The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-04-11

plates, are the most common.
The Carboniferous formation is not
remarkable on account of its animals,
which are mainly the same character as
in the preceding ages; but il contains a
wonder peculiar TO itself, namely, an
enormously abundant land Vegetation,
the ruins or rubbish Of which carried INTO
seas, aud sunk to The bottom, and after
wards covered over by sand, became that
substance which we now recognise as
coal. BY cutting and polishing down
thin slices Of coal, the microscope plainly
shows lis vegetable origin. Specimens
TOO OF stems and leaves are often found
towards the edges of the slrala,where hey
have been less snbjec. TO change than in
The centre. They are nearly all of a
simple cellular structure, and such as
exist now in small forms ferns, equ'srta,
and clubmosses), but advanced to an enor-
moi magnitude. Tile species are all
long since extinct. Among them were
the Sigillara, so called from the craven
appearance of lis stem; Caldmites, from
the reed-like joints inis stalk; Stigmarid,
from stigmata, or punctures; Lepidoden-
dron, from The scAly appearance Of its bark.
"In the New Red Sandstone, the plants
and animals of the preceding period are
continued, with The addition of some sup
erior forms: but the vegetation is no lon
ger of such quantity as to form coal beds,
and the amount of animal remains is also
much diminished. Life takes however a
new start in the Ooliuc formation, and its
forms continue there TO make still
nearer approaches TO those of the pre-
sent time. Here also, still higher forms
are added--insecis are found for the first
time; likewise reptiles; but these are at
first of extraordinary form and magnitude.
In the arrangement Of the anima! King.
dom, reptiles are placed next above fishes,
that is TO say, iheY are considered as hav-
ing tie next higher or more complicated
structure. Now, the now animals of this
period which we are about to speak Of,
are as it were, between fishes and Ger
tain order ofrepiles; namely, the Sauria
or Lizards, They are huge animals, and
evidently must have been very desiructise
to the smaller creatures within their reach
The Ichthyosaurus, Of which there are
fully ten species slightly differing from
each other, had the body of.a fish, will
a long tail, having small fin below; the
head ola crocodile exhibiting long jaws
armed with strong teeth, and a-.plir oI
eyes as large as a eood-sized cannon ball;
the animal had also paddles, externally
like those Of tortoise, but in.lke struc'
ture, for propelIng itself through the
water, which formed its proper element
The Plesi' sanrus was nearer approach
TO the reptile form. The tail is shortened
and upon sihiiar body is fitted long
neck with a small head, the latter parts
being an approach to the serpent form
Being, although of marine habits
essentially reptiles, these animals breath
ed tie atmosphere; yet, for the same
r ason,we know I at their respiration was
imperfect, and that they might be fo
r the most part under water, and only come
occasionally to the surface TO breathe
II is supposed that they lived in The shal
low waters near shores, preying upon the
smaller fish and reptiles, Some curiou
particulars respecting these creature;
have been obtained in an extraordnar.
way; namely. by the discovery Of frag
ments and haifdigested remains of thei
| food, found in the situation once occupie
by the stomach and bowels Of som
specimens; the animal in these instance
having died before lis last meal wa
3 digested, Nor is this all for The pellet
elected from the intestines Of the ichthy
osaurus (coprolites) have been found j
vast quantities, and in these are fish scale
and fragments of the bones of reptiles
From the way in which the former remain
occur, and form, of the pellets (beini
spirally twisted), it is inferred that TIN
, large body Of the ichthyosaur was almos
entirely occupied by The stomach, leavin
only lite room for can elongated in
tesiinal canal, consisting Of a flatlene
tube reduced to the smallest possibl
dimensions by being wound round in
spiral, like cork-screw." II is believe
, that these creatures were covered with
soft skin, like that Of the whale trib'
\ We possess the remains of plesiosaur Q
, seventeen, and of an ichthyosaur Of thirt
Z feet in length. Animals SO huge and :
! voracious, mus. have been the tyrants
. the seas OF their time; ;but the icbthyosu
q seems to. have been the supreme monstt
e of the age, fragmeuts of pleiosaur bone
!, are found in its stomach, showing thu
/ the animal often fell prey TO it. get
y safer these animals come tribe {
S crocodile lizards (Dinosanria), huge cre'
9 lures uniting these two characters, an
! probably as destructive upon land as th
former were in the waters. Ore in pal
+ ticular, to which the name Of Megdlosa'
# rus has been given, was Of gigantic siz
i probably not less than thirty feet long
v its large body being mounted upon muc
y taller legs than lizards generally have
h Within straight and narrow snout was
9 range Of teeth peculiarly calculated I