursus  cultridens  of  Cuvier);  a  remarkable 
extinct  carnivorous  animal  whose  upper  canines  are  very  long 
and  of  a  sabre-like  form,  resembling  the  teeth  of  the  Megalo- 
saurus. 

In  this  Case,  in  a  small  glass  frame,  there  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  fossils  in  the  collection  :  the  loiver  jaw  of  a  'small 
marsupial  animal  on  a  slab  of  Oolitic  limestone,  from  Stones- 
field,  in  Oxfordshire.  It  is  labelled  Didelphis  Bucklandi  ; 
presented  by  W.  J.  Broderip,  Esq.  F.R.S.  It  is  represented 
in  the  vignette  of  the  title  page  of  this  volume. 


MINERALS. 

TABLE-CASE  1. — [37.]  One  half  of  this  table  is  set  apart  for 
silicates  containing  glucina  and  alumina,  the  principal  species 
of  which  is  the  Beryl,  including  the  Emerald,  a  gem  which 
owes  its  green  colour  to  oxide  of  chromium.  The  other  part 
of  the  table  is  occupied  by  oxides  of  Titanium  and  titanites. 


364  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

2.  [24.]  One  half  of  the  Case  contains  varieties  of  Jasper. 
The  other  half  is  appropriated  to  Opaline  substances, — the 
noble  opal ;  sun-opal ;  common  opal ;  semi-opal ;  wood-opal, 
or  opalized  wood ;  menilite  ;  quincite. 

3.  [36.]  Varieties  and  species  of  Garnet, — chrome-garnets ; 
lime-garnets ;  colophonite,  &c. 

4.  [25.]  Silicates  of  lime,  and   some   of  the  silicates   of 
magnesia  and  of  alumina.     Wollastonite ;  Steatite  or  soap- 
stone  ;    keffekil    or   meerschaum,    of  which   pipe-bowls   are 
made ;  Serpentine ;  Hydrophite  j  metalloid  diallage  or  diul- 
lagite  ;  Chrysolite  or  periodot. 

5.  [35.]  Pyroxenic  minerals.     Augite  imbedded   in   lava 
from  Vesuvius ;   thallite ;   sahlite ;   epidote.     Idocrase  from 
Vesuvius,  &c. 

6.  [26.]    Silicate    of   Zinc,    or   Smithsonite.     Silicate   of 
magnesia — of  cerium — of  iron — of  copper — of  bismuth — of 
zirconia  —  of  alumina.     Andalusite.     Kyanite    or   disthene. 
Sillimanite.    Xanthite.    Catlinite  or  Indian  pipe-stone.    Agal- 
matolite,  employed  by  the  Chinese  for  images,  vessels,  <fec. 

7.  [34.]    Abestine   and   Pyroxenic    minerals.      Asbestus ; 
amianthus ;  augite  ;  jeffersonite  ;  yenite  from  Elba  ;  sahlite. 

8.  [27.]    Zeolitic    substances.      Apophyllite  ;    chabasite  ; ! 
mesotype ;  natrolite,  &c. 

9.  [33.]  Amphibolic  and  pyroxenic  minerals.    Basaltic  and 
common  hornblende ;  actinolite ;  tremolite,  &c. 

10.  [28.]  Zeolitic  substances.    Stilbite  ;  Heulamdite  ;  Lau- 
montite ;  Comptonite  from  Vesuvius ;  Thompsonite ;  hydro- 
lite,  &c. ;  and  several  other  scarce  zeolitic  minerals. 

11.  [32.1  Micaceous  and  talcose  substances. 

12.  [29.]  Prehnite.      Koupholite.     Jade   or   nephrite,    of 
which  there  are  some  manufactured  articles.      Harmotome  ; 
Andreolite,  a  magnificent  specimen.  Herschelite.  Felspar,  &c. 

13.  [31.]  Felspathic  substances.      Triphane ;    spodunien; 
petalite  ;  Davyne  ;  nepheline  ;  Wernerite. 

14.  [30.]  Felspathic  substances.  Common  felspar ;  amazon- 1 
stone  from  the  Urals ;  icespar ;  albite  ;  adularia,  &c. ;  Labrador  \ 
felspar ;  leucite  or  amphigene  from  Vesuvius. 


ROOM  IV.  SYNOPSIS  OP  CONTENTS.  365 

%*  With  these  Cases  the  collection  of  minerals  terminates, 
the  Table-cases  in  Booms  V.  and  VI.  being  devoted  to  fossil 
remains. 

It  may  be  useful  to  the  student  to  know  that  hi  the  cabinets 
we  have  enumerated,  the  same  mineral  species  in  each  Case  is 
indicated  by  a  coloured  border  corresponding  with  that  of  the 
label  on  which  the  name  of  the  mineral  is  written ;  as,  for 
example,  the  same  coloured  margin  as  that  on  the  ticket 
"  QUARTZ,"  surrounds  every  specimen  of  quartz  in  that  Case.1 


15.  Fossil  shells  of  Gasteropodous  mollusks,  (holostomata 
and   siphonostomata,)   from  Tertiary  and   Secondary  strata, 
named  and  arranged  by  Mr.  Woodward.  There  are  many  very 
fine  specimens  from  the  Great  Oolite  of  Minchinhampton. 

A  polished  slab  of  a  septarium  showing  displaced  sections 
of  shells,  (Turritella  imbricata,)  from  the  London  clay  of 
Western  Sussex,  (discovered  by  the  Author,)  is  very  inte- 
resting ;  a  mass  of  perfect  shells  of  the  same  species  is  placed 
near  it. 

16.  Vacant. 

1 7.  This  Table-case  contains  a  collection  of  fossil  Zoophytes, 
I  as  Corals,  Sponges,  <fcc.     Many  are  from  the  Bradford  clay ; 
I  others  from  the  Silurian  limestone  of  Dudley,  Wenlock,  &c. 

There  is  likewise  a  series  of  the  larger  forms  of  Forami- 
\niferd ;  viz.  Nummulites,  Orbitolites,  <fcc. 

18.  Fossil  univalve   shells  from  tertiary  strata  ;    chiefly 
[from  the  Eocene  deposits  of  Grignon,  near  Paris ;  Hordwell, 
[&c. ;  and  from  the  Coralline,  Norwich,  and  Red  Crag. 

1  Communicated  to  me  by  Prof.  Tennant. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PART  II. 
THE  ICHTHYOSAURI. 

DISCOVERT  OP  THE  ICHTHYOSAURUS  —  MR.  KONIG  AND  SIR  E.  HOME—  MISS. 
MARY  ANNING  —  REV.  W.  D.  CONYBEARE  AND  SIR  H.  DE  LA  BECHE  —  REV. 
DR.  BUCKLAND—  MR.  HAWKINS  —  THE  LIAS  FORMATION  —  STATE  OP  PRE- 
SERVATION AND  STRUCTURE  OP  THE  ICHTHYOSAURUS  —  PADDLES  —  INTEGU- 
MENTS, &C.  —  COPROLITES  -  SPECIES  OF  ICHTHYOSAURUS  IN  THE  BRITISH 
MUSEUM  —  ICH.  TENUIROSTRIS  —  ICH.  INTERMEDIUS  —  ICH.  LONGIPENNIS  — 
ICH.  COMMUNIS  —  ICH.  PLATYODON  —  ICH.  LONCHIODON  —  ICH.  LONGIROSTRIS 
—  ICH.  LATIFRONS  -  RETROSPECTIVE  SUMMARY. 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  ICHTHYOSAURUS.  —  Nearly  forty  years          ^ 
elapsed  since  the  attention  of  the  scientific  world  was  first 
directed  to  the  fossil  remains  of  this  extraordinary  tribe  of^ 
marine  reptiles  by  a  memoir,  by  the  late  Sir  Everard  Home,  on  j 
a  cranium,  and  other  parts  of  the  skeleton,  that  were  exhibited 
in  the  then  celebrated  museum  of  Mr.  Bullock,  in  Piccadilly. 
Teeth,  vertebrae,  and  other  detached  parts  of  the  skeleton  of! 
these  animals,  had  attracted  the  notice  of  the  earlier  collectors 
of  British  fossils  ;  but  until  Sir  Everard  Home's  communi-  ! 
cation  to  the  Royal  Society,  in  1814,  no  definite  idea  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  originals  had  been  entertained.     The  ano-|j 
malous  character  of  these  fossil  skeletons,  which  in  certain 
parts  of  their  structure  resembled  those  of  fishes,  and  in; 
others  those  of  crocodiles,   suggested  the  name,  so  happily 
chosen  by  my  friend  Mr.  Kb'nig,  the  accomplished  "  Keeper  of 
Mineralogy  and  Geology  of  the  British  Museum,"  of  Ichthyo-  \ 
saurus,1  or  fish-like  lizard  ;   a  name  by  which  this  group 


a  fish,  and  Saupos,  lizard. 


I 


ROOM  IV.  DISCOVERY   OF   THE   ICHTHYOSAURUS.  367 

of  marine  reptiles  is  now  distinguished.  Many  instructive 
specimens  were  soon  discovered,  and  important  additions 
rapidly  made  to  the  knowledge  of  these  extinct  denizens  of 
the  ancient  ocean,  by  Dr.  Buckland,  Sir  H.  De  la  Beche,  Mr. 
Conybeare,  &c.  But  the  name  of  an  humble  individual,  to 
whose  talent  and  perseverance  in  discovering  and  developing 
these  relics  of  former  ages,  the  eminent  naturalists  above 
mentioned  were  mainly  indebted  for  the  objects  of  their  inves- 
tigation, must  not  be  omitted  even  in  this  brief  sketch  of  the 
history  of  the  Ichthyosaurian  remains  in  the  British  Museum ; 
that  person  was  the  late  Mary  Arming,  of  Lyme  Regis,  who, 
— to  employ  Mr.  Hawkins's  graphic  language, — "devoted 
herself  to  science,  and  explored  the  frowning  and  precipitous 
cliffs,  when  the  furious  spring-tide  conspired  with  the  howling 
tempest  to  overthrow  them,  and  rescued  from  the  devouring 
ocean,  sometimes  at  the  peril  of  her  life,  the  few  specimens 
which  originated  all  the  facts  and  ingenious  theories  of  those 
eminent  persons,  whose  names  must  ever  be  remembered  with 
I  sentiments  of  the  liveliest  gratitude."  l 

Several  memoirs  were  published  by  Sir  E.  Home  and 
i  others  on  detached  parts  of  the  skeleton,  and  in  1821,  Messrs. 
Conybeare  and  De  la  Beche  communicated  to  the  Geological 
Society  a  "  Memoir  on  the  genus  Ichthyosaurus,"  in  which  the 
osteology  of  the  original  was  so  fully  elucidated,  as  to  leave 
[but  few  points  undetermined,  for  the  investigation  of  subse- 
luent  observers. 

Ten   years    afterwards,    Mr.  Hawkins    astonished   British 
ituralists  by  the  splendid  and  perfect  skeletons  of  several 
tew  species  of  both  tribes  of  Enaliosauri,  which  his  anatomi- 
skill,  and  untiring  perseverance  and  patience,  enabled  him 
dissect  from  the  rock,  in  a  state  of  integrity  previously 
lought  unattainable.     The  principal  gems  of  that  gentle- 
L'S  collection  are  now  before  us,  having  been  purchased  by 
Trustees  of  the  British  Museum.2 

To  the  admirable  Memoir  on  the  Enaliosauransi,  by  Baron 
hivier,  in  1823, — the  beautiful  illustrations  in  the  Bridge  water 


"  Memoirs  of  Ichthyosauri,"  &c.  by  Thomas  Hawkins,  Esq.  1  vol. 
folio,  1834,  p.  9. 

2  Two  collections  were  purchased  of  Mr.  Hawkins  ;  the  first  was  valued 
>y  Dr.  Buckland  and  myself.     See  APPENDIX  K. 


368  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  IV. 

Essay,  by  Dr.  Buckland, — and  the  elaborate  and  highly  philo- 
sophical review  of  the  subject,  and  the  determination  of  all 
the  then  known  species,  by  Professor  Owen,  in  1839,  in  the 
"  Reports  on  British  Fossil  Reptiles,"  undertaken  and  pub- 
lished under  the  auspices  of  the  British  Association  of  Science, 
— we  are  indebted  for  the  present  advanced  state  of  this  depart- 
ment of  British  Palaeontology.  The  number  of  species  of 
both  genera  is  now  considerable,  and  many  specimens,  both 
of  Ichthyosauri  and  Plesiosauri,  have  been  discovered  in 
various  localities  on  the  Continent. 

THE  LIAS  FORMATION. — Although  remains  of  Enaliosaurians 
occur  in  all  the  formations  from  the  Muschelkalk  below  the 
Lias,  to  the  Chalk  inclusive,  it  is  in  the  liassic  deposits  that 
the  greatest  number,  and  the  most  perfect  examples,  have 
been  discovered ;  and  as  the  specimens  which  now  engage 
our  attention  were  collected  from  those  strata  by  Mr.  Haw- 
kins, I  shall  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  geological  characters 
of  the  localities  whence  these  splendid  fossils  were  obtained. 

The  Lias,  situated  between  the  Triassic,  or  New  Red 
Formation,  and  the  Oolite,  consists  of  a  series  of  argillaceous 
limestones,  marls,  and  clays,  which  may  be  regarded  as 
forming  the  base  of  the  latter  formation,  for  there  are  scarcely 
sufficient  grounds  for  their  separation ;  the  Upper  Lias,  and  the 
Inferor  Oolite  which  lies  upon  it,  having  many  fossils  in  com- 
mon, and  in  some  localities  passing  into  each  other.  The 
total  thickness  of  the  Lias  varies  from  500  to  1000  feet :  the 
strata  have  a  very  uniform  lithological  character,  and  con- 
tain many  peculiar  organic  remains.1 

The  Lias  appears  beneath  the  Oolite,  through  the  south- 
east of  Somersetshire,  and  extends  into  Dorsetshire,  forming 
a  range  of  cliffs,  above  four  miles  in  length,  along  the  sea- 
shore at  Lyme  Regis,  where  it  may  be  traced  on  the  coast  till 
it  gradually  sinks  beneath  the  Inferior  Oolite.  Lyme  Regis 
in  Dorsetshire,  and  Watchet,  Street,  and  Westbury,  in  Somer- 
setshire, are  the  localities  that  have  afforded  the  most  in- 
structive specimens. 

The  subdivisions  of  the  Lias  are  characterised  by  the 
abundance  of  particular  groups  of  fossils.  Some  of  the  strata 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  521;  and  Sir  C.  Lyell's  "Elements 
of  Geology,"  p.  273. 


ROOM  IV.      STATE  OF  PRESERVATION  OF  ENALIOSAURIANS.  369 

contain  a  greater  number,  and  more  perfect  skeletons  of  sau- 
rians,  than  others.  The  uppermost  beds  consist  of  Alum  shale, 
with  a  profusion  of  ammonites  and  crinoidal  remains.  The 
next  subdivision  comprises  strata  of  marlstone  and  blue  marl, 
in  which  bones  of  Enaliosaurians  are  but  rarely  met  with  ; 
but  ammonites,  belemnites,  and  other  cephalopoda,  and  the 
usual  marine  shells  and  zoophytes  of  the  Liassic  formation 
are  abundant. 

The  next  group,  the  limestones,  is  the  grand  depositary  of 
the  reptilian  remains, — "  the  inestimable  treasury  of  the  most 
splendid  epoch  in  the  physical  records  of  our  planet." l  Some 
of  the  thin  intermediate  layers  of  stone  are,  however,  literally 
a  mass  of  pentacrinites,  and  others  are  wholly  made  up  of 
ammonites ;  the  organic  remains  being^  more  or  less  mineral- 
ized by  pyrites.2 

The  most  beautiful  and  perfect  examples  of  Plesiosauri  and 
Ichthyosauri  collected  by  Mr.  Hawkins,  were  extracted  from 
these  strata.  The  total  thickness  of  the  limestones,  and  al- 
ternating layers  of  marl,  at  Kingston,  near  Street,  is  about 
twenty  feet ;  at  Lyme  Regis  (forty  miles  from  Street),  the 
section  east  of  Church  Cliff,  is  thirty  feet  thick. 

A  bituminous  marl,  of  a  black  colour,  the  last  deposit  in 
the  series,  contains  similar  remains  with  the  limestones ;  and 
in  addition,  some  fossil  terrestrial  vegetables  not  observed  in 
the  other  strata-3 

At  the  base  of  the  Lias,  and  separating  the  lowermost  shale 
from  the  uppermost  Triassic  bed  beneath,  there  is  a  layer  of 
coarse  detritus,  a  few  inches  thick,  commonly  known  as  the 
Bone-bed,  composed  of  mud  and  sand,  and  the  debris  of 
fishes  and  reptiles.4 

STATE  OF  PRESERVATION  OF  ENALIOSAURIANS. — The  remark- 
ably perfect  state  of  the  skeletons  of  the  Plesiosauri  has 
already  been  pointed  out ;  many  of  those  of  the  Ichthyosauri 
are  equally  entire.  In  several  of  the  specimens  in  the  Museum, 
the  bones  are  seen  in  all  their  integrity,  as  in  recent  anatomi- 

1  Mr.  Hawkins's  Memoir,  p.  5. 

2  Specimen  of  Pentacriniles  from  these  strata  are  deposited  in  "\Vall- 
case  G,  Koom  II.  see  ante,  p.  74. 

3  Mr.  Hawkins's  Memoir,  p.  7. 

4  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  529. 

B  B 


370  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.  IV. 

cal  preparations.  Reflecting  on  the  circumstance  that  the 
Enaliosaurians  lived  in  an  ocean  which  swarmed  with  pre- 
daceous  fishes  and  other  animals,  and  that  both  genera  were 
carnivorous,  and  doubtless  preyed  on  the  young  and  the 
feeble  of  their  own  races,  it  seems  difficult  to  account  for  the 
great  number  of  entire  carcasses  that  must  have  been  buried 
in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  left  unmolested  on 
the  spot  where  they  died  and  became  imbedded. 

In  explanation  of  this  fact,  Dr.  Buckland  has  suggested  the 
probability  that  these  creatures  experienced  a  sudden  death, 
from  a  diffusion  of  tnephitic  vapours  through  the  water,  by  a 
submarine  volcanic  eruption ;  such  a  phenomenon,  it  is  in- 
ferred, would  account  for  the  destruction  of  shoals  of  those 
reptiles  that  were  within  the  reach  of  the  gaseous  influence, 
and  at  the  same  time  prevent  the  approach  of  any  predaceous 
animals,  till  the  carcasses  were  enveloped  in  the  mud,  and 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  assailants. 

In  connexion  with  the  facts  referred  to,  it  is  worthy  of 
remark  that  the  Ichthyosauri  are,  for  the  most  part,  found 
lying  on  the  side,  while  the  Plesiosauri  are  extended  on  their 
backs,  with  the  abdominal  region  uppermost,  as  in  the 
splendid  fossil  figured  in  Lign.  73.  It  has  been  very  in- 
geniously conjectured  by  Mr.  Samuel  Stuchbury,'  that  this 
difference  of  position  is  referable  to  the  form  and  structure 
of  the  animals  of  the  two  genera.  In  the  case  of  the  Ple- 
siosauri it  is  assumed,  that  after  death,  the  gases  evolved  by 
putrefaction  from  the  abdominal  viscera,  were  retained  by 
the  tough  dermal  integuments  and  the  sterno-costal  arcs,  and 
the  body  was  thus  suspended  with  the  belly  uppermost,  till 
it  became  water-logged,  and  buried  in  the  silt.  Whereas  the 
fish-like  form  of  the  Ichthyosauri, — the  vertical  diameter  of 
the  body  being  greater  than  the  lateral, — is  presumed  to  ac- 
count for  the  lateral  position  of  the  fossil  skeletons  ;  while 
the  frequently  dislocated  state  of  the  bones  is  supposed  to 
have  resulted  from  the  strong  integuments  of  the  body 
having  remained  entire,  until  the  internal  parts  were  decom- 


1  "  Description  of  a  new  species  of  Plesiosaurus  (P.  megacephalus),  in 
the  Museum  of  the  Bristol  Institution."  By  Samuel  Stuchbury,  Esq. 
F.G.S.  "  Geolog.  Journal,"  vol.  ii.  1846,  p.  411. 


BOOM  IV.         STRUCTURE   OF  THE   ICHTHYOSAURUS.  37 1 

posed  and  the  bones  disunited,  but  tept  from  dispersion,  as 
in  a  sack,  till  the  whole  mass  was  imbedded. 

STRUCTURE  OF  THE  ICHTHYOSAURUS. — The  Ichthyosaurus, 
though  agreeing  in  its  general  characters  with  the  Plesiosaurus, 
presents  a  much  nearer  approach  to  the  fishes  than  that 
genus  of  Enaliosaurians.  From  the  shortness  of  the  neck,  and 
great  breadth  of  the  base  of  the  cranium,  its  general  outline 
must  have  closely  resembled  that  of  a  large  Porpoise,  or 
Grampus,  with  enormous  eyes,  two  pairs  of  fins  or  paddles,  a 
long  tail,  and,  probably,  a  large  integumentary  caudal  fin. 

The  internal  structure  corresponds  with  the  outer  form  in 
its  close  approximation  to  fishes  or  cretaceans.  The  ver- 
tebrae have  their  articular  surfaces  so  deeply  cupped,  that  it 
is  inferred  "  they  were  originally  connected  together  by  an 
elastic  capsule,  filled  with  a  fluid,  as  in  the  vertebral  joints 
of  fishes,  and  the  perennibranchiate,  or  most  fish-like,  of 
Reptiles."1 

The  muzzle  of  the  Ichthyosaurus  is  long  and  pointed ;  the 
lower  jaw  is  formed  of  two  branches,  united  anteriorly  through 
nearly  half  their  length ;  each  branch  is  composed  of  six 
bones,  as  in  the  Crocodiles  and  Lizards,  but  differently  ar- 
ranged  than  in  those  reptiles. 

The  teeth  are  very  numerous,  amounting  to  nearly  two 
hundred  in  some  species,  and  are  placed  in  a  single  row  on 
each  side  the  jaws,  being  implanted  in  a  deep  continuous 
:  groove  without  sockets.  These  teeth  are  of  a  pointed  conical 
form,  longitudinally  striated,  with  an  expanded  base.  The 
new  teeth  are  developed  at  the  inner  side  of  the  base  of  the 
old  ones,  and  grow  up  and  displace  them.  The  tooth  con- 
sists of  a  pulp-cavity,  surrounded  by  a  body  of  dentine, 
which  is  invested  at  the  base  by  a  thick  layer  of  cement, 
and  at  the  crown  by  a  coat  of  enamel ;  the  pulp-cavity,  in 
fully-formed  teeth,  is  more  or  less  occupied  by  coarse  bone.2 
The  chief  peculiarity  of  this  structure  consists  in  the  inflec- 
tion of  the  cement  into  vertical  folds  at  the  base  of  the 
tooth,  by  which  the  marginal  portion  of  the  basal  dentine  is 
divided  into  a  corresponding  number  of  processes,  as  in  the 


1  Professor  Ovren,  on  the  Ichthyosaurus.     "  Brit  Assoc.  Rep."  1839, 
p.  87. 
»  Bee  Prof.  Owen's  "  Odontography,"  p.  275. 


372  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

tooth  of  the  Lepidosteus,  an  existing  genus  of  river  fishes. 
(See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  PL  VI.  fig.  9.). 

The  nasal  apertures,  or  openings  of  the  nostrils,  are  placed 
as  in  the  Plesiosaurus,  near  the  anterior  angle  of  the  orbit. 

The  orbits  are  very  large,  and  the  sclerotic  coat,  or  capsule 
of  the  eye,  has  in  front  an  annular  series  of  bony  plates, 
which  often  occur  in  their  natural  position,  and  are  beauti- 
fully displayed  in  many  of  the  specimens  in  the  Cases  before 
us.  This  mechanism  is  not  possessed  by  fishes,  but  is  analogous 
to  that  observable  in  the  eyes  of  turtles,  lizards,  and  many 
birds ;  as,  for  example,  in  the  owl  and  eagle  :  it  confers  on  the 
eye  additional  power  of  adaptation,  and  intensity  of  vision. 

The  vertebrae,  of  which  there  are  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  in  the  individuals  of  some  species,  are,  as  we  have 
already  remarked,  very  short  in  their  antero-posterior  dia- 
meter (i.e.  from  front  to  back),  and  deeply  cupped  on  each 
articulating  face.  The  annular  part  is  not  united  to  the 
body  of  the  vertebra,  as  in  quadrupeds,  nor  connected  by 
suture,  as  in  Crocodiles,  but  terminates  on  each  side  in  a 
compressed  oval  base,  which  fits  into  corresponding  sockets 
placed  on  the  boundary  line  of  the  spinal  depression  on  the 
body,  and  thus  completes  the  neural  canal.  The  first  and 
second  vertebrae  are  anchylosed  together,  and  have  additional 
sub-vertebral,  wedge-shaped  bones,  which  render  this  part  of 
the  column  a  fixed  point  of  support.1 

The  pectoral  arch  presents  a  remarkable  resemblance  to 
that  of  the  Ornithorhynchus,  or  Duck-billed  Platypus  of  New 
Holland.  The  episternum  is  of  a  triradiate  form  ;  the  clavicles 
are  strong,  elongated,  and  slightly  curved ;  the  scapulae  ate 
stout  and  broad,  and  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram ;  the 
coracoids  are  of  a  hatchet-shape,  with  a  strong,  thick,  glenoid 
extremity,  and  a  thin  mesial  expansion,  which  articulates 
with  the  episternal  bone.2 

The  pelvic  arch  consists  of  the  same  elements  as  in  the 
Plesiosaurus,  but  the  ischium  and  pubis  are  much  smaller 
than  in  that  genus.  The  ilium  is  a  short,  simple,  strong,  and 
compressed  bone,  slightly  expanding  as  it  descends,  to  com- 


1  This  structure  was  first  demonstrated  by  Sir  Philip  Egerton.     See 
Geol.  Trans.  Second  Series,"  Vol.  V.  p.  187,  PI.  XIV. 

2  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  PI.  XII. 


BOOM  IV.      PADDLES  OF  THE  ICHTHYOSAURUS.          373 

bine  with  the  ischium  and  pubis  to  form  the  acetabulum,  or 
socket  for  the  femur.  Professor  Owen  has  directed  especial 
attention  to  the  fact,  that  "  its  upper  or  proximal  end  is  not 
connected  by  syuchondrosis  to  the  extremities  of  the  sacral 
ribs,  but  lies  simply  upon  them,  just  as  the  scapula  rests 
upon  the  ribs  at  the  anterior  part  of  the  thorax.  This  is  a 
condition  of  the  ilium  which  is  of  great  interest,  and  pecu- 
liarly characteristic  of  the  Enaliosauria,  among  reptiles.  It 
renders  their  pelvic  extremities  remarkably  analogous  to  the 
ventral  fins  of  fishes,  which  are  in  like  manner  simply  sus- 
pended in  the  muscular  mass,  and  not  fixed  to  a  sacrum."  l 

PADDLES,  AND  INTEGUMENTS. — The  extremities  or  limbs  of 
the  Ichthyosaurus,  with  the  general  structure  of  those  of  the 
Plesiosaurus,  have  the  humerus,  femur,  and  the  antibrachial 
bones,  relatively  shorter  and  broader.  The  carpus  and  tarsus 
are  composed  of  polygonal  bones,  which  are  succeeded  by 
several  longitudinal  rows  of  similar  ossicles ;  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  paddle  is  made  up  of  a  gradually  diminishing 
series  of  the  same  character. 

An  unexpected  light  has  been  thrown  upon  the  original 
structure  of  the  paddles  of  the  Ichthyosaurus,  by  the  discovery 
of  a  specimen  with  remains  of  the  integuments  in  a  carbon- 
ized state ;  and  so  admirably  preserved,  as  to  demonstrate 
that  the  fin  extended  far  beyond  its  osseous  frame-work,  and 
was  bordered  by  cartilaginous  rays,  which  bifurcated  as  they 
approached  the  margin. 

Lign.  76,  is  a  reduced  figure  of  the  hinder  paddle  of  an 
Ichthyosaurus,  (/.  communis),  with  the  integuments  preserved, 
from  the  plate  accompanying  the  original  memoir  on  this 
fossil,  in  the  "  Geological  Transactions."  The  specimen,  which 
was  discovered  by  Sir  Philip  Egerton,  consists  of  the  pha- 
langeal  bones  of  a  posterior  paddle,  with  the  soft  parts,  or 
integuments,  lying  together  in  their  natural  position ;  «,  marks 
the  termination  or  distal  extremity  of  the  fin,  consisting 
entirely  of  the  carbonized  integuments ;  these  gradually  widen 
and  expand  to  receive  the  terminal  rows  of  the  phalangeal 
ossicles  or  bones,  marked,  6.  The  upper  border  of  this  soft 

1  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  1839,  p.  107.  The  admirable  exposition  of  the 
osteological  characters  of  the  Ichthyosauri  contained  in  this  Report 
should  be  consulted  by  the  palaeontologist  who  is  interested  in  the 
subject. 


374  PETRIFACTIONS  AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  IV. 

part  of  the  paddle,  c,  is  formed  by  a  smooth,  well-defined 
line,  apparently  a  mere  duplicature  of  integument.  The 
lower  margin,  d,  exhibits  the  remains  and  impressions  of  a 
series  of  rays,  by  which  the  fold  of  skin  was  supported,  and 
these  rays  bifurcate  as  they  approach  the  margin  of  the  fin  ; 
it  is  inferred  that  these  processes  were  either  cartilaginous, 
or  albuminous,  like  the  horny  tissue  composing  the  marginal 
rays  in  the  fins  of  Sharks.  The  Lias  at  Barrow-on-Soar, 
appears  to  have  been  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  preservation 
of  the  more  perishable  parts  of  animal  tissues,  for  Dr.  Buck- 
land  detected  the  dermal  integument  of  an  Ichthyosaurus 
in  a  specimen  from  that  locality ;  and  in  the  fine  skeleton 


LION.  76.    HINDER  PADDLE  OF  AN  ICHTHYOSAURUS  WITH  ITS  INTEGUMENTS. 
LIAS.     BARROW-OX-SOAR. 

($  nat.  size.) 
(From  "Geol.  Trans."  Vol.  VI.  PL  XX.) 

with  four  paddles,  deposited  in  Wall-case  B,  p.  377,  and 
which  I  obtained  from  Barrow,  there  were  decided  traces  of 
the  carbonized  integuments  around  each  paddle,  but  which 
were,  unfortunately,  chiselled  away,  in  developing  the  bones, 
before  I  was  aware  of  their  true  nature. 

SKIN  OF  THE  ICHTHYOSAURUS  — Remains  of  the  epidermis 
or  scarf-skin,  and  of  the  cor  turn  or  true  skin,  of  the  Ichthyo- 
saurus, were  discovered,  and  first  made  known,  by  the  Dean  of 
Westminster,  the  Very  Rev.  Dr.  Buckland,  in  his  "  Bridge- 
water  Treatise." !  These  remains  were  observed  in  the  inter- 


Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  p.  23,  PL  X. 


ROOM  IV.  COPROLITES   OF   ICHTHYOSAURI.  375 

spaces  of  the  ribs  and  sterno-costal  arcs  of  a  small  Ichthyo- 
saurus, now  in  the  Oxford  Museum. 

"The  spaces  between  these  bones  are  covered  with  the 
remains  of  skin  :  the  epidermis  being  represented  by  a  delicate 
film,  and  the  rete  mucosum  by  fine  threads  of  white  carbonate 
of  lime :  beneath  these  the  corium,  or  true  skin,  is  preserved 
in  the  state  of  dark  carbonate  of  lime,  charged  with  black 
volatile  matter  of  a  bituminous  and  oily  consistence.  Similar 
black  patches  of  skin  are  not  unfrequently  found  attached 
to  the  skeletons  of  Ichthyosauri  from  Lyme  Regis,  but  no 
remains  of  any  other  soft  parts  of  the  body  have  yet  been 
noticed. 

"  The  preservation  of  the  skin  shows  that  only  a  short 
interval  elapsed  between  the  death  of  the  animal,  and  the 
interment  in  the  muddy  sediment  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  of 
which  the  lias  is  composed." 

There  were  no  traces  whatever  of  a  scaly  integument,  and 
there  is  every  reason  to  conclude  that  the  Ichthyosauri  had  a 
naked  skin,  like  the  Cetaceans. 

COPROLITES. — The  excrementitious  contents  of  the  intestinal 
canal  both  of  fishes,  reptiles,  and  mammalia,  occur  in  a  fossil- 
ized state  :  those  of  the  Enaliosaurians  are  found  in  great 
abundance  in  the  lias  of  Lyme  Regis,  Street,  &c.  Before  the 
true  nature  of  these  substances  was  detected  and  made  known 
by  Dr.  Buckland,  they  were  called  bezoar-stones  by  collectors. 
They  are  often  found  occupying  the  abdominal  cavity  of  the 
skeleton,  as  in  the  specimen  in  Wall-case  A,  Room  IV.  (see 
p.  376.)1 

The  state  of  preservation  of  the  Coprolites,  as  these  bodies 
are  now  termed,  is  such,  as  to  show  not  only  the  nature  of 
the  food  of  the  original  animals,  but  also  the  dimensions, 
form,  and  structure,  of  the  intestinal  canal ;  and  from  the 
evidence  thus  obtained,  we  learn  that  these  viscera  in  the 
Ichthyosaurus  were  convoluted  spirally,  as  in  some  of 
the  most  voracious  existing  fishes.  In  the  corresponding 
organs  of  Sharks,  Dog-fish,  (Acanthias,)  and  Rays,  the 
interior  of  part  of  the  intestinal  tube  is  spirally  coiled ; 
an  arrangement  by  which  the  extent  of  surface  of  the 
mucous  membrane  is  greatly  increased,  and  the  consequent 

1  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay/'  PL  XV. 


37G 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV- 


absorption  of  nutriment  from  the  food,  in  its  passage  through 
the  canal.1 

SPECIMENS  OF  ICHTHYOSAURI  IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM. — 
The  collection  of  Ichthyosauri  in  Room  IV.  comprises  eight 
or  nine  recognised  species,  which  have  been  rigorously  ex- 
amined and  carefully  determined  by  Professor  Owen.  From 
the  length  to  which  our  general  observations  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  these  reptiles  have  extended,  a  concise  notice  of  the 
species  will  suffice ;  and  the  annexed  tables  of  the  order  in 
which  the  specimens  are  arranged,  will  enable  the  visitor  to 
refer  to  a  particular  fossil  with  but  little  trouble. 

There  are  about  thirty  very  fine  specimens  in  the  Gallery ; 
including  the  most  interesting  of  the  separate  crania,  paddles, 
vertebral  columns,  &c. ;  besides  a  great  number  of  isolated 
bones,  parts  of  skulls  and  jaws,  coprolites  and  other  remains 
of  Ichthyosauri. 

WALL-CASE  A.    [1.] 
On  the  Top.        Ichthyosaurus  tenuirostris. 


A  small  beautiful 
cranium,  and  one 
paddle. 

Ichthy.  intermedius. 
(Hawkins,  PI.  XX.) 

Ichthyosaurus  with  coprolite 
in  the  abdominal  region. 

Jaws  with  teeth  ;  very  beautiful. 
(Hawkins,  PI.  XIX.) 

(Hawkins,  PI.  IX.) 

Fine  skull  and  vertebral  column,  ribs,  &c.  with  paddles,  of  Ichthyosaurus 
longipennis. 

Ichthyosaurus  communis,  with  anterior  and  posterior  paddles. 
(Hawkins,  PI.  VII.) 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  TENUIROSTRIS 2  (Conybeare). —  Wall-cases  A, 
D,  and  E. — Of  this  species  there  is  a  specimen  in  Wall-case  A  ; 
a  fine  cranium  arid  jaws,  with  the  spinal  column,  many  bones 
of  the  trunk,  and  paddles,  in  Wall-case  E ;  two  imperfect 
specimens,  and  a  small  beautiful  cranium  in  the  left  hand' 
compartment  of  the  same  Case. 

The  Ichthyosaurus  tenuirostris  is  characterized  by  the 
great  length  and  slenderness  of  the  jaws,  which  resemble  in 
this  respect  the  maxillary  organs  of  the  Gavial  or  Teleosaurus. 
The  length  of  the  snout  is  produced  by  the  prolongation  of 

1  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "Bridgewater  Essay,"  p.  193. 

2  "Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  1839,  p.  117. 


ROOM  IV.  ICHTHYOSAURUS   INTERMEDIUS.  377 

the  intermaxillary  bones,  and  of  the  dentary  bones  of  the 
lower  jaw.  The  malar  bone  is  remarkably  long  and  slender. 
The  cranium  is  flat,  and  the  orbits  are  very  large. 

The  teeth  are  slender ;  there  are  from  60  to  70  on  each  side 
the  upper  jaw,  and  60  on  each  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw. 

The  anterior  extremities  or  paddles  are  much  larger  than 
the  posterior  pair,  and  very  strong  and  massive.  The  shafts 
of  the  humerus  and  femur  are  relatively  long,  and  their  distal 
ends  broad. 

This  species,  according  to  the  known  specimens,  attains  a 
length  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  feet ;  the  largest  teeth  are  1 J 
inch  in  length.  It  was  named  Ich.  chirostrongulostinus,  (sig- 
nifying round-boned-paddle)  by  Mr.  Hawkins ;  and  is  figured 
in  PL  XV.  XVI.  of  his  work. 

WALL-CASE  B.     [2.] 

On  thf  Tnn    I  ^"wo  P^dles  an<l  I  Ichthy.  intermedius,  ribs  I    Skull  and  jaws  of 
|  detached  bones.  |     and  vertebral  column.     |  Ichthy.  longipennis. 

Upper  Shelf.     Miscellaneous  specimens  of  detached  parts. 


Hawkins,  PI.  XII. 

Ichthyosaurus  intermedius:  a  beautiful 
fossil;  the  cranium  and  jaws,  spinal 
column,   &c.  the  large  anterior,  and 
small  posterior,  pair  of  extremities. 
(Hawkins.  PI.  XVII.) 

Several  small  spe- 
cimens of  Ichthyo- 
saurian  remains. 

Cranium,  trunk,  and 
four  paddles  ;  very 
fine  :  from  Street. 

Ichthy.  interme- 
dius. 
Hawkins  PI  XVIII 

\  arious  small 
specimens. 

Cranium,  trunk,  spinal  column,  and  two 
left  paddles  of  Ichthyosaurus. 

Beautiful  head  and 
jaws. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  INTERMEDIUS  *  (Conybeare). — Wall-cases  A, 
B,  and  E. — The  beautiful  example  of  this  species,  figured  in 
Air.  Hawkins's  work,  PL  XX.  is  placed  in  Wall-case  A. 

In  Case  B,  there  is  a  splendid  specimen,  seven  feet  long, 
from  Street,  with  the  vertebral  column  gently  arched,  and  the 
four  paddles  entire.  It  is  figured  in  Mr.  Hawkins's  Memoir, 
PL  XVII. 

A  skeleton,  six  feet  long,  showing  the  upper  surface  of  the 
cranium  and  spinal  column,  with  the  four  paddles  exquisitely 
displayed,  is  in  the  lowermost  compartment  of  Case  E. 

The  name  given  to  this  species  by  Mr.  Conybeare,  is  indi- 
cative of  the  intermediate  character  of  the  teeth,  which  are 

1  "Brit  Assoc.  Reports/  1839,  p.  120. 


378  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

"  more  acutely  conical  than  in  Ichthyosaurus  communis,  and 
the  striae  less  prominent ;  but  are  less  slender  than  in  Ich. 
tenuirostris."  There  are  other  characters,  alike  intermediate 
between  those  of  the  above-named  species,  but  which  would 
be  unintelligible  to  the  reader,  without  figures.  "  The  maxil- 
lary portion  of  the  skull  is  relatively  shorter,  and  converges 
more  regularly  to  the  snout,  than  in  Ich.  communis  ;  and  the 
teeth  are  longer,  more  slender  and  numerous.1  In  a  skeleton 
in  Mr.  Johnson's  museum  at  Bristol,  there  were  £=£2."  The 
number  of  vertebrae  exceeds  125.  The  orbit  is  large,  and  has 
16  or  18  sclerotic  plates.2 

This  Ichthyosaurus  does  not  exceed  seven  feet  in  length  ;  it 
is  the  most  common  species,  and  its  remains  are  very  gene- 
rally distributed  throughout  the  Lias  of  England. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  LONGIPENNIS. — Wall-case  A. — The  fossil 
thus  labelled,  is  from  the  Lias  of  Whitby,  in  Yorkshire.  It 
consists  of  a  cranium  with  the  jaws  and  teeth,  a  confused  mass 
of  the  anterior  part  of  the  trunk,  a  few  bones  of  one  fin,  and 
a  nearly  perfect  paddle,  the  humerus  of  which  is  short  and 
very  strong.  The  carpals,  metacarpals,  and  digitals,  comprise 
thirty  rows  of  ossicles  ;  the  fin  must  therefore  have  been  very 
long  and  tapering,  if  the  present  bones  are  the  normal  number; 
but  it  seems  probable  that  the  paddle  was  wider  in  proportion 
to  its  length,  and  that  many  ossicles  are  lost.  I  am  not  aware 
of  any  published  description  of  this  species. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  COMMUNISS  (Conybeare). —  Wall-cases  A  and 
D. — Of  this  species  there  is  a  most  beautiful  specimen  with 
the  anterior  and  posterior  paddles,  in  the  lowermost  compart- 
ment of  Case  A*  and  another  nearly  perfect  skeleton  in  the 
upper  division  of  Case  D, 


1  Prof.  Owen  in  "Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  p.  110,  which  the   scientific 
inquirer  should  consult  for  anatomical  details. 

2  This  species  is  named  by  Mr.  Hawkins  chiroparamekostinus,  (or 
oblong-boned  paddle,)  from  the  oblong  form  of  the  phalangeal  ossicles  ; 
a  character  which,  however,  is  not  peculiar  to  this  species.  See  "  Memoirs 
on  Ichthyosauri,"  p.  32. 

3  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  1839,  p.  108. 

4  I  cannot  resist  the  insertion  of  the  following  racy  account  of  the 
discovery  and  exhumation  of  this  exquisite  fossil.     One  Jonas  Wish- 
combe,  a  fossil  dealer,  of  Charmonth,  had  perceived  the  remains  of  an 
enormous  Ichthyosaurus  at  low  water,  but  in  a  situation  so  unfavourable 


ROOM  IV.  ICHTHYOSAURUS   COMMUNIS.  379 

The  skull  of  this  species  is  wide  behind,  and  rapidly  contracts 
to  the  base  of  the  jaws,  which  are  prolonged  and  sub-coin- 

for  its  extraction,  being  always  covered  with  water,  except  for  a  brief 
interval  at  the  very  lowest  tides,  that  its  removal  appeared  impossible, 
and  he  willingly  sold  his  right  to  the  discovery  to  Mr.  Hawkins.  It  was 
upwards  of  a  month  after  the  purchase  of  this  treasure  of  the  deep, 
before  the  tide  was  sufficiently  low  to  allow  of  its  being  visible— we  will 
now  leave  Mr.  Hawkins  to  tell  the  story  : — 

"The  best  street  of  Lyme  Regis  is  disfigured— but  all  the  world 
knows  this — by  an  ugly  market  place,  which  has  an  ugly  tower,  sur- 
mounted by  an  ugly  fish  to  tell  the  way  of  the  wind.  To  this  most 
ungainly  place  and  puppet  of  a  tower  were  my  eyes  directed  with  the 
first  sunbeam,  and  to  the  weather-cock  my  orisons  went  thrice  seven 
days  in  vain :  there  it  stuck,  with  its  mouth  agape,  as  if  to  bugbear  the 
violent  wind  and  storm,  which  blew  all  the  time  from  the  south  and 
west.  Every  day  for  upwards  of  three  weeks  I  sought  with  a  kind  of 
forlorn  hope  from  the  lofty  cliffs,  the  sandstone  rocks. 

"  One  day  I  arose  in  such  imperturbable  mood  as  disappointment  like 
this  may  be  supposed  to  occasion,  and  gaped  to  see  the  brazen  fish  turn 
tail,  as  much  as  he  himself  did  at  the  hollow  tempest  that  flitted  by  from 
the  rugged  north.  The  weather  had  veered  to  the  right  quarter  at  last, 
and  if  it  continued  a  few  hours  I  might  accomplish  my  long  deferred 
hope :  all  my  friends  congratulated  me.  '  Make  haste,  the  tide's  going 
out  fast,'  said  Miss  Anning,  as  I  passed  her  on  the  way  to  the  Ichthyo- 
saurus. 

"  Half  a  dozen  of  us,  all  lusty  and  eager  for  the  occasion,  meet :  we 
arrange  the  mode  of  exhumation,  dispose  our  instruments,  and  wait  the 
crisis  when  the  returning  waves  shall  desert  the  remains.  It  arrives — 
'  let  no  one  invade  this' — a  square  marked  around  the  skeleton  in  the 
marl,  six  feet  and  a  half  by  three  and  a  half.  '  What  d'ye  think,  Zur,  to 
dig  un  out  a  whcal,'  exclaimed  the  Atlean  Blue — the  best  tempered  but 
unhappily  bacchanal  fellow  that  ever  lived.  'Yes.'— The  tide  goes 
back  —  back  —  back  —  our  square  is  cut  ten  inches  deep;  I  lessen  its 
length  and  breadth  a  foot:— 'The  crow-bars  and  pick-axes  to  loosen  it 
from  its  bed :  now,  my  boys,  now — now :  does  it  come  up  in  one  piece  ? ' 
'  Yeas,  Zur.' 

"  The  spectators  say  the  tide  flows — it  does :  we  attempt  to  raise  the 
heavy  mass  upon  its  side,  but  our  strength  fails  us — '  'tis  more  than  we 
can  accomplish.'  Assisted  by  several  gentlemen  who  were  spectators,  it 
is  at  length  removed  from  its  situation — '  the  tide  flows  fast' — we  try  to 
lift  it  into  the  vehicle  prepared  for  its  transport  from  the  reach  of 
danger — we  cannot.  '  You  must  break  un  in  half,  Zur.'  '  No.'  The 
waters  approach  us — they  make  a  breach  in  the  rude  bank  cast  up  by  us 
against  them— another  billow  and  yet  another — they  are  at  our  heels: 
'  One  more  trial,  my  boys,  your  own  reward,  if  successful — ye-o' — the 
saurus  is  safe  !  When  that  beautiful  thiug,  of  which  our  beautiful 
plate  is  but  a  faint  type,  came  forth  at  the  magic  touch  of  my  chisel, 
such  a  feeling  possessed  me  as  few  can  ever  realize  ! " — Hawkins's 
"Memoirs  of  Ichthyosauri  "  <tc. 


380  PETRIFACTIONS    AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  IV. 

pressed.  The  teeth  are  relatively  large,  round,  conical,  and 
longitudinally  furrowed,  the  base  being  expanded  and  deeply 
grooved ;  there  are  from  40  to  50  on  each  side  the  upper,  and 
from  25  to  30  on  each  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw. 

The  anterior  paddles  are  three  times  longer  than  the  poste- 
rior pair,  and  are  proportionately  broader,  and  contain  a  greater 
number  of  ossicles,  than  in  other  species.  This  character 
induced  Mr.  Hawkins  to  change  the  specific  name  to  chiro- 
polyostinus,  (or  many-boned  paddle.1)  There  are  eight  meta- 
carpal  bones,  and  two  hundred  and  twelve  digital  ossicles. 
The  huuierus  is  relatively  shorter  and  stouter  than  in  any 
other  species. 

Professor  Owen  considers  that  each  anterior  paddle  of 
this  species  has  an  additional  series  of  digits,  and  about  50 
more  phalangeal  bones,  than  that  of  the  Ich.  intermedius,  the 
entire  breadth  and  the  power  of  the  anterior  fins  being  thereby 
increased. 

There  are  17  sclerotic  plates  in  each  eye ;  the  orbit  and  eye 
are  relatively  smaller  than  in  Ich.  tenuirostris. 

This  is  one  of  the  larger  species  of  the  genus,  some  speci- 
mens indicating  a  total  length  of  14  feet. 

The  specimen  in  Case  A,  which  is  figured  by  Mr.  Hawkins 
in  PL  VII.  shows  the  fractured  or  dislocated  state  of  the  tail,  at 
about  one-fourth  of  the  length  from  its  distal  extremity,  which 
Professor  Owen  supposes  is  connected  with  the  presence  of  a 
large  tegumentary  caudal  fin :  and  the  laterally  compressed 
form  of  the  terminal  caudal  vertebra,  first  ascertained  by  Sir 
Philip  Grey  Egerton,  is  presumed  to  afford  additional  demon- 
stration of  the  existence  and  direction  of  such  an  organ.2 

ANGLE  BETWEEN  WALL-CASES  A  &  B. 
Part  of  the  series  of  bones  of  a  paddle  of  Ichthyosaurus  platyodon. 

Portion  of  an  enormous  cranium  of  Ichthyos.  platyodon.  |  Hawkins,  PI.  VIII. 

Magnificent  cranium  and  jaws,  and  part  of  the  spine  of  Ichthyos.  platyodon. 

Various  specimens  of  paddle  bones,  &c. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  PLATYODONS  (Conybeare). —  Wall-cases  B  and 

1  Hawkins's  "  Memoir,"  p.  25,  PI.  VII.  X. 

2  See  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Reports,"  p.  87. 

3  Ibid.  1839,  p.  112. 


ROOM  IV.  ICHTHYOSAURUS   PLATYODOX.  381 

C. — Of  this  gigantic  species  there  is  one  magnificent  example, 
and  several  very  fine  detached  crania  and  jaws,  paddles,  &c. 

A  series  of  carpal  bones  of  an  enormous  paddle,  is  placed  in 
the  angle  uniting  Cases  A  and  B :  in  the  same  division 
there  is  a  portion  of  a  stupendous  cranium  and  jaws,  with  the 
teeth  beautifully  preserved;  and  beneath,  a  splendid  skull, 
4 1  feet  long,  with  the  zone  of  sclerotic  plates  entire ;  this  fossil 
is  figured  in  "  Philos.  Trans."  for  1814. 


WALL-CASE  C.     [3.] 


On  the  Top. 


Vertebrae  and  ribs : 
detached  bones  im- 
bedded in  lias. 


Ichthyosaurus  platyodon,  var.  immanis.  Enor- 
mous jaws,  and  detached  bones  of  the  trunk 
and  spinal  column. 


Skeleton  of  Ichthyosaurus  platyodon,  18  feet  long ;  consisting  of  the  skull  with  the 
jaws  and  teeth,  the  spinal  column  composed  of  upwards  of  90  vertebrae,  and  three 
of  the  paddles.  (Hawkins,  PI.  III.) 

A  small  skeleton  presented  by  Mr.  Broderip. 

Separate  bones  of  the  spinal  column  of  an  Ichthy.  platyodon,  amounting  to  upwards 
of  100  vertebrae. 

The  magnificent  skeleton  of  Ich.  platyodon,  in  Wall-case  C, 
is  a  noble  monument  of  the  zeal,  skill,  and  patience  of  Mr. 
Hawkins,  by  whom  it  was  literally  "snatched  from  the 
devouring  ocean,"  and  developed  and  restored.1 

1  When  this  stupendous  fossil  first  arrived  at  the  British  Museum, 
together  with  the  other  specimens  purchased  of  Mr.  Hawkins  for  a  sum 
awarded  by  Dr.  Buckland  and  myself,  much  misapprehension  was  enter- 
tained by  the  Curators  as  to  the  genuineness  of  these  splendid  specimens, 
in  consequence  of  some  portions  of  this  skeleton  having  been  restored 
and  coloured  so  as  to  resemble  the  original  bones;  and  a  report  was 
quickly  in  circulation  that  the  valuers  had  been  deceived,  and  had 
awarded  a  sum  for  the  collection  far  beyond  its  real  value. 

This  supposition  was  altogether  erroneous ;  the  unequalled  magnitude 
of  this  specimen — the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  found  imbedded 
— the  great  difficulty  of  extracting  it  from  the  stratum— the  expense, 
the  time,  the  labour,  the  trouble,  of  repairing  it — setting  aside  the  skill 
and  experience  required  to  conduct  the  operation  successfully,  were,  in 
my  opinion,  but  inadequately  remunerated  by  the  sum  of  21 0£.  given 
for  this  unique  specimen,  which  is  one  of  the  choicest  treasures  in  the 
British  Museum. 

That  the  reader  may  have  some  idea  of  the  circumstances  under  which 
this  matchless  fossil  was  obtained,  1  will  give,  in  Mr.  Hawkins's  own 
language,  an  account  of  the  exhumation  of  this  saurian  of  the  ancient 
world  from  the  bed  of  its  native  ocean,  and  its  rescue  from  the  billows 


382  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  IV. 

This  fossil  is  exposed  so  as  to  show  the  dorsal  aspect  of 
the  skeleton  from  the  tip  of  the  muzzle  to  near  the  extremity 
of  the  tail.  The  cranium,  the  vertebral  column  and  ribs,  and 
the  bones  of  three  paddles,  are  clearly  displayed. 

This  is  the  most  gigantic  of  the  known  species  of  Ichthyo- 
saurus, and  attains  a  length  of  30  feet  j  the  orbit,  in  some 

"of  the  sea  that  rolled  over  its  petrified  remains,  and  threatened  their 
destruction. 

"In  the  month  of  July,  1832,  Miss  Anning  obtained  from  the  lias 
limestone  near  the  church  at  Lyme,  part  of  the  head  of  the  Ichthyosaurus 
Chiroligostinus,"  (the  large  specimen  in  Case  C.).  "  Happening  to 
arrive  at  Lyme  the  same  day,  1  was  fortunate  in  availing  myself  of  the 
specimen.  Accompanying  Miss  Anning  the  next  morning  to  the  beach, 
she  pointed  out  to  me  the  place  whence  it  was  brought.  Persuaded  that 
other  portions  of  the  skeleton  must  be  there,  I  advised  its  extrication  ; 
this  Miss  Anning  deemed  impossible,  and  left  me  at  liberty  to  make 
the  attempt. 

"If  our  reader  knows  Lyme,  he  will  remember  that  four  or  five 
hundred  yards  of  the  coast  from  the  borough  eastward,  has  an  elevation 
of  from  60  to  100  feet  above  high  water  mark,  and  that  a  bed  of  diluvial 
gravel  conceals  the  blue  marl  of  the  lias  from  observation,  except  in 
those  places  where  the  waters  have  ploughed  a  channel  towards  the  sea. 
At  this  spot  there  was  a  peninsular  rock  that  had  long  defied  the  fury 
of  the  destructive  current  that  a  south-wester  invariably  propelled  against 
it  from  the  Cob.  There  it  abutted  against  the  angry  waves,  and  resisted 
the  power  of  the  surge.  Beneath  this  rock  was  the  Chiroligostinus. 

"  But  that  venerable  tiny  promontory  is  no  more.  What  the  warring 
elements  failed  in,  curiosity  achieves :  the  hand  of  man  came  upon  it, 
and  it  departed  like  a  shadow. 

"  The  sun  rose  bright  on  the  26th  day  of  July,  1832 ;  and  the  morning 
mists  were  hardly  rolled  away  from  the  hill-side,  ere  many  men  busily 
engage  with  spade  and  pick-axe  to  humble  the  doomed  summit  of  this 
cliff.  Progress  was  also  made  on  the  following  day,  when  people  from 
the  adjacent  country  flocked  to  witness  the  execution  of  a  purpose  which 
seemed  to  stagger  their  faith  in  our  sanity.  By  next  day's  noon  twenty 
thousand  loads  of  earth  cast  from  the  crown  of  the  rock  constitute  a  good 
road-way  to  the  beach  from  that  part  of  it  to  which  we  had  dug,  and  a 
few  minutes  more  suffice  to  lay  bare  the  wonderful  remains  !  My  eyes 
the  first  which  beheld  them  !  But,  alas  !  the  bones  with  the  marl  in  which 
they  lay,  broke  into  small  fragments,  so  that  I  almost  despaired  of  their 
reunion.  At  length  all  was  secured;  the  skeleton  and  its  matrix 
weighed  a  ton.  When  my  manual  labours  terminated,  it  counted  about 
six  hundred  pieces,  some  of  which  were  so  brittle  that  it  was  dangerous 
to  touch  them.  These  a  trusty  Lucchese  under  my  especial  direction 
fixed  in  sulphate  of  lime,  of  which  three  thousand  pounds  were  used,  in 
a  case  that  weighed  half  a  ton  I"— Hawkins's  "Memoirs  on  Ichthyo- 
sauri" p.  13. 


ROOM    IV.  ICHTHYOSAURUS   LONCHIODON.  383 

specimens,  is  1  foot  in  diameter,  and  the  teeth  2J  inches  in 
length.  There  is  a  scapula  in  the  collection  17  inches  long, 
and  9  inches  broad  at  the  distal  end ;  and  vertebra  6  inches 
in  transverse  diameter. 

The  teeth  are  distinguished  from  those  of  the  other  species 
by  the  form  of  the  crown,  which  is  conical  and  subcompressed, 
and  has  a  sharp  ridge  on  each  side  ;  the  base  is  not  grooved  as 
in  the  teeth  of  I.  communis  :  these  dental  characters  suggested 
the  specific  name.  The  numbers  of  the  teeth  are  4~o. 

The  head  is  relatively  longer  in  proportion  to  the  trunk 
than  in  I.  communis  and  I.  intermedius.  The  lower  jaw  is 
remarkably  massive  and  powerful,  and  projects  further  back- 
wards beyond  the  joint,  than  in  the  preceding  species.1 

Thevertebrse  are  about  120  in  number;  their  bodies  are 
more  compressed  than  in  the  other  species. 

The  anterior  and  posterior  paddles  are  equal  in  size,  more 
simple  in  their  structure,  and  composed  of  fewer  bones,  than 
the  extremities  of  the  species  previously  described.  This 
structure,  first  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Hawkins,  induced  that 
gentleman  to  name  the  species  chiroligostinus  (signifying  few- 
boned-paddle). 

The  humerus  is  short  in  relation  to  its  breadth  :  the  femur 
is  proportionately  longer  than  in  other  species.  Professor 
Owen  remarks,  that  the  small  number  of  digital  ossicles  in  the 
extremities  of  this  gigantic  Ichthyosaurus,  and  the  greater 
distances  at  which  they  are  placed  from  each  other  in  the 
lower  half  of  the  paddle,  indicate  "  that  the  ligamentous  sub- 
stance which  connected  them  together,  entered  more  abun- 
dantly into  the  composition  of  the  fin." 

WALL-CASE  D.  [4.] 


n  the  Top. 

Vertebral  column 
and  paddle. 
(Hawkins,  PI.  XXI.) 

Fragmentary  specimens  of 
''    Ichthy.  intermedius. 

Fragmentary 
specimens. 

Two  exquisite  skeletons  of  Ichthyosaurus  communis. 
(Hawkins,  PI.  XII.) 


Ichthyosaurus  lonchiodon  :  a  large  specimen,  comprising  the  cranium  and  jaws,  the 
vertebral  column  and  ribs,  and  one  of  the  anterior,  and  one  of  the  posterior 
extremities. 


1  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  1839,  p.  116. 


384  PETRIFACTIONS  AND  THEIR  TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  III. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  LONCHIODON.' — (Owen.) — Wall-case  D. — A 
fine  skeleton  of  this  species,  fifteen  feet  in  length,  with  the 
skull  and  jaws,  one  anterior  and  one  posterior  paddle,  is 
deposited  in  Wall-case  D ;  the  spinal  column,  consisting  of 
upwards  of  120  vertebrae,  remains,  but  part  of  the  tail  is  defi- 
cient. This  specimen  is  from  Lyme  Regis,  and  was  obtained 
by  Miss  Anning.  The  teeth,  as  implied  by  the  specific  name 
(lonchiodon,  signifying  lance-shaped),  are  more  slender  in  pro- 
portion to  their  length  than  in  I.  communis,  or  I.  platyodon, 
and  straighter  than  in  I.  tenuirostris,  or  I.  intermedius. 
Their  base  is  cylindrical,  and  regularly  fluted ;  the  transverse 
section  of  the  crown  is  nearly  circular,  not  compressed,  as  in 
I.  platyodon.  The  paddle  is  relatively  less  than  in  the  last 
named  species. 

But  the  great  interest  of  this  fossil  consists  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  elements  of  the  os  hyoides,  which  are  seen  in  their 
natural  relative  position  between  the  rami  of  the  lower  jaw ; 
these  parts  of  the  structure  of  the  Ichthyosaurus  were  first 
detected  by  the  illustrious  Cuvier.1 

The  hyoid  bones  in  the  skeleton  before  us  are  thus  de- 
scribed by  Prof.  Owen  : — 

"  The  cornua  are  robust,  elongated,  sub-prismatic  bones,  slightly 
enlarged  and  truncate  at  both  extremities  ;  their  junction  with  the  small 
flattened  hyoid  body  seems  to  have  been  by  means  of  abundant  flexible 
ligamentous  material ;  the  length  of  each  cornu  is  a  fifth  part  that  of 
the  lower  jaw. 

"  The  condition  of  the  hyoid  apparatus  in  the  Ichthyosaurus,  besides 
corroborating  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  rest  of  the  skeleton, 
that  this  extinct  reptile  was  an  air-breather,  indicates  that  its  tongue 
was  almost  as  little  developed  as  in  the  Crocodile  ;  and  since  the 
Ichthyosaurus  obtained  its  food  at  all  times  under  the  same  circum- 
stances which  necessitate  the  modification  of  the  hyoid  apparatus  in 
the  Crocodile,  it  maybe  inferred  that  the  hyoid  arch  was  physiologically 
related  to  the  working  of  a  similar  valvular  apparatus  for  defending 
the  orifice  of  its  air-tube  from  the  water  admitted  into  the  interspace 
of  the  jaws,  during  the  capture  and  slaughter  of  its  prey ;  and  the 
structure  and  the  relative  position  of  the  hyoid  apparatus  corroborates 
this  inference." 2 


1  "  Os.  Foss."  tome  v.  p.  465. 

2  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Kep."  p.  98. 


ROOM  IV. 


ICHTHYOSAURUS   LATIFRONS. 


385 


WALL-CASE  E.  [5.] 


On  the  Top. 

Ichthyosaurus  :  the  cranium,  one  paddle,  and  many  displaced 
bones  of  the  trunk. 

Ichthy.  intermedius:  skull, 
and  paddles. 

Ichthyosaurus  tenuirostris  :  the  skull,  spine,  and 
paddle-bones. 

Ichthy.  tenuirostris  :  two  . 
imperfect  specimens. 

Ichthyosaurus  longirostris  :  a  fine  cranium,  ver- 
tebral column,  many  bones  of  the  trunk,  and 
paddles. 

Ichthy.  latifrons  :  portion  of 
vertebral  column,  &c. 

Ichthyosaurus  intermedius  :  an  exquisite  skele- 
ton: the  skull  and  four  paddles,  and  the 
entire  vertebral  column,  &c. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  LONGIROSTRIS.  —  Wall-case  E.  —  In  the 
middle  compartment  of  Case  E  there  is  part  of  the  skeleton 
of  an  Ichthyosaurus  from  Whitby,  about  six  feet  in  length. 
It  is  remarkable  for  the  exceedingly  slender  and  elongated 
muzzle  ;  the  skull  is  crushed ;  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
chain  of  vertebrae  which  extends  to  the  tail,  and  a  few  bones 
of  one  paddle,  there  are  no  characteristic  parts  preserved.  The 
specific  name,  longirostris,  is  affixed  to  this  specimen ;  but 
I  cannot  ascertain  that  it  is  figured  or  described. 

ICHTHYOSAURUS  LATIFRONS.  ! — (Konig.) —  Wall-case  E. — The 
mutilated  cranium,  with  a  large  foramen  on  the  top  of  the 
head  between  the  orbits,  and  attached  to  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  vertebral  column,  deposited  in  Case  E,  is 
figured  and  described  by  Mr.  Konig  in  his  "  Icones  Sectiles" 
PL  XIX.,  under  the  name  of  Ichthyosaurus  latifrons.  This 
specimen  is  characterised  by  the  great  breadth  of  the  fore  part 
of  the  cranium,  and  the  large  size  of  the  parietal  foramen. 
The  periphery  of  the  vertebras  is  flatter  than  in  those  of  other 
species  ;  but  I  am  not  aware  that  other  specimens  have  been 
found  with  a  similar  character.  The  upper  portion  of  the 
circle  of  sclerotic  plates  remains  in  the  orbit. 

RETROSPECTIVE  SUMMARY. — From  the  data  afforded  by  the 
remains  of  the  trees  and  plants,  and  of  the  herbivorous  and 
carnivorous  reptiles,  imbedded  in  the  fluviatile  deposits  of  the 
south-east  of  England,  described  in  the  previous  chapter,  we 
endeavoured  to  determine  the  physical  conditions,  and  the 


1  "  Brit.  Assoc.  Rep."  1839,  p.  122. 

c  c 


386  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.    IV. 

nature  of  the  flora  and  fauna  of  the  islands,  and  continents,  of 
the  secondary  geological  epochs. 

The  fossil  relics  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  seas  of  the  same 
remote  periods  occur  in  such  profusion,  as  to  supply  ample 
materials  for  the  restoration  of  the  swarms  of  living  things 
that  peopled  the  waters,  through  the  countless  centuries 
during  which  the  liassic,  oolitic,  Wealden,  and  cretaceous 
formations  were  deposited. 

A  fanciful  representation  of  a  gulf  of  the  liassic  ocean, 
swarming  with  zoophytes,  cephalopodous  mollusca,  and  fishes, 
with  Ichthyosauri  sporting  on  the  billows,  and  devouring 
their  prey  with  uplifted  jaws,  and  Plesiosauri  skimming  the 
surface  of  the  deep,  and  seizing  pterodactyles  by  their 
"  leathern "  l  wings,  is  probably  familiar  to  most  of  my 
readers;  for  ajeu  $  esprit  of  an  eminent  geologist,  privately 
circulated  soon  after  the  true  characters  of  those  marine 
reptiles  were  made  known,  was  lithographed  and  published 
as  a  faithful  delineation  of  the  fish-like  lizards,  and  swan- 
necked  saurians,  that  inhabited  the  seas  of  the  liassic  ages. 

The  structure  and  economy  of  the  Plesiosauri,  as  sketched 
by  the  vigorous  pen  of  their  original  interpreter,  Mr.  Cony- 
beare,  have  already  been  fully  considered;  those  of  the 
Ichthyosauri  are  portrayed  by  the  illustrious  Cuvier,  in 
characters  not  less  graphic. 

The  Ichthyosaurus  was  a  reptile  having  a  moderate  tail,  a 
large  head,  with  a  very  short  neck,  a  long  pointed  muzzle,  and 
jaws  armed  with  numerous  conical  teeth.  Two  eyes,  of  enor- 
mous bulk,  imparted  to  the  head  a  physiognomy  altogether 
peculiar,  and  this  great  development  of  the  organs  of  sight 
jendowed  the  animal  with  nocturnal  vision.  It  is  probable 
that  it  had  no  external  ear,  and  that  the  tympanic  bone  was 
covered  by  the  skin,  as  in  the  chameleon. 

The  Ichthyosaurus  respired  air  from  the  atmosphere,  and 
not  through  a  watery  medium  like  fishes ;  it  must,  therefore, 
have  risen  frequently  to  the  surface  of  the  sea  to  breathe,  like 
the  cetaceans.  Its  short,  flat,  undivided  limbs,  were  adapted 
only  for  progression  through  the  water,  and  could  have  ad- 
mitted but  of  very  feeble  locomotion  on  the  land. 

1  Leathern  wings  of  Pterodactyles, — for  the  authority,  see  Prof.  Owen, 
cited  ante,  p.  193. 


ROOM    IV.  RETROSPECTIVE   SUMMARY.  387 

It  existed  in  seas  peopled  with  extinct  species  and  genera 
of  fishes,  and  teeming  with  mollusks  allied  to  the  cuttle-fish 
and  the  nautilus,  but  of  types  that  perished  at  the  close  of 
the  cretaceous  period.  Groves  of  corals  and  of  other  zoo- 
phytes, related  to  forms  now  of  excessive  rarity,  even  in 
tropical  seas,  clothed  the  bottom  of  the  deep ;  and  echino- 
derms,  star-fishes,  crustaceans,  and  other  tribes  of  inverte- 
brata,  were  included  in  that  prodigious  assemblage  of  extra- 
ordinary forms  of  being,  which  constituted  the  population  of 
the  liassic  ocean.  Shoals  of  turtles  inhabited  those  waters, 
and  many  kinds  of  crocodilian  reptiles  frequented  their  shores. 

Such  was  the  marine  fauna  in  which  the  Ichthyosauri  and 
Plesiosauri  held  the  highest  place ;  such  the  inhabitants  of  that 
ocean  whose  waters  surrounded  the  islands,  and  washed  the 
shores  of  the  continent,  that  were  tenanted  by  the  stupendous 
terrestrial  herbivorous  and  carnivorous  lizards,  whose  fossil 
relics  formed  the  subject  of  our  previous  investigations :  and 
amidst  those  multitudes  of  reptilian  forms,  that  traversed  the 
air,  or  crawled  on  the  earth,  or  sported  in  the  seas,  two 
diminutive  genera  of  quadrupeds  were  the  sole  representa- 
tives of  the  Mammalia,  either  on  the  land  or  in  the  waters. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PART  III. 
FOSSIL  EEMAINS  OF  KUMINANTS. 

DILUVIUM  OF  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  THAMES — FOSSIL   BOVID.E — BISON  PRISCDS 
— BOS   PBIMIGENIUS — BOS   LONGIFKONS. 

DILUVIUM  OF  THE  VALLEY  OP  THE  THAMES. — The  banks  of 
the  Thames  and  of  its  tributary  streams,  are  in  great  part  com- 
posed of  an  ancient  alluvial  silt,  or  brick  earth,  many  yards  in 
thickness,  which  contains,  in  some  localities,  great  numbers  of 
fossil  bones  of  Mammalia,  of  many  extinct,  and  some  recent 
species,  with  existing  kinds  of  land  and  river  shells.  Among 
the  latter  there  is  a  freshwater  bivalve,  a  species  of  Cyrena, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  identical  with  one  that  abounds  in  the 
river,  at  Alexandria ;  and  an  Unio,  of  which  the  living  ana- 
logue inhabits  the  lakes  of  Auvergne  in  France.1 

At  Erith,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Thames,  a  spot  well 
known  for  its  beautiful  sylvan  scenery,  this  deposit  attains  an 
elevation  of  40  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river  ;  and  at  Maid- 
stone,  (ante,  p.  302,)  it  is  60  feet  above  the  Medway.  At 
Grays,  in  Essex,  opposite  Gravesend,  there  are  extensive  cut- 
tings of  these  deposits  in  the  brick-fields,  in  which  the  following 
section  is  exposed.  1.  Gravel  and  sand.  2.  Loamy  sand  and 
brick-earth.  3.  Ferruginous  sand,  shells,  and  gravel.  4.  The 
Chalk,  which  is  the  foundation  rock  of  the  country. 

From  this  locality  alone  have  been  obtained  bones  of  the 

1  See  a  highly  interesting  communication  on  these  deposits,  by  John 
Morris,  Esq.  (of  Kensington) ;  "  Magazine  of  Nat.  Hist."  vol.  ii.  p.  539. 


ROOM  IV.  FOSSIL   BOVIDJE BISON   PRISCUS.  389 

Elephant,  Rhinoceros,  Hippopotamus,  Horse,  Deer,  Ox,  Irish 
Elk,  Bear,  Hyaena,  Vole,  &c. 

From  Grays  and  Ilford  in  Essex,  the  fossil  bones  of  rumi- 
nants in  Wall-case  F  were  chiefly  obtained. 

The  specimens  in  this  Case  are  too  miscellaneous  to  .admit 
of  particular  description,  until  they  are  properly  arranged  and 
numbered.  They  comprise  skulls,  jaws  with  teeth,  and  bones 
of  the  extremities,  of  Deer,  Elk,  Ox,  &c.  The  only  fossils  that 
can  be  conveniently  selected  for  description,  are  the  crania 
and  horns  of  the  three  species  of  Bos  or  Ox,  whose  remains  are 
very  generally  distributed  throughout  the  post-pliocene  or 
diluvial  deposits  of  Europe ;  and  also  in  the  bone-breccia, 
and  in  the  ossiferous  caverns. 

FOSSIL  BOVID^;,  OR  OXEN. — Distinguished  from  other  rumi- 
nants by  their  strong  and  massy  head,  armed  with  horns 
having  a  cavernous  core  or  pith,  and  extending  laterally  from 
the  skull,  the  crania  of  the  Bovidse  are  easily  recognised. 
Their  molar  teeth,  the  crowns  of  which,  as  in  the  other  rumi- 
nants, have  double  crescents,  the  convexity  in  the  upper 
molars  being  internal,  and  in  the  lower  external,  are  readily 
distinguished  from  those  of  the  Elk  and  Deer,  with  which 
they  are  often  intermingled,  by  the  presence  of  a  little  column 
or  pillar  between  the  ridges  of  the  crown,  and  which  is  of  suffi- 
cient length  to  be  worn  down  in  common  with  the  crescents, 
by  mastication. 

There  are  the  remains  of  three  well-known  fossil  species  of 
Ox  in  this  collection ;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  one 
of  the  species  still  exists,  and  that  the  others  in  all  proba- 
bility have  died  out,  within  the  last  thousand,  or  fifteen 
hundred  years. 

M.  Pictet  remarks,  that  the  Aurochs  are  the  only  bovine 
animals  ancient  tradition  assigns  to  Europe,  and  that  their 
fossil  remains  prove  they  lived  from  a  very  remote  antiquity ; 
there  is  also  another  species,  which  is  apparently  the  ancestor 
of  our  domestic  Ox.  Bones  of  this  family  are  found  in  the 
upper  tertiary  or  pliocene  deposits  of  Montpellier,  and  Puy- 
de-D6me ;  and  in  the  eocene  of  the  Sewalik  or  Sub-Hima- 
layan hills. 

BISON  PRISCUS;  OR  FOSSIL  AUROCH. — Wall-case  F,  and 
Wall-case  in  Room  V. — Tn  the  Case  before  us  there  are 
several  horn-cores,  and  on  the  top  of  the  Case  in  Room  V.  a 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  IV. 


fine  cranium  and  horn-cores,  of  the  great  fossil  Auroch  or 
Bison ;  a  species,  according  to  Professor  Owen,  that  except  in 
its  larger  size,  and  in  having  longer  and  somewhat  less  bent 
horns,  presents  no  satisfactory  specific  distinction,  compared 
with  the  bones  of  the  existing  Lithuanian  Auroch,1  of  which 
a  living  pair  were  lately  exhibited  in  the  Zoological  Gardens, 
in  the  Regent's  Park.* 

The  Lithuanian  Au- 
roch, which  has  been 
preserved  from  extinc- 
tion solely  by  the  pro- 
tective laws  of  the  Em- 
peror, appears  to  have 
abounded  in  the  forests 
of  Europe  when  the 
Romans  extended  their 
conquests  to  the  north, 
Lies.  77.  ssru.  AXD  HORX-CO*SS  OF  BISOX  and  overran  Germany. 

The  skull  in  the  sub- 

\i*  ***•  stze.)  .p. .  .  , 

genus  Bison  or  Auroch, 

differs  from  that  of  the  Bos  or  Ox,  in  the  convexity  and  greater 
breadth  of  the  forehead,  and  in  the  horns  being  placed  more 

anteriorly  in  relation  to 
the  supra-occipital  ridge, 
and  in  the  obtuse  angle, 
and  semicircular  form  of 
the  occipital  plane. 

There  is  a  cranium  in 
the  Museum,  fromDant- 
rig,  which  was  described 
and  figured  by  Klein  in 
theaPhilosophical  Trans- 
actions." 

Bos  pRunGExnrs,  OB 
GBEAT  FOSSFL  Ox.  — 
WaU^case  F,  Room  V.— 
nearly  entire,  is  from 


LIGX.  78.    SKCLL  AXD  HOKN-COKES  OF  Bos 
PEIMIGESHS.    Front  view. 


This  fine  skull,  with  its  horn-cores 


1  "  Brit  Foes.  Mammals  and  Birds." 

Presented  by  the  Emperor  of  Eossia;  in  compliance  with  the  soli- 
•ilrtmiofSir  Roderick  Murehison. 


ROOM  IV.  BOS   PRIMIGENIUS.  391 

the  alluvial  deposits  near  Athol,  in  Perthshire.  It  is  figured 
and  described  in  "  British  Fossil  Mammals," l  and  I  would  refer 
the  scientific  inquirer  to  that  work  for  a  full  exposition  of 
its  character  and  specific  affinities  :  a  brief  notice  will  here 
suffice.  "  The  concave  forehead  with  its  slight  median  longi- 
tudinal ridge,  the  origin  of  the  horns  at  the  extremities  of 
the  sharp  crest  which  divides  the  frontal  from  the  occipital 
regions,  the  acute  angle  at  which  these  two  surfaces  of  the 
cranium  meet  to  form  the  above  ridge, — all  identify  this 
specimen  with  the  Bos  primigenius  described  by  Cuvier, 
Bojanus,  and  Fremery."2 

This  skull  is  one  yard  long,  and  the  span  of  the  horns 
three  feet  six  inches.  The  breadth  of  the  forehead  between 
the  horns  is  lO?  inches. 

The  remains  of  this  gigantic  Ox  are  not  uncommon  in  the 
alluvial  deposits  of  Scotland;  as  my  friend  Dr.  Fleming,  the 
distinguished  Professor  of  Zoology  in  the  New  College  of  Edin- 
burgh, pointed  out  25  years  ago.3  In  England  similar  remains 
have  been  found  in  many  localities ;  but  this  species  appears 
to  have  been  more  abundant  in  Scotland  down  to  a  compara- 
tively recent  period ;  and  therefore  it  may  be  concluded  that 
the  £os  primigenius  maintained  its  ground  longest  in  Scot- 
laud,  before  its  final  extinction.* 

The  remains  of  this  species  have  been  found  in  British 
tumuli,  and  also  among  the  rejectamenta  of  Roman  encamp- 
ments. This  large  species  of  Ox,  and  its  contemporary  the 
Auroch,  above  described,  doubtless  inhabited  these  Islands, 
and  the  Continent  of  Europe,  when  the  aboriginal  human 
tribes  first  took  possession  of  the  land ;  and  both  have  gra- 
dually become  extinct. 

Cuvier,  and  other  eminent  naturalists,  regard  this  species  as 
the  origin  of  our  domestic  cattle ;  but  Professor  Owen  is  of 
opinion  that  the  evidence  is  in  favour  of  our  herds  being  the 

1  "  Brit.  Foss.  Mammals,"  p.  498. 

2  Ibid.  p.  501. 

3  "  British  Animals,"  Edinburgh,  1828,  p.  24. 

*  An  almost  entire  skeleton  of  the  Bos  primigenius  was  obtained 
from  the  alluvial  deposit  overlying  the  London  clay  at  Herne  Bay,  and 
is  now  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Wickham  Flower.  The  length  of  each 
horn-core  in  this  specimen  is  3  feet  3  inches  along  the  outer  curve :  and 
the  circumference  at  the  base  18|  inches.  See  "Brit.  Assoc.  Rep." 
1843,  p.  233. 


392 


PETKIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  IV. 


descendants  of  a  smaller  primitive  wild  species  of  Bos,  charac- 
terized by  its  long  frontlet  and  short  horns  ;  of  which  there 
are  part  of  a  skull  and  horn-cores,  and  some  detached  bones 
in  the  Museum. 

Bos  LONGIFEONS  (Owen).  —  Wall-case  F.  —  The  horns  and 
skull  of  this  species  of  Ox  appear  to  have  been  first  described 
from  specimens  found  in  the  bogs  of  Ireland.1  Similar 

remains  have  been  obtained  from 
the  alluvial  deposits  of  the  val- 
ley of  the  Thames.  In  1822, 
I  received  from  G.  B.  Green- 
ough,  Esq.  a  horn  of  this  species 
from  Walton,  in  Essex,  together 
with  fragments  of  the  antlers  of 
the  Irish-Elk,  and  horns  of  the 
great  Auroeh,  which  were  found 
with  it. 

nm        Ipnorfh    from    thp    <annrn 

occipital  ridge  to  the  nasal  bones 
is  8  inches  ;  the  breadth  of  the 
forehead  6J  inches  ;  span  of  the  horn-cores  from  tip  to  tip 
1  foot  ;  length  of  the  horn-core  4  inches.3 

But  independently  of  this  disparity  in  size,  the  Bos  longi- 
frons  differs  from  the  great  Bos  primigenius,  by  the  smallness, 
shortness,  and  different  form  of  the  horns. 

That  the  Bos  longifrons  was  abundant  in  England  during 
the  Roman  period,  is  proved  by  the  occurrence  of  skulls  and 
horns,  and  other  parts  of  the  skeleton,  in  several  localities 
associated  with  remains  of  Roman  art  ;  as  at  Colchester,  in 
1849.4 

I  will  conclude  this  notice  with  the  following  remarks  of 
the  Hunterian  Professor  on  the  question  as  to  the  species  of 
Bos,  from  which  the  domestic  breed  has  probably  originated. 

"  In  this  field  of  conjecture,  the  most  probable  one  will  be 


LIGN.  79.    SKULL  AND  HORN-CORES  OF 
Bos  LONGIFRONS.  Front  view.3 

(Oj  nat  tizej 


1  Oper.  cit.  p.  511. 

2  From  Professor  Owen's  figure  of  a  specimen  from  Ireland.     "  Brit. 
Foss.  Mamm."  p.  508. 

3  I  have  a  specimen  of  a  horn-core  attached  to  a  portion  of  the  frontlet, 
which  is  5J  inches  long.     It  was  dredged  up  off  the  Essex  coast  with 
teeth  of  Elephants,  and  presented  to  me  by  Lord  Londesborough. 

4  See  "  Archaeological  Journal." 


ROOM  IV.  BOS   LONGIFRONS.  393 

admitted  to  be  that  which  points  to  the  Bos  longifrons  as  the 
species  that  would  be  domesticated  by  the  aborigines  of 
Britain  before  the  Roman  invasion.  Had  the  Bos  primigeiiius 
been  the  source,  we  might  have  expected  the  Highland  and 
Welsh  cattle  to  have  retained  some  of  the  characteristics  of 
their  great  progenitor,  and  to  have  been  distinguished  from 
other  breeds  by  their  superior  size,  and  the  length  of  their 
horns.  The  kyloes  and  the  runts  are,  on  the  contrary, 
remarkable  for  their  small  size,  and  are  characterised  either 
by  short  horns,  as  in  the  Bos  longifrons,  or  by  the  entire 
absence  of  these  weapons."1 

From  what  has  been  advanced,  we  may  conclude  that  three 
well  characterised  types  of  Bovidse  existed  in  great  numbers 
contemporaneously  with  the  extinct  species  of  Elephants,  and 
other  pachyderms,  and  were  not  extirpated  till  within  a  com- 
paratively recent  period;  their  remains  occur  in  the  most 
ancient  post-pliocene  deposits,  and  in  the  peat-bogs,  and  debris 
of  existing  marshes  and  rivers :  they  form  therefore  a  link 
between  the  present  and  the  past,  uniting  the  extinct  mam- 
malian faunas  with  those  of  modern  times. 

1  "Brit.  Fossil  Mammals,"  p.  ,514. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PART  IV. 
FOSSIL  CABNIVQBA  OF  THE  CAVEBNS. 


FOSSIL  CARNIVORA  OF  THE  CAVES  — CAVE  OF  GAILENREUTH  —  FOSSIL  BEARS 
OF  THE  CAVERNS — URSUS  SFEL^US — URSUS  PRISCUS — MACHAIRODUS — MA- 
CHAIRODUS LATIDENS,  FROM  KENT'S  CAVERN. 

FOSSIL  CARNIVORA  OF  THE  CAVERNS. — The  fossil  bones  and 
teeth  of  numerous  species  of  Carnivora,  as  the  Lion,  Tiger, 
Bear,  Cat,  Dog,  &c.  abound  in  fissures  and  caverns,  in  breccias 
and  conglomerates,  and  in  drifted  sand  and  gravel.  The 
remains  of  the  large  Pachyderms  and  Ruminants  are  for  the 
most  part  found  buried  in  the  superficial  alluvial  deposits; 
but  those  of  the  carnivora,  although  occasionally  entombed 
with  the  herbivora  in  Drift,  are  generally  imbedded  in  the 
floors  of  extensive  fissures  or  caverns  in  stratified  rocks.  In 
some  instances,  such  immense  quantities  of  bones  and  teeth 
of  individuals  of  all  ages,  and  belonging  to  but  one  or  two 
species  occur,  as  to  render  it  probable  that  these  caves  were 
for  a  long  period  the  dens  of  the  extinct  species  of  Bears, 
Wolves,  Hyenas,  Tigers,  &c.  whose  bones  they  enclose. 

Another  remarkable  geological  condition  in  which  fossil 
carnivora  occur,  is  that  of  an  ossiferous,  or  bone-breccia  ;  that 
is,  a  conglomerate  formed  of  fragments  of  limestone  and 
bones,  cemented  together  into  a  hard  rock,  by  a  reddish 
calcareous  concretion.  This  breccia  is  found  in  almost  all  the 
islands  on  the  shores  of  the  basin  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  ; 
as  for  example,  at  Gibraltar,  Cette,  Nice,  Cerigo,  Corsica, 
Palermo,  &c. 


ROOM  IV.  OSSIFEROUS   CAVES   OP   ENGLAND.  395 

The  most  celebrated  ossiferous  caverns  are  situated  in 
Franconia,  and  in  numerous  parts  of  the  Hartz.  That  of 
Gailenreuth  has  long  been  known  and  frequented  for  its  fossil 
treasures,  which  principally  consist  of  the  bones  and  teeth 
of  extinct  species  of  bears ;  skeletons  have  been  found  of 
animals  of  all  ages,  from  the  adult  to  the  cub  but  a  few  days 
old.1  There  are  numerous  caverns  in  the  neighbouring 
district,  some  of  which  are  equally  rich  in  the  remains  of 
camivora  ;2  fossils  of  a  like  nature  are  also  found  in  the  consoli- 
dated gravel  and  drift  of  various  parts  of  Germany,  and  in  the 
fissures  of  rocks  containing  iron-ore,  at  Kropp,  in  Carniola. 

In  Australia,  caverns  with  ossiferous  breccia  are  numerous ; 
but  the  bones  belong  to  extinct  marsupial  animals  of  genera 
still  existing  in  the  country  :  while  in  the  New  Zealand  caves, 
the  bones  hitherto  obtained  are  those  of  the  Moa  and  other 
extinct  colossal  brevipennate  birds,  (ante,  p.  104.) 

OSSIFEROUS  CAVES  OF  ENGLAND.  —  In  England,  several 
caverns  presenting  similar  phenomena  have  been  discovered. 
That  of  Kirkdale,  near  Kirby  Moorside,  Yorkshire,  is  well 
known  from  the  celebrity  it  acquired  by  the  description  and 
illustration  of  its  contents  by  Dr.  Buckland.a  This  cave,  or 
rather  fissure,  for  its  dimensions  were  too  limited  to  merit  the 
name  of  cavern,  was  situated  in  oolitic  limestone  ;  it  was  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  from  two  to  fourteen  high,  and 
six  or  seven  wide.  The  floor  was  occupied  by  a  bed  of  indu- 
rated mud,  covered  over  with  a  thick  crust  of  stalagmite; 
the  roof  and  sides  being  invested  with  a  sparry  coating,  as 
is  commonly  the  case  in  the  fissures  of  limestone  rocks.4 
From  this  cave  were  obtained  numerous  bones  of  hyenas, 
associated  with  bones,  more  or  less  fractured,  of  a  species  of 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  6th  edit.  p.  176. 

2  A  highly  interesting  account  of  the  Ossiferous  Caves  of  the  Hartz 
and   Franconia,  by  Sir  Philip  Grey  Egerton,  Bart.,  is  published  in 
"  Geol.  Proc."  vol.  ii.  p.  94,  for  1834. 

3  Dr.  Buckland's  celebrated  work  "Reliquiae  Diluvianae,"  contains  an 
admirable  description  of  these  caverns  and  their  contents,  with  numerous 
plates.   The  student,  in  consulting  this  volume,  must  separate  the  facts, 
from  the  diluvial  theory,  which,  at  the  period  of  its  publication  (1823), 
they  were  supposed  by  Dr.  Buckland,  and  other  eminent  geologists,  to 
confirm.     See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  6th  edit.  p.  179. 

4  For  a  general  description  of  the  cave  at  Kirkdale,  see  "  Wonders  of 
Geology,"  p.  180 ;  and  for  details,  "  Keliq.  Diluv." 


396  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

tiger,  bear,  wolf,  fox,  weasel,  elephant,  rhinoceros,  hippopo- 
tamus, horse,  deer,  ox,  hare,  or  rabbit,  mouse,  water-rat,  and 
fragments  of  skeletons  of  ravens,  pigeons,  larks,  and  ducks. 
Many  of  the  bones  exhibited  marks  of  having  been  gnawed 
and  crushed  by  the  teeth  of  some  animals.  From  all  the  facts 
observed,  and  which  are  detailed  by  Dr.  Buckland  with  his 
wonted  graphic  power,  it  is  inferred  that  the  cave  was  inhabited 
for  a  considerable  period  by  Hyenas ;  that  many  of  the 
remains  found  there  were  of  species  carried  in  and  devoured 
by  those  animals,  and  that  in  some  instances  the  hyenas 
preyed  upon  each  other.  The  portions  of  bone  referable  to 
the  elephant  are  supposed  to  prove  that  occasionally  the  large 
mammalia  were  also  obtained  for  food  ;  but  it  is  probable  that 
the  smaller  animals  were  either  drifted  in  by  currents  of 
water,  or  fell  into  the  chasm  through  fissures  now  closed  up 
by  stalactitical  incrustations. 

Kent's  Cave  near  Torquay,  Oreston  Cave  near  Plymouth, 
and  several  other  caves  in  Devonshire,  have  yielded  great 
numbers  of  bones  and  teeth  of  Carnivora,  and  of  Pachydermata.1 
Kent's  Cavern,  or  Hole,  has  proved  the  most  productive  ossi- 
ferous  cavern  in  England ;  its  vicinity  to  Torquay  rendering  it 
easy  of  access,  it  has  been  thoroughly  explored.  An  extensive 
collection  of  fossil  bones  was  obtained  from  this  cavern  by  the 
late  Rev.  J.  MacEnery ;  comprising,  in  addition  to  the  usual 
extinct  Carnivora,  skulls  and  teeth  of  a  species  of  Badger 
(Meles  taxus),  Otter  (Lutra  vulgaris),  Pole-cat  (Putorius  vul- 
garis), Stoat  or  Ermine  (P.  erminius).  The  choicest  speci- 
mens in  that  collection  were  obtained  for  the  British  Museum, 
and  are  deposited  in  Room  VI. 

In  the  western  district  of  the  Mendip  Hills,  in  Somerset- 
shire, there  are  several  ossiferous  fissures  and  caves.  The 
most  interesting  are  those  of  Button,  on  the  northern  es- 
carpment of  Bleadon  Hill ;  and  of  Banwell,  lying  about  a 
mile  to  the  east  of  Hutton.  They  contain  remains  of  the 
two  species  of  cavern  bears,  one  (  Ursus  spelceus)  of  immense 
size  and  strength;  and  of  a  species  of  Tiger,  Hyena,  Wolf, 
Fox,  Deer,  Ox,  and  Elephant.2 

From  the  caves  at  Hutton,  the  Rev.  D.  Williams  obtained 
the  milk-teeth  and  other  remains  of  a  calf-elephant,  about 

1  "Reliquiae  Diluv."  p.  67.      2  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  181. 


ROOM  IV.  CAVE   OP   GAILENKEUTH .  397 

two  years  old,  and  those  of  a  young  tiger,  just  shedding  its 
milk-teeth;  also  the  grinders  of  a  young  horse,  that  were 
casting  their  coronary  surfaces,  and  remains  of  two  species  of 
hyena. 

In  the  modern  silt  of  our  alluvial  districts,  the  remains  of 
carnivorous  animals,  formerly  indigenous  in  this  island,  are 
occasionally  met  with ;  and  the  skeleton  of  the  Brown  Bear 
(a  species  which  inhabited  Scotland  eight  centuries  ago),  and 
of  the  Wolf,  whose  extinction  is  of  a  yet  later  date,  have  been 
discovered.  The  Woodwardian  Museum  at  Cambridge  con- 
tains an  entire  skull  of  the  Brown  Bear  ( Ursus  arctos),  found 
in  the  Manea  Fen  of  Cambridgeshire  ;  and  in  an  ancient 
fresh-water  deposit,  near  Bacton,  in  Norfolk,  the  right  lower 
jaw  of  the  Ursus  spelaeus  has  been  discovered. 

Thus  the  remains  of  fossil  Carnivora  discovered  in  England 
comprise  several  kinds  of  Bear,  including  the  two  species  of 
the  caverns  of  Germany  (U.  priscus  and  U.  spelceus);  and  of 
Tiger,  Hyena,  Wol£  Fox,  <fec. 

CAVE  OF  GAILENKEDTH. — For  many  centuries  certain  caves 
in  Germany  have  been  celebrated  for  their  osseous  remains, 
particularly  those  in  Franconia.  The  most  remarkable  of 
these  caverns  is  that  of  Gailenreuth,  which  lies  to  the  north- 
west of  the  village  of  that  name,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
Wiesent,  on  the  confines  of  Bayreuth.1  The  entrance  to  this 
cave  is  in  the  face  of  a  perpendicular  rock,  and  leads  to  a 
series  of  chambers  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  and 
several  hundred  feet  in  extent,  terminating  in  a  deep  chasm. 
The  cave  is  quite  dark;  and  the  icicles  and  pillars  of  stalac- 
-  tite,  reflected  by  the  light  of  the  torches,  which  it  is  necessary 
to  use,  present  a  highly  picturesque  effect  The  floor  is 
literally  paved  with  bones  and  fossil  teeth,  and  the  pillars  and 
corbels  of  stalactite  also  contain  similar  remains.  The  bones 
are  generally  scattered  and  broken,  but  not  rolled ;  they  are 
lighter  and  less  solid  than  recent  bones,  and  are  often  en- 
crusted with  stalactites.  Three-fourths  of  the  bones  belong 
to  two  species  of  Bear  (Ursus),  the  remainder  to  Hyenas, 
Tigers,  Wolves,  Foxes,  Gluttons,  Weasels,  and  other  small 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  vol.  ii.  p.  869,  for  an  interesting  account 
of  the  present  state  of  these  caverns,  by  my  friend,  Major  Willoughby 
Montague. 


398  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  IV. 

carnivora.  The  Hyena  was  allied  to  the  spotted  species  of  the 
Cape,  but  differed  in  the  form  of  the  teeth  and  skull. 

Bones  of  the  Elephant  and  Rhinoceros  are  said  to  have 
been  discovered,  together  with  those  of  existing  animals,  and 
fragments  of  sepulchral  urns  of  high  antiquity.' 

Since  the  publication  of  the  "  Ossemens  Fossiles"  fossil 
remains  of  carnivora  have  been  found  in  numerous  localities 
of  the  Continent,  and  in  our  own  island,  and  their  anatomical 
characters  and  affinities  examined  and  determined.  In  the 
"  History  of  British  Fossil  Mammals,"  those  of  England  are 
illustrated  and  described. 

FOSSIL  BEARS  OF  THE  CAVERNS. —  Wall-case  G. — The  col- 
lection contains  a  fine  suite  of  crania,  and  jaws  with  teeth,  and 
numerous  detached  teeth,  and  bones  of  other  parts  of  the 
skeleton,  of  the  two  well-known  species  of  cave-bears  ( Ursus 
spelceus,  and  Ursus  prisons) ;  and  teeth  and  bones  of  hyenas, 
tigers,  and  other  carnivora.  As  the  bones  are  not  arranged 
and  labelled  so  as  to  admit  of  being  identified  without  close 
inspection,  our  remarks  must  necessarily  be  limited  to  a  few 
obvious  specimens. 

URSUS  SPELCEUS,  AND  U.  pRiscus. —  Wall-case  G  :  Lower 
compartment. — The  bones  are  principally  referable  to  two 
extinct  species  of  the  genus  Ursus;  the  largest  has  the  skull 
more  prominent  in  front  than  in  any  living  species,  and  was 
named  by  M.  Cuvier  Ursus  spelceus,  or  Cave-Bear ;  the  other, 
which  is  of  less  size,  and  with  a  flattened  forehead,  is  distin- 
guished as  Ursus  priscus.  A  very  extraordinary  type  of 
carnivora,  which  was  named  by  Cuvier  Ursus  cultridens, 
from  its  enormous  sabre -like  canine  teeth,  is  now  placed  in 
a  distinct  genus — Machairodus. 

Ursus  spelceus. — As  the  specific  differences  between  the 
species  of  fossil  cave- bears,  of  which  there  are  some  fine 
crania  in  the  collection,  chiefly  relate  to  minute  anatomical 
characters,  which  cannot  be  rendered  intelligible  without 
figures,  it  must  suffice  to  mention  in  general  terms,  that  the 
skull  of  the  great  Bear  of  the  Caverns  (Ursus  spelceus)  is 
much  larger  than  that  of  any  other  species ;  the  forehead  is 

1  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Keliquiae  Diluvianse,"  previously  referred  to,  con- 
tains a  full  account  of  the  most  remarkable  ossiferous  caverns  and  their 
contents. 


ROOM  IV.  URSUS   SPEL^EUS   AND   U.    PRISCUS.  399 

more  elevated,  and  forms  a  convex  protuberance,  and  the  pro- 
file of  the  head  in  front  descends  more  suddenly  to  the  nasal- 
bones  than  in  other  species ;  and  some  of  the  molar  teeth  are 
relatively  larger  and  more  complicated. 

Some  of  the  crania  and  bones  from  Gailenreuth  indicate, 
according  to  Cuvier,  a  bear  equal  in  magnitude  to  a  large 
horse  ;  the  canine  teeth  are  five  inches  long. 

Ursus  prisons. — There  is  a  nearly  perfect  skull  of  an  aged 
individual  of  this  species  from  Gailenreuth  in  the  Museum. 
The  contour  of  the  skull  is  less  elevated  than  in  the  Brown 
Bear,  and  the  forehead  flattened,  and  the  profile  from  the 
forehead  to  the  nose  has  no  depression. 

The  lower  jaw  resembles  that  of  the  recent  Brown  Bear 
(  Ursus  arctos),  and  is  distinguished  from  that  of  Ursus  spelceus 
by  a  small  persistent  premolar  tooth  in  front  of  the  antepen- 
ultimate molar,  while  the  much  greater  relative  space  be- 
tween the  last-named  tooth  and  the  canine,  separates  the 
Ursus  priscus  from  the  existing  Brown  Bear.1  The  eminent 
zoologist,  Mr.  Waterhouse,  under  whose  care  this  department 
of  the  Museum  is  placed,  will,  I  doubt  not,  so  soon  as  his  mul- 
tifarious duties  permit,  arrange  and  label  this  fine  collection, 
so  as  to  be  intelligible  and  instructive  to  the  casual  visitors. 

MACHAIRODUS  ( Ursus  cultridens  of  Cuvier). —  Wall-case  G  : 
Uppermost  Shelf. — The  upper  canines  of  the  animals  of  this 
genus,  so  closely  resemble  in  their  sabre-like  form  and  ser- 
rated edges  the  teeth  of  the  Megalosaurus  (ante,  p.  329),  that 
when,  in  1825,  I  received  a  cast  of  one  from  Baron  Cuvier, 
I  could  scarcely  persuade  myself  it  did  not  belong  to  a  species 
of  that  colossal  reptile. 

The  teeth  were  first  discovered  in  the  Val  d'Arno,  associated 
with  bones  of  bears,  and  M.  Cuvier  described  them  under  the 
provisional  name  of  Ursus  cultridens.  Specimens  of  large 
falciform  canines,  collected  by  the  late  Rev.  J.  MacEnery,  in 
Kent's  Cavern,  were  recognised  by  Dr.  Buckland  as  belonging 
to  the  same  genus  of  carnivora ;  and  subsequently,  a  skull 
with  teeth,  but  specifically  distinct,  was  discovered  in  Au- 
vergne,  by  M.  Bravard ;  and  other  specimens  were  found 
by  M.  Kaup,  at  Epplesheim,  near  Darmstadt.  M.  Bravard 
described  his  specimen  under  the  name  of  Felis  megantereon : 

1  See  Professor  Owen's  "  Hist.  Brit.  Fos.  Mam."  p.  82. 


400  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  IV. 

M.  Kaup  proposed  that  of  Machairodus  for  this  new  sub- 
genus  of  Felidse;  a  term  which  is  now  adopted  by  palaeon- 
tologists. 

A  good  model  of  the  skull,  with  the  jaws  and  teeth,  is 
placed  on  the  uppermost  shelf  of  this  cabinet.  This  cranium 
resembles  that  of  the  Panther,  but  the  two  enormous  upper 
canines  impart  a  most  peculiar  character  to  its  physiognomy. 
The  lower  jaw  has  the  symphysial  portion  of  unusual  depth, 
and  there  is  a  depression  on  each  side  to  receive  the  upper 
canines  when  the  mouth  is  closed.  These  teeth  are  of  a 
falciform  shape,  thin  and  broad,  with  their  edges  finely  ser- 
rated ;  they  are  relatively  thinner,  natter,  and  wider,  than 
the  teeth  of  the  Megalosaurus :  the  fang  is  contracted  and 
solid. 

MACHAIRODUS  LATIDENS. — Room  VI. — The  teeth  obtained 
from  Kent's  Cavern  are  placed,  with  other  remains  from  the 
same  ossiferous  deposit,  in  Room  VI.  They  are  stated  by  Pro- 
fessor Owen  to  be  specifically  distinct  from  the  M.  cultridens 
of  the  Val  d'Arno,  and  the  M.  megantereon  of  Auvergne. 
They  are  6  inches  long,  and  one  inch  two  lines  wide  across  the 
base  of  the  crown ;  their  greater  width  has  suggested  the 
name  of  M.  latidens;  they  are  figured  and  described  in  "  Hist. 
Brit.  Foss.  Mammalia,"  p.  180.  The  animal  to  which  they 
belonged  is  supposed  to  have  been  as  large  as  the  Tiger,  and 
"  to  judge  by  its  instruments  of  destruction,  of  even  greater 
ferocity." 

Two  species  of  this  remarkable  genus  have  been  collected 
by  Major  Cautley  and  Dr.  Falconer,  from  the  tertiary  deposits 
of  the  Sewalik  Hills. 


I  must  not  dwell  longer  on  the  specimens  in  this  Case, 
except  to  notice  the  smallest,  but  most  interesting,  of  the 
fossil  remains  it  contains,  namely,  the  lower  jaw  of  a  Marsu- 
pial Mammalian  from  the  Oolite  of  Stonesfield. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

PART  V. 
FOSSIL  MAMMALIA  OP  STONESFIELD. 


THE  STOXESFIELD  OOLITE— FOSSIL  MAMMALIA  OF  STONESFIELD— PHASCOLO- 
THERIUM — AMPHITHERIUM — STRUCTURE  AND  AFFINITIES  OF  THE  FOSSIL 
MAMMALIA  OF  STONESFIELD— GEOLOGICAL  INFERENCES. 


THE  STONESFIELD  OOLITE.  —  On  the  middle  shelf  of  Wall- 
case  6r,  containing  the  fossil  remains  of  the  Bears  of  the 
Caverns,  described  in  the  preceding  pages,  the  visitor  will 
observe,  in  a  mahogany  tray,  the  lower  jaw  of  a  very  small 
quadruped,  attached  to  a  piece  of  limestone  from  Stonesfield, 
which  was  presented  to  the  Museum  some  years  since  by 
the  eminent  naturalist,  W.  J.  Broderip,  Esq.  F.R.S. 

This  little  fossil  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the 
whole  Gallery,  for  it  was  the  earliest  proof  obtained  of  the 
presence  of  warm-blooded  animals  during  that  period  of  the 
earth's  physical  history,  the  "  Age  of  Reptiles,"  of  which  we 
have  treated  so  fully  in  a  former  part  of  this  volume ;  and, 
consequently,  carries  back  the  existence  of  the  highest  class 
of  vertebrata,  to  a  period  of  unfathomable  antiquity.  The 
circumstances  under  which  this  fossil  was  discovered,  and 
on  which  its  interest  so  much  depends,  require  therefore  par- 
ticular notice,  for  Stonesfield  is  the  only  locality  in  which 
mammalian  remains  have  been  observed  in  deposits  more 
ancient  than  the  eocene. 

Stonesfield,  a  small  village  near  Woodstock,  about  twelve 
miles  north-west  of  Oxford,  has  long  been  celebrated  for  the 

DD 


402  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

fossils  imbedded  in  its  slaty  limestones,  as  we  had  occasion  to 
observe  when  describing  the  remains  of  the  Megalosaurus,  in 
the  previous  chapter.  In  crossing  the  country  from  Oxford 
to  Stonesfield,  the  Oxford  clay,  so  rich  in  Ammonites,  Belem- 
nites,  &c.  is  first  observed ;  this  deposit  is  succeeded  by  the 
Cornbrash,1  the  uppermost  stratum  of  the  Great  Oolite  group, 
which  is  seen  beneath  the  clay  in  several  quarries  on  the 
road-side  between  Woodstock  and  Blenheim. 

The  village  of  Stonesfield  is  situated  on  the  brow  of  a  valley, 
both  sides  of  which  are  deeply  excavated  by  the  shafts  and 
galleries  that  have  been  constructed  for  the  extraction  of  the 
laminated  oolitic  limestone,  or  slate,  as  it  is  locally  termed. 
The  beds  that  supply  the  stone  are  at  a  depth  of  about  fifty 
feet  below  the  summit,  and  are  worked  by  shafts.  The  upper 
twenty-five  feet  consist  of  clays  alternating  with  calcareous 
stone  ;  the  lower,  of  fine-grained  oolitic  limestone  abounding 
in  casts  of  marine  shells,  among  which  a  small  species  of 
trigonia  is  conspicuous.  The  strata  that  are  worked  do  not 
exceed  six  feet  in  thickness,  and  consist  of  rubbly  stone,  with 
sand  imbedding  concretional  masses  of  laminated  grit,  which, 
by  exposure  to  the  frost,  admits  of  easy  separation  into  thin 
flakes  or  slabs,  that  were  formerly  in  general  use  for  paving 
and  roofing ;  like  the  slaty  limestones  of  the  Weald  of 
Sussex.2 

The  abundance  of  the  remains  of  terrestrial  plants,  of  rep- 
tiles, and  of  land  insects,  in  the  Stonesfield  strata,  associated 
with  the  usual  marine  shells,  &c.  of  the  Oolite,  proves  the 
fluvio-marine  origin  of  these  deposits :  in  other  words,  this 
assemblage  of  terrestrial  and  deep-sea  exuviae  indicates  that 
these  strata  were  formed  in  the  bed  of  an  ocean,  into  which 
the  remains  of  the  animals  and  plants  of  the  neighbouring 
lands  were  transported  by  currents ;  while  the  fresh-water 
shelly  limestones  of  the  Wealden,  together  with  the  absence 
of  marine  species,  equally  demonstrate  the  fluviatile  origin 
of  that  formation.  Referring  the  reader  to  the  "  Wonders  of 
Geology  " 3  for  a  full  consideration  of  the  interesting  questions 

1  See  Table  of  Formations,  ante,  p.  5. 

2  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  508,  for  an  abstract  of  Dr.  Fitton's 
account  of  the  Stonesfield  slate. 

3  Sixth  Edit.  Section  V.  pp.  507—512. 


ROOM  IV.  FOSSIL   MARSUPIAL   OF   STONESFIELD.  403 

connected  with  this  subject,  we  proceed  to  the  examination 
of  the  specimen  before  us. 

FOSSIL  MARSUPIAL  ANIMAL  OF  STONESFIELD. — (Phascolo- 
therium.1) — Wall-case  G. — The  following  is  Mr.  Broderip's 
account  of  the  discovery  of  this  fossil :  "  Some  years  have 
elapsed  since  an  ancient  stone-mason,  living  at  Heddington, 
who  used  to  collect  for  me,  made  his  appearance  at  my  rooms 
at  Oxford,  with  two  specimens  of  the  lower  jaws  of  mam- 
miferous  animals,  imbedded  in  Stonesfield  slate,  fresh  from 
the  quarry.  One  of  the  jaws  was  purchased  by  my  friend 
Professor  Buckland,  who  exclaimed  against  my  retaining 
both,  and  the  other  I  lent  him  some  time  ago."  2  It  is  now 
in  the  British  Museum. 

The  discovery  of  the  remains  of  undoubted  mammalia  in 
the  lower  oolite  of  Stonesfield,  was  first  made  known  by  Dr. 
Buckland  in  his  Memoir  on  the  Megalosaurus,  in  1823,  in 
the  following  words  :  "  The  other  animals  that  are  found  at 
Stonesfield  are  not  less  extraordinary.  Among  the  most 
remarkable  are  two  portions  of  the  jaw  of  the  Didelphys,  or 
Opossum,  being  of  the  size  of  a  small  Kangaroo  Eat,  and  be- 
longing to  a  family  which  now  chiefly  exists  in  America, 
South  Asia,  and  New  Holland.  I  refer  the  fossil  in  question 
to  this  family  on  the  authority  of  M.  Cuvier,  who  has  exa- 
mined it ;  and  without  the  highest  sanction  I  should  have 
hesitated  to  announce  such  a  fact,  as  it  forms  a  case  hitherto 
unique  in  the  annals  of  Geology,  viz.  that  of  the  remains  of  a 
land  quadruped  being  found  in  a  formation  subjacent  to  the 
chalk."3 

In  the  course  of  the  quarter  of  a  century  that  has  since 
elapsed,  six  specimens  of  one  side  of  the  lower  jaw,  belonging 
to  three  species  of  mammalia,  have  been  obtained  from  Stones- 
field  ;  and  what  is  most  remarkable,  no  other  recognisable 
parts  of  the 'skeleton  have  been  discovered. 

STRUCTURE  AND  AFFINITIES  OF  THE  FOSSIL   MAMMALIA. — 


1  Phascolotherium  ;  signifying  A  ncient  phascolomys,  or  pouch-animal ; 
indicative  of  its  affinity  to  the  Wombat  of  New  South  Wales. 

2  "  Observations  on  the  Jaw  of  a  fossil  Mammiferous  Animal  found 
in  the  Stonesfield  Slate."     By  J.  W.  Broderip,  Esq.     See  "Zoological 
Journal,"  1828,  p.  1. 

2  "Geol.  Trans."  New  Series,  vol.  i.  p.  398. 


404  PETKIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

These  mammalian  jaws  belong  to  very  small  animals,  and  are 
referable  to  two  genera.  One  of  these,  the  Ampfiitherium, 
appears  to  have  been  an  insectivorous  mammal  j  it  had  thirty- 
two  teeth  (twelve  molars,  one  canine,  three  incisors)  in  the 
lower  jaw  ;  its  marsupial  affinities  are  doubtful.1 

The  other  genus,  Phascolotherium,  presents  in  its  dental 
and  maxillary  organs  the  true  characters  of  the  Marsupialia. 
Baron  Cuvier  pointed  out  the  extent  and  position  of  the 
inward  inflection  of  the  angular  process  of  the  lower  jaw 
observable  in  the  fossil,  as  indicating  its  marsupial  affinities ; 
for  in  the  placental  mammalia  the  same  degree  of  incurvation 
is  not  present.  This  fossil  mammalian  has  four  true  molar 
teeth,  three  false  molars,  one  canine,  and  four  incisors  (three 
only  remain  in  the  specimen),  in  each  ramus  of  the  lower 
jaw;  thus  agreeing  with  the  living  species  of  Didelphys. 


LIGN.  80.     RIGHT  SIDE  OF  THE  LOWER  JAW  OF  A  MARSUPIAL  MAMMALIAN; 
FROM  STONESFIELD. 

(Phascolotherium  Bucklandi.) 
(Inner  aspect;  nat.  size.) 

The  condyle  of  this  jaw  presents  the  same  form  and  degree  of 
convexity  as  in  the  genera  Didelphys  and  Dasyurus;  the 
general  shape  and  proportions  of  the  coracoid  process  resemble 
those  in  the  zoophagous  marsupials ;  but  in  the  depth  and 
form  of  the  entering  notch  between  this  process  and  the  con- 
dyle, it  corresponds  most  closely  with  the  Thylacinus,  a 
solitary  genus  of  Australia  (the  Hyena  of  the  colonists), 

1  "  Amphitherium  JBroderipii"  of  Professor  Owen.  See  "British 
Fossil  Mammals,"  pp.  29—70,  for  figures  and  an  elaborate  account  of  the 
Stonesfield  Mammalia. 


ROOM  IV.  FOSSIL   MAMMALIA   OF   STONESFIELD.  405 

whose  term  of  existence  seems  fast  waning  to  its  close.1  Pro- 
fessor Owen  concludes  with  the  following  remark : — "  Con- 
necting the  close  resemblance  which  the  molar  teeth  of  the 
Phascolotherium  bear  to  those  of  the  Thylacine,  with  the  simi- 
larities which  have  already  been  shown  to  exist  in  the  several 
characteristic  features  of  the  ascending  ramus  of  the  jaw, 
I  am  of  opinion  that  the  marsupial  extinct  genus  indicated 
by  the  Stonesfield  fossil,  was  nearly  allied  to  Thylacinus, 
and  that  its  position  in  the  marsupial  series  is  between  Thyla- 
cinus and  Didelphys."2 

GEOLOGICAL  INFERENCES. — From  what  has  been  stated,  it 
is  evident  that  these  mammalian  remains  from  Stonesfield 
prove  the  existence  at  the  commencement  of  the  Oolitic 
period,  of  the  two  grand  divisions  of  the  class  Mammalia, 
namely,  the  marsupial,  and  the  placental.  Commenting  on 
this  remarkable  fact,  Sir  Charles  Lyell  observes,  that  "the 
singular  accident  of  our  having  as  yet  found  nothing  but  the 
half  of  the  lower  jaws  of  seven  individuals,  and  no  other  bones 
of  the  skeleton,  is  alone  sufficient  to  demonstrate  the  frag- 
mentary manner  in  which  the  memorials  of  our  ancient 
terrestrial  fauna  are  handed  down  to  us.  We  can  scarcely 
avoid  suspecting,  that  the  two  genera  above  described  may 
have  borne  a  like  insignificant  proportion  to  the  entire  assem- 
blage of  warm-blooded  quadrupeds  which  nourished  in  the 
islands  of  the  oolitic  sea." 3 

1  "British  Fossil  Mammals,"  pp.  64,  65. 

2  Ibid.  p.  67. 

3  "Manual  of  Elementary  Geology,"  p.  270.     This  eminent  philo- 
sopher, in  his  late  Address  on  retiring  from  the  chair  of  the  Geological 
Society,  again  adverts  to  this  important  fact. — "  Yet  no  small  diligence 
has  been  used  by  collectors  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  to 
obtain  even  the  smallest  isolated  bones  from  these  beds.    I  can  only 
compare  the  capricious  chance  which  has  hitherto  put  us  in  exclusive 
possession  of  these  seven  mammalian  jaws,  with  the  equally  strange 
accident  recorded  by  Dr.  Mantell  in  his   career  of  discovery  in  the 
AVealden.     He  computed  that  in  the  course  of  20  years  he  had  found 
teeth  and  bones  of  the  Iguanodon  which  must  have  belonged  to  no  less 
than  70  distinct  individuals,  varying  in  age  and  magnitude  from  the 
reptile  first  burst  from  the  egg,  to  one  of  which  the  femur  measured  24 
inches  in  circumference.     Yet  it  was  not  until  the  relics  of  all  these 
individuals  were  known,  that  a  solitary  example  of  part  of  a  jaw-bone 
was  obtained." — Address  delivered  at  the  Anniversary  Meeting  of  the 
Geological  Society  of  London,  Feb.  21, 1851,  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  FM.S. 
p.  49. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PART  VI. 
FOSSIL  SHELLS  AND  COEALS. 


TERTIARY  AND  OOLITIC  GASTEROPODOTJS  SHELLS — UNIVALVES   PROM    MINCHIN- 

HAMPTON — SHELLS   IN   SEPTARIUM SHELLS   PROM    GRIGNON,    HORDWELL, 

AND  THE  CRAG — CORALS  AND  OTHER  ZOOPHYTES — NUMMULITES  OP  EGYPT, 

FOSSIL  SHELLS. — Table-cases  15  and  18. — The  fossil  shells 
deposited  in  these  Table-cases  are  arranged  zoologically ;  that 
is,  as  gasteropodous  mollusca,  without  reference  to  their 
geological  relations :  thus  the  remains  of  extinct  species  and 
genera  of  molluscous  animals  that  inhabited  the  seas  of  the 
oolitic  period,  and  were  contemporaries  of  the  marine  reptiles, 
the  Ichthyosauri  and  Plesiosauri,  which  engaged  our  attention 
in  the  earlier  pages  of  this  chapter,  are  placed  with  the  uni- 
valves that  sported  in  the  seas  of  the  comparatively  recent 
periods  of  the  London  Eocene,  and  the  Crag. 

The  shells  in  Case  15,  are  chiefly  from  tertiary  deposits; 
there  is  a  fine  suite  from  Hordwell,1  and  from  Grignon.  The 
fossils  from  the  Great  Oolite  of  Minchinhampton  are  particu- 
larly deserving  attention,  not  only  on  account  of  the  recently 
discovered  species  from  that  formation,  but  also  for  their 
remarkably  perfect  state ;  for  they  have  been  extracted  from 
the  rock  with  great  skill. 

SEPTARIUM  WITH  SHELLS. — Table-case  15. — In  this  Case 
there  is  a  group  of  shells  which  affords  an  instructive  illus- 
tration of  the  different  aspects  in  which  the  same  species  may 
occur  in  a  fossil  state.  The  specimens  to  which  I  allude  are 

11  See  my  "Geology  of  the  Isle  of  Wight/'  p.  171. 


OOM  IV. 


BRACKLESHAM  SEPTAKIUM. 


407 


on  the  right  hand  of  the  observer,  and  may  readily  be  iden- 
tified by  the  annexed  Lign.  81. 

The  fossil,  Lign.  81,  fig.  2,  is  a  polished  slice  of  indu- 
rated  argillaceous    limestone,   from   the   tertiary  strata   at 


LIGX.  81.    SEPTARIUM  WITH  TURRITELLX;  FROM  BRACKLESHAM,  SUSSEX. 

Fig.  1. — TURRITELLA    IMBRICATA;    the  perfect  shell. 

2.— A  polished  slab  of  the  Septarium. 
3. — A  cast  of  one  of  the  shells,  in  calcareous  spar. 
(not.  tize.) 

Bracklesham  Bay,  Sussex,  and  is  part  of  a  septarium  abound- 
ing in  spiral  univalves  (Turritellce).  Fig.  1  represents  a 
sheD,  extracted  from  soft  clay;  and  fig.  3,  a  cast  in  calca- 
reous spar,  from  the  septarium.  In  the  polished  slab,  fig.  2, 
sections  of  numerous  shells  are  seen.  The  dark  partitions, 
or  septa,  are  veins  of  spar,  which  occupy  interstices  that 


408  PETBIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  IV. 

were  formed  in  the  clay-nodule  by  shrinking;  and  if  the 
specimen  be  closely  examined,  the  shells  will  be  found  split 
across  and  displaced  by  the  fissures;  thus  presenting  an  inte- 
resting illustration  of  the  faults,  or  dislocations  of  the  strata, 
so  familiar  to  the  geological  observer. 

FOSSIL  SHELLS. — Table-case  18.— These  are  chiefly  from 
tertiary  deposits;  many  are  from  the  eocene  strata  of  the 
Paris  basin,  at  Grignon ;  these  are  recognisable  by  their  white- 
ness ;  those  from  Hordwell  by  their  dull  leaden  colour ;  while 
the  shells  from  the  Crag  are  more  or  less  tinted  with  ochre. 
The  specimens  in  both  Cases  are  labelled,  and  named  with 
great  accuracy,  by  the  eminent  conchologist,  Mr.  S.  P.  Wood- 
ward, who  has  greatly  increased  the  value  and  interest  of  this 
department  of  the  Gallery  of  Organic  Remains. 

CORALS  AND  OTHER  ZOOPHYTES. — Table-case  17. — Until  these 
fossils  are  marked  and  arranged,  it  is  in  vain  to  attempt  a  satis- 
factory description.  I  can  merely  mention  that  there  are 
some  fine  specimens  of  corals  from  the  Silurian  rocks,  and 
others  from  the  Coral-rag  of  the  Oolite  formation. 

FoRAMiNiFERA.1 — Of  this  interesting  family  of  invertebrata, 
whose  organization  and  zoological  relations  have  but  very 
recently  been  understood,  there  are  specimens  of  some  of  the 
larger  forms  in  the  Case  before  us;  viz.  of  Nummulites  and 
Orbitolites.2  Among  the  former,  the  visitor  may  observe 
a  block  of  white  limestone,  composed  of  an  aggregation  of  a 
species  of  Nummulites,  of  which  there  are  detached  specimens 
affixed  to  cards,  and  labelled ;  it  is  a  fragment  of  the  Great 
Pyramid  of  Egypt,  that  stupendous  fabric  being  in  a  great 
measure  built  of  nummulitic  limestone.3 

1  I  would  refer  the  reader  for  an  account  of  the  nature  of  the  Forami- 
nifera,  to  my  "  PICTORIAL  ATLAS  OP  ORGAKIC  REMAINS,"  p.  142,  and  p.  186  • 
and  Plates  LXI.  and  LXII. 

2  The  structure  of  these  bodies  has  lately  been  ably  elucidated  by  our 
eminent  physiologist, Dr.  W.  B.  Carpenter;  "On  the  microscopic  Struc- 
ture of  Nummulites,  Orbitolites,  and  Orbitoides."     Geol.  Journal  for 
1850. 

3  This  specimen  was  formerly  in  my  collection.    See  "  Wonders  of 
Geology/'  vol.  i.  p.  248. 


CHAPTER   V. 
PART  I. 

PLAN   OP   BOOM  V. — SFNOPSIS  OP  CONTENTS — FOSSIL  GANOID  FISHES— SAUROID 
FISHES— CTENOID    FISHES — CYCLOID    FISHES — PLACOID   FISHES  —  MALLOTUS 

VILLOSUS  OP  GREENLAND FOSSIL  RHINOCEROS SIVATHERIUM — LEPIDOTUS 

—  ASTEROLEPIS — ANTLERS    OP   THE   IRISH   ELK — FOSSIL   PLACOID   FISHES 

ICHTHYODORULITES —  TEETH    OP    SHARKS    AND    CESTRAdONS  —  BELEMNO- 

TEUTHIS — BELEMNITES — SEPIAD3!  —  AMMONITES  —  NAUTILI HAMITES 

SCAPHITES— TURRILITES ORTHOCERATITES— SKELETON  OF  THE   IRISH   ELK 

— FAMILIES   OF    FOSSIL    FISHES   IN   THE   MUSEUM. 

THIS  Room  is  chiefly  devoted  to  the  collection  of  Ichthyolites, 
or  Fossil  Fishes,  which  is  very  extensive,  and  admirably 
arranged  and  classified. 

The  specimens  from  the  Devonian,  Carboniferous,  Oolitic, 
and  Cretaceous  formations,  include  a  considerable  number  of 
species  and  genera;  and  among  them  are  some  splendid 
examples  of  Lepidoid  and  Ganoid  fishes. 

There  are  also  many  fine  and  rare  Ichthyolites  from  the 
tertiary  limestone  ,of  Monte  Bolca,  and  from  the  slate  of 
Glaris,  and  the  keuper-schist  of  Mansfeld. 

In  the  Table-cases  on  the  left  side  of  this  apartment,  are 
placed  the  fossil  remains  of  the  Placoid  order,  among  which 
there  are  many  choice  specimens  of  the  teeth  and  dorsal  rays 
of  Cestradons  and  Chimceroids. 

The  Wall-case  F,  contains  crania,  teeth,  and  bones,  of  the 
two  extinct  species  of  Rhinoceros,  whose  remains  are  commonly 
associated  with  those  of  the  Elephant,  Hippopotamus,  &c.  in 
the  diluvial  deposits  of  England  and  the  Continent. 

A  part  of  the  splendid  collection  of  mammalian  remains 
from  the  tertiary  strata  of  the  Sewalik  Hills,  is  deposited  in 
Wall-case  E.  The  cranium,  jaws,  and  teeth,  of  the  Sivatherium 
giganteum,  and  of  an  extinct  species  of  Camel,  Giraffe,  &c.  are 
in  this  Cabinet. 

A  perfect  skeleton  of  the  gigantic  IRISH  ELK  is  a  conspi- 
cuous object  in  the  centre  of  this  room ;  and  there  are  antlers 
of  the  same  noble  animal  on  the  Cases ;  one  pair,  originally 
in  my  collection,  was  purchased  by  me  at  the  sale  of  the  late 
Mr.  Joshua  Brooke,  the  eminent  anatomist. 


410  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 


PLAN    OF    ROOM    V. 


/4 


Room  IV. 

\         I 


15 


Room  VI. 


To  the 
landing- 
place 
of  the 
Egyptian 
Gallery. 


ROOM  V.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTEXTS.  411 

A  most  interesting  collection  of  fossil  Cephalopoda  occupies 
the  Table-cases  on  the  north  side ;  it  includes  many  rare  and 
beautiful  specimens  of  Belemnites,  Belemnoteuthis,  Ammon- 
ites, Nautili,  <fcc. 

It  is  impossible  within  the  prescribed  limits  of  this  volume 
to  do  justice  to  the  vast  and  important  assemblage  of  fossil 
remains  which  this  room  contains,  and  I  am  compelled  to 
restrict  myself  to  a  rapid  survey  of  the  most  interesting 
objects.  I  subjoin  for  the  aid  of  the  scientific  visitor  a  list 
of  the  principal  genera  of  Ichthyolites  of  which  there  are 
specimens  in  the  collection ;  as  my  descriptions  must  neces- 
sarily be  of  a  very  general  nature.  *  The  subjects  will  be  treated 
of  under  the  following  heads :  viz.  I.  Synoptical  view  of  the 
Contents  of  Koom  V.  II.  Fossil  Fishes  of  the  Ganoid  Order. 
III.  Ctenoid,  Cycloid,  and  Placoid  Fishes.  IV.  Fossil  Mam- 
malia; Khinoceros,  Irish  Elk,  Sivatherium,  &c.  V.  Fossil 
Cephalopoda. 


ROOM    V. 

(56  feet  long.) 

SYNOPSIS  OF  CONTENTS. 
ORGANIC  REMAINS. 

THE  Wall-cases  from  A  to  D,  inclusive,  are  filled  with  the 
rich  and  well-arranged  collection  of  Fossil  Fishes;  M.  Agassiz's 
classification  is  adopted. 

"They  are  divided  into  four  orders,  viz.  the  Placoids,  Ganoids, 
Ctenoid*  and  Cycloids.  The  first  of  these  orders  comprises 
fishes  mostly  of  considerable  dimensions,  and  whose  skeletons, 
by  reason  of  their  soft  cartilaginous  nature,  are  less  en- 
during than  those  of  the  osseous  fishes  ;  their  fossil  remains, 
therefore,  generally  occur  as  detached  scales,  spines,  teeth, 
palates,  and  fins,  some  of  which,  being  small  objects,  are 
arranged  in  the  Table-cases.  The  remaining  three  orders, 
demanding  ample  space,  are  placed  in  the  upright  Wall- 
cases.  The  red  figures  on  the  labels  of  the  genera  refer  to  the 
larger  suspended  boards  bearing  the  names  of  the  orders  and 
families  ;  but  the  names  of  the  species  are  written  on  labels 
variously  tinted,  in  accordance  with  the  coloured  tablets 

1  I  would  refer  the  reader  wholly  unacquainted  with  Fossil  Ichthyology, 
to  my  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  chap.  xv. 


412  PETKIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

within  the  cases,  indicating  the   geological    habitat   of  the 
respective  specimens." — Mr.  Kdnig's  Synopsis. 

The  upright  divisions  of  the  glass-frames  are  numbered 
and  labelled  with  the  names  of  the  tribes  and  families,  as 
shown  in  p.  416. 

A.  [1  to  5.].  This  Case  is  chiefly  devoted  to  the  Ganoid 
fishes.     It  contains  beautiful  specimens  of  the  Devonian,  or 
Old  Red  Sandstone  genera  (Cephalaspides),  and  of  the  Lepi- 
doids  of  the  Oolite,  Wealden,  &c. 

B.  [6  to  13]  contains   a   rich   assemblage   of    Lepidoids, 
Sauroids,    and    Ccelacanthians.      Some  splendid    specimens 
of  Rhizodus,  Holoptychius,   and   Macropoma,  are   especially 
worthy  of  attention  j  the  former,  are  from  the  Carboniferous 
strata   of  Burdie  House,  the   latter    from  the   Chalk   near 
Lewes  ;  in  the  division  [13],  there  is  a  large  collection  of 
coprolites  of  these  fishes.     Below  the  last-named  specimens 
there  are  slabs  of  Old  Red  Sandstone,  from  Dura  Den,  in 
Fifeshire,  with  groups  of  fishes  of  the  genus  Holoptychius. 

The  specimen  of  Holoptychius  nobilissimus,  on  the  ledge 
below  the  Macropoma,  is  a  splendid  fossil  from  the  Old  Red 
Sandstone  of  Clashbinnie,  near  Perth,  by  the  Rev.  J.  Noble. 
There  is,  likewise,  a  rare  specimen  of  the  same  genus  from 
Lethenbar,  Scotland. 

C.  [15  to  22.]  A  beautiful  collection  of  Ganoid,  Ctenoid, 
and  Cycloid  fishes  :   many  of  these  are  from  the   Chalk  of 
Sussex  ;  others  are  from  the  tertiary  strata  of  Monte  Bolca, 
and  among  them  are  teeth,  &c.  of  Pycnodus,  Spherodus,  and 
Placodus,  from  the  Oolite.     Fishes  of  the   Perch  Family ; 
Sparoids,  or   Breams ;     Cottoids,    or  Bull-heads ;    Goboids ; 
Chcetodons  ;   Scomheroids,  &c. 

D.  [23   to   27]    contains  many  fine  examples  of  various 
species  and   genera   of  Cycloid   fishes,   comprising   Esocids, 
Scomberoids,  Clupeoids,  Cyprinoids,  &c.     In  this  Case  are 
some  remarkable  uncompressed  fishes  of  the  Salmon  family, 
from  the  chalk  of  Lewes,  in  Sussex. 

In  the  division  at  the  end  (27),  is  a  specimen  of  the  only 
known  existing  species  of  fish  that  has  been  found  fossil, 
namely,  the  Angmarset  (Mallotus  villosus),  which  occurs  in 
nodules  of  marl  of  recent  formation,  on  the  West  Coast  of 
Greenland. 

E.  This  Case  (on  the  right  hand  of  the  entrance  to  Room 
VI.)  is  filled  with  a  very  good  collection  of  crania,  teeth,  and 


ROOM  V.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  413 

bones,  of  two  species  of  extinct  rhinoceros  (R.  tichorimts,  and 
R.  leptorhinus),  from  the  diluvial  deposits  of  this  country. 
There  are  also  skulls  of  Rhinoceros  from  the  frozen  gravel  of 
Siberia. 

F.  (On  the  right  side  of  the  entrance  from  Room  IV.) 
There  are  several  crania,  and  many  teeth  and  bones  of  mam- 
malia from  the  Sub-Himalayas,  or  Sewalik  Hills.  Among 
them  are  fine  examples  of  jaws  and  teeth  of  an  extinct  species 
of  Camel.  But  this  Case  contains  a  most  interesting  and 
unique  specimen, — the  skull  of  the  Sivatherium  giganteum. 
There  is,  likewise,  the  cast  of  the  skull  of  another  species  of 
the  same  remarkable  animal,  the  Sivatherium  Perimense.  On 
the  top  of  this  case  there  are  casts  of  the  entire  series  of  bones 
of  one  of  the  limbs  of  the  Sivatherium  giganteum,  from  the 
originals  in  tfie  museum  of  the  East  India  Company. 

On  the  top  of  the  Wall-cases. 

A.  On  the  angle  :  a  fine  specimen  of  a  very  large  river  fish 
(Lepidotus  Mantelli),  from  the  Wealden  of  Sussex,  presented 
by  the  Rev.  John  Gould. 

B.  Casts  of  the  bones  of  the  head  of  a  gigantic  species  of 
Aster olepis  (A.  Asmusii),  from  the  Devonian  deposits  of  Riga; 
presented  by  Sir  R.  I.  Murchison. 

E.  The  skull  and  antlers  of  the  Irish  Elk. 

F.  There  are  three  fine  crania  of  bovine  animals  placed 
upright,  and  two  or  three  imperfect  specimens   lying  near 
them.    The  cranium  on  the  left  is  from  the  Sewalik  Hills  ; 
the  central  specimen  is  also  from  India,  but  I  could  not 
ascertain  the  locality ;  it  is  said  to  have  been  presented  by 
Major  Rawlinson  :  both  are  undescribed  species.     The  skull 
with  horns  of  Bos  primigenius,  on  the  right,  is  from  Scotland. 
There  are  several  fossil  crania  of  Bovidse  among  the  unar- 
ranged  bones  of  mammalia  in  Case  B.  of  Room  II. ;  but  in 
the  present  state  of  the  collection,  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to 
particularise  them. 

Table-cases. — As  the  Table-cases  containing  fossil  fishes 
are  on  the  south  or  left  side  of  the  room,  and  are  num- 
bered consecutively,  it  will  be  convenient  to  describe  them 
in  that  order,  beginning  with  Table-case,  2,  of  the  annexed 
plan,  (ante,  p.  410.) 

2.  [1.]  ORDER!.  PLACOIDS. — Ichthyodorulites. — The  osseous 
fin-rays,  or  spines,  of  various  genera  of  cartilaginous  fishes. 
They  comprise  a  great  many  species  from  the  secondary  and 


414  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR  TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  V. 

palaeozoic  formations.     M.  Agassiz   has   divided   them   into 
genera,  according  to  their  form  and  sculpturing. 

This  Case  contains  some  beautiful  Ichthyodorulites  from 
the  Chalk,  Oolite,  Lias,  and  Devonian  strata,  of  the  genera 
Oracanthus,  Ctenacanthus,  Asteracanthus,  Gyracanthus,  Lepta- 
canthus,  Ptychacanthus,  &c. 

4.  [2.]  Teeth  offfybodus,  and  maxillary  bones  of  Chimceroid 
fishes :  a  fine  series  of  the  latter.  Some  of  these  beautiful  speci- 
mens were  collected  by  the  late  FREDERICK  DIXON,  ESQ.  from 
the  London  Clay,  at  Bracklesham,  Sussex, — namely,  Eda- 
phodon,  Ischyodus,  &c.  which  have  been  figured  and  described 
by  Sir  Philip  Egerton.1 

The  other  division  of  this  Case  is  devoted  to  teeth  of  the 
Squalidce,  or  Shark  family;  many  are  fromj  the  Sussex 
Chalk,  and  belong  to  the  genera  Lamna,  Otodus,  Notidanus, 
&c.  There  are  also  spines  of  a  species  of  Acanthias,  from  the 
Lower  Chalk,  &c. 

6.  [3.]  Vertebrae,  teeth,  and  spines  of  Squalidse  from  the 
Chalk,  &c.  Teeth  and  other  remains  of  Hybodus  from  the 
Wealden,  Oolite,  and  Lias. 

8.  [4.]  Teeth  of  fishes  allied  to  the  Cestracions.  The  Cestra- 
cion  is  a  genus  of  existing  fishes  inhabiting  the  seas  of  New 
Holland,  and  is  commonly  called  the  Port- Jackson  Shark. 

Teeth  of  species  of  Ptychodus  (generally  known  as  fossil 
palates,  leeches,  &c.),  from  the  Chalk ;  and  of  Acrodus,  Oro- 
dus,  Cochleodus,  Psammodus,  Strophodus,  Ctenoptychius,  &c. 

10.  [5.]  Teeth,  and  maxillary  bones  of  fishes  of  the  Ray 
family,  chiefly  from  the  London  Clay.  Many  are  from  Brack- 
lesham, and  were  collected  by  the  late  Mr.  Dixon.  They 
comprise  specimens  of  Myliobates  (Mul-rays),  and  JEtobates, 
(Eagle-rays),  &c. 

In  the  other  compartment  there  are  portions  of  the  bony 
proboscis  and  teeth  of  the  Pristis  or  Saw-fish,  which  are  of 
extreme  rarity  in  a  fossil  state.  There  are  remains  of  two 
extinct  species ;  Pristis  Hastingsice  and  P.  distortus,  from 
Bracklesham,  and  Hordwell,  &c. 

In  this  Case  there  is  a  slab  of  limestone  from  Solenhofen, 
with  numerous  articulated  rays  of  the  dorsal  fin  of  a  large 
fish,  presented  by  the  late  Marquis  of  Northampton. 

1  In  the  late  Mr.  Dixon's  "  Fossils  from  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary 
Formations  of  Sussex,"  1  vol.  4to.  with  numerous  beautiful  plates. 
1851. 


ROOM   V.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  415 

12.  [6.]  Unarranged  specimens  of  fossil  fishes. 

The  Table-cases  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  are  de- 
voted to  Fossil  Cephalopoda ;  as  Belemnites,  Belemnoteuthis, 
Loligo,  &c.  ;  and  Ammonites,  Nautili,  &c. 


Table-case  1. — This  contains  a  fine  suite  of  Belemnoteuthis, 
and  other  Sepiadse,  and  Belemnites  ;  chiefly  from  the  Oxford 
Clay  of  Wiltshire.  Among  these  fossils  are  examples  of  Belem- 
noteuthis, with  the  body,  ink-bag,  eyes,  the  arms,  with  the 
suckers,  hooks,  and  other  parts,  beautifully  displayed ;  and 
and  of  Belemnites  with  the  phragmocones,  and  their  elongated 
basal  processes ;  these  are  especially  worthy  of  close  examina- 
tion, for  they  incontrovertibly  prove  the  correctness  of  the 
late  Mr.  Channing  Pearce's  opinion,  that  the  soft  parts  of 
Cephalopoda  found  in  the  Oxford  Clay,  belong  to  a  genus 
altogether  distinct  from  the  Belemnites  with  which  they  are 
associated. 

3.  A  series  of  Belemnites  ;  not  yet  arranged. 

5.  A  miscellaneous  collection  of  Ammonites  ;  many  of  the 
specimens  are  of  great  beauty. 

7.  Ammonites.  Many  rare,  and  some  unique  specimens 
from  the  Chalk  marl,  collected  by  the  author  ;  as  Ammonites 
Woolgari,  A.falcatus,  A.  navicidaris,  A.  catinus,  A.  curvatus, 
A.  cinctus.  (Figured  in  "  Geology  of  Sussex,"  PL  XXI.,  &c.) 

9.  This  case  likewise  contains  Ammonites  of  various  genera 
and  species. 

11.  It  is  intended  to  remove  the  fossil  Insects  and  Crus- 
taceans at  present  deposited  in  this  Table-case,  to  Room  VI. 
and  substitute  Ammonites. 

13.  This  and  the  next  table  contain  fossil  shells  of  extinct 
genera  of  Cephalopodous  mollusks.  In  the  east  compartment 
of  the  table,  are  Hamiies,  Scaphites,  Ancyloceras,  Ptychoceras, 
Baculites,  and  those  enigmatical  fossil  bodies  termed  Trigo- 
nellites,  or  Aptychus.    The  other  division  is  filled  with  Nautili. 
Among  these  are  many  Rhyncholites,  or  fossil  beaks  of  Cepha- 
lopoda. 

14.  Turrilites,  Orthoceratites,  Conularia,  and  other  allied 
forms.     The  Turrilites  are  remarkably  fine  ;  one  of  them  is 
the  largest  discovered  in  England.1 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  503. 


416 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 


15.  Pedestal  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  The  skeleton  of 
the  extinct  gigantic  Elk  of  Ireland  (Cervus  megaceros).  This 
specimen  is  seven  feet  high  to  the  top  of  the  forehead,  and 
eight  feet  long  •  the  distance  from  tip  to  tip  of  the  antlers  is 
nine  feet. 

*#*  To  facilitate  reference  I  subjoin  a  list  of  the  families 
and  tribes  of  Fossil  Fishes  as  they  are  inscribed  on  the  Wall- 
cases  over  the  respective  numbers. 


LIST  OF  FAMILIES  AND  TRIBES  OF  FOSSIL  FISHES  IN  ROOM  V. 

The  letters  refer  to  the  Plan,  ante,  p.  410  :  the  numbers  to  the  divisions 
in  the  Cases. 


A. 


GANOID  ORDER. 


3. 


4. 


Cephalaspidians. 
Lepidoids :   homocercal 

and  heterocercal. 
Lepidoids  (Tetragonole- 

pis,  Dapedius). 
f  Acanthoidians. 
\Lepidoids. 
/Dipterians. 
'  \Lepidoids. 


B. 


6.  Lepidoids. 

7.  Sauroids. 

8.  9,  10.  Sauroids. 
11,  12.  Caelaeanths. 

13.  T  Ccelacanths     (Holopty- 

14.  \     chius — Macropoma). 


/       fScleroderms. 

CYCLOID  ORDER. 

I  Gymnodons. 

lo.-\  pycnodons. 

21,  22.    Scomberoids. 

VSiluroids. 

/Labroids. 

16.    Pycnodons. 

JBlennoids. 

C  < 

CTENOID  ORDER. 
17,  18.     Percoids. 

2g    /  Loplieoids. 
\Xiphioids. 
iSphyraenoids. 

{Sparoids. 

\Scomberoids. 

Mugiloids. 
Pleuronects. 

x-Chsetodons. 

2Q  J  Goboids. 
~\  Aulostomes. 
\       tCottoids. 

TEsocids. 

(  Esocids. 

24.  <  Scombero-esocids. 

26.  J  Halecoids. 

D. 

. 

(Cyprinoids. 
{Cluperoids. 
Cyprinoids. 
Osmeroids. 

27.  yScopulines. 
(^Muroenoids. 

CHAPTER   V. 

PART  II. 
FOSSIL  FISHES  OF  THE  GANOID  ORDER. 

ICHTHYOLITES,     OR     FOSSIL     FISHES  —  AGASSIz's    CLASSIFICATION  —  FINS    OP 

FISHES TEETH    OF   FISHES — TAILS    OF     FISHES GANOID    ORDER CEPHA- 

LASPIDIANS — LEPIDOIDS — ACANTHODIANS — DIPTERIANS — SAUROIDS CELA- 

CANTHS — SCLERODERMS — PYCNODONS. 

ICHTHYOLITES,  OR  FOSSIL  FISHES.  —  The  fossil  remains  of 
FISHES  are  of  great  importance  in  a  geological  point  of  view, 
for  they  demonstrate  the  existence  of  highly  organized  beings 
in  the  most  ancient  fossiliferous  strata,  and  the  continuance 
of  the  same  Class  of  vertebrata,  variously  modified,  through 
the  entire  series  of  subsequent  deposits  to  the  present  time. 
Each  formation  contains  certain  groups  of  fishes,  distin- 
guished by  well-marked  peculiarities  of  structure.  Thus, 
according  to  the  data  at  present  obtained,  all  the  osseous 
fishes  that  lived  antecedently  to  the  Chalk,  belong  to  genera 
which  have  no  representatives  in  the  existing  ichthyic  faunas, 
and  were  covered  by  enamelled  rhomboidal  scales. 

The  state  of  preservation  in  which  the  fossil  remains  of 
fishes  occur,  has  resulted  from  the  relative  delicacy  or  dura- 
bility of  the  original  structures,  and  on  the  chemical  nature 
and  mechanical  conditions  of  the  deposits  in  which  they  were 
imbedded.  Thus  the  Ichthyolites  of  the  most  ancient  sedi- 
mentary strata,  the  Silurian  and  Devonian,  which  are  cha- 
racterized by  their  dense  integument  and  enamelled  scales, 
often  present  the  entire  forms  of  the  originals,  and  generally 
retain  considerable  portions  of  the  scales  connected,  with  the 
fins,  and  other  appendages;  while  those  of  later  formations, 
being  chiefly  species  with  delicate  scales,  more  frequently 

E  E 


418  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

consist  of  the  mineralized  osseous  skeleton.  Deposits  of  mud 
or  fine  detritus,  of  whatever  age,  appear  to  have  been  most 
favourable  for  the  preservation  of  the  dermal  integuments  ; 
hence  we  often  find  in  the  pulverulent  clays  and  marls  of  the 
Tertiary  strata,  and  in  the  Chalk  of  England  and  Westphalia, 
and  in  the  fine  lithographic  stone  of  Solenhofen,  fishes,  perfect 
in  form,  and  not  only  individuals,  but  groups,  with  the  scales, 
fins,  head,  teeth,  and  even  the  capsule  of  the  eye,  in  their 
original  juxtaposition.  In  Chalk,  some  of  the  fishes  occur 
with  the  body  uncompressed,  and  as  entire,  as  if  the  original 
had  been  surrounded  by  soft  plaster  of  Paris  while  float- 
ing in  the  water.  But  in  coarse  limestones  and  conglome- 
rates— in  other  words,  in  materials  that  have  been  subjected 
to  the  action  of  the  waves  and  torrents— detached  teeth, 
scales,  bones,  &c.  constitute  the  principal  vestiges  of  this  class 
of  beings.1 

The  cartilaginous  or  osseous  nature  of  the  skeleton,  and  the 
number  and  position  of  the  fins,  were  the  characters  formerly 
employed  in  the  classification  of  Fishes ;  but  M.  Agassiz,  con- 
ceiving the  structure  of  the  skin  to  afford  a  natural  index  to 
the  essential  modifications  of  organization  and  functions,  with 
great  sagacity  adopted  an  arrangement  founded  upon  the 
form  and  structure  of  the  scales,  and  divided  the  whole  class 
into  four  orders,  each  distinguished  by  essential  differences  in 
the  dermal  (skin)  system. 

To  the  geologist  this  method  has  proved  of  inestimable 
value  ;  for  it  is  simple,  easy  of  application,  and,  so  far  as  our 
present  knowledge  extends,  may  be  relied  upon  as  affording 
accurate  conclusions  as  to  the  nature  and  relations  of  the 
originals,  to  which  a  few  detached  fossil  scales  may  have 
belonged.  Another  important  aid  has  been  derived  from  the 
microscopical  examination  of  the  structure  of  the  teeth  ;  a 
department  of  palseontological  investigation,  which  is  yet  but 
partially  explored. 

The  living  species  of  Fishes  exceed  eight  thousand,  and 
those  found  in  a  fossil  state,  and  determined  by  M.  Agassiz, 
already  amount  to  upwards  of  two  thousand,  while  several 
hundreds  are  still  undescribed,  and  the  rapid  progress  of 
geological  research  is  continually  adding  to  the  number.  The 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  chap.  xv. 


ROOM  V.  AGASSIZ'S   CLASSIFICATION   OF   FISHES.  419 

British  species  form  a  large  proportion  of  the  Ichthyolites 
illustrated  and  described  by  M.  Agassiz ;  and  fortunately,  in 
our  eminent  Ichthyologist,  Sir  Philip  Grey  Egerton,  Bart. 
we  have  an  able  and  zealous  cultivator  of  this  branch  of 
Palaeontology.1 

AGASSIZ'S  CLASSIFICATION  OF  FISHES. — The  four  orders  into 
which  the  class  PISCES  is  divided  by  M.  Agassiz,  are  founded 
on  the  following  characters  : — 

Order  I.  PLACOID  (from  7rAa|,  a  broad  plate). — The  skin  covered  irre- 
gularly with  enamelled  plates,  sometimes  of  a  large  size,  but  frequently 
in  small  points,  as  the  shagreen  on  the  dermal  integument  of  the  Sharks, 
and  the  tubercles  of  the  Mays.  Lign.  82,  fig.  4,  a  dermal  spine  from  the 
skin  of  a  Ray. 

Order  II.  GANOID  (ydvos,  splendour,  from  the  brilliant  surface  of  the 
enamel). — The  scales  are  of  an  angular  form,  and  composed  of  plates  of 
horn  or  bone,  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  enamel,  a  structure  which  is 
identical  with  that  of  their  teeth.  The  Sturgeon  is  a  living  example  of 
this  order.  Lign.  82,  fig.  3,  is  a  fossil 
scale  of  a  fish  of  this  division,  the 
Lepidotus. 

Order  I II.  CTENOID  (ICTUS,  a  comb). 
— The  scales  are  formed  of  plates, 
which  are  toothed  or  pectinated  on 
their  posterior  margin  or  edge,  like  a 
comb.  As  the  plates  are  superim- 
posed on  each  other,  so  that  the 
lowermost  always  extend  beyond  the 
uppermost,  their  numerous  sharp 
points  or  teeth  render  the  scales  very 
harsh  to  the  touch.  The  Perch  be- 
longs to  this  order.  Lign.  82,  fig.  1, 
represents  a  fossil  ctenoid  scale.  LIGN.  82. 

Order   IV.     CYCLOID    (KVK\OS,    «  ILLUSTRATION  OF  THE  SCALES  IN  THE 
circle). — The  scales  are  composed  of          FOUR  ORDERS  OF  FISHES. 
simple  laminae,  or  plates  of  bone  or     i.  CTENOID.       2.  CYCLOID. 
horn/without  enamel,  and  have  smooth     3.  GANOID.       4.  PLACOID  SPINE. 
borders ;  but  their  external  surface  is 

often  ornamented  with  markings.  The  scales  of  the  lateral  line  consist 
of  funnels  placed  one  within  the  other ;  the  contracted  part  of  which, 

1  The  splendid  and  most  important  work  entitled  "  Hecherches  sur 
les  Poissons  Fossiles,  par  Louis  AGASSIZ,"  stands  pre-eminent  in  this 
department  of  science.  It  consists  of  five  volumes,  4to.  of  letter-press, 
and  five  volnmes  folio,  of  coloured  plates.  It  is  the  classical  work  in 
this  branch  of  natural  history,  and  must  be  consulted  by  every  one  in- 
terested in  the  subject. 

I  would  refer  the  reader  for  a  condensed  view  of  Fossil  Ichthyology 
to  my  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  vol.  ii.  chap.  xv. 


4:20  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP,  V. 

applied  against  the  disk  of  the  scale,  forms  the  tube  through  which  the 
mucus  flows.  To  this  order  belong  the  Mullet,  Salmon,  and  Carp.  Lign. 
82,  fig.  2,  is  the  scale  of  a  fossil  Cycloid  fish. 

FINS  OF  FISHES. — As  the  progression  of  fishes  through  the 
water  is  principally  effected  by  the  action  of  the  tail,  they 
have  no  limbs  properly  so  called.  The  instruments  for 
balancing  the  body,  and  for  assisting  progression,  are  the  fins, 
which  are  composed  of  numerous  rays  that  support  a  mem- 
branous expansion ;  and  the  number  and  situation  of  the  fins 
present  various  modifications  in  the  different  orders  and 
genera. 

The  spinous  rays  of  the  dorsal  fins  of  the  cartilaginous 
fishes,  as  the  Sharks  and  Rays,  generally  occur  detached 
from  the  body  in  a  fossil  state ;  they  are  abundant  in  some 
of  the  secondary  deposits,  and  being  often  the  only  vestiges 
of  extinct  species  and  genera,  possess  great  geological  in- 
terest ;  they  are  termed  Ichthyodorulites  (fossil  dorsal-rays 
offish}. 

TEETH  OF  FISHES. — Of  the  durable  parts  of  animals  which 
occur  in  the  mineral  kingdom,  the  teeth  of  Fishes  present  the 
most  numerous,  varied,  and  striking  modifications  of  form, 
structure,  composition,  mode  of  arrangement,  and  attachment; 
and  yet  these  dental  organs,  separately  considered,  in  many 
instances  fail  to  afford  characters  by  which  the  natural  affini- 
ties of  the  original  can  be  satisfactorily  ascertained;  and 
without  the  aid  of  other  parts  of  the  skeleton,  it  is  often  im- 
possible to  determine  whether  an  unknown  form  of  tooth 
belonged  to  an  animal  of  the  class  of  Fishes,  or  of  Reptiles. 
Although  the  modifications  of  form  are  almost  innumerable, 
they  are  referable  to  four  principal  types ;  namely,  the  conical, 
the  flattened,  the  prismatic,  and  the  cylindrical.1 

STRUCTURE  OF  THE  TAIL. — The  tail,  as  we  have  previously 
mentioned,  is  the  chief  instrument  of  progressive  motion  in 
these  animals;  it  assumes  two  principal  modifications;  and 
these  characters  the  sagacity  of  M.  Agassiz  has  invested  with 
a  high  degree  of  palseontological  interest. 

In  the  greater  number  of  the  existing  species,  the  vertebral 
column  terminates  in  a  triangular  plate  of  bone,  to  which  the 


1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  pp.  597—601. 


ROOM  V. 


TAILS   OF   FISHES. 


421 


caudal  fin  is  attached  symmetrically ;  and  its  figure  is  either 
rounded,  or  divided  into  two  equal  lobes  or  branches ;  these 
tails  are  termed  homocercal,  i.  e.  even-tail,  as  is  shown  in  Lign. 
83,  fig.  2. 


LIGN.  83.    ILLUSTRATION  OP  THE  STRUCTURE  OP  THE  TAIL  IN  FISHES. 

1.  Heterocercal  tail ;  a,  b,  the  vertebral  column  extending  into  the 

upper  lobe ;  of  a  STURGEON. 

2.  Homocercal  tail ;  of  the  A.yGVA.s.sET(Mallotusvillotus)  of  Green- 

land,   a,  vertebral  column. 

In  the  second  modification,  the  vertebral  column,  towards 
its  extremity,  diverges  from  a  straight  line,  and  rises  up,  and 
is  prolonged  into  the  upper  lobe  of  the  tail ;  the  caudal  fin 
appearing  like  a  rudder,  and  the  lower  lobe  being  propor- 
tionably  very  feeble  and  small,  as  in  the  Shark  and  Dog-fish ; 
(Lign.  83,  fig.  1 :)  this  form  of  tail  is  called  heterocercal,  i.e. 
unequal- tail.  But  few  of  the  existing  fishes  have  this  condition 
of  the  caudal  fin,  while  it  is  found  in  all  the  fossils  that 
occur  in  the  ancient  secondary  strata ;  namely,  the  Magnesiau 
limestone,  and  antecedent  deposits.  The  rounded,  and  equally- 
bilobed  or  homocercal  tails,  are  seen  in  many  of  the  beautiful 
fishes  from  the  Chalk  (Lign.  95);  and  the  rudder-like,  or 
heterocercal  tail,  is  shown  in  many  of  the  Ichthyolites  from 
the  Carboniferous  strata  (Lign.  85). 

GANOID  ORDER. — The  fishes  of  this  order  are  distinguished 
by  their  brilliant  angular  scales,  composed  of  osseous  or 


422  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

corneous  plates  covered  with  a  dense  coat  of  enamel,  which 
form  a  dermal  integument  of  great  strength  and  solidity. 
In  many  of  the  most  ancient  types,  the  body  is  literally  enve- 
loped in  an  osseous  case  ;  the  bones  of  the  cranium  coalescing, 
and  the  scales  of  the  thoracic,  dorsal,  and  abdominal  regions, 
blending  as  it  were  into  a  cuirass;  hence  the  fishes  of  this 
order,  which  are  among  the  most  ancient  known  types  of  ver- 
tebrata,  appearing  in  the  Devonian  or  Old  Red  formation,  afford 
the  only  absolute  knowledge  we  possess  of  the  earliest  forms  and 
structures  of  Ichthyic  organization ;  for  of  the  Placoids,  which 
appear  in  a  still  earlier  geological  epoch, — namely,  the  Silurian, 
— owing  to  the  cartilaginous  and  perishable  nature  of  their 
skeletons,  a  few  rays  or  spines,  teeth,  scutcheons,  and  shagreen 
skins,  are  the  only  vestiges  that  remain  in  a  fossil  state. 
Thus  the  minutely  dentated  fin-ray  of  the  ffomocanthus,  of 
the  Devonian  formation,  is  the  only  fossil  relic  of  that  placoid; 
while  in  its  contemporary  ganoid  fish,  the  Osteolepis,  indica- 
tions of  the  structure  of  the  organs  of  smell,  hearing,  and  vision, 
are  manifest. 

The  Ganoid  order  comprises  twelve  families,  examples  of 
which  are  arranged  in  Wall-cases  A  and  B,  and  are  comprised 
in  the  subdivisions  marked  1  to  1 6  in  the  compartments  of 
the  glass-cases;  as  enumerated  in  the  list,  ante,  p.  416. 

CEPHALASPIDIANS.  —  Wall-case  A.  [1.]  —  The  Devonian 
Formation,  (see  Geological  Table,  ante,  p.  5,)  in  which,  but 
twenty-five  years  ago,  a  few  single  scales,  discovered  in  Forfar- 
shire  by  Dr.  Fleming,  were  the  only  known  traces  of  any 
vertebrated  animals,  has  yielded  upwards  of  sixty  species 
belonging  to  nearly  thirty  genera,  from  British  localities 
alone. 

Of  these  the  most  characteristic  are  the  CepJialaspis,  Pte- 
richthys,  and  Coccosteus,  which  form  a  group  of  extinct  genera 
that  has  no  representative  either  in  the  Silurian  system  below, 
or  in  the  Carboniferous  above  ;  nor,  except  by  distant  and  faint 
analogies  with  existing  fishes,  can  these  anomalous  organisms 
be  brought  within  the  pale  of  zoological  arrangement.  These 
ichthyolites  agree  in  one  general  character,  that  of  being 
covered  by  relatively  enormous  osseous  or  horny  plates,  and 
scutcheons.1  No  vertebrae  have  been  found,  and  it  is  supposed 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  645 ;  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  760. 


ROOM   V.  CEPHALASPIS   LTELLII.  423 

that  the  spinal  column  was  cartilaginous,  as  in  the  Stur- 
geon. 

CEPHALASPIS  LYELLII. — There  are  some  very  fine  examples 
of  this  singular  genus  of  small  fishes,  in  the  first  division  of 


LIGX.  84.     CEPHALASPIS  LYELLII;  FROM  GLAMMIS,  FORFARSHIRE. 
($  not.  size.) 

Case  A,  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  from  Room  IV.,  that  were 
presented  by  the  eminent  geologist  commemorated  in  the 
specific  name ;  they  will  be  easily  recognised  by  the  figure, 
Lign.  84.  *  The  most  striking  feature  in  these  Ichthy elites  is 
the  enormous  scutcheon,  or  buckler,  which  forms  the  head, 
and  is  prolonged  posteriorly  into  two  lateral  horns  or  points  ; 
this  part  so  closely  resembles  the  cephalic  shield  of  certain 
trilobites,  that  the  first  specimens  were  supposed  to  be  the 
remains  of  unknown  crustaceans ;  the  name  Cephalaspis 
(buckler-head^)  is  derived  from  this  character.  This  remarkable 
appearance  is  occasioned  by  the  intimate  anchylosis  of  all  the 
bones  of  the  cranium.  The  body  of  these  fishes  is  relatively 
smaller  than  the  head,  has  but  one  dorsal  fin,  and  terminates 
in  a  tail  with  a  long  pedicle,  supporting  a  fin.  There  are  two 
very  small  eyes  placed  towards  the  middle  of  the  head.  The 
body  is  covered  with  rhomboidal  scales,  and  the  head  with 

1  The  first  fish  of  this  genus  was  discovered  by  Mr.  Hugh  Miller,  in 
whose  charming  little  work,  "New  Walks  in  an  Old  Field,"  will  be 
found  a  most  graphic  description  of  the  Devonian  Ichthyolites.  I  know 
not  a  more  fascinating  volume  on  any  branch  of  Natural  History. 


424  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  V. 

discoidal  ones,  which  are  highly  ornamented  with  radiated 
markings. 

Pterichthys. — On  the  uppermost  shelves  of  the  compart- 
ment [2],  there  are  several  species  of  this  genus,  which,  as  its 
name  implies,  has  two  wing-like  lateral  appendages.  These 
processes,  like  the  spines  of  the  Bull-head,  (Coitus  Gobio,)  are 
weapons  of  defence ;  in  some  examples  they  are  extended  from 
the  sides  at  right  angles.  The  head  and  anterior  part  of  the 
body  are  protected  by  large  tuberculated  scutcheons,  and  the 
back  and  abdomen  by  angular  plates :  the  tail  is  long  and 
angular,  and  supposed  to  have  been  the  only  organ  of  locomo- 
tion. There  are  two  eyes  in  front  of  the  lateral  appendages. 
These  Ichthyolites  are  only  from  two  to  ten  inches  in  length. 

Coccosteus  (Berry-bone-fish).1 — Wall-case  A.  [1.] — This  is 
another  allied  genus,  characterised  by  the  tuberculated  scales, 
and  remarkable  dental  organs ;  neither  eyes,  nor  pectoral  fins 
or  spines,  have  been  discovered.  There  are  some  good  speci- 
mens of  these  Ichthyolites  on  the  uppermost  shelf;  their  rich 
purple  and  reddish  colour  arises  from  an  impregnation  of 
phosphate  of  iron.  There  are  three  or  four  species,  varying 
from  a  few  inches  to  two  feet  in  length.  The  remains  of  this 
genus  are  the  most  abundant  of  the  ichthyic  fossils  in  the 
Devonian  deposits. 

Pamphractus. —  Wall-case  B.  [2.] — This  is  another  genus 
of  small  fishes  belonging  to  this  singular  family;  it  is  distin- 
guished by  the  distinct  separation  of  the  cephalic  region  from 
the  thorax  ;  it  had  a  pair  of  long  pointed  pectoral  fins.  The 
specimen  is  from  Dura  Den,  in  Fifeshire. 

LEPIDOIDS. — This  family  of  ganoid  fishes  is  extinct,  but 
existed  in  great  force  during  the  secondary  epochs.  It  com- 
prises sixteen  or  eighteen  genera,  which  are  divided  into  two 
tribes  according  to  the  structure  of  the  caudal  fin;  of  the 
homocer'cals  (see  ante,  p.  421),  of  which  there  are  twelve 
genera;  the  most  striking  specimens  in  the  collection  belong 
to  Semionotus,  Tetragonolepis,  Dapedius,  and  Lepidotus. 
The  heterocercals  amount  but  to  six  or  seven  genera ;  among 


1  Mr.  Hugh  Miller's  works  should  be  consulted  for  details  of  structure. 
The  cranial  bucklers  of  these  Devonian  Ichthyolites  are  admirably  eluci- 
dated in  the  last  work  of  this  powerful  writer  and  able  observer.  See 
"  Footsteps  of  the  Creator,"  pp.  51—78. 


ROOM  V.  LEPIDOIDS.  425 

these  are  included  the  small  Amblypterus,  Palseoniscus,  and 
Platysomus,  of  the  carboniferous  and  triassic  formations. 

In  the  Lepidoids  the  importance  of  the  character  of  the  tail 
is  strikingly  manifest;  for  M.  Agassiz  has  shown  that  all  the 
heterocercal  lepidoids,  with  but  one  exception,  belong  to  the 
strata  antecedent  to  the  Lias;  while  the  homocercals  first 
appear  in  that  formation,  and  continue  to  the  tertiary  deposits, 
in  which  the  entire  family  disappears. 

The  Lepidoids  have  an  osseous  skeleton,  and  are  armed  with 
angular  rhomboidal  scales,  parallel  with  the  body.  In  some 
species,  the  dental  apparatus  consists  of  rows  of  broad  teeth, 
in  others  of  obtuse  round  teeth.  The  tail  is  relatively  feeble. 


LIGX.  85.    AMBLYPTERUS;  OF  THE  COAL. 
a.  The  heterocercal  tail.  (£  not.  size.) 

Amblypterus. —  Wall-case  A. — This  small  fish,  from  the 
carboniferous  shale,  is  an  example  of  a  characteristic  hetero- 
cercal lepidoid  of  that  formation,  to  which  six  or  seven 
species  belong.  It  is  distinguished  by  the  wide  and  many- 
rayed  fins  without  marginal  rays,  and  the  short  and  thick 
tail. 

Palceoniscus. — The  fishes  of  this  genus  have  a  general 
resemblance  to  the  Amblypterus,  but  differ  in  the  relatively 
moderate  size  of  the  scales,  and  the  numerous  little  rays  on 
their  margins.  There  are  upwards  of  twenty-five  species; 
sixteen  of  which  belong  to  the  Coal  formation,  and  these  have 
smooth  scales,  with  the  exception  of  four  species  that  occur 
in  the  strata  at  Burdie  House,  in  which  the  scales  are 
striated  and  punctated,  like  the  seven  or  eight  species  of  the 


426  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

Triassic  formation.  Of  the  latter,  P.  Freieslebeni  is  a  beau- 
tiful and  common  ichthyolite.  There  are  very  rarely  any 
remains  of  the  vertebral  column.1 

Semionotus. —  Wall-case  A.  [No.  2.] — On  the  middle  ledge 
of  this  Case  there  is  a  slab  of  lias  from  Coburg,  on  which  is  a 
group  of  fourteen  specimens  of  a  small,  elegant,  homocercal 
lepidoid  fish,  with  a  forked  tail,  (S.  Bergeri,}  belonging  to  this 
genus. 

'  Osteolepis. — There  are  on  the  upper  shelves  of  this  Case 
(2),  many  examples  of  two  other  heterocercal  families  ;  1.  The 
Acanthodians,  that  were  inhabitants  of  the  Devonian  and 
Carboniferous  seas,  and  are  characterised  by  their  almost 
microscopic  scales;  of  these  the  Diplacanthus  (double- spine) 
is  a  well-known  genus  of  Cromarty  and  Caithness.  2.  The 
Dipterians  have  scales  like  the  lepidoids,  but  differ  from  that 
family  in  having  two  dorsal  and  two  anal  fins ;  of  this  tribe, 
the  Osteolepis  (bony-scale)  is  a  genus  peculiar  to  the  Old  Red ; 
three  species  occur  at  Caithness  and  Cromarty ;  there  is  a  fine 
series  in  the  collection,  of  the  Osteolepis  macrolepidotus,  and 
0.  intermedius,  from  Cromarty.2 

Tetragonolepis ;  Dapedius. —  Wall-case  A.  (2,  3.) — At  Lyme 
Regis,  and  other  productive  localities  of  the  Lias,  large  masses 
of  angular  enamelled  scales,  and  occasionally  entire  specimens 
of  the  fishes  to  which  they  belonged,  have  for  many  years 
been  collected.  Sir  H.  De  la  Beche  first  scientifically  investi- 
gated the  structure  of  these  Ichthyolites,  and  pointed  out 
their  characters  and  relations.  The  numerous  examples  sub- 
sequently brought  to  light  establish,  according  to  M.  Agassiz, 
two  genera  of  homocercal  ganoids.  The  Dapedius  (of  which  a 
restored  figure  is  given  in  Lign.  86)  is  a  wide,  laterally  com- 
pressed fish,  with  a  rounded  head,  and  fins  of  moderate  size. 
The  body  rapidly  contracts  towards  the  pedicle  of  the  tail,  the 
fin  of  which  is  large,  and  symmetrically  lobed.  The  mouth  is 
furnished  with  several  rows  of  small,  conical  teeth,  crenated  at 
their  summits,  and  has  brush-teeth  on  the  palatine  bones ; 
the  jaws  are  short.  The  scales  are  rhomboidal,  highly 
polished,  and  united  laterally  by  short  processes,  as  in  many 
other  ganoids. 


1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  2d  edit. 

2  See  Mr.  Miller's  "Old  lied  Sandstone,"  PI.  IV.  p.  72,  for  details. 


ROOM  V.  LEPIDOIDS.  427 

In  Tetragonolepis  the  teeth  are  pointed,  and  not  crenated 
at  the  apex,  as  in  Dapedius.1 


LIGJJ.  86.— DAPEDIUS;  OF  THE  LIAS.— (i  not.  size.) 

These  common  liassic  Ichthyolites  must  be  familiar  to  the 
intelligent  visitor,  as  their  form  and  structure  are  illustrated 
in  Dr.  Buckland's  "Bridgewater  Treatise."  I  would  merely 
direct  attention  to  the  perfect  state  of  some  of  the  specimens 
in  the  Case  before  us. 

Lepidotus. —  Wall-cases  A.  B.  (4,  5.) — This  genus  of  homo- 
cereal  lepidoids  comprises  nearly  thirty  species,  which  were, 
for  the  most  part,  inhabitants  of  the  liassic  and  oolitic  seas. 
A  few  species  existed  during  the  deposition  of  the  Cretaceous 
deposits ;  and  one  solitary  type,  the  last  of  the  race,  according 
to  our  present  knowledge,  witnessed  the  dawn  of  the  tertiary 
system.  There  are  many  beautiful  specimens  in  the  collection 
of  the  common  Liassic,  Oolitic,  and  Wealden  species. 

The  separate  scales  and  teeth  of  the  lepidoti  that  frequented 
the  estuaries  and  rivers  of  the  Country  of  the  Iguanodon,  are 
abundant  in  the  limestones  of  Swanage,  and  in  the  clays  and 
calcareous  grits  and  sandstones  of  Tilgate  Forest.2  In  the  angle 
of  Cases  A  and  B,  there  are  several  examples,  more  or  less  per- 
fect, of  Lepidotus  Fittoniand  L.  Mantelli,  formerly  in  my  col- 

1  "  Poissons  Fossiles,"  tome  ii.  p.  181. 

2  They  were  first  collected,  figured,  and  described  by  me,  in  "  Foss. 
Tilg.  Forest,"  PI.  V.  &  X.     See  also  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  407 ; 
(i  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  639,  PI.  VI.  fig.  10. 


428 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  V. 


lection ;  and  on  the  top  of  the  Case  a  splendid  specimen  from 
Sussex,  consisting  of  the  anterior  part  of  an  enormous  fish. 
The  largest  fragments  of  some  of  the  Wealden  Lepidoti 
indicate  the  total  length  of  the  fish  to  have  been  twelve  or 


LIGN.  87.— SCALES  AND  FIN-RAY  OF  LEPIDOTUS  MANTELLI.    TILGATE  FOREST. 

Fig.  1.— Scale,  with  a  single  process  of  attachment. 
2. — One  of  the  scales  of  the  dorsal  line. 

3. — Scale  (external  surface),  with  a  bifurcating  process  of  attachment. 
4. — Scale  (viewed  on  the  inner  surface),  showing  the  lateral  processes. 
5.— The  front  RAY  of  the  dorsal  fin,  covered  with  two  rows  of  enamelled 
scales,  and  two  other  rays  behind  it. 
(nat.  size.) 

fourteen  feet ;  and  the  width  of  the  body  from  three  to  four 
feet. 

These  fishes  resembled  the  Carps  in  their  general  outline 
but  have  no  anatomical  relations,  to  that  family.  The  jaws 
are  short  and  rounded,  and  furnished  with  rows  of  ob- 
tuse hemispherical  teeth  •  the  head,  and  even  face,  were 
encased  with  osseous  enamelled  plates,  which  are  often  found 
separately  imbedded  in  the  rock;  there  are  several  large 
examples  in  the  collection.  The  dorsal  and  pectoral  fins  are 
very  strong,  and  consist  of  several  bony  rays.  There  is  a 
double  row  of  acuminated,  enamelled  scales,  arranged  ob- 


ROOM  V.  LEPIDOTUS.  429 

liquely,  on  the  anterior  margin  of  the  dorsal  and  anal  fins, 
and  on  both  margins  of  the  caudal.  (Part  of  the  first  ray  of 
a  dorsal  fin,  with  scales,  is  represented  Lign.  87.) 

Lepidotus  minor. — The  smaller  species  is  often  found  in 
the  Purbeck  limestone  almost  as  entire  as  if  recent,  of  which 
the  beautiful  Ichthyolite  in  Case  B  (No.  6),  is  an  example. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  Case  there  is  a  specimen  of  Lepidotw 
semiserratm  from  the  Lias  of  Whitby,  remarkable  for  the  per- 


LIGN.  88. — LtpiDOTUs;  OF  THE  WEALDEN.    (£-  nat.  size.) 

feet  state  of  the  head,  which  is  uncompressed,  and  exhibits 
its  normal  form. 

The  habits  of  the  Lepidoti,  as  indicated  by  the  form  and 
structure  of  the  teeth,  were  those  of  fishes  whose  food  consisted 
of  crustaceans,  shelly  mollusca,  &c. ;  for  the  dental  organs  are 
peculiarly  adapted  for  the  crushing  and  grinding  of  such  sub- 
stances ;  and  the  teeth  of  the  adult  fishes  are  generally  worn 
down  by  use. 

Pholidophorus. — This  is  a  genus  of  small  fishes  allied  to 
the  Lepidotus,  some  species  of  which  abound  in  the  Lias  and 
Oolite;  their  remains  are  commonly  found  associated  with  the 
skeletons  of  the  enalosaurians,  at  Lyme  Regis,  Barrow-on- 
Soar,  &c. ;  they  have  only  brush-teeth.  There  are  many 
specimens  in  this  Case  from  Solenhofen. 

SAUROIDS. —  Wall-case  B. .  (Nos.  7,  8,  9,  10:)— The  fishes  of 
the  SAUROID  (lizard-like)  family  were  thus  named  by  M. 
Agassiz,  in  consequence  of  certain  peculiarities  of  organization 
which  are  found  in  no  other  animals  of  their  class,  but  exist 
in  reptiles.1 

1  "  Recherches  sur  les  Poissons  Fossiles,"  par  L.  Agassiz,  tome  ii. 


430  PETRIFACTIONS  AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  V. 

There  are  but  two  living  genera,  namely,  the  Lepidosteus, 
of  which  several  species  inhabit  the  rivers  of  America ;  and 
the  Polypterus,  that  comprises  two  species,  one  inhabiting  the 
Nile,  and  the  other  the  rivers  of  Senegal.  In  these  fishes  the 
bones  of  the  skull  are  closely  connected  by  sutures ;  the  teeth 
are  large,  conical,  and  longitudinally  striated,  as  in  the  croco- 
dile; the  spinous  processes  are  united  to  the  bodies  of  the 
vertebrae  by  suture,  as  in  most  reptiles;  and  the  ribs  are 
articulated  to  the  extremities  of  the  transverse  processes ;  the 
skeleton  is  osseous;  the  scales  are  flat,  rhomboidal,  and 
parallel  to  the  body.  Even  in  the  soft  parts  many  analogies 
are  presented ;  thus  the  Lepidosteus  has  a  glottis,  as  in  the 
Siren,  and  a  cellular  air-bladder,  with  a  tracheal  vessel,  re- 
sembling the  lungs  of  an  Ophidian  (serpent).  These  fishes 
are  the  only  living  representatives  of  those  voracious  tribes  of 
the  ancient  marine  faunas,  whose  remains  abound  in  the 
secondary  formations. 

The  fossil  remains  of  the  fishes  of  this  family  have  often 
been  mistaken  for  those  of  reptiles,  particularly  the  teeth, 
which  from  their  large  size,  conical  figure,  enamelled  and 
striated  surface,  and  internal  cavity,  were  supposed  to  belong 
to  crocodiles.1  These  teeth  consist  of  two  kinds  :  the  outer, 
or  fish-like  system,  consisting  of  numerous  small  brush-teeth  ; 
and  an  inner  row  of  large,  pointed,  conical,  striated,  enamelled 
teeth,  placed  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  as  seen  in  the  fine 
jaws  of  Rhizodus  in  No.  9,  of  Case  B,  (p.  433.)2 

The  sauroids,  like  the  lepidoids,  form  two  groups :  1,  the 
homercercals  contain  fourteen  or  fifteen  genera,  among  which 
are  the  Leptolepis,  Aspidorhynchus,  and  Belonostomus  ;  2,  the 
heterocercal  tribe,  which  includes  ten  or  twelve  genera, 
and  among  them  some  of  the  largest  and  most  remarkable 
ichthyolites  of  the  Carboniferous  system,  viz.  the  Rhizodus, 
Megalidiihys,  and  Saurichthys. 

Leptolepis. —  Wall-case  B.  (No.  7.) — The  small  fossil  fishes, 
resembling  a  fry  of  Herrings,  in  the  white  lias  of  Solen- 


1  An  interesting  paper,  "  On  the  Microscopic  Structure  of  the  Teeth 
of  the  Lepidostei,  and  their  analogy  with  those  of  the  Labyrinthodonts, 
with  a  Plate,"  by  Dr.  Jeffries  Wyman,  will  be  found  in  "  Amer.  Journ. 
of  Science,"  October,  1843,  p.  359. 

2  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  651. 


ROOM  V.  SAUROIDS.  431 

hofen,  on  the  uppermost  ledge,  and  from  the  Oxford  Clay  of 
Chippenham,  immediately  beneath,  belong  to  this  sauroid 
genus,  which  comprises  sixteen  or  eighteen  species,  that  are 
abundant  in  the  upper  divisions  of  the  Oolite.  The  species 
from  Chippenham  is  the  L.  macropthalmus ;  that  from 
Solenhofen,  L.  Knorrii. 

Cololites. — On  the  front  of  the  same  shelf  are  placed  some 
small  slabs  of  Solenhofen  limestone,  on  which  are  convoluted 
worm-like  bodies,  formerly  termed  lumbricarites,  from  the 
supposition  that  they  were  petrified  earth-worms.  These 
curious  fossils  M.  Agassiz  has  ascertained  to  be  the  intestines 
of  fishes,  and  has,  therefore,  named  them  "  Cololites."  ! 

Aspidorhynchus. —  Wall-case  B.  (No.  10.) — In  the  litho- 
graphic stone  of  Solenhofen,  specimens  of  sauroid  fishes, 
closely  related  to  Lepidotus,  are  discovered ;  they  differ  from 
the  latter  genus  in  the  extreme  shortness  of  the  lower  jaw, 
and  the  prolongation  of  the  upper  one  into  a  long  beak, 
bearing  teeth  even  in  that  part  which  projects  beyond  the 
lower  maxilla.  The  scales  on  the  sides  of  the  body  are  very 
high,  and  the  tail  is  homocercal.  There  is  a  fine  specimen 
(Asp.  acutirostris)  from  Solenhofen  in  this  Case,  twenty-two 
inches  in  length.  Near  this  specimen  there  is  an  ichthyolite 
of  the  same  genus  (Asp.  Cumptoni)  from  South  America. 

BELONOSTOMUS  (B.  cinctus). —  Wall-case  B.  (No.  10.) — In 
1820,  I  discovered  the  ichthyolites  thus  labelled,  in  the  chalk, 
at  Lewes;  the  great  extent  of  the  scales  on  the  side  of  the 
body,  in  a  vertical  direction,  was  so  remarkable,  that  until 
portions  of  the  jaws,  with  teeth  and  other  parts  of  the  body, 
were  obtained,  the  affinities  of  the  original  could  not  be 
determined.  This  fish,  M.  Agassiz  estimated  at  three 
feet  in  length.  A  fragment,  six  inches  long,  of  this  spe- 
cies, is  figured  in  Mr.  Dixon's  work,  PI.  XXXV.  fig.  3.  I 
have  recently  discovered  remains  of  this  genus  in  the  Weal- 
den  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  associated  with  teeth  and  scales  of 
Lepidoti. 

Pygopterus  (P.  Humboldtii).— Wall-case  B.  (No.  10,)— In 
this  Case  there  is  an  ichthyolite  from  the  copper-slate  of 


1  Figured  in  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  PI.  XV.    See  also 
"  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  657. 


432 


PETKIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  V. 


Mansfield,  belonging  to  this  genus  of  heterocercal  sauroids, 
which  is  remarkably  fine.  It  is  a  large  species,  with  small 
scales,  and  the  pectoral  fin  has  a  strong  spine,  or  ray.  Of 
Acrolepis,  a  nearly  related  genus,  there  is  an  example  from 
the  same  locality  at  the  bottom  of  this  Case.1 

A  fine  ichthyolite  of  the  heterocercal  sauroid  genus,  Platy- 
gnathus,  from  Dura  Den,  is  placed  immediately  above  the  last- 
mentioned  fossil. 

Megalichthys;  Rhizodus;  Saurichtliys. —  Wall-case  B.  (No. 
9.) — The  specimens  thus  labelled  are  remains  of  three  genera 
of  heterocercal  sauroid  fishes,  from  the  carboniferous  deposits 
of  Scotland,  remarkable  for  the  form  and  enormous  size 
of  their  teeth  and  jaws,  and  the  strong  enamelled  plates  of 
the  cranium.  The  conical,  striated,  gigantic  teeth,  some  of 
which  are  five  or  six  inches  in  length,  so  closely  resemble 
those  of  crocodilian  saurians,  that  they  were  generally 
ascribed  to  reptiles,  till  M.  Agassiz  pointed  out  the  true 
characters  of  the  originals.  In  Saurichthys  the  crown  of 
the  tooth  is  separated  from  the  fang  by  a  constriction,  and 
the  teeth  are  implanted  in  a  furrow,  or  groove,  as  in  the 
Ichthyosaurus.  Remains  of  several  species  are  found  in  the 
MuschelkalL 

The  Megalichthys,  a  genus  first  made  known  by  the  elegant 
Memoir  on  the  carboniferous  deposits  of  Burdie  House,  near 
Edinburgh,  by  Dr.  Hibbert,2  in  183-4,  has  enormous  conical, 


(No.  10.) 

1  WALL-CASE  B. 

(No.  11.) 

(No.  12.) 

Caturus. 

Glyptolepis. 

Pbyllolepis  :  Scales  only. 

Saurichthys. 

Macropoma. 

Asterolepis.     Russia. 

Belonostomus.  Chalk. 

Glyptopomus,    from     the 
Devonian  Sandstone  of 
Scotland. 

Bothriolepis. 

Rhinellus. 

Aspidorhynchus.  Solen- 
hofen. 

Holoptychius,  from  Dura 
Den. 

Macropoma.    (Numerous 
specimens,  from  Lewes.) 

Platygnathus,  from  Dura 

Den. 


Acrolepis.  Keuper  schist. 


Holoptychius:  skull  of  un-        Holoptychius    Flemingii. 
described  species,  from 
Australia.  Holoptychius  Andersoni. 


In  the  "  Trans.  Eoyal  Soc.  Edinburgh/'  vol.  xiii. 


ROOM  v.  CELACAJTTHS.  433 

striated,  hollow  teeth,  very  closely  resembling  those  of  sau- 
rians ;  the  head  is  encased  in  thick  osseous  plates,  as  in  the 
recent  Polypterus;  the  body  is  covered  by  large  granulated 
scales.  There  are  a  fine  lower  jaw,  teeth,  and  scales  of 
M.  Hibberti  in  this  Case. 

Rhizodus. — This  fish,  though  clearly  distinct  from  the  Me- 
galichthys,  is  often  confounded  with  it  by  collectors.  The 
genus  was  established  from  some  detached  teeth  and  jaws;  l 
the  scales  are  thinner,  larger,  and  smoother  than  in  Mega- 
lichthys,  and  their  enamelled  surface  is  finely  punctated. 
The  great  strength  of  the  cephalic  plates,  and  of  the  jaws  and 
teeth,  of  this  powerful  carnivorous  fish,  are  well  shown  in  the 
fossil  remains  from  Burdie  House,  and  Carluke,  in  Perthshire, 
which  lie  on  the  middle  shelf  of  this  compartment  of 
Case  B. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  remains  of  these  enormous 
fishes  are  found  imbedded  at  Burdie  House,  are  highly  interest- 
ing, for  the  limestone  and  marls  in  which  they  occur  are  at 
the  bottom  of  the  Coal  formation,  and  abound  in  the  foliage 
of  ferns  and  other  terrestrial  plants,  freshwater  shells  and 
crustaceans,  and  coprolites.  These  deposits  must,  therefore, 
have  been  formed  in  a  lake,  or  estuary,  frequented  by  pre- 
daceous  sauroids ;  in  like  manner,  as  we  have  already  shown, 
the  bays  and  streams  of  the  Country  of  the  Iguanodon 
swarmed  with  the  lepidoid  fishes  of  the  Wealden  epoch. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  next  family  of  Ganoids,  I  would 
direct  the  palaeontologist  to  the  specimens  of  Eugnathus 
J(E.  sjyeciosus),  Wall-case  B  (9),  and  Ptycholepis  (P.  Bollensis), 
from  the  Lias  of  Wirtemberg ;  two  genera  of  voracious  sau- 
roids, which  are  characterised  by  their  unequal-lobed  tail, 
large  fins,  and  furrowed  scales.  Eleven  species  of  Eugnathus 
have  been  discovered  in  the  Has  at  Lyme  Regis;  only  one 
species  of  Ptycholepis  is  known. 

CELACANTHS  (hollow  spine). — This  family  of  Ganoids  is  dis- 
tinguished from  the  rest  of  the  order  by  the  tubular  or  hollow 
structure  of  the  fin-rays  and  spinous  processes ; 2  the  prolonga- 


1  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Bridgewater  Essay,"  PI.  XXVII. 

*  Mr.  Miller  observes,  "  they  were  cartilaginous  within,  and  covered 
externally  by  a  thin  osseous  crust  or  shell,  which  alone  survives." — 
"  The  Asterolepis,"  p.  37. 

F  F 


434:  PETEIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.          CHAP.    V. 

tion  of  the  vertebral  column  between  the  principal  lobes  of 
the  tail,  and  the  articulation  of  the  caudal  rays  by  inter- 
apophyses.  The  fishes  of  this  family  are  abundant  in  the 
Carboniferous  and  Devonian  formations,  and  there  are  a  few 
genera  in  the  Triassic,  Oolitic,  and  Cretaceous  deposits  :  but  no 
ichthyolites  of  this  family  have  been  observed  in  strata  above 
the  chalk.  There  are  many  splendid  specimens  of  the  prin- 
cipal types  in  Case  B  (Nos.  14,  15) ;  especially  of  the  Holo- 
ptychius  from  Scotland,  and  the  Macropoma  of  the  Chalk, 
from  Lewes  in  Sussex. 

HOLOPTYCHIUS. —  Wall-case  B.  (No.  14.) — In  this  genus,  the 
scales,  which  are  very  large,  are  deeply  corrugated,  and  the 
bones  of  the  head  sculptured  and  granulated ;  the  teeth  are 
large,  conical,  and  of  great  density ;  the  ventral  fins  are  nearer 
the  tail  than  in  the  other  ganoids  ;  some  of  the  spines  are  of 
great  size.  There  are  several  large  fishes  of  this  genus  from 
Scotland,  in  the  lower  compartment  of  this  cabinet,  so  striking 
in  their  appearance,  that  they  seldom  fail  to  arrest  the  atten- 
tion of  the  visitors.  Of  these,  the  Holoptyctiius  nobilissimus, 
from  the  Old  Red  Sandstone  at  Clashbinnie,  near  Perth,  (pre- 
sented by  the  Rev.  James  Noble,)  is  the  most  conspicuous. 
This  magnificent  ichthyolite  is  figured  in  the  splendid  work 
of  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  "  The  Silurian  System,"  PI.  II.  ; 
it  consists  of  the  body  and  head,  attached  to  the  stone  by  the 
dorsal  aspect.  The  body  is  depressed,  and  measures  twenty- 
eight  inches  in  length,  and  twelve  in  breadth.  The  head  is 
short  and  obtuse ;  the  lower  jaw,  the  mouth,  and  the  two 
branchial  rays  or  plates  are  exposed.  The  scales  are  large,  and 
strongly  marked  with  undulating  furrows }  between  the 
ventral  fins  and  the  head  there  are  but  fourteen  scales.  The 
tail  is  wanting. 

Holoptychius  Flemingii,  and  If.  Andersoni,  are  two  species 
of  this  genus  which  occur  in  the  Devonian  of  Scotland; 
and  there  are  two  large  blocks  of  fawn-coloured  sandstone 
on  which  are  seen  lying  in  relief  ten  or  twelve  of  these 
beautiful  ichthyolites,  whose  jetty  black  finely  contrasts  with 
the  hue  of  the  surrounding  stone.  Many  are  from  Dura 
Den,  near  Cupar,  Fifeshire,  the  locality  where  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Fleming  discovered  the  first  recognised  vestiges  of  this  genus, 
in  1830. 

Of  the  Holoptychius  Hibberti,  of  the  coal  measures,  whose 


ROOM    V.  ASTEROLEPIS — MACROPOMA.  435 

remains  are  commonly  found  associated  with  those  of  Mega- 
licthys  and  Rhizodus,  there  are  in  this  Case  several  specimens 
from  Burdie  House. 

Asterolepis,  (starry-scale.) — (A.  Asmusii.) — Wall-case  B. — 
On  the  outside  of  this  Case  on  the  top,  there  is  a  series  of 
models  of  the  cranial  bones  of  an  enormous  fish,  from  the 
Old  Red,  near  Riga  ;  presented  by  Sir  Roderick  Murchison. 
This  Russian  ichthyolite  is  a  species  of  Asterolepis,  a  genus 
that  has  recently  been  made  the  subject  of  an  elaborate 
examination  by  Mr.  Miller,  who  has  published  the  results  in 
a  charming  little  volume,  which  I  would  earnestly  recom- 
mend the  reader  to  peruse.1  These  fishes  attained  a  large 
size ;  probably  from  four  or  five  to  eighteen  or  twenty  feet 
in  length;  for  in  the  Russian  model  there  is  a  hyoid  plate 
two  feet  broad,  and  a  maxillary  bone  twenty-eight  inches 
long. 

MACROPOMA  MANTELM.* — Wall-case  B.  (Nos.  13,  14.) — The 
group  of  beautiful  chalk  fossils,  thus  labelled,  comprises  some 
of  the  first-fruits  of  my  geological  researches  in  the  strata 
around  my  native  town ;  several  of  them  are  unique,  and 
others  are  the  most  instructive  examples  of  this  extraor- 
dinary type  hitherto  discovered.  The  general  appearance 
of  these  fishes  is  well  shown  in  the  magnificent  ichthyolite 
on  the  middle  shelf  (represented  on  a  small  scale  in  Lign. 
89) ;  in  form  the  Macropoma  resembled  a  large  Carp;  like 
the  rest  of  the  Celacanths,  the  rays  and  processes  are  hollow, 
and  the  cranium  is  covered  with  large  granulated  plates.  The 
head  is  very  large,  being  nearly  equal  to  one-fourth  the  entire 
length  of  the  body.  The  brush-teeth  are  very  minute,  giving 
a  rasp-like  surface  to  the  borders  of  the  jaws,  and  the  conical 
teeth  are  small  and  pointed.  The  scales  are  enamelled  on  the 
exposed  surface,  which  is  covered  with  tubular  spines.  The 
opercula  are  remarkably  long.  The  rays  of  the  fins  are  large 
aud  rigid,  especially  those  of  the  anterior  dorsal,  which  are 
armed  on  each  side  with  rows  of  sharp  spines.  The  tail  is 


1  "  Footprints  of  the  Creator,  or  the  Asterolepis  of  Stronmess."     By 
Hugh  Miller ;  p.  71.     Ibid.  p.  80. 

2  Described  as  Amia  ?  Lewesiensis.  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"1822  ; 
tab.  37,  38.     The  large  specimen  figured  in  PL  XVIII.  I  presented  to 
Baron  Cuvier,  and  it  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  the  Institute  at  Paris. — 
"  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  348 ;   "  Medals  of  Creation/'  p.  655. 


436 


PETRIFIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.    V. 


M 

-o 
ft 
c 
H 
u 

* 

8 


ROOM    V.  AIR-BLADDER   OF   MACROPOMA.  437 

large,  rounded,  and  fan-shaped,  with  strong  equal  rays,  sup- 
ported by  the  inferior  and  superior  spinous  processes  of  the 
caudal  vertebra. 

A  ir-bladder  (or  stomach  ?)  of  the  Macropoma. — In  every 
example  of  this  fossil  fish  that  I  have  dissected,  there  lies 
within  the  body,  generally  nearest  the  upper  or  dorsal  part  of 
the  cavity,  a  long,  hollow,  cylindrical  substance,  often  seven 
inches  in  length,  and  1J  inch  in  diameter,  covered  with  a 
thin,  brittle,  scaly  integument,  which  readily  separates  into 
two  or  three  laminse.  The  anterior  part  of  this  organ,  which 
lies  close  to  the  posterior  margin  of  the  opercular  bone,  is 
always  imperfect,  appearing  as  if  torn  or  ruptured ;  the  caudal 
extremity  terminates  in  a  cul-de-sac.  From  the  situation 
and  structure  of  this  viscus,  I  supposed  it  to  be  an  air-bladder, 
and  described  it  as  such  in  the  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs," 
(in  1822);  but  on  M.  Agassiz's  visit  to  my  Museum  at 
Brighton,  that  eminent  naturalist  pronounced  it  to  be  the 
stomach.  Recent  microscopic  investigations  of  the  investing 
integument,  have,  however,  tended  to  establish  the  correct- 
ness of  my  original  interpretation  of  the  nature  of  this 
remarkable  body.1 

The  Macropoma  when  at  maturity,  was  between  two  and 
three  feet  in  length  ;  its  massive  skeleton  indicates  a  powerful 
frame,  and  its  thick  scales,  strong  fins,  and  sharp  teeth,  prove 
that  it  was  a  voracious  fish,  capable  of  overtaking  and  seizing 
live  prey.  I  would  especially  direct  attention  to  the  various 
states  of  distension  in  which  the  air-bladder  appears  in  the 
specimens  here  displayed. 

1  My  youngest  son,  Mr.  Eeginald  Han  tell,  first  detected  the  intimate 
structure  of  this  organ,  which  has  recently  been  admirably  investigated 
by  Prof.  Williamson.  See  an  able  memoir  On  the  microscopic  structure 
of  the  scales  and  dermal  teeth  of  some  ganoid  and  placoid  fishes.  By 
W.  C.  Williamson,  Esq.  "  Philos.  Trans."  1849,  p.  435.  PI.  XL1II.,  figs. 
27,  28,  represent  the  microscopic  structure  of  the  scales  of  the  Macro- 
poma :  and  figs.  29,  30,  of  the  air-bladder,  described  at  pp.  462 — 465. 
Professor  Williamson  observes  in  relation  to  this  fossil  viscus—"  I  am 
disposed  to  believe  it  to  have  been  an  organ  fulfilling  the  functions  of 
an  air-bladder.  Its  osseous  structure  would  render  it  capable  of  resisting 
a  considerable  amount  of  pressure,  and  if  its  patulous  extremity  were 
closed  up  by  an  elastic  valvular  membranous  appendage,  the  fish  might 
have  regulated  its  buoyancy  by  increasing  or  diminishing  the  compres- 
sion of  the  gaseous  contents  of  the  bladder,  and  thus  facilitate  its 
movements  in  either  shallow  water  or  at  great  depths  in  the  sea. 


438  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  V. 

Ooprolites  of  Macropoma.  (No.  13.) — There  is  a  large  num- 
ber of  coprolites  in  this  Case,  which  in  all  probability  are 
referable  to  these  fishes.  They  show  that  the  spiral  convolu- 
tions were  fewer  in  the  intestines  of  the  Macropoma  than  in 
the  Sharks.1 

Lophiostomus  Dixoni. — The  chalk  ichthyolite  thus  named 
(by  Sir  Philip  Egerton)  is  from  a  quarry  near  Alfriston,  in 
Sussex,  and  was  collected  by  Captain  Beckford,  R.N.  of  Ryde, 
in  whose  choice  cabinet  of  fossils  I  detected  it  as  an  unknown 
ganoid  fish,  and  induced  the  liberal  owner  to  add  it  to  the 
National  Collection.  It  will  be  figured  and  described  in  the 
"  Memoirs  of  the  Museum  of  Practical  Geology."  It  is  allied 
to  the  Macropoma,  but  differs  in  many  essential  characters : 
the  large  mouth  garnished  with  numerous  very  small,  slender, 
conical,  fluted  teeth,  its  granulated  cranial  plates,  the  form 
and  structure  of  the  lower  jaw,  the  branchial  plates,  and  the 
scales,  which  Professor  Williamson  informs  me  are  altogether 
peculiar,  render  it  a  valuable  addition  to  the  Ichthyolites  of 
the  British  Museum.  The  specific  name  was  proposed  by  me, 
to  commemorate  the  late  F.  Dixon,  Esq.  of  Worthing. 

SCLERODERMS. — This  family  of  ganoids,  to  which  the  Dio- 
dons  and  Ostracions  belong,  besides  certain  peculiar  modifica- 
tions of  the  jaws,  is  distinguished  by  the  dermal  integuments, 
wrhich  consist  of  polygonal  or  rhomboidal  plates,  spread  over 
the  body  like  a  tesselated  cuirass ;  the  skeleton  is  fibrous ; 
the  recent  types  are  exclusively  the  inhabitants  of  the  seas  of 
hot  climates. 

Dercetis  elongatus.2— Wall-case  0.  (No.  15,  16,  Middle 
shelves.)  —  This  is  a  very  remarkable  fossil  fish  from  the 
chalk,  near  Lewes,  which  I  discovered  in  1818.  The  speci- 
mens commonly  met  with  consist  of  fragments  of  the  long 
subcylindrical  body,  covered  with  small  scales,  from  a  few- 
inches  to  two  feet  in  length,  without  any  traces  of  the  dermal 
scutcheons,  fins,  tail,  or  head:  as  in  many  examples  in  this 
Case,  all  of  which  are  from  my  collection.  The  Dercetis  had 
on  each  side  of  the  body  three  rows  of  dermal  scutcheons, 
like  those  of  the  Sturgeons ;  the  intervals  between  them  were 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  650. 

2  "  Murcena  ?  Levvesiensis."  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs/'  tab.  xxxiv. 
fig.  10,  11.    See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  658. 


ROOM   V.  GYMXODOXS— PYCNODOXS.  439 

covered  with  small  scales.  The  cranium  and  elongated  jaws, 
wjth  teeth,  are  seen  in  an  unique  specimen  in  this  Case ;  it 
is  figured  in  "  The  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  349. 

Blochius  longirostris. — There  is  a  fine  example  of  this 
Monte  Bolca  ichthyolite,  nineteen  inches  long,  placed  near 
the  specimens  of  Dercetis.  This  genus  resembles  Belonosto- 
mus  in  its  slender  muzzle  and  general  form ;  but  it  has  brush- 
teeth  and  scutcheon-like  scales,  as  in  the  Dercetis;  the 
cranium  with  the  beak  measures  nine  inches  in  length. 

GYMXODOXS;  SILUROIDS. —  Wall-case  C.  (No.  15,  16.) — Of 
the  former  family,  which  closely  resembles  the  Diodons,  three 
species  are  found  in  the  strata  of  Monte  Bolca,  of  which  there 
are  specimens  in  the  collection.  The  Siluroids  are  related  to 
the  Silurus,  and  a  specimen  from  Bracklesham,  formerly  in 
Mr.  Dixon's  collection,  is  placed  in  this  Case. 

PYCXODOXS. —  Wall-case  C.  (No.  15,  16,  Lower  shelves.) — 
In  this  family  of  fishes  the  jaws  are  paved  with  rows  of 
rounded,  or  elongated  teeth;  and  many  of  the  fossil  species 
are  only  known  by  these  organs.  There  are  many  beautiful 
fossils  of  this  kind  in  the  Case  before  us.  I  can  only  direct 
attention  to  several  jaws,  and  many  teeth  of  the  genus  Pyc- 
nodus,  from  the  Wealden  and  Oolite ;  and  to  one  extraordi- 
narily perfect  lower  jaw  of  an  allied  genus  Gyrodus,  on  the 
middle  Shelf:  it  is  labelled  "from  Poulshot,  near  Devizes  : " 
every  tooth  is  as  perfect  as  when  recent. 


We  now  proceed  to  the  examination  of  the  Ichthyolites  of 
the  next  order;  the  Ctenoids,  occupying  the  compartments  of 
Nos.  17  to  20  inclusive,  in  Wall-case  C;  the  Cycloids,  Cases 
C  and  D,  and  the  Placoids,  in  the  Table-cases  Nos.  2,  4,  6,  8, 
10,  and  12  (see  ante,  p.  410),  will  also  be  included  in  the 
same  division  of  the  present  Chapter. 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  650. 


CHAPTER   V. 

PART  III. 

FOSSIL  FISHES  OF  THE  CTENOID,  CYCLOID,  AND 
PLACOID  OKDERS. 

CTENOID  ORDER;  —  PEROA  —  BERYX  —  SMBRDIS  —  MONTE  BOLCA  ICHTHYOLITES. 
CYCLOID  ORDER  ;  —  ENCHODUS  —  SATJRODON  —  HYPSODON  —  CYPRINOIDS  —  ESO- 
CIDS  —  HALICOIDS  —  OSMEROIDS  —  ACROGNATHUS  -  AULOLEPIS  -  MALLOTUS. 
PLACOID  ORDER  ;  —  CHIM^IROIDS  —  SQUALID^E  —  HYBODONS  —  CESTRACIONS  — 
PRISTIDES  —  RAYS  —  ICHTHYODORULITES  —  GEOLOGICAL  DISTRIBUTION  OF  FOS- 
SIL FISHES—  GENERA  OF  ICHTHYOLITES  DT.  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM. 

CTENOID  ORDER.  —  The  fishes  of  this  Order,  of  which  the 
Perch  is  the  type,  have  imbricated  laminated  scales,  the  pos- 
terior margins  of  which  are  round  and  finely  pectinated  j  i.  e. 
divided  into  small  teeth  like  a  comb. 

The  Otenoidians  first  appear  in  the  cretaceous  formation,  those  from 
the  slate  of  Glaris  being  the  most  ancient  known  ;  certain  species  and 
genera  are  abundant  in  the  White  Chalk  of  the  south-east  of  England, 
and  of  Germany  ;  and  may  have  been  collected  from  strata  of  the  same 
age  in  the  Brazils.  In  the  tertiary  limestones  of  Monte  Bolca  there  are 
numerous  Ctenoid  Ichthyolites. 

Almost  all  the  fishes  of  this  order  in  the  Cretaceous  formation  are  of 
extinct  genera.  One  half  of  those  from  the  eocene  of  Monte  Bolca 
are  also  of  lost  generic  types  ;  whilst  all  the  Ctenoids  of  the  newer  ter- 
tiary deposits  belong  to  existing  genera.  The  fossil  Ctenoids  in  the 
British  Museum  comprise  nearly  thirty  genera,  belonging  to  eight  fami- 
lies ;  a  list  of  the  whole  is  subjoined.  I  proceed  to  point  out  a  few  of 
the  most  interesting  specimens. 

PERCA.—  Wall-case  C.  (No.  17.)—  Of  this  typical  genus  of  the  Ctenoid 
order,  there  is  a  beautiful  example  of  Perca  lepidota,  from  the  lacus- 
trine deposits  of  (Eningen  (ante,  p.  184).  * 

1  These  tables  show  the  position  of  the  principal  Ichthyolites  in  Case  C. 
No.  17,  18. 

_  No.  YL  _         No.  18. 

Perca  ((Eningen).  Cyclopoma  (from  Monte  Bolca). 

Beryx.      |      Gyrodus.  Peiatis.      |      Serranus. 


Rhacolepis  (Brazils).    |    Enoplosus.  Myripristis. 

Lates.  Labrax. 


ROOM  V.  FOSSIL  FISHES  OF  THE  CTENOID  ORDER.  441 

BERYX. —  Wall-case  C.  (No.  17,  18.)— This  fine  series  of  Ichthyolites 
from  the  Chalk  of  Sussex,  (formerly  in  my  collection,)  contains  four 
species  of  a  genus  of  the  Perch  family,  named  Beryx,  of  which  there  are 
two  existing  species  in  the  Australian  seas.  The  first  that  I  succeeded 
in  clearing  from  the  chalk  of  Lewes,  was  the  specimen  of  Beryx  figured 
in  my  "Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  tab.  34,  and  which  is  in  the  Case 
before  us ;  it  was  the  first  published  representation  of  an  Ichthyolite 
from  the  cretaceous  formation  of  England ;  the  fossil  remains  of  fishes 
previously  collected  and  described  by  authors,  consisted  of  the  teeth, 
bones,  &c.,  but  no  one  appears  to  have  suspected  that  the  scaly  covering, 
with  the  fins,  branchial  arches,  cranial  bones,  jaws,  and  teeth,  were  pre- 
served, and  could  be  displayed  in  their  original  position,  by  the  skilful 
removal  of  the  surrounding  stone. 


LIGN  90.    BERYX  LEWESTEXSIS,  FROM  THE  CHALK,  LEWES. 
(A  not.  size.) 

The  fishes  of  the  genus  Beryx  are  closely  allied  to  the  common 
Perches ;  they  have  one  dorsal  fin  with  several  spinous  rays  in  front  of 
the  soft  rays,  and  the  head  is  very  large  :  the  jaws  are  covered  with  a 
broad  band  of  brush-teeth.  The  orbit  is  large,  and  often  contains  the 
capsule  of  the  eye ;  the  scales  are  relatively  very  large,  the  vertebras 
large  and  short,  with  long  apophyses,  and  the  ribs  short.  The  Beryx 
Lewesiensis,  (Lign.  90,)  is  the  most  common  of  the  Icthyolites  of  the 
white  chalk  ;  it  is  called  the  "  Johnny-Dory"  by  the  quarrymen  of  Sus- 
sex. Another  and  larger  species  (B.  superbus},  sometimes  thirteen  inches 
long,  with  very  large  and  broad  scales,  occurs  in  the  lower  chalk  at 
Lewes.  There  are  two  species  from  the  chalk-marl ; — B.  radians,  the 
scales  of  which  are  fringed  with  minute  diverging  spines  ;'  and  B.  mi- 
crocephalus,  distinguished  by  its  elongated  form  and  small  head.  There 
are  examples  of  both  in  the  collection,  from  near  Lewes,2 

1  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  561,  and  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  pp. 
350,  351. 

2  Of  this  rare  Ichthyolite,  I  have  lately  been  presented  with  a  fine 
specimen  from  Clayton,  Sussex,  by  my  friend,  Frederick  Harford,  Esq. 


442 


PETRIFACTIONS  AND  THEIR  TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  V. 


,.  SMERDIS.  (S.  minutus.} — Wall-case  C. — Certain  strata  of  the  eocene 
formation  near  Aix  in  Provence,  abound  in  fossil  shells,  plants,  insects, 
and  fishes.  The  elegant  little  fish  named  Smerdis,  a  genus  belonging 
to  the  tribe  of  Percoids,  with  two  dorsal  fins,  and  seven  branchiostegous 


LiGN.91.    SMERDIS  MINUTUS;    EOCESE  STRATA,  Aix,  IN  PROVENCE. 

(nat.size.) 

rays,  occurs  in  shoals,  often  grouped  together  in  great  numbers  in  the 
same  slab  of  laminated  limestone,  and  in  every  variety  of  position. 
There  are  numerous  specimens  in  this  Case,  which  were  formerly  in  my 
collection.1  The  Smerdis  minutus  is  from  one  to  three  inches  long, 
and  about  the  dimensions  of  a  perch  a  year  old. 

MONTE  BOLCA  ICHTHYOLITES.  —  Wall-case  O.  —  The  Ichthyolites  of 
Monte  Bolca  must  be  familiar  to  the  reader,  for  in  consequence  of  the 
abundance  and  beauty  of  these  fossils,  specimens  are  to  be  seen  in, 
almost  every  cabinet  of  organic  remains.  They  are  found  in  a  tertiary 
cream-coloured  fissile  limestone,  that  generally  splits  in  the  direction  in 
which  the  fishes  are  imbedded;  hence  the  perfect  animal,  from  the 
muzzle  to  the  tail,  with  its  fins  expanded,  is  often  obtained.2  Keferring 
to  "  The  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  265,  for  an  account  of  these  deposits, 
I  can  only  state,  in  brief,  that  there  are  in  the  collection  under  exami- 

1  The  Chalk  Ichthyolites  in  the  British  Museum,  amounting  to  several 
hundred  specimens,  were,  with  but  few  exceptions,  collected  by  me. 
The  beautiful  state  of  these  fossils  when  in  my  possession,  called  forth 
the  following  remarks  from  M.  Agassiz : — 

"  Tout  le  monde  sait  que  le  Muse"e  de  M.  Mantell  &  Brighton,  est  tine 
collection  classique  pour  la  Craie  et  la  formation  Veldienne.  Les  soins 
minutieux  que  M.  Mantell  a  donnes  depuis  bien  des  annees  &  ces  fossiles, 
les  ont  rendus  plus  parfaits  que  tous  ceux  des  autres  muse'es ;  car  souvent 
il  est  parvenu  &  les  detacher  entierement  de  la  roche  dans  laquelle  ils  se 
trouvaient,  ou  du  moins  &  les  produire  en  relief,  en  d6tachant  toutes  les 
matieres  solides  qui  recouvraient  les  parties  les  mieux  conservees  de 
1'animal." — Recherclies sur  les  Poissons  Fossiles,  par  M.  Louis  Agassiz. 

2  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  260. 


ROOM  V.  FOSSIL  FISHES  OF  MONTE  BOLCA.  443 

nation,  examples  of  the  following  genera,  from  this  celebrated  locality, 
viz. — Lates,  Cyclopoma,  Enoplosus,  Serranus,  Pelates,  Myripristis,  &c.  . 

Of  this  Order,  and  from  the  same  inexhaustible  mine  of  Ichthyolites, 
are  the  fine  specimens  of  Callipteryx  recticaudus,  and  of  the  Sparoids 
(Breams),  Cottoids  (Bullheads),  and  Goboids  ;  and  that  remarkable  fish 
the  Semiophorus  velifer,  in  the  Case  before  us. 

Beneath  the  last-named  Ichthyolite,  there  is  a  rare  specimen  of  Fistu- 
laria  magnified,  from  the  Engi  slate  of  Glaris. 

A  beautiful  example  of  Mugil  (M.  princeps),  from  Aix,  in  Provence, 
is  placed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  same  case  (No.  20) ;  it  was  formerly 
in  my  collection ;  the  muscles  of  the  abdomen,  fin-rays,  &c.  are  finely 
preserved.  Near  these  fishes  there  is  a  remarkable  ichthyolite,  Calomo- 
pleurus  cylindricus,  from  the  north  of  the  Brazils,  by  Mr.  Gardiner, 
from  strata  supposed  to  be  of  the  cretaceous  epoch. 

CYCLOID  ORDER.— The  essential  character  of  the  fishes  of  this  Order 
are  an  osseous  skeleton,  and  scales  of  a  circular  or  cycloid  form,  with 
smooth  margins,  composed  of  plates  of  horn  or  bone,  without  enamel. 
To  this  Order  the  greater  number  of  the  fresh-water  fishes  belong ; 
as  the  Pike,  Carp,  Trout,  Salmon,  &c.  The  palaeontological  history 
of  this  Order  corresponds  with  that  of  the  Ctenoids ;  in  fact,  the  fishes 
of  these  two  divisions,  appear  to  constitute  but  one  natural  group. 

There  are  no  known  cycloid  fishes  in  strata  below  the  Cretaceous 
formation ;  and  those  which  occur  in  the  Chalk  belong  to  extinct 
genera.  In  the  ancient  tertiary  the  cycloids  abound.  Monte  Bolca  has 
yielded  some  genera  and  many  species,  hitherto  unknown  elsewhere. 
The  collection  contains  a  great  many  beautiful  examples  of  the  various 
generic  types ;  these  are  enumerated  in  the  general  list,  and  the  position 
in  the  cabinets  of  the  most  important  fossils  is  indicated  by  the  table 
at  the  bottom  of  the  page.1 

ENCHODUS.—  Wall-case  C.  (No.  21.)— The  upper  and  lower  jaws,  with 
long,  pointed,  conical  teeth,  of  a  fish  of  the  scomberoid  or  mackerel 
family,  in  high  relief  from  the  blocks  of  chalk  to  which  they  are 
attached,  are  placed  on  the  middle  shelf  of  this  Case.  These  teeth  are 
remarkably  well  developed ;  they  are  rounded  on  the  inner  aspect  and 
compressed  externally ;  the  two  anterior  ones  of  the  lower  jaw  are  very 


Upright  Division, 
No.  20.   Ctenoid*. 

1  WALL-CASE  C. 

No.  23.  Cycloids. 

No.  24.  Cycloids. 

Calomopleurus. 

Tetrapturus. 

Sphenolepis. 

Mugil. 

Caelorhyncu". 

Istieus. 

Platax. 

Ciadocycius. 

Hypsodon. 
(Three  specimens  belong 
to  the  same  individual.) 

Ephlppus         vraePlls 
Bucklandi.     *aseus- 

Sphyraena. 

Sphyraenonus. 

Rhombus. 

Pachyrhizodus. 

Leuciscus  of  (Eningen. 

Sem  iophorus. 

Saurodon. 

Acanthopsis. 

Fistularia. 

Saurocephalus. 

Cobitis 

Gohius  |  Cottus. 

Ananchelus. 

Rhoueus. 

Callipteryx  recticaudus. 

Isurus  |  Archaeus. 

Lebias. 

444  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

large,  and  placed  close  to  each  other  on  each  side  the  median  line ;  the 
margins  of  the  jaws  are  fringed  with  brush-teeth,  and  the  jaws  marked 
with  granulated  longitudinal  ridges.  These  dental  characters  resemble 
those  of  two  living  genera  of  fishes,  the  Thyrsites  and  Lepidopus.  The 
specimens  are  from  Lewes,  and  were  collected  in  1820. * 

SAURODON. —  Wall-case  C.  (No.  23.) — There  are  several  detached, 
lanceolate,  laterally  compressed  teeth,  and  two  or  three  specimens  in 
which  teeth  of  the  same  character  are  affixed  to  a  portion  of  the  jaw,  in 
the  front  of  this  division  of  Case  6'.  The  latter  instructive  specimens 
were  in  the  cabinet  of  the  late  Mr.  Dixon  ;  the  former  are  from  my  col- 
lection.2 These  fossils  belong  to  an  extinct  genus  of  fishes,  which 
resembled  the  Sphyrcena,  or  Barracuda  Pike,  in  the  form  of  the  teeth 
and  length  of  the  jaws.  The  teeth  on  the  palatine  bones  are  barbed,  and 
finely  serrated.3  The  teeth  of  these  fishes  were  first  discovered  in  the 
Cretaceous  Greensand  of  New  Jersey,  in  the  United  States.4 

HYPSODON  (H.  Lewesiensis).— Wall-case  C.  (No.  24.)5— The  ichthyo- 
lites  thus  named  are  also  from  the  Lewes  chalk,  and  were  among  my 
earliest  discoveries.  They  consist  of  the  teeth  and  jaws,  vertebrae,  and 
some  of  the  cranial  bones,  of  a  very  large  predaceous  fish,  whose  long, 
conical,  unequal  teeth,  remind  us  of  the  sauroids  of  the  ganoid  order. 
The  three  pieces  of  chalk  containing  portions  of  jaws  with  teeth,  verte- 
brse,  &c.  are  fragments  of  a  large  block,  which  was  broken  up  by  the 
quarrymen  before  the  animal  remains  were  observed.  I  collected  the 
least  injured  pieces,  and  removed  the  chalk  so  as  to  expose  the  bones 
now  apparent6  This  genus  is  now  referred  to  the  family  of  Scombero- 
esocids,  of  Miiller. 

Of  the  freshwater  fishes  the  Cyprinoids  or  Carps,  there  are  fossil 
species  of  Tinea  or  Tench  (T.furcata,  and  T.leptosoma)  from  (Eningen; 
and  of  the  Leuciscus  or  Luce,  there  is  a  very  large  fossil  species  (L. 
Hartmanni)  from  the  tertiary  strata  of  Steinheim,  in  Wirtemberg,  and  a 
small  fish  of  the  same  genus  (L.  papyraceus),  from  the  paper-coal  of 
Bayreuth. 

The  fossil  Esocids  or  Pikes,  are  in  Cases  Nos.  24  to  27,  and  com'prise 
some  beautiful  examples  of  Esox  lepidotus  from  (Eningen.  Of  an  extinct 
fresh-water  genus  named  Sphenolepis,  allied  to  the  Pikes,  there  is  a 
specimen  of  a  very  large  species  with  robust  vertebrae,  and  long  striated 
scales,  (S.  squammoseus,)  from  Aix ;  and  the  S.Cuvierifrom  Montmartre. 

The  Ichthyolites  of  the  Halecoids  or  Herring  family,  comprising  the 
Clupeae  and  Salmonidae,  are  placed  in  Cases  No.  25  and  26.  Among 
the  former  is  the  Clupea  Scheuchzeri,  from  the  slate  of  Glaris. 


1  Figured  in  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  under  the  name  of  Esox 
Lewesiemis,  Tab.  XL1.  "  Geology  of  the  South-East  of  England,"  p.  140. 

2  Figured  in  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  Tab.  XXXIII. 

3  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  666,  Lign.  136,  fig.  3. 
*  See  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  669. 

5  Tab.  XLII.  "Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  represents  a  vertebra, 
teeth,  and  bones  of  a  fish  of  this  genus. 

6  These  specimens  are  figured  in  M.  Agassiz's  "  Recherches  sur  les 
Poissons  Fossiles." 


ROOM  V. 


OSMEROIDES    MANTELLI. 


445 


"a          .2 


446  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  V. 

OSMEROIDES.—  Wall-case  D.1  (No.  26).— The  fossil  fishes  of  the  Salmon 
family,  from  the  Sussex  chalk,  deposited  in  this  Case,  were  the  most 
beautiful  ichthyolites  in  my  collection ;  and  though  since  the  exposure 
of  the  specimens  to  the  atmosphere  of  London  they  have  lost  much  of 
their  original  brightness,  and  the  pure  white  chalk  appears  like  chalk- 
marl,  yet  the  uncompressed  state  of  many  of  these  fishes,  and  the  high 
relief  in  which  they  appear,  render  them  objects  of  interest  even  to  the 
uninstructed  observer.  These  Ichthyolites  are  nearly  related  to  the 
common  Smelt  (Osmerus) ;  whence  the  name  given  to  the  genus,  Osme- 
roides,  by  M.  Agassiz.  They  were  discovered,  figured,  and  described,  in 
my  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs,"  under  the  name  of  Salmo  Lewesiensis. 
There  are  three  species,  two  of  which  are  well  marked,  viz.  0.  Mantelli, 
and  0.  Lewesiensis.  The  former  has  a  short  subcylindrical  body,  and 
seldom  exceeds  nine  inches  in  length ;  the  latter  is  of  an  elongated  form, 
and  sometimes  attains  a  length  of  fourteen  inches ;  the  dorsal  fin  has 
more  rays  than  in  the  former. 

The  first  species  is  generally  found  with  the  head  and  body  uncom- 
pressed ;  the  most  remarkable  specimen  hitherto  discovered  is  on  the 
front  ledge  of  No.  26,  and  is  figured  in  Lign.  92.  This  matchless 
ichthyolite  is  nine  inches  long,  and  the  chalk  has  been  cleared  away  so 
as  to  expose  the  entire  body,  lying  six  inches  in  relief  above  the  block, 
to  which  it  is  attached  by  the  dorsal  aspect.  The  mouth  of  the  fish  is 
open,  the  opercula  or  gill-covers,  and  the  branchial  arches  are  expanded  ; 
the  pectoral  and  ventral  fins,  and  the  dorsal  fin,  are  in  their  natural 
position ;  the  five  rays  of  the  dorsal  are  erect :  there  are  but  few  traces 
of  the  caudal  fin ;  in  a  specimen  of  Osmeroides  Lewesiensis,  in  the  same 
Case,  a  little  adipose  process,  as  in  the  recent  Salmons,  is  situated 
between  the  dorsal  fin  and  the  tail.2 

ACROGNATHUS  (A.  boops). —  W all-case  D.  (No.  25.)— This  is  a  small 
unique  ichthyolite  which  I  discovered  in  a  block  of  chalk  from  Souther- 
ham.  It  is  an  abdominal  cycloid  fish,  with  a  large  and  flat  head,  and 
enormous  orbits.  The  form  of  the  fish,  when  recent,  is  shown  in 
Lign.  93. 

AULOLEPIS  (A.  typus). — Near  the  last  described  fossil  there  is  placed 
another  unique  fish  from  the  same  locality,  which  is  characterised  by  its 
slender  muzzle,  and  conical  teeth.  The  figure  of  the  original  is  given  in 
Lign.  94. 

ICHTHTOLITES  OP  RECENT  SPECIES  J  MALLOTUS. Wall-case  D.  (No.  27.) — 

The  eminent  naturalist  to  whose  labours  the  Ichthyologist  is  so  greatly 


1 
No.  25. 

WALL-CASE  D.    CYCLOIDS. 

No.  26. 

No.  27. 

Esox. 

Esox  from  OSningen. 

Mallotus  villosus  ; 
a  recent  ichthyolite, 
from  Greenland. 

Clupea. 

Osmeroides 

Acrournathus  |  Aulolepis. 

Tinea. 

(  rom     ewes.; 

Ampheristus  toliapicus, 
(unique); 
from  Sheppey. 

Acanthopsis  |  Cobitis. 

Small  Jaw  of  Tomo^naUius. 

Khodeus  |  Lebias. 

Anguilla. 

Medals  of  Creation,"  pp.  594,  604. 


ROOM    V.       ACROGXATHUS   BOOPS — AULOLEPIS   TYPUS. 


447 


indebted,  affirms  that  of  the  many  hundred  fossil  specimens  submitted 
to  his  examination,  only  one  can  be  identified  with  any  living  fish.  The 
ichthyolites  which  form  this  remarkable  exception  are  found  in  nodules 
of  indurated  clay,  at  the  Sukkertop,  on  the  West  Coast  of  Greenland, 
and  are  identical  with  the  living  MaMotus  villosus,  or  Angmarset,  a 


small  fish  allied  to  the  Smelts,  of  which  there  is  but  one  species,  an  inha- 
bitant of  the  northern  seas.  These  fossils  are  supposed  to  be  of  very 
recent  formation;  there  is  a  specimen  in  the  last  division  of  Case  D.1 

1  See  "  Recherches  sur  les  Poissons  Fossiles,"  tome  v.  PI.  LX.  for 
figures  of  the  skeleton  of  the  recent  Mallotus,  and  the  fossil  remains. 


448 


PETRIFACTIONS    AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  V. 


PLACOID  ORDER. — In  the  placoid  fishes  the  skeleton  is  cartilaginous, 
the  gills  are  fixed,  the  skin  is  not  covered  with  scales  as  in  the  other 
three  orders,  but  either  studded  with  bony  tubercles  or  scutcheons  of 
enamelled  bone,  or  protected  by  very  small  bristly  plates,  constituting  a 
tesselated  integument,  called  shagreen.  In  consequence  of  the  perishable 
nature  of  the  skeleton,  the  teeth,  spines,  or  fin-rays,  tubercles  and 
scutcheons,  vertebrae,  and  in  some  rare  instances  the  dermal  shagreen,  are 
the  only  parts  preserved  in  a  fossil  state.  The  Placoids  are  the  most 
ancient  animals  of  the  vertebrated  classes  hitherto  discovered,  for  rays 
of  a  species  of  shark  (Onchus)  have  been  found  in  the  Lower  Silurian 
deposits ;  and  they  have  continued  through  the  entire  series  of  forma- 
tions, and  abound  in  the  present  seas.  But  though  the  fishes  of  this 
order  are  the  most  universally  distributed  in  time  as  well  as  in  space, 
the  relative  numerical  predominance  of  the  several  families  varied 
greatly  in  different  periods. 

In  Table-Cases  2, 4,  6,  8, 10,  the  collection  of  teeth,  vertebrae,  fin-rays, 
or  Ichthyodorulites,  &c.  are  arranged  under  the  respective  families  to 
which  they  belong. 

CHIM^EROIDS.  —  Table-Case  4.— A  good  collection  of   the  maxillary 

organs,  and  the  hard  in- 
divisible plates  of  dentine, 
composing  the  dental  in- 
struments of  this  curious 
tribe  of  the  Shark  family, 
belonging  to  four  sub- 
genera,  is  deposited  in 
Table-Case  4.  They  are 
referable  to  Ischyodus, 
Edaphodon,  Psittaffodon, 
and  Ceratodus.  Among 
them  are  beautiful  ex- 
amples from  the  Eocene 
clay  of  Bracklesham,  in 
Sussex,  from  Mr.  Dixon's 
collection,  and  figured  and  described  in  his  work  by  Sir  Philip  Egerton. 
There  is  one  pair  of  mandibles  in  a  block  of  chalk,  remarkable  for  their 
prolongated  and  curved  form,  which  led  M.  Agassiz  to  name  the  genus 
Psittacodon  ;  the  Edaphodon,  of  Sir  P.  Egerton.1 

SQUALID^:,  or  SHARKS.— The  fossil  teeth  of  this  universally  distributed 
family  of  voracious  fishes,  are  abundant  in  almost  every  secondary  and 
tertiary  deposit.  Want  of  space  compels  me  to  refer  to  "  The  Medals 
of  Creation,"  for  a  popular  account  of  these  fossil  relics.2  The  collection 
is  very  rich  in  the  usual  types  of  the  genera  and  subgenera.  The  sharp 
triangular  teeth,  with  or  without  lateral  denticles,  and  the  cutting 
edges,  either  smooth  or  serrated,  occur  in  profusion  in  many  tertiary 
strata,  and  species  of  the  same  genera  abound  in  the  chalk.  (Lign.  96.) 

HYBODONS.— A  family  allied  to  the  Sharks,  but  with  conical  and  un- 
compressed teeth.  These  fishes  had  two  dorsal  fins,  with  anterior 


LIGN.  95.— MANDIBLE  OF   A   CHIMJEROID    FISH 

EDAPHODON  MANTELLI,  FROM  THE  CHALK, 

LEWES.   (£  nat.  size.) 


See  "  Geological  Journal,"  May  1847. 


2  Chap  XV.  p.  611. 


ROOM  V. 


FISHES  OF  THE  PLACOID  ORDER. 


449 


spines ;  the  ichthyodorulites  of  this  family  are  abundant  in  the  Wealden, 
Oolite,  &c. 


Lies.  96.    FOSSIL  TEETH  OF  FISHES  ;  CHIEFLY  OF  THE  SHARK  FAMILY. 
2.  Carcharias.         3.  Corax. 


1.  Otodus. 
5.  Notidanus. 


6.  Lamna. 


4.  Oxyrhina. 
7.  Acrodus. 


8.  Pycnodon  •  tooth  of  a  ganoid  fish  ;  upper  surface. 

9.  Lateral  view.        10.  Ptychodus. 

CESTRACIONS.— Of  this  family  a  few  teeth  have  been  found  in  the 
Kentish  Chalk,  that  belong  to  fishes  of  the  existing  genus  Cestracion, 
or  Port  Jackson  Shark.  A  genus  of  this  family,  named  Ptychodus 
(rugous-tooth,)  must  have  swarmed  in  the  cretaceous  ocean,  for  its  large, 
quadrate,  channelled  molars,  are  found  in  every  quarry  of  the  White- 


LIGN.  97.    TEETH  OF  HYBODCS. 

Chalk  (Lign.  96,  10) ;  there  are  groups  of  from  ten  to  fifty  on  blocks 
of  chalk  in  the  Table-cases, 

Of  the  PRISTIDES,  or  Saw-fishes,  there  are  a  few  teeth,  and  portions  of 
the  beak,  of  two  species,  from  the  Eocene  of  Bracklesham. 

FOSSIL  EATS. — Instead  of  pointed  teeth,  the  masticatory  organs  of  the 
fishes  of  this  family  are  wide,  flat,  dental  plates,  composed  of  distinct 

GG 


4:50  PETRIFACTIONS  AND  THEIR  TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  V. 

pieces  in  close  juxtaposition  and  united  by  fine  sutures.  There  are 
fifteen  fossil  species  of  the  Myliobatis  (Eagle-ray),  in  some  of  which  the 
dental  plates  are  of  great  size,  as  shown  by  specimens  in  the  Table-case 
under  review.  There  are  likewise  some  fine  examples  of  the  allied 
genus,  JEtobatis,  from  Bracklesham. 

ICHTHYODORULITES,  or  Fossil  Dorsol-fin-spines. — Table-cases,  2, 4, 6. — 
The  fossils  thus  named  are  the  rays  or  spines  of  the  dorsal  fins  of  cartila- 
ginous fishes ;  of  these,  there  is  an  extensive  series  in  the  collection,  as 
specified  in  the  List  of  Genera.  I  would  direct  attention  to  some  beau- 
tiful specimens  in  the  Table-case  2,  and  especially  to  the  large  spine  of 
Ptychodus  spectabilis  in  Chalk,  formerly  in  my  collection,  and  one  of 
the  most  interesting  fossils  of  this  kind  hitherto  discovered. 

GEOLOGICAL  DISTRIBUTION  OF  FOSSIL  FISHES. — From  the  incidental 
notices  of  the  geological  habitats  of  the  Ichthyolites  described  in  the 
preceding  pages,  the  intelligent  reader  cannot  fail  to  perceive  that 
the  most  recent  deposits  abound  in  forms  allied  to  the  existing  genera 
and  species,  while  the  most  ancient  teem  with  unknown  families,  which 
are  either  utterly  extinct,  or  of  excessive  rarity  at  the  present  time. 
M.  Agassiz  affirms  that  in  a  general  sense  we  may  conclude  that  the 
Ichthyolites  of  the  Tertiary  deposits  approach  in  their  character  to  the 
living  genera,  but  all  the  species  are  extinct.  That  the  newer  Tertiary, 
as  the  Crag,  contain  genera  common  to  tropical  seas,  as  the  large  sharks 
(Carcharias),  and  eagle-rays  (Myliobates),  &c.  In  the  Eocene,  as  the 
London  and  Paris  basins,  Monte  Bolca,  &c.  owe-tliird  of  the  Ichthyolites 
belong  to  extinct  genera.  Of  the  Chalk  fishes,  ^wo-thirds  are  of  extinct 
genera,  but  related  to  those  of  the  Tertiary  formations.  From  the 
Oolite  to  the  Lias,  including  the  Wealden,  the  fishes  constitute  a  natural 
group,  but  few  species  of  which  occur  in  the  Chalk,  and  all  the  ganoid 
fishes  are  homocercal;  below  the  Lias,  a  prodigious  number  of  unknown 
genera  and  species  appear,  and  these  are  almost  all  heterocercal. 

Thus  of  the  eight  thousand  living  fishes  known  to  naturalists,  three- 
fourths  belong  to  the  Cycloid  and  Ctenoid  orders,  and  of  these  no  species 
occur  below  the  Chalk  ;  the  other  fourth  is  referable  to  the  Placoids  and 
Ganoids,  of  which  there  are  comparatively  but  few  existing  species. 
Yet  fishes  of  these  two  orders  were  almost  the  sole  representatives  of  the 
Class  Pisces,  during  the  ancient  secondary  formations ;  for  below  the 
Lias,  the  predominant  recent  orders  are  altogether  absent.  Beneath  the 
Coal  true  carnivorous  fishe?,  with  trenchant  teeth,  are  almost  unknown ; 
omnivorous  species,  with  either  brush  or  obtusely  conical  teeth,  and 
great  sauroid  fishes,  are  the  prevailing  representatives  of  the  class.  In 
fine,  the  Ichthyolites  of  the  different  formations  constitute  two  grand 
groups,  which  have  their  boundary  line  at  the  base  of  the  Cretaceous 
deposits.  The  first  and  most  ancient  comprises  the  Ganoids  and  Pla- 
coids ;  the  second  is  more  intimately  related  to  existing  types,  and  com- 
prehends forms  more  diversified ;  these  are  principally  Ctenoids  and 
Cycloids,  with  a  small  number  of  the  two  preceding  orders,  which  insen- 
sibly disappear,  and  their  few  living  analogues  are  very  distinct  irona  the 
ancient  species. 

Now,  although  deductions  of  this  nature  may  require  to  be  modified 
with  the  progress  of  knowledge,  yet  the  generalizations  thus  obtained 
are  founded  on  so  great  an  accumulation  of  facts  and  observations,  as  to 


ROOM  V.  LIST  OF  GENERA  OF  FOSSIL  FISHES.  451 

render  it  improbable  that  they  will  be  materially  invalidated  by  future 
discoveries  ;  for  they  accord  remarkably  with  the  results  derived  from 
the  investigation  of  the  fossil  remains  of  the  other  Classes  of  animals. 
The  most  modern  deposits  contain  the  remains  of  animals  allied  to  species 
of  existing  genera ;  the  most  ancient,  of  forms  altogether  extinct,  or  of 
excessive  rarity  in  the  recent  faunas.  The  discovery  of  existing  species, 
or  genera,  in  the  most  ancient  strata,  would  modify,  but  not  destroy,  the 
inferences  deduced  from  the  facts  hitherto  obtained ;  and  every  geolo- 
gist is  prepared  to  find  that  such  may  be  the  case. 

Thus,  of  the  sharks,  with  serrated  triangular  teeth,  whose  relics  are  so 
common  in  the  Tertiary  formations,  and  were  formerly  unknown  in  the 
ancient  Secondary,  one  representative  has  been  found  in  the  Carbonife- 
rous system  -l  but,  if  teeth  of  this  character  should  hereafter  be  discovered 
in  other  Secondary  deposits,  the  great  preponderance  of  this  type  in  the 
Tertiary  strata,  and  in  the  existing  seas,  would  not  be  the  less  remark- 
able. 


LIST  OF  THE  GENERA  OF  FOSSIL  FISHES,  OF  WHICH  THERE  ARE 
EXAMPLES  OF  ONE  OR  MORE  SPE€IES  IN  ROOM  V.  OF  THE 
BRITISH  MUSEUM. 

WALL-CASE  A.-(l,  to  5.) 
Coccosteus.    (C.  decipiens,  C.  cuspidatus,  from  the  Devonian  of  Cro- 

marty ;  C.  oblongus,  from  Lethenbar.) 

Cephalaspis.    (C.  Lyellii,  from  the  Devonian  formation,  Forfarshire.) 
Gyrolepis.     (G.  Kankinii.) 
Pholidophorus.    (P.  taxis.) 
Amblypterus.    (A.  macropterus.) 
Pamphractus.     (P.  hydro  philus.) 
Diplacanthns.     (D.  striatus.) 
Cheiracanthus.     (C.  microlepidotus.) 
Pterichthys.     (P.  oblongus.) 
Platysomus. 

Cheirolepis.     (C.  Cummingiae,  from  Devonian  strata,  Cromarty.) 
Acanthodes.     (A.  Brownii.) 

Osteolepis.    (0.  intermedius,  Devonian,  Cromarty.) 
Dapedius.     (D.  politus,  D.  Colei,  lias  of  Dorsetshire.) 
Tetragonolepis.     (T.  speciosus,  from  the  lias,  Lyme  Kegis.) 
Semionotus.     (S.  Bergeri,  a  group  of  several,  in  lias,  Coburg.) 
Paleeoniscus.    (Several  from  the  Zechstein  of  Thuringia.) 
Lepidotus.    (L.  Fittoni,  L.  Mantelli,  Wealden  of  Tilgate  Forest.) 

WALL-CASE  B.— (6,  to  14.) 
Dipterus,     (D.  macrolepidotus.) 

Leptolepis.    (Several  species  from  the  Oolite,  Solenhofen.) 
Sauropsis.    (S.  latus.) 

1  Carcharopsis  prototypus. 


452  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  V. 

Megalichthys.  (M.  Hibbertii,  carboniferous,  Burdie  House,  near  Edin- 
burgh.) 

Rhizodus.     (R.  Hibbertii.) 

Pygopterus.     (P.  Humboldtii,  copper  slate  of  Mansfeld.) 

Megalurus.     (M.  lepidotus.) 

Eugnathus.    (E.  chirotes,  lias  of  Wirtemberg.) 

Thrissops.     (T.  formosus.) 

Ptycholepis.     (P.  Bollensis,  lias  of  Wirtemberg.) 

Pachycormus.    (P.  gracilis.) 

Caturus.     (C.  dubius,  C.  macrodus.) 

Saurichthys.     (S.  apicalis.) 

Acanthopleurus.     (A.  serratus.) 

Aspidorhyncus.     (A.  acutirostris,  very  fine,  from  Monte  Bolca.) 

Plafcygnathus.     (P.  Jameson! .) 

Belonostomus.     (B.  cinctus,  from  the  chalk  near  Lewes.) 

Acrolepis.     (A.  asper,  from  the  Keuper  schist.) 

Diplopterus.     (No  species  labelled.) 

Holoptychius.  (H.  Flemingii,  H.  nobilissimus,  from  Devonian  sand- 
stone, Clashbinnie,  near  Perth.) 

Glyptolepis.     (G.  leptopterus.) 

Asterolepis.     (A.  Asmusii,  Devonian  of  Riga.) 

Bothriolepis.     (B.  priscus.) 

Rhinellus.     (R.  furcatus.) 

Macropoma.     (M.  Mantelli,  Chalk  formation,  Lewes,  Sussex.) 

LophiostomusDixoni.  A  new  ganoid  from  the  South  Downs,  (ante,  p.  433.) 

Phyllolepis,    (P.  tenuissimus.) 

WALL-CASE  C.— (15,  to  23.) 

Dercetis.     (D.  elongatus,  from  the  chalk  at  Lewes.) 

Blochius.     (B.  longirostris,  Monte  Bolca ;  a  very  fine  example.) 

Acanthopleurus.     (A.  serratus,  chalk  formation,  slate  of  Glaris.) 

Pimelodus.     (From  the  Sewalik  Hills.) 

Gyrodus.     (S.  angustus.) 

Pycnodus.     (P.  gigas,  from  the  Upper  Oolite ;  P.  Mantelli,  Wealden.) 

Platysomus.     (P.  gibbosus.) 

Placodus.    (P.  gigas,  from  the  Muschelkalk  of  Franconia.) 

Acrotemnus.     (A.  faba,  Sussex  chalk.) 

Silurus.     (S.  Egertoni,  eocene  clay,  Bracklesham,  Sussex.) 

Sphserodus.     (S.  gigas,  from  the  Oolite.) 

Phyllodus. 

Microdon.     (M.  nuchatis,  Lewes  chalk  ;  M.  hexagonus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Perca.     (P.  lepidota,  from  (Eningen ;  very  fine.) 

Cyclopoma.     (C.  gigas,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Pelates.    (P.  quindecimalis,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Serranus.     (S.  occipitalis.) 

Beryx.  (B.  Lewesiensis,  Mantell,  B.  ornatus,  Agassiz,  Lewes  chalk,  dis- 
covered in  1820.) 

(B.  radians,  B.  microcephalus,  and  B.  superbus,  from  the 

Lewes  chalk.) 

Smerdis.    (S.  minutus,  Eocene,  Aix,  Provence.) 

Rhacolepis.    (R.  Brama,  R.  latus,  from  the  chalk  formation  of  Brazil.) 


ROOM  V.    GENERA  OP  FOSSIL  FISHES  IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM.  453 

Lates.     (L.  notseus,  L.  gibbus.) 

Enoplosus.     (E.  pygopterus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Myripristis.    (M.  leptacanthus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Labrax.    (L.  schizurus,  on  a  small  slab  there  are  four  perfect  fishes. 

Monte  Bolca.) 

Homonotus.    (H.  dorsalis,  Chalk.) 
Stenostomus.     (S.  pulchellus,  Sussex  chalk.) 

NOTE.— Under  the  PERCOIDS  in  this  Case  there  is  a  Table  of  the  succession  of 
Pisciferous  formations :  the  colours  on  the  margins  of  each  ticket  in  the  Cases  refer  to 
this  Index-Table. 

Sparnodus.     (S.  ovalis,  and  S.  macropthalmus,  from  Monte  Bolca.) 

Sciaenurus.     (S.  Bowerbankii,  eocene  clay,  Isle  of  Sheppey.) 

Platax.     (P.  Woodwardii,  chiefly  teeth  from  the  Crag.) 

Ephippus.    (E.  Bucklandi,  Sheppey.) 

Xaseus.     (N.  rectifrons,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Semiophorus.     (S.  velifer,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Rhombus.     (R.  minimus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Mogil.     (M.  princeps,  Aix,  in  Provence.) 

Calamopleurus.     (C.  cylindricus,  chalk  of  Brazil.) 

Fiatularia.     (P.  Konigii,  from  the  slate  of  Glaris.) 

Gobius.     (G.  macrurus.) 

Callipteryx.     (C.  recticaudus.) 

Cottus.     (C.  brevis.) 

Ductor.     (D.  leptosomus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Lichia.     (L.  prisca,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Thynnus.    (T.  propterygius,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Orcynus.     (0.  elongatus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Carangopsis.     (C.  dorsalis,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Gasteronemus.     (G.  rhombeus,  Monte  Bolca.) 

Cybium.    (From  the  eocene  clay,  Isle  of  Sheppey.) 

Enchodus.     (E.  halocyon,  chalk,  Lewes.) 

Anenchelum.     (A.  Glarisianum,  from  Engi.) 

Palymphes.     (Many  very  fine  specimens  in  Engi  slate.) 

Isurus.     (I.  macrurus,  Glaris.) 

Palaeorhyncum.     (P.  medium,  in  Engi  slate.) 

WALL-CASE  D.— (24,  to  27.) 
Tetrapturus.     (T.  minor,  London  clay,  Sheppey.) 
Caelorhyncus.     (C.  rectus.) 
Cladocyclus.     (C.  Lewesiensis,  chalk  of  Lewes.) 
Sphyrsenodus.     (S.  priscus,  Bracklesham.) 
Pachyrhizodus. 

Saurodon.    (S.  Leanus,  Chalk,  Lewes.) 
Saurocephalus.     (S.  lanceolatus,  from  the  chalk  of  Lewes.) 
Archaeus.     (A.  Glarisianus.) 

Sphenolepis.    (S.  squamosseus,  from  Aix ;  S.  Cuvieri,  from  Montmartre.) 
Istieus.     (I.  microcephalus.) 
Hypsodon.    (H.  Lewesiensis,  from  the  chalk  near  Lewes,  discovered 

in  1821.) 

Esox.     ( E.  lepidotus,  from  (Eningen ;  a  fine  series  of  specimens.) 
Tinea.     (T.  furcata,  and  T.  leptosoma,  from  (Eningen.) 


454  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

Leuciscus.  (L.  Hartmanni,  from  Steinheim ;  L.  papyraceus,  from  the 
paper-coal  of  the  Rhine.) 

Clupea.     (C.  Scheuchzeri,  from  the  slate  of  Glaris.) 

Cobitis.    (C.  longiceps.) 

Acrognathus.     (A.  boops,  chalk,  Lewes,  ante,  p.  446.) 

Aulolepis.    (A.  typus,  from  the  chalk,  Lewes,  ante,  p.  447.) 

Lebias.     (L.  cephalotes.) 

Osmeroides.    (0.  Lewesiensis,  and  0.  Mantelli,  from  Lewes.) 

Tomognathus.     (From  the  Sussex  chalk.) 

Anguilla.     (A.  brevicula,  A.  pachyura,  from  (Eningen.) 

Ampheristus.    (A.  toliapicus,  London  clay,  Sheppey.) 

Ehodeus.     (R.  elongatus.) 

Acanthopsis.     (A.  angustus.) 

Mallotus.  (M.  villosus.  The  Angmarset,  from  the  West  Coast  of  Green- 
land.) 


Remains  of  Fishes  of  the  PLACOID  ORDER,  viz.  Teeth,  Rays,  Spines, 
Scales,  &c.  of  Chimseroids,  Squalidse  or  Sharks,  Hybodons,  Cestra- 
cions,  Pristides  or  Saw-fishes,  and  Rays.  These  are,  for  the  most 
part,  in  the  Table-Cases,  2,  4,  6,  8,  10,  of  the  Plan  of  Room  Y. 
ante,  p.  410. 

CHIMJBROIDS: — Ischyodus,  Edaphodon,  Ceratodus. 

SQUALID^:: — Carcharodon,  Lamna,  Otodus,  Notidanus,  Hybodus,  Cla- 

dodus. 
CESTRACIONS  :— Strophodus,  Acrodus,  Orodus,  Ptychodus,  Psammodus, 

Ctenodus,  Ctenoptychius,  Cochliodus. 
ICHTHYODORULITES. — Rays  or  spines  of  fins,  dorsal  or  pectoral,  belonging 

to  Cestracions,  Chimseroids,  and  other  genera  of  the  Shark  family : — 

Spinacanthus,  Oracanthus,  Ctenacanthus,  Asteracanthus,  Nemacan- 

thus,  Gyracanthus,  Leptacanthus,  Ptychacanthus. 
PRISTIDES,  or  Saw-fish  : — Pristis. 
RATS: — JEtobatis,  Miliobates.1 


*  **  To  MR.  DA  VIES,  the  intelligent  Assistant,  who  has  charge  of  this 
collection,  I  am  much  indebted  for  his  obliging  attention  during  my 
examination  of  its  contents. 

1  A  list  of  the  principal  British  localities  of  Fossil  Fishes  is  given  in  "  The  Medals 
of  Creation,"  p.  679. 


CHAPTER  V.— PART  IV. 
FOSSIL  MAMMALIA. 

RHIKOCEROS — IRISH  ELK — SIVATHERITJM. 

FOSSIL  RHINOCEROS. —  Wall-case  E. — With  the  fossil  remains  of  Rumi- 
nants described  in  a  previous  chapter  (ante,  p.  389),  those  of  the 
Rhinoceros  are  very  commonly  associated.  The  collection  in  this  Case 
consists  of  crania,  jaws,  many  fine  series  of  the  teeth,  and  other  parts  of 
the  skeleton,  of  two  species  of  this  genus  of  pachyderms:  they  are 
chiefly  from  the  post-tertiary  fresh-water  deposits  in  the  valley  of  the 
Thames.  There  are  also  two  or  three  crania  of  Rhinoceros  from  the 
frozen  soil  of  Siberia. 

The  fossil  remains  of  one  species  of  this  genus  (R.  tichorinus),  are 
very  abundant  all  over  Europe  in  the  ancient  alluvial  deposits,  and  in 
the  bone-caves.  The  most  extraordinary  fact  relating  to  the  fossil 
Rhinoceros,  is  the  discovery  of  the  entire  carcass  in  frozen  sand,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Wilaji  in  Siberia.  The  head  was  large,  and  sustained  two 
very  long  horns ;  there  were  no  incisor  teeth ;  the  skin  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  leather,  and  was  thinly  covered  with  short  hairs ;  it  was 
not  loose  and  in  large  folds  as  in  the  living  species.1 

The  fossils  in  this  collection  belong  to  the  Rhinoceros  tichorinus? 
and  R.  leptorhinus.3  The  former  is  characterised  by  the  prolongation 
of  the  nasal  bones  in  front  of  the  nose,  and  their  union  with  the  in- 
cisives :  the  ordinary  cartilaginous  septum  which  separates  the  nostrils 
being  osseous  almost  to  the  extremity.  The  incisor  teeth  were  either 
rudimentary  or  altogether  absent. 

This  animal  somewhat  resembled  the  two-horned  Rhinoceros  of  the 
Cape ;  but  the  structure  of  the  nose,  jaws,  teeth,  and  skin,  distinguishes  it. 
It  is  by  far  the  most  common  fossil  species,  and  must  have  anciently 
existed  in  immense  numbers  throughout  Europe,  and  been  adapted  to 
inhabit  more  northern  latitudes  than  the  recent  species.  The  Siberian 
fossils  belong  to  this  type. 

The  other  Rhinoceros  of  which  there  are  remains  in  the  Museum, 
is  the  R.  leptorhinus,  which  is  separated  from  that  last  described,  not 
by  the  difference  in  the  structure  of  the  nostrils,  as  the  name  would  seem 
to  import,  but  by  well-marked  maxillary  and  dental  characters ;  as 
demonstrated  in  "  Brit.  Fossil  Mammalia,"  p.  356. 

FOSSIL  ELK  OP  IRELABD,  (Cervus  megaceros.) — Plan  No.  15.— The 
shell-marls  of  Ireland  contain  in  abundance  the  bones  of  an  animal 
which,  like  the  Dodo,  and  the  Moa,  was  once  contemporary  with  the 
human  species,  but  has  long  been  extinct ;  the  last  individuals  of  the 
race  were,  in  all  probability,  exterminated  by  the  early  Celtic  tribes.  The 
remains  of  this  noble  creature  generally  occur  in  the  deposits  of  marl  that 

1  See  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  pp.  152, 171. 

2  "  Rhinoceros  fossil  e  &  narines  cloisonnees,"  of  Cuvier. 

3  "  Rhinoceros,  a  narines  non-cloisonnees  et  sans  incisives,"  of  Cuvier. 


456  PETRIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  V. 

underlie  the  peat-bogs,  which  are  apparently,  like  those  of  Scotland,  the 
sites  of  ancient  lakes  or  bays.  In  Curragh  great  quantities  of  these 
bones  were  found  within  a  small  area ;  the  skeletons  appeared  to  be 
entire,  the  skull  was  elevated,  and  the  antlers  were  thrown  back  on  the 
shoulders,  as  if  a  herd  of  these  Elks  had  sought  refuge  in  the  marshes, 
and  been  engulfed  in  the  morass. 

This  creature  far  exceeded  in  magnitude  any  living  Elk  or  Deer. 
The  skeleton  of  the  largest  individual  is  upwards  of  ten  feet  in  height 
to  the  top  of  the  skull,  and  the  antlers  are  from  nine  to  fourteen  feet 
from  one  extremity  to  the  other.  The  perfect  skeleton  before  us  renders 
a  particular  description  unnecessary.  The  bones  are  generally  well 
preserved,  of  a  dark  brown  colour,  with  patches  of  blue  phosphate  of 
iron.  In  some  instances  they  are  in  so  fresh  a  condition,  that  the 
hollows  of  the  long  bones  contain  marrow,  having  the  appearance  of 
fresh  suet. 

Bones  and  antlers  occur  at  Walton,  in  Essex,  associated  with  skele- 
tons of  Mammoths,  or  fossil  Elephants,1  and  have  recently  been  dis- 
covered by  Mr.  Mackie,  imbedded  with  great  numbers  of  the  teeth,  jaws, 
and  detached  bones  of  Rhinoceros,  Hippopotamus,  Bos,  Hyena,  &c.,  in 
a  diluvial  deposit  at  Folkstone. 

Kemains  of  this  majestic  animal  have  been  found  collocated  with 
ancient  sepulchral  urns,  stone  implements,  and  rude  single-trunk  canoes, 
in  such  manner  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  this  now  extinct  species  was 
coeval  with  the  aborigines  of  these  Islands. 2 

SIVATHERIUM  (S.  giganteum). —  Wall-case  F. — Among  the  highly 
interesting  mammalian  remains  from  the  Sewalik  Hills,  of  which  we 
shall  treat  more  at  large  in  the  next  chapter,  are  those  of  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  extinct  types  of  the  Order  Ruminantia  hitherto  dis- 
covered, the  Sivatherium  ;  of  which  there  is  a  fine  cranium,  lower  jaw 
and  teeth,  and  bones  of  the  extremities  in  the  Case  before  us.3 

The  skull  of  this  animal  approaches  in  volume  that  of  the  Elephant ; 
the  neck  was  shorter  and  stronger  than  in  the  Giraffe ;  the  poste- 
rior region  of  the  skull  extending  from  the  orbits  is  greatly  developed, 
and  apparently  formed  cellular  protuberances  as  in  the  Elephant. 
The  face  is  short,  and  the  nasal  bones  are  remarkable  for  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  are  prolonged  into  a  pointed  arch  above  the  ex- 
ternal nostrils,  indicating  a  trunk  or  proboscis.  The  very  inclined 
direction  of  the  front  of  the  face,  in  relation  to  the  triturating  sur- 
face of  the  teeth,  imparts  a  physiognomy  altogether  peculiar.  Two 
horns  rise  from  the  brow  between  the  orbits,  and  diverge  from  each 

1  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  134. 

2  See  my  "  Lecture  on  the  Remains  of  Man  and  Works  of  Art  im- 
bedded with  remains  of  extinct  animals."    Delivered  before  the  Archae- 
ological Institute  of  Great  Britain,  at  the  Oxford  Meeting,  June  1850. 
— Archceological  Journal,  for  January,  1851. 

3  The  Sivatherium  (so  named  from  Siva,  an  Indian  deity),  was  dis- 
covered and   described  by  Dr.  Falconer  and  Major  Cautley.     See   a 
Memoir  on  the  "  Sivatherium  giganteum,  a  new  fossil  ruminant  genus, 
from  the  valley  of  the  Markanda." — Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society. 


ROOM  V. 


CEPHALOPODA, 


457 


other ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  posterior  protuberances  of  the  fore- 
head also  supported  a  pair  of  short  massive  horns. 

The  living  Sivatherium  must  have 
resembled  an  immense  Gnu  or  Ante- 
lope, with  a  short,  thick  head,  and  an 
elevated  cranium  crested  with  two  pairs 
of  horns;  the  front  pair  small,  the 
hinder  large  (perhaps  palmated),  and 
set  behind  as  in  the  Aurochs ;  it  had 
small  lateral  eyes,  great  lips,  and  a 
nasal  proboscis,  an  organ  unknown 
in  all  living  ruminants.  The  model 
of  another  species  (S.  Perimense),  is 
deposited  in  the  same  Case. 

CAMELUS  (C.  Sivalensis).  —  Wall- 
case  E. — Crania,  jaws  and  teeth,  of  a 
species  of  Camel,  from  the  tertiary 
deposits  of  the  Sewalik  Hills,  are  L)GN  98 

deposited  on  the  upper  shelves  of  this  SKULL  OP  THE  SIVATHERIUM  GIGAN- 
Case  ;  they  are  in  a  fine  State  of  pre-  TEUM;  FROM  THE  SUB-HIMALAYAS. 
servation.  The  original  was  nearly  (^  not.  size.) 

related  to  the  existing  species  of  Camels,  but  exceeded  them  by  at  least 
one-seventh  in  height.1 

There  are  likewise  remains  of  a  species  of  Giraffe,  from  the  same 
locality,  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  any  precise  information 
respecting  them. 


CHAPTER  V.  — PART  V. 
FOSSIL  CEPHALOPODA. 

FOSSIL  CEPHALOPODA. —  Table-cases  on  the  south  side  of  Room  V. — The 
six  Table-cases  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  from  Room  IV.  are  devoted 
to  the  fossil  Cephalopoda,  and  contain  an  extensive  collection  of  Am- 
monites, Nautili,  and  other  shells  of  the  mollusca  of  this  order. 

The  Cephalopoda  are  composed  of  a  body  which  is  either  naked,  as  in 
the  Sepia  or  Cuttle-fish,  or  enclosed  in  a  shell,  as  in  the  Nautilus  and 
Argonaut ;  with  a  distinct  head,  eyes  as  perfect  as  in  the  vertebrata, 
complicated  organs  of  hearing,  and  a  powerful  masticatory  apparatus, 
surrounded  by  arms  or  tentacula.  Below  this  head  there  is  a  tube, 
which  serves  as  a  locomotive  instrument  to  propel  the  animal  backwards 
by  the  ejection  of  water  which  has  served  the  purpose  of  respiration, 
and  can  be  thrown  out  with  considerable  force  by  the  contraction  of 
the  body.  The  fossil  remains  consist  of  the  external  shell,  and  the 
internal  osselet  of  the  Sepiadse,  and  rarely  of  the  body  and  arms,  ink- 
bag,  mandibles,  &c.  as  in  some  splendid  examples  from  the  Oxford 
Clay  of  Wiltshire,  in  this  collection. 

1  "  Note  on  the  fossil  Camel  of  the  Sewalik  Hills." — Journal  of  the 
Asiatic  Society. 


458 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  V. 


,••••'•'' Viv  ••••.'' 'I  "'t":  '   '•'•'.  ' 


The  elegance  and  variety  of  form  of  the  shells  of  the  numerous  fossil 
Cephalopoda  are  beautifully  exhibited  in  the  series  of  Nautili,  Ammo- 
nites, &c.  deposited  in  these  Cases,  which 
comprises  a  large  number  of  the  British  spe- 
cies, arranged  and  named,  with  their  respec- 
tive geological  habitats  affixed. 

Our  limits  will  not  admit  of  special  notice 
of  any  of  these  specimens,  with  the  exception 
of  some  remarkable  examples  of  two  genera 
of  naked  Cephalopoda,  Belemnites  and  Be- 
lemnoteuthis,  in  Table-case  3,  which  display 
every  part  of  the  structure  of  these  extinct 
forms  at  present  known. 

BELEMNITES. — Lign.  99.  Table-case  3. — 
The  cylindrical  or  fusiform  stones,  termi- 
nating in  a  point  at  one  end  and  having 
at  the  other  a  conical  cavity,  of  a  dark  brown 
colour,  and  of  a  radiated  sparry  structure  in- 
ternally, must  be  familiar  to  most  of  my 
readers  by  the  name  of  Belemnite,  (see  Lign. 
99,  c.).  These  stones  are  the  fossil  osselets 
or  internal  support  of  an  extinct  type  of 
cephalopoda  allied  to  the  Sepiadge  or  Cuttle- 
fish. In  the  more  perfect  specimens,  a  conical 
chambered  shell,  called  the  phragmocone^ 
composed  of  a  series  of  shallow  concave  cells, 
of  a  nacreous  substance,  and  pierced  by  a  si- 
phunculus,  occupies  the  cavity  of  the  belem- 
nite ;  and  it  has  recently  been  discovered  that 
this  phragmocone  extended  to  a  considerable 
length,  and  terminated  at  the  basal  or  cephalic 
end,  in  two  long  processes ;  and  that  a  horny 
capsule  or  integument  invested  the  belem- 
nite  and  the  phragmocone,  so  as  to  form 
a  receptacle  in  which  the  viscera  of  the 
animal  were  probably  contained.  These  struc- 
tures are  very  rarely  found  in  the  same 
specimen;  but  the  very  fine  Belemnite  in 
the  Case  before  us,  (collected  by  MR.  BUY, 
of  Chippenham,  who  is  well  known  for  his 
skill  and  sagacity  in  discovering  and  deve- 
loping fossils  of  this  kind,)  displays  the 
several  parts  very  distinctly ;  they  con- 
sist of,— 

1.  An  external  Capsule,  which  invested 
the  guard,  or  osselet  (sepiostaire),  and  ex- 
tending upwards,  constituted  the  external 
sheath  of  the  receptacle. 

2.  The  Osselet,  characterised  by  its  fibrous 
radiated    structure,  terminates  distally  in 

a  solid  rostrum  or  guard,  (c,)  which  has  an  alveolus,  or  conical  cavity,  to 


LIGN.  99. 

BELEMNITES    PUZOSIANUS; 
OXFORD  CLAY,  CHRISTIAN 
MALFORD,  WILTS. 
(i  nat.  size.) 

a,  one  of  the  basal  processes  of 
the  phragmocone. 

b,  the  phragmocone. 

c,  the  rostrum  or  guard  of  the 
osselet,  containing  the  apex 
of  the  phragmocone  in  its 
upper  part. 


ROOM  V. 


BELEMXITES — BELEMNOTEUTHIS. 


459 


! 


receive  the  apical  portion  of  the 
chambered  phragmocone,  and  ex- 
panding proximally,  becomes  con- 
fluent with  the  capsule. 

3.  The  Phragmocone,  or  cham- 
bered, siphunculated,  internal  shell, 
(&,)  the  apex  of  which  occupies  the 
cavity  of  the  guard,  and  the  upper 
part  constitutes  a  capacious  cham- 
ber, from  the  basilar  margin  of 
which  proceed  two  long,  flat,  testa- 
ceous processes,  (a.). 

These  structures  comprise  all  that 
are  at  present  known  of  the  animal 
to  which  the  fossil  commonly  called 
"  Bdemnite  "  belonged. 

In  the  specimen  discovered  by 
my  son,  Mr.  Reginald  Seville  Man- 
tell,  in  the  Oxford  Clay,  near  Trow- 
bridge,  (and  which  first  showed  the 
investing  capsule  of  the  guard  and 
phragmocone,  and  the  processes  of 
the  latter,)  there  is  a  thin  layer  of  a 
carbonaceous  substance  of  a  fibrous 
structure,  spread  over  the  interspace 
between  the  elongated  processes ; 
and  this  is  the  only  trace  of  the 
soft  parts  of  the  animal  of  the 
Belemnite,  that  has  come  under 
my  observation.1 

BELEMNOTEUTHIS.  —  Lign.  100. 
Table-case  3.  —  Associated  with 
the  Belemnites  in  the  Oxford  Clay 
of  Wiltshire,  there  are  great  num- 
bers of  the  osselets  of  a  cephalopod 
allied  to  the  Sepiadae,  which  the 
late  Channing  Pearce,  Esq  of  Bath,  LIGN.IOO._BELEMXOTEUTHIS  AXTIQUUS, 
described  under  the  name  of  Belem-  FROM  OXFORD  CLAY,  CHRISTIAN  MAL- 
noteuikis  antiquus,  in  a  communi- 
cation to  the  Geological  Society,  in 
1842.  Mr.  Pearce  stated, " that  the 
lower  part  of  this  cephalopod  is 
conical,  blunt  at  the  apex,  and 
chambered  internally,  like  the  al- 
veolus (phragmocone)  of  a  Belem- 
nite, with  a  siphunculus  near  the 
edge  of  the  chambers.  It  has  a 
brown  thick  shelly  covering,  which 
gradually  becomes  thinner  towards  the  upper  part. 


PORD,  WILTS.  ($  not.  size.) 
(Drawn  by  S.P.  Woodward,  Esq.) 
a.  The  arms,  and  tentacula. 
6.  Remains  of  the  head. 

c.  The  mantle,  with  indications  of  lateral 

d.  The  ink-bag,  covered  by  the  pallial 

integument. 

e.  The  osselet;  the  transverse  lines  indi- 

cate the  septa  of  the  phragmocone. 
/.  The  apex  or  rostrum  of  the  osselet. 

Above  the  cham- 


See  my  "  Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains,"  p.  171 


460  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  V. 

bers  there  is  an  ink-bag  lying  on  what  appears  to  be  part  of  a  sepi- 
ostaire,  for  it  is  a  yellowish  substance,  finely  striated  transversely, 
and  composed  of  laminae  of  unequal  density."  1  The  soft  body  of  the 
animal,  of  an  elongated  form,  with  a  pair  of  lateral  fins,  two  large  sessile 
eyes,  eight  uncinated  arms,  a  pair  of  long  tentacula,  and  a  sac,  or 
ink-bag,  containing  the  inspissated  sepia,  are  preserved  in  juxtaposi- 
tion in  several  examples  discovered  by  Mr.  Pearce,  Mr.  Buy,  my  son, 
and  other  collectors.  A  splendid  specimen  in  the  Case  before  us  shows 
these  several  parts.  (Lign.  100.) 

The  osselet,  or  guard  of  the  Belemnoteuthis,  like  that  of  the  Belem- 
nite,  is  of  a  nbro-radiated  structure,  and  contains  a  chambered  shelly 
phragmocone  ;  it  is  of  a  horny  texture,  and  is  never  fossilized  by  calca- 
reous spar,  as  is  almost  invariably  the  case  with  that  of  the  Belemnite. 

Professor  0\ven,  in  a  communication  to  the  Eoyal  Society  in  1844, 2 
described  the  Belemnoteuthis  as  the  soft  parts  of  the  Belemnite  ;  a  mis- 
take the  more  extraordinary  as  Mr.  Channing  Pearce's  correct  interpre- 
tation of  the  true  nature  of  the  Belemnoteuthis  was  published  two  years 
previously.  Professor  Owen,  assuming  that  the  osselet  of  the  latter  (see 
Lign.  100,  e,f.)  was  the  phragmocone  of  the  former  separated  from  its 
rostrum  or  guard,  (Lign.  99,  c,)  blended  these  two  distinct  genera 
into  one,  and  gave  a  restored  figure  of  the  animal,  based  on  this  erro- 
neous idea  of  the  Belemnite  (Philos.  Trans.  1844,  PI.  VIII.).3  The  disco- 
very of  some  remarkably  perfect  Belemnites  by  my  son,  when  constructing 
a  branch  of  the  Great  Western  Railway,  first  drew  my  attention  to  the 
subject,  and  convinced  me  of  the  mistake  into  which  Professor  Owen 
had  fallen,  and  of  the  accuracy  of  the  original  interpretation  of  Mr. 
Channing  Pearce,  which  that  sagacious  and  acute  observer,  Mr.  Charles- 
worth,  had  always  declared  to  be  the  true  one.  The  result  of  my  inves- 
tigations was  communicated  to  the  Royal  Society,  and  is  published  in 
the  Phil  Trans.  1848,  and  1850.4 

1  "  Proceedings  of  the  Geological  Society,"  vol.  iii.  p.  593. 

2  "  A  Description  of  certain  Belemnites  found  with  a  great  proportion 
of  their  soft  parts,  in  the  Oxford  Clay,  at  Christian  Malford  in  Wilt- 
shire."— Phil.  Trans.  1844,  p.  65.     For  this  memoir  one  of  the  Royal 
Medals  was  awarded. 

3  An  abstract  of  this  memoir,  and  a  figure  of  the  cephalopodous  mer- 
maid as  that  of  the  animal  of  the  Belemnite,  are  given  in  my  "  Medals  of 
Creation,"  p.  468,  for  which  I  beg  to  apologise  to  the  purchasers  of  that 
work ;   the  error  will  be  corrected  in  the  edition  now  in  preparation. 
See  "  Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains,"  article  Belemnite,  p.  170. 

4  In  those  communications  I  most  studiously  endeavoured  to  avoid 
giving  offence  to  the  eminent  anatomist,  whose  genius  and  industry  I  so 
much  admire,  and  whose  scientific  labours  I  have  so  highly  eulogized,  and 
have  done  everything  in  my  power  to  promote,  by  placing  at  his  disposal 
original  drawings  of  considerable  value,  and  hundreds  of  specimens  col- 
lected by  my  son;  but,  alas  !  to  doubt  Professor  Owen's  infallibility  was 
a  deadly  sin,  and  I  have  no  hope  of  forgiveness  !    hence  originated  the 
"  unamidble  exaggerations"  and  " misrepresentations"  which  I  have 
been  compelled  in  self-defence,  and  to  my  deep  regret,  to  notice  in  a 
previous  chapter  (ante,  p.  192). 


CHAPTER   VI. 
PART  I. 


PLAN  OP  ROOM  VI.  —  SYNOPSIS  OP  CONTENTS— ELEPHANTS  AND  MASTODONS 
FROM  THE  SEWALIK  HILLS — MAMMALIAN  BONES  FROM  CAVES  IN  BRAZIL 
— FOSSIL  HUMAN  SKELETON — MAMMALIAN  BONES  FROM  KIRKDALE,  TOR- 
QUAY, AND  GAILENREUTH  CAVES — PAL^OTHERIA  AND  ANOPLOTHERIA — 

MEGATHERIUM  —  ELEPHAS    GANESA MASTODON   OHIOTICUS TUSKS  AND 

BONES    OF    MAMMOTHS    AND    MASTODONS FOSSIL    ECHINODERMS,    CRUSTA- 
CEANS,    AND     BRACHIOPODA FOSSIL    ZOOPHYTES FOSSIL    ALLIGATOR    OP 

HORDWELL DINOTHERI0M — HIPPURITES   AND   SPHERULITES. 

WE  now  enter  the  last  room  of  this  noble  Gallery  of  Organic 
Remains ;  it  is  in  a  great  measure  appropriated  to  the  fossil 
relics  of  extinct  mammalia,  and  especially  to  those  of  the 
colossal  Proboscidean  Pachyderms,  and  Edentata.  The  coup 
d'oeil  is  very  imposing,  for  the  model  of  the  gigantic  Mega- 
therium arrests  the  attention  of  the  visitor  on  entering  the 
apartment,  and  beyond  it  stands  the  fine  skeleton  of  the 
Mastodon  of  the  Ohio ;  and  between  these  two  grand  monu- 
ments of  a  former  state  of  the  globe,  is  the  skull  with  its 
enormous  tusks,  of  an  extinct  species  of  Elephant  from  India ; 
while  the  surrounding  Cases  exhibit  a  splendid  collection  of 
crania,  jaws,  teeth,  tusks,  and  bones,  of  various  species  of  the 
same  tribes  of  mammalia. 

The  history  of  these  highly  interesting  objects  must  be 
familiar  to  the  intelligent  reader,  for  almost  every  one  has 
heard  of  the  Mammoths  entombed  in  ice  in  Siberia,1 — of  the 
Mastodons  swamped  in  the  ancient  morasses  of  North  America,2 
— of  the  colossal  beings  of  the  Sloth  tribe,  whose  skeletons  are 
imbedded  in  the  alluvial  plains  of  the  Pampas,3 — and  of  the 
fossil  remains  of  similar  animals,  together  with  those  of  other 
genera  of  Mammalia  and  Reptiles,  in  the  tertiary  deposits  of 

*  "Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  152.         2  Ibid.  p.  156.         3  Ibid.  p.  164. 


462  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.        CHAP.  VL 


PLAN  OF  ROOM  VI. 


]0 


Room  V. 
]          II         I 


Megatherium 


H 


EDI       C 


Prirate 


Room 


ROOM  VI.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  463 

the  Sub-Himalayan  mountains. l  The  petrified  Human  Ske- 
leton from  the  coral-rocks  of  Guadaloupe  must  also  be  well 
known  from  the  figures  and  descriptions  of  this  interesting 
fossil,  that  have  appeared  in  every  elementary  work  on 
Geology.2 

It  will,  therefore,  be  unnecessary,  in  reviewing  this  grand  assemblage 
of  Organic  Kemains,  to  enter  so  largely  on  the  nature  and  history  of  the 
respective  objects,  as  I  felt  it  necessary  to  do  in  attempting  to  render 
many  of  the  fossils  contained  in  the  rooms  we  have  passed  under  exami- 
nation, intelligible  and  interesting  to  the  unscientific  observer;  and 
the  limits  necessarily  prescribed  to  this  volume,  render  details  inadmis- 
sible. Under  the  following  general  heads,  the  most  important  specimens 
will  be  concisely  noticed;  I.  Synopsis  of  the  Contents  of  Room  VI. 
II.  Fossil  Mammalia  from  the  Sewalik  Hills.  III.  Mastodons  and  Ele- 
phants of  North  America.  IV.  Mammalian  remains  from  the  Tertiary 
formations  of  Europe.  V.  The  Megatherium  and  other  fossil  Edentata 
of  South  America.  VI.  Fossil  Mammalia  of  the  Caverns.  VII.  Petri- 
fied Human  Skeleton  of  Guadaloupe. 

The  fossil  Invertebrata  in  the  Table-cases  are  so  well  arranged,  and 
so  distinctly  labelled,  as  to  be  readily  understood  and  identified,  and 
require  no  especial  description. 


ROOM  VI. 

(70  feet  long.) 

SYNOPSIS  OF  CONTENTS. 

"WALL-CASES  A  and  B. — The  cases  on  the  left  or  south  side  of  this 
room  contain  an  extensive  and  matchless  collection  of  the  fossil  remains 
of  Elephants  and  Mastodons ;  the  suite  of  crania,  jaws  and  teeth,  and 
tusks,  comprises  specimens  of  extraordinary  interest,  and  would  alone 
confer  celebrity  on  any  Gallery  of  Organic  Remains.  These  petrifactions 
are  chiefly  from  the  Tertiary  deposits  of  the  Sewalik  Hills,  in  Northern 
India,  and  were  collected  by  Major  Proby  T.  Cautley,  and  Dr.  Falconer ; 
there  are  likewise  some  fine  examples  of  similar  parts  of  skeletons  of 
Mammoths  and  Mastodons  from  the  alluvial  beds  of  North  America. 

The  skulls  and  teeth  of  the  Elephantine  family  commence  in  Case  A, 
and  the  specimens  are  placed  serially  according  to  their  affinity  to  the 
kindred  group,  the  Mastodons.  The  latter  occupy  the  western  end  of 
Case  B;  and  the  transitional  types  are  placed  in  the  central  division  of 
the  cabinet ;  thus  constituting  a  most  instructive  series  of  the  crania, 
and  maxillary  and  dental  organs,  of  the  extinct  forms  of  proboscidean 
pachyderms. 

The  skulls  are  named  and  arranged  in  the  following  order : — 

1  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  162.  2  Ibid.  p.  88. 


464  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.  CHAP.  VI. 

ELEPHANTS.  MASTODONS. 

1.    Elephas  Namadicus,  from  India.          7.  Mastodon  Andium,  South  America. 


planifrons, 


3. insignis, 

4.    Ganesa,       — 

5.  • bombifrons, — 

Hysudricus,- 


A  magnificent  cranium  and  tusks  of 
this  species ;  and  a  rich  series  of 
teeth  from  Buenos  Ayres. 

8.  Mastodon  Ohipticus,  North  America. 

9.    Perimensis,  India. 


In  Case  A,  there  are  likewise  teeth        10.    •  Sivalensis, 

and  tusks  of  the  European  fossil        11. latidens, 


Elephants;  viz. —  angustidens,  Europe. 

Elephas  priscus.  longirostris, . 

meridionalis.  Arvernensis,1 


primigenius.  The  crown  of  a  molar  tooth  of  this 

These  specimens  are  not  labelled.  species,  from  the  Crag,  figured  by 

Dr.  Smith  in  the  frontispiece  of  his 
"  Strata  identified  by  Organic  Re- 
mains," is  placed  in  this  Case. 

Watt-case  O,  is  devoted  to  fossil  mammalia  from  the  caves  of  Minas 
Geraes  in  Brazil.  The  upper  division  contains  some  fine  bones  of  the 
Scelidotherium,  an  animal  allied  to  the  Megatherium,  and  portions  of 
the  dermal  cuirass  of  Glyptodon,  and  Chlamydotherium  ;  and  bones  of  a 
large  species  of  Machairodus.  In  the  lower  compartment  are  similar  re- 
mains, and  bones  and  teeth  of  existing  mammalia  from  the  same  caves, 
belonging  to  species  of  Monkey,  Opossum,  &c.;  with  these  are  associated 
shells  incrusted  with  stalagmite  of  a  large  existing  terrestrial  mollusk 
(Bulimus). 

Wall-case  D. — A  fossil  HUMAN  SKELETON,  imbedded  in  modern  con- 
cretionary limestone,  from  the  sea-shore  of  the  island  of  Guadaloupe ; 
presented  by  Admiral  the  Honourable  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane.  The 
table  in  front  of  this  Case,  is  a  slab  of  the  rock  in  which  the  skeleton 
was  imbedded. 

Wall-case  E. — A  very  choice  collection  of  skulls,  jaws,  teeth,  &c.  of 
Bears,  Hyenas,  and  other  carnivora,  from  the  caves  of  Gailenreuth  in 
Germany,  Kirkdale  in  Yorkshire,  and  Torquay  in  Devonshire. 

Wall-case  F. — In  this  Case,  which  is  on  the  right  of  the  entrance 
from  Koom  Y.  (see  plan,  ante,  p.  462),  are  specimens  and  models  of 
Palasotheria,  Anoplotheria,  and  allied  extinct  genera  of  pachyderms  from 
the  eocene  deposits  of  France  ;  principally  from  the  gypsum  quarries  at 
Montmartre,  near  Paris.  Several  of  the  specimens,  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  models,  were  formerly  in  my  collection,  having  been  given 
me  by  Baron  Cuvier.  On  the  uppermost  shelf  there  is  a  fine  example 
of  the  upper  and  lower  jaws  with  teeth,  collected  and  presented  to  me 
by  M.  Constant  Prevost:  and  a  beautiful  lower  jaw  imbedded  in  lime- 
stone, which  I  obtained  from  a  quarry  at  Montmartre,  and  succeeded  in 
exposing  it  in  its  present  perfect  state. 

1  M.  Arvernensis,  so  named  from  Auvergne,  the  district  in  which 
this  species  was  first  identified.  I  would  here  supply  an  omission  in  the 
account  of  the  Fossil  Mammalia  from  the  Tertiary  deposits  of  Auvergne, 
given  in  a  previous  Chapter;  ante,  p.  353.  The  collection  should  have 
been  described  as  having  been  formed  in  part  by  M.  Croizet;  most  of 
the  specimens  exhibited  were  purchased  of  this  eminent  observer;  many 
of  M.  Pomel's  are  not  yet  arranged. 


ROOM  VI.  SYNOPSIS   OF   CONTENTS.  465 

£.— SKELETON  OF  MEGATHERIUM  CUVIEKI  vel  AMERICANTJM. — This  was 
modelled  from  the  original  separate  bones ;  some  of  which  are  in  this 
collection,  and  others  in  the  Hunterian  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons.  It  is  twelve  feet  long,  and  eight  feet  high.  The  annexed 
outline  (Lign.  112),  is  the  first  published  representation  of  this  inte- 
resting skeleton,  and  has  been  drawn  with  great  care  by  the  eminent 
artist,  Mr.  Joseph  Dinkel.1 

H. — Skull  and  tusks,  of  ELEPHAS  GANESA;  a  remarkable  fossil 
Elephant,  from  India;  presented  by  Major  Baker,  of  the  Bengal 
Engineers. 

/. — Skeleton  of  MASTODON  OHIOTICUS,  or  Mastodon  of  the  Ohio,  from 
North  America ;  it  is  9  feet  7  inches  high,  and  20  feet  long.  The  tusks 
are  7  feet  2  inches  in  length,  and  9  inches  in  diameter.  On  the  same 
platform  there  are  5  bones  of  the  fore-foot  (3  carpals  and  2  metacarpals), 
nearly  twice  as  large  in  linear  dimensions  as  the  corresponding  parts  in 
the  above  skeleton,  of  the  Elephas  mei*idionalis,  dug  up  in  the  brick- 
field at  Grays,  in  Essex. 

Under  the  above  skeleton,  is  placed  the  model  of  a  perfect  cranium  and 
lower  jaw  of  a  very  young  Mastodon;  the  germs  of  the  tusks  are  just 
appearing :  it  measures  2  feet  from  the  front  of  the  jaw  to  the  occiput, 
and  1^  from  the  summit  of  the  skull  to  the  inferior  margin  of  the  lower 
jaw. 

ON   THE   TOP   OP  THE   WALL-CASES. 

A.  a.  A  fine  series  of  tusks  of  the  Mammoth  (Elephas  primigeuius), 
from  Drift ;  some  of  them  are  from  the  Arctic  regions,  and  were  brought 
home  by  the  Officers  of  the  Expedition  sent  in  search  of  Sir  J.  Franklin. 
Among  these  is  an  enormous  tusk  curved  upwards  in  a  spiral  direction, 
which  is  of  the  extraordinary  length  of  12|  feet :   it  was  dug  up  in 
frozen  gravel  on  the  banks  of  Mackenzie  River. 

B.  b.  Bones  of  Mammoths  from  the  alluvium  of  North  America; 
and  of  Elephants  and  Mastodons  from  the  Sewalik  Hills. 

c.  Skulls  of  the  existing  Indian  Elephant  of  the  two  varieties, — one 
with  short,  the  other  with  long  tusks. 

d.  Bones  of  Mastodons  (Mastodon  Ohioticus),  and  Mammoths  (Ele- 
phas primigenius),  chiefly  of  the  extremities,  vertebrae,  &c.  from  the 
alluvial  deposits  of  North  America :  some  of  them  are  from  Big-bone 
Lick,  others  from  the  State  of  Missouri. 


TABLE-CASES  and  UPRIGHT-CASES  ;  on  the  north  side  of  Room  VI. 
1.  ECHINITES,  or  fossil  Echinoderms.  An  extensive  suite  of  species 
and  genera  from  various  formations,  (at  present  in  Table-case  1,  Room  V.) 
will  occupy  this  cabinet.  The  specimens  are  admirably  arranged  and 
named,  so  as  to  be  easily  identified  and  examined.  It  is  a  most  instruc- 
tive collection  for  the  palaeontological  student,  for  it  comprises  a  consi- 
derable number  of  the  fossil  genera  of  this  order  of  Radiata,  viz. — 

1  Of  17,  Upper  King  Street,  Bloomsbury  Square. 
H  H 


466  PETKIFAOTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  VI 

Ananchytes,  Echinocorys,  Echinolampas,  Holaster,  Galerites,  Cidaris 
Diadema,  Acrosalenia,  Glypticus,  Disaster,  Pygurus,  Clypeaster,  Scutella 
Salmasis,  Echinocyanus,  &C.1  There  is  also  a  good  series  of  echini  ta: 
spines.  The  Chalk  Cidarites  with  spines,  and  those  from  the  Oolite,  are 
very  beautiful ;  many  of  my  choicest  examples  of  Echinoderms  disco 
vered  in  the  Chalk  of  Sussex  are  in  this  cabinet. 

2.  In  this  Table  will  be  deposited  a  collection  of  fossil  Insects  and 
Crustaceans.    Among  the  former  are  beautiful  specimens  of  Neuroptera. 
Diptera,  &c.  from  the  eocene  strata  of  Aix,  in  Provence.     There  is  a  re 
markable  and  unique  fossil  wing  of  an  insect  in  an  ironstone  nodule 
from  Coalbrook  Dale,  discovered  by  me,  and  named  Gorydalis  Brong- 
niarti.2 

The  fossil  crustaceans  are  chiefly  of  the  extinct  family  of  Trilobites> 
and  comprise  many  species  from  the  palaeozoic  strata.3 

There  are  also  species  of  Astacidae  allied  to  the  Lobster  and  Cray- 
fish, and  of  Canceridae,  from  the  Chalk,  (Astacus  Leachii,  A.  Sussex- 
siensis,  figured  in  my  "  Fossils  of  the  South  Downs") ; 4  and  others  ol 
the  same  family  from  Solenhofen.  There  are  likewise  a  few  crustaceans 
from  the  tertiary  deposits  of  the  Isle  of  Sheppey,  Malta,  &c. 

3.  A  miscellaneous  collection  of  fossil  zoophytes,  ventriculites,  choan- 
ites,  &c.  the  greater  part  from  the  chalk  of  Sussex,  collected  by  the 
Author.5 

Table-case  4.  FOSSIL  CORALS.  A  miscellaneous  collection  of  Zoo- 
phytes. 

5.  A  very  fine  series  of  (Terebratulce)  Brachiopodous  shells,  named 
and  arranged  by  Mr.  "Woodward.     A  most  instructive  and  beautiful 
collection,  comprising  many  unique,  and  rare  examples. 

6.  Unoccupied. 

7.  Another  fine  series  of  fossil  Brachiopodous  shells;  comprising 
many  species  of  the  genera  Spirifer,   Orthis.   Leptcena,  Productus, 
Crania,  Lingula,  &c.6 

8.  Unoccupied. 

9.  (Upright-case,  4) — This  Case  contains   on   the  upper  shelf  the 
cranium  and  lower  jaw  of  the  Megatherium,  from  which  the  cast  of  the 
restored  skeleton  was  taken  :  in  the  middle  compartment  there  are  ribs 
and  vertebrae,  and  in  the  lowest  a  series  of  the  caudal  vertebrae,  sixteen 
in  number,  as  perfect  as  in  a  recent  skeleton. 

10.  (Upright-case,  3.)  Other  remains  of  the  Megatherium :  here  are 
the  originals  of  the  bones  of  the  feet,  and  of  the  humerus,  and  ulna,  of 
the  model. 

11.  (Table-case.)  A  highly  interesting  collection  of  jaws,  teeth,  and 

1  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  ch.  xi.  p.  840. 

2  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  vol.  ii.  p.  578. 

3  Ibid.  p.  552. 

4  Ibid.  p.  536. 

5  For  a  popular  account  of  Yentriculites  and  Choanites,  see  "  Thoughts- 
on  a  Pebble,  or  a  first  Lesson  in  Geology,"  8th  edition,  with  numerous 
plates. 

e  "Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  378. 


ROOM  VI. 


SYNOPSIS   OF    CONTENTS. 


467 


bones,  of  several  species  of  Crocodile,  Alligator,  and  other  reptiles,  from 
the  Eocene  deposits  at  Hordwell,  Hants :  collected  and  presented  to  the 
British  Museum  by  SEARLES  WOOD,  Esq.  F.G.S. 


LIGN.  101.    ALLIGATOR  HAXTOKIENSIS;  FROM  HORDWELL. 
(i  not.  size.) 

ALLIGATOR  HAKTOXIENSIS. —  This  fine  lower  jaw  was  figured  and 
described  in  the  "  London  Palaeontological  Journal,"  PI.  I.  It  closely 
resembles  that  of  a  species  of  Crocodile  (C.  Hastingsioe),  discovered  by 
the  Marchioness  of  Hastings  in  the  same  locality ;  but  the  presence  in 
the  upper  jaw  of  the  sockets  for  the  reception  of  the  inferior  canines 
when  the  mouth  is  closed,  establishes  its  generic  character. 

First  Caudal  Vertebra  ofCrocodilusHastingsice. 
— I  would  direct  attention  to  another  fossil  in  this 
Case,  in  illustration  of  a  fact  described  in  a  former 
chapter,  (ante,  p.  168.)  The  first  vertebra  of  the 
tail  of  a  species  of  Crocodile,  showing  the  double 
convexity  of  the  centrum.  (Lign.  102.) 

12.  (Upright-case,  2.)  Model  of  the  cranium, 
and  of  the  lower  jaw  and  tusks,  of  the  Dinotherium 
giganteum,  from  the  miocene  strata  at  Epplesheim, 
by  Mr.  Kaup.  This  skull,  including  the  lower 
jaw,  is  about  2  feet  high,  and  3  feet  long  from  chin 
to  occiput ;  the  tusks,  including  the  projecting 
sockets  sent  off  from  the  lower  jaw,  are  3  feet  in 
length;  the  excluded  tusks  measuring  15  inches. 
This  Case  contains  also  a  fine  suite  of  molar  teeth. 


Femur  from  Epplesheim,  supposed  to  belong 


LIGN.  102. 

FIRST  CAUDAL  VERTE- 
BRA OF  CROCODILUS 
HASTINGSI.Z. 
(i  not.  size.} 


to  the  Dinotherium*:  *  a  model  in*  the  recess  of"  the  window;  length, 
feet;  circumference  of  the  shaft,  25  inches;  of  the  head  of  the  bone, 
29  inches. 

13.  (Table-case.)  A  miscellaneous  collection  of  Eeptilian  remains  from 
the  Wealden  of  Tilgate  Forest,  (from  the  collection  of  the  Author,)  are 
placed  here  provisionally.    There  are  many  highly  interesting  speci- 
mens in  this  Case,  that  were  obtained  with  much  labour  and  trouble 
from  the  strata  of  Tilgate  Forest  ;  but  until  they  are  classified  and 
labelled,  any  attempt  to  refer  to  a  particular  fossil  would  be  useless. 

14.  (  Upright-case,  1.)  Model  of  one  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw,  with  tusk, 


468  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.  VI. 

of  Dinotherium.  A  very  fine  specimen  of  part  of  the  cranium,  with  the 
maxillary  bones  and  six  molars  of  a  Dinotherium  from  Epplesheim ; 
purchased  of  M.  Kaup. 

15.  (Table-case.)  Fossil  Brachiopodous  shells  of  the  order  JRudistes, 
comprising  some  beautiful  examples  of  Hippurites,  Spherulites,  &c. 
Among  these  is  a  fine  specimen  from  Mr.  Dixon's  collection,  of  a  species 
discovered  by  me  in  the  chalk  of  Sussex,  and  named  Spherulites  Mor- 
toni.1  There  are  likewise  fossil  Balani,  Serpula,  &c.  but  their  arrange- 
ment is  only  provisional. 

Fossil  Jaw  of  a  Whale,  from  the  Elephant-bed,  Brighton  Cliff. — 
There  were  formerly  in  this  room  several  portions  of  the  left  ramus  of 
the  lower  jaw  of  a  Whale,  discovered  in  the  ancient  shingle-bed  asso- 
ciated with  bones  of  Elephants,  in  the  cliff  to  the  East  of  Brighton.2 


CHAPTER  VI.— PART  II. 
FOSSIL  MAMMALIA  OF  THE  SEWALIK  HILLS. 

PALEONTOLOGY  OF  THE  SEWALIK  HILLS. —  Wall-cases  A.  and  B. — 
The  splendid  collection  of  fossil  bones  in  the  Cases  before  us,  is  almost 
wholly  the  result  of  the  researches  of  Major  Proby  Cautley  and  Dr. 
Falconer,  in  the  tertiary  deposits  of  the  Sub-Himalayas  or  Sewalik  3 
range,  which  skirts  the  southern  base  of  the  Himalayas,  and  attains  an 
altitude  of  from  one  to  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  strata  in  which  these  remains  were  found  consist  of  concretionary 
grit,  conglomerate,  sandstone,  and  loam,  and  are  spread  over  the 
flanks  of  the  hills,  and  extend  about  200  miles  in  length,  with  an 
average  breadth  of  about  7  miles,  and  dip  to  the  north  at  an  angle  of 
from  20°  to  30°.  Wherever  gullies  and  fissures,  or  water-courses, 
exposed  sections  of  the  beds,  abundance  of  fossil  bones  were  met  with. 
Lignite  and  trunks  of  dicotyledonous  trees,  and  a  few  freshwater  and 
land  shells,  were  found  mingled  with  the  animal  remains ;  and  some 
vestiges  of  a  species  of  fluviatile  fish  related  to  the  recent  Silurus.  The 
bones  in  the  sandstone  and  conglomerate  are  very  much  in  the  condi- 
tion of  those  of  the  reptiles  in  the  Wealden  grit,  and  are  as  difficult  to 
clear  from  the  rock,  as  I  had  personal  experience  in  a  fine  collection 
sent  to  me  in  1836,  from  Suharunpoor,  by  Major  Cautley ;  and  I  can,  there- 
fore, duly  appreciate  the  labour  and  skill  bestowed  on  the  specimens  in 
the  British  Museum,  by  Mr.  James  Dew,  by  whom  these  interesting  fos- 
sils were  developed. 

1  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  430,  Lign.  98. 

2  See  "Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  824. 

3  "  Sewalik, a  corruption  of  Siva-wala,  a  name  given  to  the  tract  oil 
mountains  between  the  Jumna  and  the  Ganges." — Major  Cautley. 


BOOM  VI.      ELEPHANTS  AND  MASTODONS  OF  SEWALIK  HILLS.     469 

The  following  extract  from  the  prospectus  of  a  work  on  these  fossils, 
by  Dr.  Falconer,  will  convey  some  idea  of  the  rich  and  extraordinary 
assemblage  of  mammalian  remains  which  have  been  collected  from  the 
Sewalik  deposits. 

"  This  fossil  Fauna  is  composed  of  representative  types  of  mammalia 
of  all  geological  ages,  from  the  oldest  of  the  tertiary  periods  down  to 
the  most  modern;  and  of  all  the  geographical  divisions  of  the  Old 
Continent,  grouped  together  into  one  comprehensive  assemblage. 
Among  the  forms  contained  in  it  there  are  of  the  Pachydermata, 
several  species  of  Mastodon,  Elephant,  Hippopotamus,  Khinoceros, 
Anoplotherium,  and  three  species  of  Equus :  of  the  Ruminantia,  the 
colossal  genus  Sivatherium  (ante,  p.  457),  which  is  peculiar  to  India, 
with  species  of  Camelus,  Bos,  Cervus,  and  Antelope ;  of  the  Carnivora, 
species  of  most  of  the  great  types,  together  with  several  remarkable 
undescribed  genera ;  of  the  Rodentia  and  Quadrumana,  several  species ; 
of  the  Reptilia,  a  gigantic  Tortoise  (Colosso-chelys,  ante,  pp.  11, 77),  with 
species  of  Emys  and  Trionyx,  and  several  forms  of  Gavials  and  Croco- 
diles. To  these  may  be  added  the  remains  of  Struthious  and  other 
Birds:  and  Fishes,  Crustacea,  and  Mollusca."1  Thus,  in  the  Sub- 
Himalayas  we  have  entombed  in  the  same  rocky  sepulchre,  bones  of  the 


LIGX.  103. — CRANIUM  AND  JAWS  LIGK.  104. — CRANIUM  AND  JAWS  op 

or  ELEPHAS  PLANIFRONS.  ELEPHAS  NAMADICUS. 

(&  not.  size.)  (^  not.  size.) 

most  ancient  tertiary  races  of  mammalia  and  reptilia,with  those  of  species 
actually  existing  in  India  at  the  present  time. 

ELEPHANTS  AND  MASTODONS. — The  Elephants  of  the  Sewalik  Hills,  of 
which  there  are  crania  and  teeth  in  the  collection,  comprise  six  species, 
as  specified  in  the  Synopsis ;  and  I  would  direct  particular  attention  to 

1  "  Fauna  Antiqua  Sivalensis,  being  the  Fossil  Zoology  of  the  Sewalik 
Hills  in  the  North  of  India."  By  Dr.  Falconer  and  Major  Proby  T. 
Cautley.  London:  1846. 


470 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.    VI. 


the  cranial  peculiarities  and  physiognomy  of  Elephas  planifrons,  dis- 
tinguished by  the  flatness  of  the  forehead  (Lign.  103),  and  the  inter- 
mediate character  of  its 
molar  teeth ;  E.  Namadicus, 
with  a  great  vertical  develop- 
ment of  the  cranium  (Lign. 
104),  and  teeth  closely  al- 
lied to  those  of  the  Indian 
species;  and  the  enormous 
turban-like  vertex  of  the  skull 
of  E.  Hysudricus  (Lign. 
105),  the  structure  of  whose 
teeth  approaches  that  of  the 
African  Elephant. 

Elephas  Ganesa. — In  the 
centre  of  Koom  VI.  (H.  of  the 
plan,  ante,  p.  462).     Among 
the  Indian   fossil  elephants 
there  is  one  species  remark- 
able for  the  enormous  size  of 
the  tusks  in  proportion  to 
LIGN.  105.— CRANIUM  AND  JAWS  OF  ELEPHAS      the    skull;    of    this    animal 
HYSUDRICUS.    (•&  nat.  size.)  there  is  a  splendid  specimen 

deposited  in    the  centre   of 

this  room.     The  total  length  of  the  cranium  and  tusks  is  fourteen  feet ; 
length  of  the  skull,  four  feet  two  inches ;  width,  twenty-nine  inches  ; 


LIGN.  106. — CRANIUM  AND  TUSKS  op  ELEPHAS  GANESA. 
(The  original  is  \\feet  long.) 

width  of  the  muzzle,  two  feet ;  length  of  the  tusks,  ten  feet ;  circum- 
ference of  the  tusk  at  the  base,  twenty-six  inches. 

MASTODONS. — The  fossil  remains  of  this  extinct  tribe  of  the  elephantine 
family,  thus  named  from  the  peculiar  form  of  the  crowns  of  the  molar 
teeth,  are  found  in  equal  abundance  with  those  of  the  Elephants  in  the 
Sewalik  tertiary  deposits,  and  four  species  have  been  determined  by 
Dr.  Falconer,  as  enumerated  in  the  Synopsis,  (ante,  p.  464.) 

The  Mastodons  resembled  the  Elephants  in  their  general  character  ; 
having  a  convex  cellular  cranium,  large  tusks  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  a 


ROOM   VI.  MASTODONS.  471 

long  trunk  or  proboscis.  The  molars  differ  from  those  of  the  Elephant 
in  their  simple  crown  composed  of  dentine  and  enamel,  disposed  in 
large  transverse  tubercles,  each  of  which  is  subdivided  into  two  obtuse 
points  or  mastoid  processes,  which  by  use  are  worn  into  disks  more  or 
less  wide,  according  to  age ;  these  transverse  ridges  are  not  filled  up 
with  cement.  There  are  a  greater  number  of  grinders  simultaneously 
in  each  jaw,  than  in  the  Elephant ;  and  although  the  succession  of  the 
back  grinders  is  antero-posterior  as  in  the  latter,  the  first  and  second 
molars,  both  in  the  upper  and  lower  jaw,  are  replaced  in  a  vertical 
direction  by  a  tooth  of  a  simpler  form  than  the  second  molar. 

A  still  more  remarkable  peculiarity  is  the  existence  in  the  lower  jaw 
in  the  young  Mastodon,  of  two  small,  short,  straight  tusks,  that  project 
from  the  anterior  extremity ;  and  these  disappear  as  the  animal  advances 
to  maturity,  except  in  the  tusks  of  some  adult  male  species,  in  which 
one  or  both  are  retained. 

But  there  are  transitional  forms  of  Mastodons  from  Ava,  described  by 
the  late  Mr.  Clift,  in  which  the  characters  of  the  molars  are  intermediate, 
as  indicated  by  the  name  M.  elephantoides  ;  and  Dr.  Falconer  affirms 
that  the  presumed  distinctive  characters  are  far  from  being  absolute,  for 
premolars  are  developed  in  greater  number  in  one  typical  fossil  species 
of  Elephant  than  in  any  known  Mastodon ;  and  though  the  inferior 
tusks  have  been  detected  in  three  species  of  Mastodon,  there  are  other 
forms  in  which,  even  in  the  young  state,  no  traces  of  such  dental  organs 
are  perceptible. 

Lower  Jaw  of  Mastodon  with  Tusk.— On  the  middle  shelf  of  Wall-case 
B,  in  the  fifth  division  of  the  cabinet,  reckoning  from  the  west  end  of 
the  room,  there  is  a  remarkably  fine  and  instructive  specimen  of  a 
lower  jaw  of  Mastodon  Ohiolicus,  in  which  a  tusk  is  seen  retained  in 
the  socket  of  the  right  side.  This  jaw  has  on  each  side  three  molar 
teeth,  the  crowns  of  which  are  but  slightly  worn  ;  and  the  root  of  the 
tusk  is  distinctly  exposed  in  consequence  of  the  mesial  aspect  of  the 
socket  having  been  broken  away. 


CHAPTER  VI.— PART  III. 
MASTODONS  AND  ELEPHANTS  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 

SKELETON  OF  THE  MASTODON  OP  TEE  OHIO  (Mastodon  Ohioticus) — 
Room  VI.  I.— This  fine  skeleton  was  purchased  by  the  Trustees,  of  the 
British  Museum,  of  Albert  Koch,  a  well-known  collector  of  fossil 
remains,  who  had  exhibited  in  the  Egyptian  Hall  in  Piccadilly,  under 
the  name  of  the  "  Missourium,  or  Leviathan  of  the  Missouri,"  an 
enormous  osteological  monster,  constructed  of  the  bones  of  this  skeleton, 
together  with  many  belonging  to  other  individuals,  the  tusks  being 
fixed  in  their  Rockets  so  as  to  curve  outwards  on  each  side  of  the  head. 
From  this  heterogeneous  assemblage  of  bones,  those  belonging  to 
the  same  animal  were  selected,  and  are  articulated  in  their  natural 


472 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.         CHAP.    VI. 


ROOM   VI. 


MAMMOTHS. 


473 


juxtaposition.  Many  fine  examples  of  teeth  and  jaws,  and  other  parts 
of  the  skeleton  of  the  American  Mastodon,  from  the  same  collection,  are 
deposited  in  the  Cases  before  us. 

According  to  the  narrative  of  M.  Koch,  these  remains  were  found  "  near 
the  banks  of  the  river  La  Pomme  de  Terre,  a  tributary  of  the  Osage 
Eiver,  in  Burton  County  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  40°  lat.  18°  long." 
The  bones  were  imbedded  in  a  brown  sandy  deposit  full  of  vegetable 
matter,  with  recognisable  remains  of  the  cypress,  tropical  cane,  and 
swamp-moss,  stems  of  the  palmetto,  &c.,  and  this  was  covered  by 
beds  of  blue  clay  and  gravel  to  a  thickness  of  about  fifteen  feet.  Mr. 
Koch  states  (and  he  personally  assured  me  of  the  correctness  of  the 
statement)  that  an  Indian  flint  arrow-head  was  found  beneath  the  leg- 
bones  of  this  skeleton,  and  four  similar  weapons  were  imbedded  in  the 
same  stratum :  he  avers  that  he  raised  them  out  of  the  bed  with  his 
own  hands.1 

The  other  North  American  remains  of  Mastodons  in  the  Museum  are 
chiefly  from  Big-bone  Lick,  a  celebrated  morass  or  bog,  in  Kentucky, 
about  twenty-three  miles  in  a  south-west  direction  from  Cincinnati. 
Imbedded  in  the  blue  clay  of  this  ancient  Creek,  the  entire  skeletons, 
or  separate  bones,  of  not  less  than  100  Mastodons,  20  Mammoths, 
(Elephas  primigenius,)  a  few  bones  of  the  Megalonyx,  and  of  a  species 
of  Stag,  Horse  and  Bison,  are  said  to  have  been  discovered.2 

The  following  measurements  (for  which  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  "Water- 
house),  will  convey  an  idea  of  the  size  and  proportions  of  this  skeleton. 
Extreme  length,  20  ft.  2  in. ;  height, 
9  ft.  6f  in.;  cranium,  length,  3£  ft. ; 
vertical  dimension,  4  ft. ;  width,  2  ft. 
11  in. ;  width  of  pelvis,  5  ft.  8  in. ; 
tusks,  extreme  length,  7  ft.  2  in. ; 
projection  of  the  same,  5  ft.  2  in. ; 
circumference  at  the  base,  27  in. 

On  the  pedestal,  and  under  the 
above  skeleton,  is  placed  a  model 
of  the  cranium  and  jaws  of  a  young 
Mastodon,  of  the  same  species.  The 
tusks  in  the  lower  jaws  are  wanting. 

MAMMOTH  (Elephas  primigenius). 
—  Wall-case  A . — The  species  of  fossil 
Elephant  distributed  in  the  Drift  of 
Europe,  and  whose  bones,  ivory  tusks, 
and  even  the  entire  carcasses  covered 

with  skin  and  bone,  occur  in  the  icy  CRANIUM   AND  JAWS  OP  A  YOUNG 
regions  of  Siberia,  is  generally  known      MASTODON  OHIOTICUS  :  FROM  BIG- 
by  the  name  of  Mammoth.   The  teeth      BONE  LlcK/1  B0,.  ^ze.) 
and  tusks  of  this  species  are  so  com- 
mon in  this  country,  that  scarcely  a  local  museum  is   destitute  of 

1  "  Description  of  the  Missourium,  by  Albert  Koch."  Louisville,  1841, 
p.  20. 

2  See   "Travels  in  North  America,"  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  1845,  vol. 
ii.  chap.  xvii. ;  or  my  "  Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic  Remains,"  p.  167. 


LION.  108. 


474 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.       CHAP.    VI. 


specimens.  I  therefore  need  only  refer  the  reader  unacquainted  with 
the  highly  interesting  history  of  the  discovery  of  the  carcass  of  this 
species  in  the  frozen  soil  of  the  banks  of  the  Lena,  to  "  Wonders  of 
Geology,"  p.  152;  and  point  out  to  the  visitor  the  fine  teeth  and  crania 
in  the  Wall-case  A,  and  the  enormous  tusks  obtained  from  the  Arctic 
regions,  that  are  placed  above. 

Elephas  meridionalis. — This  species  is  found  in  the  newer  tertiary 
deposits,  and  is  comparatively  rare  in  this  country ;  there  are  teeth  and 
bones  from  the  Norwich  Crag,  and  from  Grays,  in  Essex.  From  this 
last  named  locality  was  obtained  the  series  of  bones  of  the  foot  placed 
on  the  pedestal  /;  there  are  three  carpals,  and  two  inetacarpals ;  the 
middle  metacarpal  is  eight  inches  long,  and  four  inches  wide;  twice  the 
size  of  the  corresponding  bones  in  the  skeleton  of  the  mammoth. 


CHAPTER  VI.—  PAUT  IV. 
FOSSIL  MAMMALIA  OF  THE  TERTIAEY  FORMATIONS. 


.1  —  Wall-cases  12,   14.  —  This  extinct  mammalian  was 
first  known  by  some  large  molar  teeth,  described  by  Baron  Cuvier 

as  belonging  to  a  gigantic 
animal  related  to  the  Tapir, 
and  which  he  designated 
"  Tapir  gigantesque."  Sub- 
sequently, the  entire  skull 
and  lower  jaws  were  disco- 
vered in  Miocene  sand,  near 
Epplesheim,  by  M.  Klipstein, 
and  described  by  M.  Kaup. 
The  model  in  the  Museum  is 
from  this  celebrated  speci- 
men; the  original  is  now,  I 
believe,  in  the  Jardin  des 
Plantes,  having  been  pur- 
chased by  the  French  Govern- 
ment. 

The  skull  is  characterised 
by  a  very  flat  occiput,  large 
nasal  apertures  opening  above, 
large  suborbital  fossae,  which, 
together  with  the  form  of  the 
nose,  indicate  the  existence  of 
a  short  trunk,  or  proboscis. 
The  lower  jaw  has  in  front  two  enormous  tusks  directed  downwards, 
and  gently  curved  inwards  ;  the  molar  teeth  (£)  resemble  those  of  the 
Tapirs  and  Lamantins.  The  annexed  figure  will  enable  the  reader  to 
identify  the  specimen,  and  distinguish  the  most  essential  characters. 

1  The  enormous  size  of  the  skull,  and  the  powerful  tusks,  suggested 
the  name  Dinotherium.  —  "  Medals  of  Creation,"  p.  832. 


LIGN.  109. — CRANIUM  AND  JAWS  OF  DINO- 

IHERIUM  GIGAKTEUM,  FROM  EPPLESHEIM. 

(^snat-  size-) 


ROOM    VI.        DINOTHERIUM CUVIERIAN   PACHYDERMS. 


475 


M.  Kaup  considers  the  Dinotherium  to  have  belonged  to  an  extinct 
genus  of  pachyderms,  the  form  and  structure  of  the  molar  teeth  indi- 
cating an  approach  to  the  Mastodons  and  Tapirs ;  but  M.  Blainville  and 
M.  Pictet  regard  it  as  an  herbivorous  cetacean,  which  inhabited  the 
embouchures  of  great  rivers  ;  and  they  suppose  that  the  large  tusks  of 
the  lower  jaw  served  for  uprooting  the  marsh  and  aquatic  plants  which 
constituted  its  food.  As  the  cranium  and  jaws  are  the  only  known  parts 
of  the  skeleton,  these  physiological  inferences  are  based  on  their  form 
and  structure ;  but  until  bones  of  the  extremities  are  discovered,  no 
positive  conclusion  can  be  obtained.  The  restored  figure  of  the  Dino- 
therium, as  a  terrestrial  pachyderm,  is  given  in  (see  "Wonders  of 
Geology,  p.  174)  most  works  on  palaeontology.  M.  Pictet,  in  his  valuable 
treatise  on  Palaeontology,  has  introduced  an  outline  of  the  animal  as  an 
aquatic  herbivore,  resembling  the  Lamantin.  If  the  femur  in  Window- 
recess,  ante,  p.  467,  really  belonged  to  the  Dinotherium,  the  terrestrial 
habits  of  the  original  would  be  satisfactorily  established  ;  but  at  present 
the  reference  of  that  bone  to  the  Dinotherium  is  only  hypothetical. 

CuviEKLiN  PACHYDERMS. —  Wall-case  F. — In  this  cabinet  are  deposited 
specimens  and  models  of  bones  and  teeth  of  extinct  pachyderms,  belong- 
ing to  a  group  of  genera  differing  from  all  living  forms,  and  which  con- 
stituted the  most  striking  feature  of  the  mammalian  fauna  of  the  ancient 
tertiary  epochs  in  Europe.  They  are  most  nearly  allied  to  the  Tapirs, 
which  are  natives  of  warm  climates,  one  species  inhabiting  India,  and 
two  America.  In  the  tertiary  ages  Tapirs  and  these  allied  forms  existed 
in  those  regions  of  the  globe,  and  in  Europe  :  their  fossil  remains  occur 
in  the  caves  of  Brazil,  in  the  sandstone  conglomerate  on  the  banks  of 
the  Irawadi  in  the  Burmese  empire,  and  in  the  Sewalik  Hills ;  in  the 
sands  of  Epplesheim,  and  in  the  tertiary  deposits  of  Auvergne. 

The  extinct  genus  nearest  allied  to  the  living  Tapirs,  is  the  Lophio- 
don,  which  has  six  incisor  teeth  in  each  jaw,  and  the  molars  with  trans- 
verse ridges  :  one  species  found  at  Argenton,  was  as  large  as  a  rhinoceros ; 
but  the  two  most  abundant  and  best  known  genera  are  those  designated 
by  Baron  Cuvier,  PalcBotJierium,  and  Anoplotherium,  from  the  gypsum 
quarries  of  Montmartre. 

PALJEOTHEBIUM.  —  The 
animals  of  this  genus  re- 
sembled the  Tapirs  in 
the  form  of  the  head, 
and  in  having  a  short 
proboscis,  but  their  molar 
teeth  were  more  like  those 
of  the  rhinoceros:  their 
fore  -  feet  had  but  three 
toes,  instead  of  four  as  in 
the  Tapirs.  They  had  for- 
ty-four teeth ;  two  pointed 
canines,  longer  than  the 
incisors,  in  each  jaw.  The 
form  and  arrangement  of  the  teeth  are  shown  in  Lign.  110.  There  are 
eleven  known  species ;  the  largest,  Palceotherium  magnum,  was  of  the 
size  of  a  horse  five  feet  high,  with  a  massive  head,  and  proboscis,  and 


LiGH.llO. — JAWS  AND  TEETH  OF  PAL^OTHERIUM 
MAGNUM,     (inat.fize.) 


476 


PETRIFACTION'S    AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.    VI. 


short  extremities.1  P,  medium  was  %  smaller  than  the  American  Tapir, 
and  had  longer  and  slighter  legs  and  feet.  P.  minus  was  an  elegant 
creature,  as  large  as  the  Roebuck,  with  light  and  slender  limbs.2 

ANOPLOTHERIUM. — This  genus  is  remarkable  from  its  forming  a  con- 
necting link  between  the  ruminants  and  the  pachyderms,  having  the 
cloven  foot  of  the  former,  with  canine  teeth  and  other  osteological  cha- 
racters of  the  latter;  Baron  Cuvier  states  that  it  combines  affinities 

with  the  Rhinoceros, 
Horse,  Hippopotamus, 
Hog,  and  Camel.  The 
Anoplotherium  has  for- 
ty-four teeth  disposed  in 
a  continuous  uninter- 
rupted series  (see  Lign. 
Ill) ;  a  dental  character 
only  known  in  Man  and 
the  Quadrumana ;  viz. 
f  incisors ;  ±±  canines, 
LIGN.  111.— JAWS  AND  TEETH  OF  THE  ANOPLO-  which  are  not  larger 
THERIUM  COMMUNE.  (£  not.  size.)  than  the  incisors,  and 

resemble  them  in  form ; 

and  ff  molars,  the  anterior  of  which  are  compressed,  and  the  upper  pos- 
terior square,  while  those  of  the  lower  jaw  have  two  crescents.  The  feet 
have  but  two  developed  toes,  as  in  the  ruminants ;  but  there  are  species 
with  small  accessory  toes,  as  in  some  of  the  animals  of  that  order  ;  but 
the  metatarsal  and  metacarpal  bones  do  not  coalesce  and  form  canon- 
bones,  as  in  the  other  pachyderms,  but  always  remain  distinct.  The 
Anoplotheria  had  a  long  and  thick  tail  resembling  that  of  the  Otter, 
and  it  is  supposed  they  were  of  aquatic  habits,  like  the  Hippopotamus. 
Seven  or  eight  species  have  been  discovered. 

The  collection  contains  specimens  of  other  Eocene  mammalia  of  the 
genera  Dichobune,  Anthracotherium,  &c.3 


CHAPTER  VI.— PART  V. 

FOSSIL  EDENTATA  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA :  THE 
MEGATHERIUM. 

WE  now  arrive  at  the  examination  of  the  colossal  skeleton  which 
arrested  our  attention  on  entering  this  room— the  Megatherium  ;  an 
animal  of  an  extinct  family  of  Edentata,  an  Order  of  Mammalia,  so 
named  from  the  absence  of  incisor  teeth,  and  of  which  the  diminutive 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  255,  fig.  2. 

2  Ibid,  p,  255,  fig.  4. 

3  See  "  Recherches  sur  les  Ossemens  Fossiles,"  for  the  history  and 
anatomical  characters  of  these  extinct  genera. 


ROOM   VI.  MEGATHERIUM.  477 

Sloths,  Ant-eaters,  and  Armadillos,  are  existing  examples;  yet  the 
largest  of  these  does  not  exceed  a  dog  in  bulk,  and  is  scarcely  so  high, 
while  the  fossil  types  surpass  the  rhinoceros  in  magnitude.  The  Eden- 
tata link  together  the  Ungviculata  and  the  Ungulata,  for  their  toes  are 
generally  encased  in  thick  skin,  or  scales,  and  terminate  in  strong, 
arched,  solid  claws.  The  extinct  forms  approach  nearer  the  pachyderms 
than  any  existing  genus  of  the  Order,  and  they  present  transitional 
characters  connecting  the  very  dissimilar  tribes  of  the  Ant-eaters  and 
the  Sloths.  The  living  Edentata  are  inhabitants  of  hot  climates,  and 
are  abundant  in  South  America  ;  and  there  are  a  few  species  in  Africa 
and  Asia.  The  fossil  species  are  for  the  most  part  from  South  America, 
but  remains  of  Edentata  have  been  discovered  in  the  tertiary  deposits  of 
Central  France  and  Germany,  proving,  that  in  the  Eocene  period  ani- 
mals of  this  order  were  inhabitants  of  Europe. 

The  bones  of  the  extinct  colossal  Edentata  are  chiefly  found  in  the 
alluvial  loam  and  sand  which  compose  the  subsoil  of  the  Pampas  of 
South  America ;  those  vast  plains  which,  for  900  miles,  present  a 
waving  sea  of  grass.  The  deposits  of  the  Pampas  have  evidently  been 
formed  in  a  bay  or  arm  of  the  sea,  into  which  floated  the  carcasses  of  the 
animals  which  then  inhabited  the  neighbouring  dry  land. 

Our  distinguished  traveller,  Mr.  Darwin,  in  relating  the  discovery  of 
the  Scelidotherium  (pp.  77  and  480),  states,  "that  the  beds  containing  the 
fossil  skeletons  consist  of  stratified  gravel  and  reddish  mud,  and  stand 
only  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  high  water ;  a  proof 
that  the  elevation  of  the  land  has  been  inconsiderable  since  the  great 
quadrupeds  wandered  over  the  surrounding  plains,  and  that  the  external 
features  of  the  country  were  then  very  nearly  the  same  as  now.  The 
number  of  the  remains  of  these  quadrupeds  imbedded  in  the  vast 
estuary  deposits  which  form  the  Pampas  and  cover  the  granitic  rocks 
of  Banda  Oriental,  must  be  extraordinarily  great.  I  believe,  a  straight 
line  drawn  in  any  direction  through  the  country  would  cut  through 
some  skeleton  or  bones.  As  far  as  I  am  aware,  not  one  of  these  animals 
perished,  as  was  formerly  supposed,  in  the  marshes  or  muddy  river-beds 
of  the  present  land,  but  their  bones  have  been  exposed  by  the  streams 
intersecting  the  subaqueous  deposit  in  which  they  were  originally  im- 
bedded. We  may  conclude  that  the  whole  area  of  the  Pampas  is  one 
wide  sepulchre  of  these  extinct  gigantic  quadrupeds." 1 

THE  MEGATHERIUM. — This  stupendous  extinct  animal  of  the  Sloth 
tribe  was  first  made  known  to  European  naturalists  by  a  skeleton, 
almost  entire,  dug  up  in  1789,  on  the  banks  of  a  river  in  South 
America,  named  the  Luxan,  about  three-miles  south-east  of  Buenos 
Ayres  ;  the  specimen  was  sent  to  Madrid,  and  fixed  up  in  the  Museum, 
in  the  form  represented  in  numerous  works  on  natural  history.  A 
second  skeleton  was  exhumed  at  Lima,  in  1795 ;  and  of  late  years  Sir 
Woodbine  Parish,  Mr.  Darwin,  and  other  naturalists,  have  sent  bones 
of  the  Megatherium,  and  other  allied  genera,  to  England. 

The  model  of  the  Megatherium,  Lign.  112,  has  been  constructed 
with  great  care  from  the  original  bones,  in  the  Wall-cases  9,  10,  and  in 
the  Hunterian  Museum.  The  attitude  given  to  the  skeleton,  with  the 

1  "  Journal  of  a  Naturalist,"  by  Charles  Darwin,  Esq.  F.K.S.  &c. 


478 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.    VI. 


S3     | 

0         * 


ROOM    VI. 


MEGATHERIUM. 


479 


right  arm  clasping  a  tree,  is  of  course  hypothetical ;  and  the  position  of  the 
hinder  toes  and  feet  does  not  appear  to  be  natural ;  altogether,  however, 
the  construction  is  highly  satisfactory,  and  a  better  idea  of  the  colossal 
proportions  of  the  original  is  conveyed  by  this  model,  than  could  other- 
wise have  been  obtained.  The  skull  of  this  creature  is  short  and  trun- 
cated, and  the  zygomatic  bone  sends  off  a  large  descending  apophysis 
which  is  a  remarkable  peculiarity.  The  molar  teeth,  of  which  there  are  five 
on  each  side  the  upper  jaw,  and  four  in  the  lower,  are  hollow  prismatic 
cylinders,  straight,  and  from  seven  to  nine  inches  long,  and  implanted 
the  greater  part  of  their  length  in  deep  sockets ;  there  are  no  other 
teeth,  and  the  crowns  of  the  molars  are  so  constructed  as  always  to 
present  two  cutting,  cuneiform,  salient  angles,  in  consequence  of  the 
mutual  adaptation  of  the  corresponding  surfaces  of  the  upper  and  lower 
series.  The  feet  are  nearly  equal ;  the  entire  fore-foot  is  about  a  yard 
in  length.  The  outer  toes  are  destitute  of  nails,  the  others  have  unequal 
phalanges,  the  median  being  the  longest  and  largest.  The  pelvis  is  of 
enormous  dimensions,  and  very  solid ;  the  iliac  bones  are  at  right  angles 
with  the  spine,  and  extremely  rugous ;  their  margins  form  two  projecting 
branches,  measuring  4J  feet  across,  a  dimension  exceeding  that  of  the 
same  parts  in  any  living  terrestrial  mammalian. 

The  most  remarkable  character  of  this  portion  of  the  skeleton  is  that 
the  cotyloid  cavity  is  directed  entirely  downwards,  so  that  the  femur 
supports  the  body  without  any  obliquity ;  a  structure  that  must  have 
contributed  to  the  solidity  and  strength  of  the  hinder  part  of  the  body. 
The  femur  is  three  times  as  thick  as  that  of  the  largest  Elephant,  and 
its  length  scarcely  twice  that  of  the  breadth.  The  tail  is  very  thick  and 
strong;  there  is  a  fine  series  of  caudal  vertebrae  in  Upright-Case  4. 


LIGX.  113. — RESTORED  OUTLINE  OF  THE  MEGATHERIUM  GIGANTEUH. 
(The  original  12  feet  in  length.) 


From  the  osteological  characters  thus  cursorily  noticed,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  Megatherium  was  a  bulky  and  powerful  creature,  presenting  in 
its  general  form  the  outline  given  in  Lign.  113.  The  structure  of  the 
teeth  is  analogous  to  that  of  the  Sloths,  and  indicates  the  food  of  the 


480  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR   TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  VT. 

original  to  have  consisted  of  plants  and  leaves  or  the  young  branches 
of  trees.  My  friend  Sir  Woodbine  Parish,  whose  long  residence  in 
South  America  enabled  his  active  and  sagacious  mind  thoroughly  to 
investigate  the  phenomena  connected  with  the  ancient  fauna  of  that 
country,  has  solved  the  problem  as  to  the  source  whence  the  Mega- 
theria  and  allied  herbivorous  animals  could  have  derived  support,  by 
pointing  out  the  Agave  or  American  Aloe,  as  yielding  an  ample  supply 
of  food,  and  of  a  kind,  for  the  comminution  of  which  the  teeth  of  the 
colossal  edentata  appear  to  have  been  specially  adapted. 

MYLODON. — Of  this  genus,  which  is  closely  allied  to  the  Megatherium, 
there  are  bones,  teeth,  and  jaws  from  South  America,  inEoom  II.,  ante, 
p.  77.1 

With  the  huge  animals  above  described,  were  associated  those  not 
less  gigantic  in  relation  to  their  modern  prototypes,  the  Glyptodon, 
(ante,  p.  359,)  and  the  Chlamydotherium,  which  were  covered  by  a  tesse- 
lated  osseous  cuirass,  like  the  existing  Armadillos  of  the  present  day. 

SCELIDOTHERIUM.  —  The  animals  of  this  genus  are  allied  to  the 
Megatherium.  Mr.  Darwin  obtained  an  almost  entire  skeleton  of  the 
S.  leptocephalum  ;  the  original  must  have  been  as  large  as  a  Rhinoceros. 
Four  species  have  been  discovered ;  there  are  some  fine  bones  of  two  or 
three  species  from  the  caves  of  Brazil,  in  Wall-case  C. 


Such  were  the  gigantic  mammalia  that  inhabited  the  dry  land  of 
South  America  at  a  comparatively  recent  period ;  and  it  is  worthy  of 
especial  consideration,  that  though  these  types  have  been  long  extinct, 
Sloths,  Ant-eaters,  and  Armadillos,  are  still  the  characteristic  mammalia 
of  that  country,  and  these  diminutive  forms  are  the  only  living  repre- 
sentatives of  the  colossal  Edentata  of  the  ancient  world. 


CHAPTER  VI.— PART  VI. 
FOSSIL  MAMMALIA  OF  THE  CAVERNS. 

OSSIFEROUS  CAVES  OF  THE  BRAZILS. —  Wall-case  C.— The  fossil  remains 
in  this  cabinet  were  obtained  by  Dr.  Lund  and  M.  Claussen,  from  cer- 
tain limestone  caverns  in  the  Brazils,  which,  like  those  of  Europe, 
abound  in  bones  of  mammalia,  imbedded  in  a  reddish  coloured  loam, 
and  more  or  less  incrusted  with  stalagmite.  The  animals  belong 
for  the  most  part  to  genera  still  inhabiting  the  American  Conti- 
nent, intermingled  with  the  extinct  types  of  some  of  the  Edentata, 

1  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  168.  A  splendid  skeleton  of  this 
animal  is  preserved  in  the  Hunterian  Museum,  and  is  described  and  illus- 
trated in  a  "  Memoir  on  the  Mylodon  robustus,  by  Professor  Owen ;" 
published  by  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons. 


ROOM  VI.  OSSIPEROUS   CAVES   OP   THE   BRAZILS.  481 

of  which  we  have  already  spoken ;  as,  for  example,  the  Scelidothe- 
rium,  Glyptodon,  Clamydotherium,  &c. ;  of  these  there  are  many  per- 
fect bones,  and  portions  of  the  dermal  cuirass  of  the  two  latter.  In 
this  collection  there  are  several  bones  of  a  very  large  species  of  that 
extraordinary  carnivore  described  in  a  former  section,  (ante,  p.  400,)  the 
Machairodus,  and  of  existing  genera  of  mammalia,  including  Monkeys, 
Opossums,  &c. ;  there  are  also  shells  of  the  large  bulimus,  a  common 
terrestrial  mollusk  of  South  America. 

There  are  likewise  remains  of  a  species  of  Hyena  and  Horse ;  the 
former  genus,  which  abounded  in  Europe  during  the  newer  tertiary  and 
drift  period,  is  now  only  known  to  exist  in  Asia  and  Africa ;  and  the 
latter  was  extinct  in  South  America  when  the  Spaniards  invaded  that 
country,  though  numerous  relics  occur  of  a  species  of  Equus,  that  was 
contemporary  with  the  colossal  Edentata,  whose  skeletons  are  imbedded 
in  the  Pampas.  Thus  the  ancient  Brazilian  fauna  differs  as  essen- 
tially from  the  modern  one,  as  that  of  the  Cave  period  of  Europe 
from  the  existing  assemblage  of  terrestrial  mammalia. 

An  interesting  fact  relating  to  the  Brazilian  caves  is  worthy  of  record. 
M.  Claussen,  in  the  course  of  his  researches,  discovered  a  cavern,  the 
stalagmitic  floor  of  which  was  entire.  On  penetrating  the  sparry 
crust  he  found  the  usual  ossiferous  bed,  but  pressing  engagements 
compelled  him  to  leave  the  deposit  unexplored.  After  an  interval 
of  some  years  M.  Claussen  again  visited  the  cavern,  and  found  the 
excavation  he  had  made  completely  filled  up  with  stalagmite,  the  floor 
being  as  entire  as  on  his  first  entrance.  On  breaking  through  this 
newly  formed  incrustation,  it  was  found  to  be  distinctly  marked  with 
lines  of  dark-coloured  sediment,  alternating  with  the  crystalline  stalac- 
tite. Reasoning  on  the  probable  cause  of  this  appearance,  M.  Claussen 
sagaciously  concluded  that  it  arose  from  the  alternation  of  the  wet  and 
dry  seasons.  During  the  drought  of  summer,  the  sand  and  dust  of  the 
parched  land  were  wafted  into  the  caves  and  fissures,  and  this  earthy 
layer  was  covered  during  the  rainy  season  by  stalagmite,  from  the  water 
that  percolated  through  the  limestone,  and  deposited  calc-spar  on  the 
floor.  The  number  of  alternate  layers  of  spar  and  sediment  tallied 
with  the  years  that  had  elapsed  since  his  first  visit;  and  on  breaking 
up  the  ancient  bed  of  stalagmite,  he  found  the  same  natural  register  of 
the  annual  variation  of  the  seasons;  every  layer  dug  through  presented 
a  uniform  alternation  of  sediment  and  spar :  and  as  the  botanist 
ascertains  the  age  of  an  ancient  dicotyledonous  tree  from  the  annual 
circles  of  growth,  in  like  manner  the  geologist  attempted  to  calculate 
the  period  that  had  elapsed  since  the  commencement  of  these  ossiferous 
deposits  of  the  cave  ;  and  although  the  inference,  from  want  of  time  and 
means  to  conduct  the  inquiry  with  precision,  can  only  be  accepted  as 
a  rough  calculation,  yet  it  is  interesting  to  learn,  that  the  time  indicated 
by  this  natural  chronometer,  since  the  extinct  mammalian  forms  were 
interred,  amounted  to  many  thousand  years.1 

As  in  the  bone-caves  of  England,  France,  and  Germany,  relics  of 
human  skeletons  have  been  found  in  the  upper  layers  of  the  detritus 


1  Communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Waterhouse. 
I  I 


482  PETRIFACTIONS   AND    THEIR    TEACHINGS.          CHAP.  VI. 

forming  the  floor  of  the  Brazilian  caves.  Dr.  Lund,  from  the  condition 
and  situation  of  these  remains,  concluded  that  they  belonged  to  an 
ancient  tribe  that  was  coeval  with  some  of  the  extinct  mammalia.  Por- 
tions of  human  crania  from  these  caverns  are  placed  with  the  Guada- 
loupe  skeleton  in  Wall-case  D. 

OSSIFEROUS  CAVES  OP  TORQUAY  AND  KIRKDALE. —  Wall-case  E. — The 
contents  of  this  Case  consist  of  mammalian  remains  from  the  caves  of 
Kirkdale  in  Yorkshire,  Kent's  Hole,  near  Torquay  in  Devonshire,  and 
of  Gailenreuth  in  Franconia.  The  nature  of  such  accumulations  has 
already  been  so  fully  discussed  (ante,  p.  396),  that  a  brief  notice  will 
suffice.  The  fossils  belong  for  the  most  part  to  extinct  species  and 
genera  of  carnivora.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  cabinet  there  are  many 
fine  teeth  and  jaws  of  the  usual  cave  Hyenas  and  Bears ;  and  teeth  of 
the  large  tiger-like  animal,  the  Machairodus  latidens,  described  in 
a  former  chapter  (ante,  p.  400).  There  are  likewise  jaws  and  teeth  of 
Foxes,  Weasels,  Rats,  Mice,  &c.,  from  Kirkdale  Cave  ;  and  of  a  species 
of  Badger,  Otter,  Polecat,  and  Stoat,  from  Kent's  Hole,  Torquay ;  the 
latter  are  part  of  the  collection  of  the  late  Rev.  J.  Mac  Enery. 

The  cave  at  Torquay  is  an  extensive  chasm  in  the  limestone  strata, 
extending  600  feet  in  length,  with  many  lateral  fissures.  The  lower 
part  of  the  cave  is  filled  up  to  a  thickness  of  twenty  feet  with  reddish 
sandy  loam,  full  of  fossil  bones  of  carnivorous  animals.1  This  is  covered 
by  a  layer  of  stalagmite,  a  few  feet  thick,  which  forms  the  floor  of  the 
cavern.  Upon  this  is  a  slight  covering  of  earthy  matter,  in  which  have 
been  found  patches  of  charcoal,  a  few  human  bones,  and  fragments  of 
coarse  ancient  pottery.  Upon  breaking  through  the  sparry  floor  the 
ossiferous  deposit  is  exposed;  and  imbedded  with  the  fossil  bones 
several  flint-knives,  stone  arrow  and  spear-heads,  were  discovered. 
These  instruments  are  of  the  same  kind  as  those  found  in  the  early 
British  tumuli  on  the  adjacent  hills,  and  unquestionably  belong  to  the 
same  period. 

These  facts  have  given  rise  to  much  curious  speculation  as  to  the  con- 
temporaneity of  these  remains  of  man  and  human  art,  with  the  extinct 
species  of  animals  whose  bones  are  entombed  in  the  cave.  Kent's 
Hole,  Banwell  Cave,  and  all  the  ossiferous  fissures  and  caverns  I  have 
examined,  appear  to  me  to  have  been  mere  rents  in  limestone  rocks, 
which  were  filled  with  drift  while  submerged  in  shallow  water ;  and 
into  which  the  mutilated  carcasses  of  land  animals  may  have  been  car- 
ried by  subaqueous  currents.  As  the  bones,  though  broken,  are  rarely 
waterworn,  and  the  fragments  even  retain  their  sharp  edges,  they  must 
have  been  more  or  less  protected  by  the  muscles  and  skin ;  and  the 
extreme  freshness  of  the  surface  of  many  of  the  specimens  supports  this 
opinion.  Upon  the  elevation  of  the  land,  these  caves  were  raised  above 
the  water,  and  gradually  drained,  during  which  the  formation  of  stalag- 
mite commenced  from  the  percolation  of  solutions  of  calcite  through 
the  superincumbent  beds  of  limestone.  As  soon  as  Kent's  Cave  was 
accessible  from  the  land,  and  before  the  formation  of  the  stalagmitic 

1  See  Dr.  Buckland's  "  Reliquiae  Diluvianae,"  for  details ;  and  "  Won- 
ders of  Geology,"  6th.  Edit.  p.  181,  for  a  concise  view  of  the  phenomena. 


ROOM  VI.  FOSSIL   HUMAN   SKELETON.  483 

floor,  some  of  the  wandering  tribes  of  the  early  Britons  may  have  prowled 
into  the  recess,  or  occasionally  sought  shelter  there ;  and  stone  imple- 
ments, bones,  or  any  hard  substances  left  on  the  ground,  would  soon 
sink  a  few  feet  into  the  soft  ossiferous  mud,  and  become  hermetically 
sealed  up,  as  it  were,  by  the  stalagmitic  deposit. 


From  the  phenomena  thus  rapidly  surveyed,  we  learn  that  the  hills, 
plains,  and  forests,  of  Europe,  were  once  inhabited  by  unknown  species 
of  herbivora,  and  carnivora,  belonging  to  genera,  some  of  which  are 
annihilated,  and  others  are  almost  entirely  restricted  to  southern 
climates ;  that  some  of  the  caves  were  tenanted  by  successive  genera- 
tions of  Bears,  Hyenas,  Wolves,  &c. ;  and  that  all  these  races  have 
become  extinct,  except  the  few  allied  species  which  still  inhabit  the 
European  Continent,  and  Islands.  In  England,  the  only  living  repre- 
sentatives of  the  three  families  of  carnivora  which  swarmed  in  these 
latitudes  during  the  Mammoth  period,  are  the  FOJC,  of  the  dog  tribe, 
the  Wild-cat,  of  the  feline  order,  and  the  Badger,  of  the  bear  family. 


CHAPTER  VL  — PART  VII. 
FOSSIL  HUMAN  SKELETON. 

Wall- case  D. — About  forty  years  since,  great  interest  was  excited  by 
the  discovery  of  several  human  skeletons,  male  and  female,  imbedded  in 
limestone  on  the  north-east  coast  of  the  Isle  of  Guadaloupe ;  and  the 
specimen  now  before  us,  found  on  board  a  French  vessel  captured  by  one 
of  our  cruisers,  and  presented  to  the  British  Museum  by  Admiral  Sir 
T.  Cochrane,  afforded  English  naturalists  an  opportunity  of  investi- 
gating the  nature  and  age  of  these  first  known  examples  of  the  bones 
of  Man  in  a  fossil  state.  An  excellent  memoir  by  the  eminent  minera- 
logist and  geologist  Mr.  Konig,  was  published  in  the  "Philosophical 
Transactions"  for  1814,  in  which  the  nature  of  these  petrifactions  was 
fully  elucidated. 

In  this  specimen  the  skull  is  wanting,  but  the  spinal  column,  many 
of  the  ribs,  the  bones  of  the  left  arm  and  hand,  of  the  pelvis,  and 
of  the  thighs  and  legs,  though  somewhat  mutilated,  are  distinctly 
seen.  The  bones  still  contain  some  animal  matter,  and  the  whole  of 
their  phosphate  of  lime.1  An  entire  skeleton  was  dug  up  in  the  usual 
position  of  burial  adopted  by  the  Peruvians,  and  is  now  in  the  Jardin 
des  Plantes.2 

1  The  skull  of  this  very  skeleton  is  said  to  be  in  a  museum  in  South 
Carolina,  having  been  purchased  of  a  French  naturalist,  who  brought 
it  from  Guadaloupe. 

2  See  "  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  87. 


484 


PETKIFACTIONS   AND   THEIR    TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  VI. 


These  fossil  human  skeletons  were  extracted  from  the  sloping  bank 
of  limestone  that  extends  from  the  base  of  the  high  cliffs  of  the  island 
to  the  sea-shore,  and  is  almost  wholly  submerged  at  high  tides,  as  shown 
in  the  annexed  diagram  (Lign.  115).  This  limestone  is  composed  of 
consolidated  sand,  and  the  detritus  of  shells  and  corals  of  species 
that  inhabit  the  neighbouring  sea.  Land-shells,  fragments  of  pottery, 
stone  arrow-heads,  carved  wooden  ornaments,  and  detached  human 
bones,  are  occasionally  found  imbedded  in  it.  A  polished  slab  of 
this  limestone  forms  the  top  of  the  table  in  front  of  Wall-case  D,  This 

rock  is  a  modern  concretionary  lime- 
stone, consisting  of  the  detritus  of 
shells  and  corals  cemented  together 
by  infiltration  of  carbonate  of  lime 
from  the  percolation  of  water ;  a  com- 
mon formation  along  the  sea-shore  of 
tropical  countries ;  as,  for  example,  in 
the  Bermudas,  where  limestone,  com- 
pact enough  for  building,  is  rapidly 
formed  by  a  similar  process.1 

The  human  skeletons  of  Guadaloupe 
are  the  relics  of  a  tribe  of  Gallibis, 
that  were  slaughtered  by  the  Caribs  in 
a  conflict  that  took  place  near  the  spot 
about  150  years  ago;  the  slain  were 
buried  in  the  sand  on  the  shore,  which 
subsequently  became  indurated  by  the 
process  above  described. 

Fossil  human  skeletons  have  also 
been  found  in  solid  calcareous  tufa 
near  the  river  Santa  in  Peru.  Bones 
belonging  to  some  scores  of  individuals 
were  discovered  in  travertine,  con- 
taining some  fragments  of  marine 
shells  which  retain  their  original 
colour ;  yet  this  bed  of  stone  is  covered 
by  a  deep  vegetable  soil,  and  forms 
the  face  of  a  hill  crowned  with  brush- 
wood and  large  trees. 

From  the  facts  thus  briefly  noticed,2 
the  reader  will  perceive  that  the  occurrence  of  remains  of  Man  with 
those  of  extinct  animals,  in  a  deposit  overlaid  by  a  thick  mass  of 
solid  rock,  must  not  be  regarded  as  affording  a  certain  proof  that  the 
human  bones  are  as  ancient  as  those  of  the  quadrupeds  with  which  they 
are  associated. 

In  Europe,  the  first  appearance  of  MAN,  as  indicated  by  the  remains 


LIGN.  114. 

FOSSIL    HUMAN    SKELETON;    FROM 
GUADALOUPE. 

( The  original  4  feet  2  inches  long,  by 
2  feet  wide.) 


"  Wonders  of  Geology,"  p.  84. 
2  For  a  fuller  consideration  of  this  problem,  I  would  beg  to  refer  the 


reader  to  my  "  DISCOURSE  ON  THE  CONNEXION  BETWEEN     RCH^oLOGr  AND 
GEOLOGY,"  previously  cited.  —  Archaeological  Journal,  January  1851. 


ROOM  VI.  FOSSIL   HUMAN   SKELETONS.  485 

of  human  skeletons  and  works  of  art,  was  immediately  after  the  great 
inundation  which  spread  the  rolled  boulders  and  detritus  of  the  Drift 
or  Diluvium  over  the  valleys  and  plains,  and  into  the  caverns  and 
fissures,  in  which  the  bones  of  the  mammalia  that  inhabited  the  land  are 
found  entombed.  What  species,  now  extinct,  were  existing  at  the 
period  of  the  first  advent  of  the  human  race  into  Europe,  it  is  scarcely 
possible  to  determine.  The  Irish  Elk,  two  or  three  species  of  Bos,  and 
probably  a  species  of  Horse,  Beaver,  and  Bear,  are  apparently  the  only 
lost  forms  which  the  facts  at  present  known  point  out  as  contemporaries 
of  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  the  British  Islands  and  the  neighbouring 
Continent.  In  the  ancient  tertiary  strata,  though  the  bones  of  many 
species  of  quadrupeds  of  existing  genera,  and  even  some  species  believed 
to  be  identical,  abound,  yet  no  vestiges  of  Man  or  of  his  works  have 
been  detected.  While,  therefore,  we  may  reasonably  expect  to  find  fossil 
human  remains  in  strata  of  higher  antiquity  than  any  in  which  they 


LIGH.  115.    PLAN  OF  THJB  CLIFF  AT  GUADA LOUPE. 

a.  Ancient  rocks. 

b.  Modem  limestone,  in  which  the  human  skeleton  was  imbedded. 

have  hitherto  been  observed,  it  does  not  seem  probable  that  traces  of 
Man's  existence  will  be  met  with  in  the  Eocene,  or  ancient  tertiary 
formations ;  for,  notwithstanding  the  occurrence  of  existing  genera  and 
species  of  mammalia,  even  of  that  race  which  approaches  nearest  to  Man 
in  its  physical  organisation, — the  quadrumana  or  Monkey- tribes,  —  there 
are  no  just  grounds  for  assuming  that  physical  evidence  will  be  obtained 
by  which  the  existence  of  Man,  and,  consequently,  of  the  present  order 
of  things,  may  be  traced  back  to  that  remote  era. 

In  reference  to  this  problem,  I  entirely  concur  in  the  opinion  ex- 
pressed by  Professor  Whewell,1 "  that  the  gradation  in  form  between  man 
and  other  animals  is  but  a  slight  and  unimportant  feature  in  con- 
templating the  great  subject  of  the  origin  of  the  human  race.  Even  if 
we  had  not  Revelation  to  guide  us,  it  would  be  most  unphilosophical  to 
attempt  to  trace  back  the  history  of  man,  without  taking  into  account  the 

1   Anniversary  Address  of  the  Geological  Society  of  London. 


486 


PETRIFACTIONS   AND  THEIR   TEACHINGS. 


CHAP.  VI. 


most  remarkable  facts  in  his  nature;  the  facts  of  civilization,  arts, 
government,  speech  ; — his  traditions — his  internal  wants — his  intel- 
lectual, moral,  and  religious  constitution.  If  we  will  attempt  a  re- 
trospect, we  must  look  at  all  these  things  as  evidence  of  the  origin 
and  end  of  man's  being  ;  and  when  we  do  thus  comprehend  in  one  view 
the  whole  of  the  argument,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  arrive  at  an  origin 
homogeneous  with  the  present  order  of  things.  On  this  subject  the 
geologist  may  therefore  be  well  content  to  close  the  volume  of  the 
earth's  physical  history,  and  open  that  divine  record  which  has  for  its 
subject  the  moral  and  religious  nature  of  Man." 


APPENDIX. 


A .  page  94.  — "  An  A  ccount  of  some  enormous  Fossil  Bones  of  an  un- 
known species  of  the  Class  Aves,  lately  discovered  in  New  Zealand  ;  "  by 
the  REV.  W.  COLENSO,  was  published  in  the  "  Tasmanian  Journal/'  1842  ; 
and  republished  in  the  "  Annals  of  Natural  History."    The  length  to 
which  the  text  has  extended,  forbids,  the  insertion  of  an  abstract  of  this 
able  commentary  on  the  nature  and  relations  of  the  Moa  and  its  kindred. 

B.  page  96. — Mr.  Walter  ManteWs  Collection  of  Fossil  Remains  of 
the  extinct  Birds  of  New  Zealand,  in  the  British  Museum,  Room  II. 
The  first  collection  sent  to  England  by  my  son,  in  1847,  consisted  of 
nearly  900  specimens ;  such  an  assemblage  of  the  fossil  bones  of  Birds 
was,  I  may  venture  to  affirm,  never  before  seen  in  Europe ;  every  palae- 
ontologist who  saw  it  expressed  astonishment  at  its  extent  and  variety, 
and  no  one  more  than  Professor  Owen,  to  whom  I  gave  the  exclusive 
privilege  of  describing  the  specimens.1     It  was  catalogued  by  my  son 
as  follows : — 

BIRDS'  BONES. — Crania  and  mandibles,  19;  vertebras,  250;  sterni,  7; 
pelves,  30 ;  femora,  37 ;  tibiae,  42 ;  fibulae,  35 ;  tarso-metatarsals,  40  ; 
phalangeals,  200 ;  unguals  or  claw-bones,  30 ;  ribs,  30 ;  egg-shells,  36 
portions. 

SEALS.— Jawa  and  teeth,  portions  of  crania,  vertebrae,  ribs,  scapulae, 
bones  of  the  extremities. 

TERRESTRIAL  MAMMALIA.— One  femur  of  a  species  of  Dog. 

C.  page  111. — Professor  Owen's  Memoirs  on  the  Dinomis,  <tc.  are 
published  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London : " 
they  consist  of  five  parts : — I.  "  Notice  of  a  Fragment  of  the  Femur  of  a 

1  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  now  before  me  from  Pro- 
fessor Owen,  dated  "  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  Christmas  Day,  1847." 
— "  I  feel  very  sensibly  the  mark  of  kindness  and  confidence  which  you 
have  given  me  in  placing  your  son's  unique  rarities  in  my  hands  for 
description ;  the  more  so  as  this  liberal  and  generous  conduct  contrasts 
with  that  of  others  from  whom  I  had  expected  better  things." 


488  APPENDIX. 

Gigantic  Bird  of  New  Zealand,"  vol.  iii.  November,  1839.  II.  "On 
Dinornis,  an  extinct  Genus  of  Struthious  Birds,"  &c.  with  15  plates, 
1844.  III.  "  On  Dinornis,  Part  II."  &c.  with  eleven  plates,  1846.  IV. 
"  On  Dinornis,  Part  III."  &c.  with  five  plates,  illustrative  of  the  crania. 
&c.  collected  by  Mr.  Walter  Mantell,  and  now  in  the  British  Museum, 
1848.  V.  "On  Dinornis,  Part  IV."  &c.  with  four  plates,  1850. 

D.  page  117.  FEET  OP  DINORNIS  ROBTJSTUS. — As  the  specimens  de- 
scribed in  the  text  are  the  only  perfect  series  of  the  bones  of  the 
feet  hitherto  found  in  juxtaposition,  the  dimensions  of  the  principal 
parts  will  interest  the  Ornithologist ;  but  I  must  refer  for  details  to  my 
Memoir  on  the  Geology  of  New  Zealand,  "  Journal  of  the  Geological 
Society  of  London,"  vol.  vi.  p.  338 ;  or  to  "  Pictorial  Atlas  of  Organic 
Remains,"  p.  10. 

Tarso-metatarsal :  length,  17  inches;  circumference  of  proximal  end, 
Hi;  of  the  distal  end,  15J. 

Toes:  length  of  the  inner  toe,  9£  inches;  middle  toe,  11 3;  outer 
toe,  9£. 

Middle  toe :  length  of  first  phalanx,  4|  inches ;  second,  2 \ ;  third, 
If;  fourth  or  ungual  bone,  3  inches. 

E.  page  229. — The  following  is  another  extract  from  the  eloquent 
Address  of  Sir  Charles  Lyell  on  that  occasion,  (Feb.  20,  1835.) — "The 
Wollaston  Medal  has  been  awarded  to  Mr.  Mantell  for  his  discoveries 
in  '  Fossil  Comparative  Anatomy,  particularly  of  the  genera  Iguanodon 
and  Hylseosaurus.'     There  are  few  of  you,  gentlemen,  I  believe,  entirely 
unacquainted  with  the  results  of  Mr.  Mantell's  investigations  in  this 
department  of  science, — few  who  have  not  either  read  of  them  in  his 
works,  or  seen  them  in  his  splendid  Museum.     That  collection,  now  at 
Brighton,  which  has  already  been  visited  by  thousands  of  persons,  is  of 
itself  a  monument  of  original  research  and  talent,  well  deserving,  even 
if  he  had  never  written  on  the  subject,  as  high  a  mark  of  distinction  as 
the  Society  has  conferred  upon  Mr.  Mantell  this  day.     It  is  an  assem- 
blage of  treasures  which  the  mere  industry  of  a  collector  could  never 
have  brought  together,  and  which  wealth  alone,  even  had  Mr.  Mantell 
possessed  it,  could  not  have  purchased.     It  required  his  zeal,  inspired 
by  genius  and  directed  by  science,  to  bring  to  light,  and,  as  it  were,  call 
into  existence,  so  many  monuments  of  the  former  state  of  the  animate 
creation.    Gentlemen,  you  will,  I  am  sure,  allow  me  to  dwell  somewhat 
at  length  on  this  topic,  as  one  which  is  to  me  of  no  ordinary  interest, 
for  it  is  now  nearly  twenty  years  since  I  first  had  the  good  fortune  to 
become  acquainted  with   Mr.  Mantell ;   before  I  had  the  honour  of 
knowing  any  one  of  the  leading  members  of  this  Society ;  before,  indeed, 
I  had  heard  of  the  existence  of  the  Society  itself.     At  that  time  the 
collection  at  Lewes  was  in  its  infancy,  yet  contained  osteological  remains 
of  that  class,  for  the  illustration  of  which  it  has  since  become  so  cele- 
brated ;  even  at  that  time  my  friend  had  indulged  sanguine  anticipa- 
tions, from  seeing  only  a  few  bones  and  teeth,  of  the  splendid  discoveries 
he  should  make  in  regard  to  these  gigantic  saurians ;  even  then  he  fore- 
saw some  of  the  results  which  have  since  been  realized.     I  had  after- 
wards many  opportunities  of  revisiting  Lewes,  more  than  once  in 


APPENDIX.  489 

company  with  Dr.  Buckland,  and  after  each  interval  found  Mr.  Mantell's 
Museum  enriched  with  new  discoveries,  some  of  his  former  theories 
and  conjectures  confirmed,  and  new  views  opening  upon  his  mind.  Mr. 
Greenough  has  pointed  out  to  you  how  strikingly  a  recent  discovery  of 
an  assemblage  of  the  bones  of  the  Iguanodon  grouped  and  imbedded  in 
one  mass  of  rock,  has  shown  the  sagacity  with  which  Mr.  Mantell  had 
put  together  the  disconnected  remains  when  first  discovered.  All  the 
bones  in  that  specimen  are  such  as  he  had  previously  considered  as 
belonging  to  the  Iguanodon,  with  no  intermixture  of  those  which  he  had 
rejected  as  probably  referable  to  other  saurians." ' 

F.  page  232. — Baron  Cuvier  on  the  Iguanodon.    For  the  reasons 
stated  in  the  text,  I  would  beg  the  palaeontologist  who  may  feel  any 
interest  on  this  subject  to  peruse  M.  Cuvier's  remarks  on  the  teeth  of 
the  Iguanodon,  in  "  Ossemens  Fossiles,"  tome  v.  pp.  351,  352.    The  only 
other  notice  of  the  Iguanodon  by  this  illustrious  philosopher,  is  in  the 
edition  of  his  " Discours  sur  les  Revolutions  de  la  Surface  du  Globe" 
published  in  1826.     "Les  sables  ferrugineux  places  en  Angleterre  au- 
dessous  de  la  craie,  contiennent  en  abondance  des  crocodiles,  des  tortues, 
des  me"galosaurus,  et  surtout  un  reptile  qui  offrait  encore  un  caractere 
tout  particulier,  celui  d'user  ces  dents  comme  nos  mammiferes  herbivores. 
C'est  &  M.  Mantell,  de  Lewes  en  Sussex,  que  Ton  doit  la  decouverte  de 
ce  dernier  animal,  ainsi  que  des  autres  grands  reptiles  de  ces  sables 
inferieurs  &  la  craie  : — il  1'a  nomme'e  Iguanodon"    In  August  1830,  I 
submitted  to  Baron  Cuvier,  then  in  London,  many  teeth  and  bones  from 
Tilgate  Forest,  and  was  confirmed  in  my  opinion  as  to  the  probable  den- 
tition, and  structure  of  the  maxillary  organs,  of  the  Iguanodon,  by  his 
unqualified  approval;  and  so  much  was  his  interest  excited,  that  he 
made  arrangements  to  visit  me  at  Lewes  the  following  week ;  but  unfor- 
tunately the  revolution  broke  out  at  Paris,  and  M.  Cuvier  was  sum- 
moned from  England  :  we  never  met  again. 

G.  page  280.— Drawings  of  Wealden  Reptiles  presented  to  Professor 
Owen.     The  Wollaston  fund,  awarded  me  with  the  medal  by  the  Geo- 
logical Society  in  1835,  amounting  to  between  201.  and  30Z.,  was  expended 
on  drawings  (by  Mr.  Dinkel,  now  of  17,  Upper  King  Street,  Bloomsbury,) 
of  the  principal  bones  of  the  Iguanodon,  Hylaeosaurus,  &c.  in  my  collec- 
tion, with  a  view  to  publication  :  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon,  the  large 
specimen  of  Hylaeosaurus,  and  figures  of  both  slabs  of  the  Goniopholis, 
(in  Eoom  III.  Case  A,)  were  of  imperial  4to  size;  the  remainder  were 
in  4to,  and  comprised  more  than  one  hundred  [figures.     In  1841,  the 
state  of  my  health  rendering  it  improbable  that  I  should  ever  be  able 
to  resume  my  scientific  researches,   I  presented  the  whole  of  these 
beautiful  drawings  to  Professor  Owen,  who  then  contemplated  a  work 
on  British  Fossil  Reptiles.   A  plate  of  reptilian  teeth  in  Professor  Owen's 
"  Odontography,"  and  the  two  lithographs  of  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon 

1  These  remarks  refer  to  the  Maidstone  Iguanodon,  then  recently 
discovered.  The  Members  of  the  "  Palceontographical  Society'"  are 
requested  to  compare  the  above  statement  with  that  given  in  the  last 
"  Monograph  on  Cretaceous  Reptiles." 


490  APPENDIX. 

in  the  " Palseontographical  Monograph"  of  the  present  year,  are  the 
only  drawings  of  that  series  hitherto  published. 

H.  page  332. — Memoirs  on  Wealden  Reptiles,  &c.  by  the  Author  in 
the  "  Philosophical  Transactions."  I.  "  Notice  on  the  Iguanodon,  a  newly 
discovered  Fossil  Reptile,"  &c.— Philos.  Trans.  1825.  II.  "Memoir  on 
the  Iguanodon,  Hylaeosaurus,"  &c.  1841.  III.  "  On  the  Maxillary  and 
Dental  Organs  of  the  Iguanodon,"  1848.  IY.  "  Observations  on  the 
Osteology  of  the  Iguanodon  and  Hylseosaurus,"  1849.  V.  "  On  the 
Pelorosaurus,"  &c.  1850.  VI.  "  On  the  Dermal  Spines  of  the  Hylseo- 
saurus," 1850.  VII.  "  On  the  Fossil  Remains  of  Turtles  from  the  Chalk 
of  the  S.E.  of  England,"  Philos.  Trans.  1841.  VIII.  "  On  the  Fossil 
Remains  of  the  soft  Parts  of  Foraminifera  in  Chalk  and  Flint."  Philos. 
Trans.  1846. 

/.  page  335. —  The  Author  s  Collection  of  Fossils  from  the  Chalk  and 
Wealden  Deposits  of  the  South-East  of  England,  &c.  "  When  the  first 
edition  of  this  work  ('  The  Wonders  of  Geology')  appeared,  my  collec- 
tion, consisting  of  upwards  of  20,000  specimens,  was  exhibited  at 
Brighton  by  the  Sussex  Scientific  Institution  as  the  Mantellian  Museum, 
with  a  view  to  its  permanent  establishment  as  the  basis  of  a  County 
Museum,  That  expectation  was,  however,  defeated ;  for  though  I  would 
willingly  have  made  any  pecuniary  sacrifice  to  accomplish  what  appeared 
to  me  so  desirable  an  object,  yet  after  the  decease  of  my  noble  and 
lamented  friends  the  late  Earl  of  Egremont,  and  the  Earl  of  Munster, 
who  ardently  and  liberally  supported  the  measure,  the  plan  was  aban- 
doned. I  therefore,  in  compliance  with  the  suggestion  of  my  scientific 
friends,  disposed  of  the  entire  collection  to  the  Trustees  of  the  British 
Museum." — Extract  from  the  Preface  to  the  Second  Edition  of  the 
"  Wonders  of  Geology."  The  sum  given  for  this  collection,  on  which 
I  had  expended  at  least  7,000?.  during  a  period  of  25  years,  was  4,000?.  ; 
the  expenses  and  risk  of  removal  from  Brighton  to  London,  were  in- 
curred by  the  Trustees. 

K.  page  367. — Mr.  Hawkins's  Collection.  The  specimens  figured  in 
the  first  edition  of  Mr.  Hawkins's  "  Memoirs  of  Ichthyosauri,"  &c.  were 
valued  by  Dr.  Buckland  and  myself,  at  the  request  of  the  Trustees  of 
the  British  Museum.  The  collection  consisted  of  several  hundred  spe- 
cimens, and  the  total  amount  paid  for  the  same  was  1,250?.  Among  the 
items  were; — The  large  Ichthyosaurus,  (ante,  p.  381),  210?.  Cranium 
with  orbital  plates,  (PI.  V.)  25?.  Ichthyosaurus,  (PI.  VII.)  100?.  Ple- 
siosaurus ;  the  matchless  specimen  in  Case  D.  (ante,  p.  340),  200?.  See 
"Notes  on  the  Prices  of  Fossils"  in  Mr.  Charlesworth's  "  London  Palae- 
ontological  Journal,"  No.  I.  p.  13. 


INDEX. 


A. 

ACROGNATHUS,  446. 

Aerolites,  17.       Afi** 
JEtobatis,  450. 
"  Age  of  Keptiles,"  147. 
Albatross,  fossil,  129. 
Algae,  25. 

Alligator  Hantoniensis,  467. 
Amber,  23. 
Amblypterus,  425. 
Ammonites,  415. 
Angmarset,  446. 
Annularia,  26. 
Anomopteris,  32. 
Anoplotherium,  464,  476. 
Apiocrinites,  78,  86. 
Apteryx,  101,  106,  129. 
Aptornis,  122. 
Artesia,  43. 
Asphodelese,  45. 
Aspidorhynchus,  431. 
Asterolepis,  435. 
Asterophyllites,  26. 
Aulolepis,  446. 
Australian  fossil  wood,  58. 
Auvergne,  geology  of,  353. 

'ia  of,  356. 


Batrachians,  183. 
Bears,  398. 
Beaver,  fossil,  357. 
Belemnites,  415,  458. 
Belemnoteuthis,  415,  458. 
Belonostomus,  431. 
Beryx,  441. 

Biconvex  vertebra,  166. 
Birds,  fossil,  79,  90. 

New  Zealand,  90. 

Bison  priscus,  389. 


Blochius,  439. 

Bones  of  reptiles,  149. 

,_ Moa,  130. 

Iguanodon,  226. 

Bos  longifrons,  392. 

primigenius,  390,  413. 

priscus,  389. 

Bothrodendron,  42. 
Brachiopoda,  466,  468. 
Bracklesham  shells,  409. 
Bradford  encrinite,  78. 
Brazilian  caves,  480,  484. 

C. 

Calamites,  28,  40. 
Calamopleurus,  443. 
Callipteryx,  443. 
Camelus,  457. 
Carboniferous  flora,  43. 
Carnivora  of  the  caves,  394. 
Caves  of  Australia,  133. 

Brazils,  464,  480. 

Gailenreuth,  394, 397, 464. 

Kirkdale,  482. 

New  Zealand,  103. 

Torquay,  482. 

Caulopteris,  32. 
Celacanths,  433. 
Cephalaspis,  422. 
Cephalopoda,  415,  457. 
Cestracions,  414,  449. 
Chalk  formation,  211. 

fishes,  441,  444. 

reptiles,  193,  198,  306. 

Chelonians,  152. 
Chelonia  Harvicensis,  153. 

breviceps,  154. 

Bellii,  155. 

Chevron  bones,  275. 
Chimseroids,  414,  448. 


492 


INDEX. 


Chirotherium,  14,  63. 
Chlamydotherium,  480. 
Choanites,  466. 
Clathraria,  45. 
Clupea,  444. 
Coal,  22. 
Coccosteus,  424. 
Cololites,  431. 
Colossochelys,  11,  77,  152. 
Conifera,  53. 
Coprolites,  375,  438. 
Corals,  408,  466. 
Corydalis,  466. 
Country  of  Iguanodon,  335. 
Crinoidea,  83. 
Crocodilians,  174,  467. 
Crocodilus  toliapicus,  176. 

Spenceri,  176. 

Hastingsise,  467.. 

Crustaceans,  466. 
Cryptobranchus,  184. 
Ctenoids,  419,  440. 
Cuvierian  pachyderms,  464,  475. 
Cycadese,  54. 
Cycloids,  419,  443. 
Cyclopoma,  443. 

D. 

Dapedius,  426. 
Dercetis,  438. 
Dermal  bones,  173,  298. 
Diamond,  24. 
Dinornis,  108. 

eggs  of,  121. 

feet  of,  116,  488. 

Dinosaurians,  244. 
Dinotherium,  467,  474. 
Dog,  fossil  femur,  130. 
Dracaena,  49. 

E. 

Echinoderms,  465. 
Edaphodon,  448. 
Edentata,  fossil,  476. 
Eggs,  fossil,  of  Auvergne,  357. 

• Madagascar,  122. 

New  Zealand,  122. 

Elephants,  463,  465,  469,  471,  474. 
Elephas  Ganesa,  465,  470. 
Elk,  Irish,  409,  445. 
Emydians,  156. 


Enaliosaurians,  339,  369. 

Enchodus,  443. 

Encrinites,  78,  87. 

Endogenites,  48.     • 

England,  South-East,  Geology  of, 

203. 

Enoplosus,  443. 
Equisetacese,  27. 
Equisetites,  28. 
Esocids,  444. 
Esox,  444. 
Eugnathus,  433. 

F. 

Fauna  of  New  Zealand,  104. 
-  the  Wealden,  218. 
Ferns,  30. 
Filicites,  30. 
Fishes,  fossil,  409,  418,  420. 

—  chimaeroids,  414,  448. 
ctenoids,  419,  440. 

—  cycloids,  419,  443. 
families  of,  416.        .,. 

—  ganoids,  419,  421. 

—  genera  of,  451. 

—  lepidoids,  424. 

—  placoids,  413,  419, 448,454. 

—  sauroids,  429. 

—  scales  of,  419. 

—  tails  of,  421. 

—  teeth  of,  420,  449. 
Fistularia,  443. 

Flora  of  the  coal,  43. 

—  New  Zealand,  104. 

the  Wealden,  218. 

Footprints,  61,  64,  69. 
Formations,  Table  of,  4. 
Fossils,  2. 
Fossil  birds,  90. 
—  ferns,  30. 

fishes,  409. 

mammalia,  352, 388,401,468. 

reptiles,  149. 

vegetables,  11,  21. 

Fox,  fossil,  186. 
Fucoides,  25,  26. 

G. 

Gailenreuth  Caves,  394,  464. 

Ganoids,  419,  421. 

Genera  of  fossil  fishes,  450. 


INDEX. 


493 


Geological  formations,  4. 

—  inferences,  386, 405, 450. 
Geology  of  Auvergne,  353. 

-  S.  Er  of  England,  203. 
Isle  of  Wight,  112. 

Maidstone,  301. 

New  Zealand,  96. 

the  Pampas,  477. 

Stonesfield,  401. 

— —  Sewalik  Hills,  468. 

Vale  of  Thames,  388. 

Wealden,  209. 

Geosaurus,  175. 

Gloria,  fishes,  443. 
Glyptodon,  tails  of,  359. 
Goniaster,  82. 
Goniopholis,  168. 
Grays,  fossil  mammalia  of,  388. 
Guadaloupe  skeletons,  464,  483. 
Gymnodons,  439. 
Gyrodus,  439. 

H. 

Halonia,  42. 
Hawkins,  Mr.,  Collection,  341,  381, 

490. 

Holoptychius,  434. 
Hom'o  diluvii  testis,  137,  184. 
Horn  of  Iguanodon,  298. 
Human  skeleton,  fossil,  464,  483. 
Humerus  of  Hylseosaurus,  322. 

Iguanodon,  285. 

Hybodus,  448. 
Hybodons,  448. 
Hylaeosaurus,  139,  314,  322. 

dermal  spines,  320. 

humerus,  322. 

scapula,  322. 

sacrum,  334. 

teeth?  326. 

—   vertebrae,  323. 

Hypsodon,  444. 

I. 

Ichthyodorulites,  413,  450. 
Ichthyolites,  409,  417,  442,  446. 
Ichthyosaurus,  366,  371,  376. 
communis,  378. 

-  intermedius,  377. 

latifrons,  385. 

lonchiodon,  384. 

-  longipennis,  378. 


Ichthyosaurus,  longirostris,  385. 
—  paddles  of,  374. 

platyodon,  380. 

tenuirostris,  376. 

Iguana,  232. 

Iguanodon,  224,  228,  307. 

bones  of,  228,  235. 

coracoid,  282. 

Country  of,  335. 

—  'clavicle,  279. 

dermal  spines,  298. 

extremities,  291. 

femur,  292. 

fibula,  293. 

—  habits  of,  307,  312. 

—  humerus  of,  286. 

—  iliac  bones,  271. 

1  jaws,  241,  249. 

: — -  magnitude  of,  299. 

—  metacarpals,  288. 
•  metatarsals,  295. 

of  Maidstone,  302,  306. 

—  pectoral  arch,  279. 

pelvis,  270. 

phalangeals,  296. 

pubis,  271. 

: sacrum,  268. 

scapula,  282. 

tibia,  293. 

unguals,  297. 

vertebrae,  256. 

Incrustations,  2. 
Insects,  fossil,  466. 
Irish  Elk,  409,  455. 
Iron,  meteoric,  17. 

native,  15. 

Isle  of  Portland,  56. 

Sheppey,  fruits  of,  50. 

Wight,  112. 

J. 

Jaw  bones  of  Iguanodon,  241. 

upper,  of  Iguanodon,  250. 

Jet,  24. 

K. 

Kaurehe  of  New  Zealand,  105. 
Kirkdale  Cave,  482. 

L. 

Lates,  443. 
Lepidodendron,  41. 


494 


INDEX. 


Lepidoids,  424. 
Lepidosteus,  430. 
Lepidostrobus,  42. 
Lepidotus,  427. 
Leptolepis,  430. 
Leuciscus,  444. 
Lias  formation,  368. 
Lily  Encrinite,  78,  87. 
Lonchopteris,  31. 
Lophiostomus,  438. 
Lycopodiacese,  41. 

M. 

Machairodus,  363,  399,  400. 
Macrauchenia,  77. 
Macropoma,  435. 
Macrospondylus,  175. 
Maestricht,  Geology  of,  193. 
Maidstone   Iguanodon,    150,    301, 

306. 

Mallotus,  446. 
Mammalia,  455,  461. 

of  Auvergne,  356,  371, 


376. 


Sewalik  Hills,  468. 
Stonesfield,  401. 


Mammoths,  465,  473. 
Man,  fossil,  464,  483. 
Mantell,  Walter,  Researches  of,  95, 

99,  100,  126,  487. 
Mantellia,  57. 
Marsupites,  85. 
Mastodons,  463,  465,  470. 

Ohioticus,  465,  472. 

Medullosse,  49. 
Megalichthys,  432. 
Megalonyx,  76. 
Megalosaurus,  328. 
Megaphyton,  42. 
Megatherium,  465,  476. 
Menaccanite  sand,  101. 
Meteorites,  15,  17. 
Miliobates,  454. 
Minerals  in  Room     I.,  14. 

II.,  78. 

III.,  144. 

IV.,  363. 

Moa,  93,  108,  116,  121,  488. 

discovery  of,  94. 

Monte  Bolca,  442. 
Mosasaurus,  139,  193,  197. 


Mugil,  443. 
Mylodon,  480. 
Myripristis,  443. 
Mystriosaurus,  183. 

N. 

New  Zealand,  76. 

Apteryx,  106. 

birds  of,  79. 

fauna  of,  104. 

—  flora,  104. 

—  Kaurehe  of,  105. 

-  Middle  Island,  97. 

—  Moa  of,  93,  108. 

-  North  Island,  101. 

—  Notornis,  124. 
Nipatites,  50,  51. 
Notornis  fossil,  124. 

recent,  126. 

Nummulites,  408. 


(Eningen  fossils,  184. 
Onekakara,  98. 
Ornithichnites,  13,  64,  69. 
Osmeroides,  446. 
Ossiferous  caves  of  Brazil,  484. 
Gailenreuth, 


394,  397,  464. 


Kirkdale,  482. 
•New  Zealand,  103. 
Torquay,  482. 


Osteolepis,  426. 

P. 

Palapteryx,  17,  121. 

Palseoniscus,  425. 

Palseotherium,  464,  475. 

Palmacites,  51. 

Palms,  50,  52. 

Pampas,  Geology  of,  477. 

Pamphractus,  424. 

Parrot,  fossil,  128. 

Pectoral  arch  of  Iguanodon,  279. 

Pelates,  443. 

Pelorosaurus,  142,  330. 

Penguin,  fossil,  130. 

Pentacrinites,  77,  87. 

Pentremites,  89. 

Perca,  440. 


INDEX. 


495 


Petrifactions,  2. 
Petrified  forest,  56. 
Phascolotherium,  403. 
Pholidophorus,  429. 
Placoids,  413,  448,  454. 
Plan  of  Room     I.,  10. 

II.,  74. 

III.,  138. 

IV.,  360. 

V.,  410. 

VI.,  462. 

Platemys,  153,  156. 
Plesiosaurus,  143,  341. 

arcuatus,  349. 

dolichodeirus,  343. 

Hawkinsii,  347. 

macrocephalus,  350. 

-  of  the  Wealden,  351. 
—  rugosus,  351. 

Polypterus,  430. 
Polyptychodon,  200. 
Portland,  Isle  of,  56. 
Pristis,  449. 
Psarolites,  44. 
Pterichthys,  424. 
Pterodactyles,  139,  187. 

-  macronyx,139,189. 

of  the  chalk,  192. 

-  Wealden,  190. 
Ptychodus,  449. 
Ptycholepis,  433. 
Pycnodon,  439. 
Pygopterus,  430. 

Q- 

Quarry  in  Tilgate  Forest,  203. 
near  Maidstone,  304. 

R. 

Railway  Section,  213. 
Rays,  fossil,  449. 
Regnosaurus,  141,  388. 
Reptiles,  fossil,  149. 

-  teeth  of,  181. 

vertebrae,  162. 

Rhinoceros,  412,  455. 
Rhizodus,  433. 
Ripple  marks  on  stone,  61. 
Room  I.  plan  of,  10. 

synopsis,  11. 

minerals  in,  14. 


Room   II.  plan  of,  74. 

synopsis,  75. 

minerals,  78. 

III.  plan  of,  138. 

synopsis,  137. 

-  minerals,  144. 
— IV.  plan  of,  360. 

synopsis,  362. 

minerals,  363. 

-  V.  plan  of,  410. 

synopsis,  411. 

—VI.  plan  of,  462. 

synopsis,  463. 

Rudistes,  468. 
Ruminants,  388. 

S. 
Sacrum  of  Dinosaurians,  141. 

Hylaeosaurus,  141. 

Iguanodon,  268. 

-  Megalosaurus,  141. 

reptiles,  166. 

Saurichthys,  432. 
Saurodon,  444. 
Sauroids,  429. 

Scapula  of  Hylaeosaurus,  322. 

Iguanodon,  282. 

reptile  unknown,  283. 

Scelidotherium,  77,  477. 
Scheuchzer's  Homo,  184. 
Scleroderms,  438. 

Seals,  fossil,  130. 
Semionotus,  426. 
Semiophorus,  443. 
Serranus,  443. 
Sewalik  fossils,  413,  463,  468. 

Hills,  468. 

Sharks,  fossil,  448. 
Shells,  fossil,  146,  406,  408. 
Sigillaria,  35,  37,  39. 
Siluroids,  439. 
Sivatherium,  413,  456. 
Smerdis,  442. 
Solenhofen  fishes,  431. 
Sphenolepis,  444. 
Sphenopteris,  32. 
Squalidse,  414,  418. 
Staarstein,  45. 
Starfishes,  81. 
Stelleridae,  77,  81. 
Sternbergia,  43. 


496 


INDEX. 


Stigmaria,  35,  37,  39. 
Stonesfield  Mammalia,  401. 
Swanage  Crocodile,  137,  168,  173. 

-    Geology  of,  168. 
Synopsis  of  Room     I.,  11. 

II,  75. 

Ill,  137. 

IV.,  362. 

V,  411. 

VI,  463. 

T. 

Table  of  formations,  4. 
Teeth  of  Bears,  398. 

—  Elephants,  469. 
Fishes,  420. 

—  Goniopholis,  171. 

—  Hylseosaurus,  326. 

—  Iguanodon,  228,  235. 

—  Machairodus,  399. 
Mastodons,  470. 

—  Megalosaurus,  329. 
Mosasaurus,  196. 

Reptiles,  161. 


Teleosaurus,  177' 

Cadomensis,  182. 

—  Chapmanni,  180. 

—  priscus,  178. 
Terebratulse,  466. 
Tetragonolepis,  426. 
Thames  diluvium,  388. 
Tilgate  Forest,  203. 
Tinea,  444. 

Torquay  Cave,  482. 
Tretosternum,  157. 
Trilobites,  466. 
Trionyx,  157. 
Trogontherium,  357. 
Turtles,  fossil,  151. 


U. 

Ulodendron,  42. 
Ursus  cultridens,  399. 
-    priscus,  398. 

spelsous,  398. 

V. 

Vegetables,  carbonized,  22. 

—  fossil,  21. 

—  petrified,  21. 
Ventriculites,  466. 
Vertebrae,  biconcave,  166. 

biconvex,  168,  467. 

caudal,  166,  272. 

convexo-concave,  260. 

of  Hylaeosaurus,  325. 

of  Iguanodon,  256,  265, 


272. 


275. 


of  Pelorosaurus,  331. 
reptilian,  162. 
: undetermined, 


Voltzia,  54. 


structure  of,  164. 


W. 


Waikouaiti,  fossils  of,  99. 
Waingongoro,  101. 
Wealden  fishes,  427. 

—  formation,  206,  209,  218. 

—  reptiles,  314. 
--  vegetables,  31,  46. 

Websterite,  14. 

Wood,  fossil,  of  Australia,  58. 

--  Portland,  57. 


Zamia,  55. 
Zoophytes,  466. 


z. 


ERRATA. 
Page   27,  line    9  from  bottom,  for  head,  read  bud. 


93,  —  9 

115,  —  24 

129,  —  5 

187,  —  13 

288,  —  24 

—  —  23 

—  —  16 


for  1851,  read  1850. 

for  fibula,  read  fibulae. 

for  Diamodea,  read  Diomedea. 

for  more,  read  less. 

for  thighbone,  read  humerus. 

for  specimen,  read  thighbone. 

for  caudyloid,  read  condyloid. 


FINIS. 


E.  CLAY,  PRINTER,  BREAD  STREET  HILL. 


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