New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-12-20
INTERESTING FOSSIL BONES IN PHIL-
IDELPHI4.

ural Scepces st very f1l meeting last evening, to
which the attention Of the readers Of TIE TRIsUSE
borld be called be cause the Few light which il she'd
upop ard tie greatly enhanced inerss. gave TO, the
con mon bone contents Of the ilnumersble mari PITS d
the A.srt.c seabozId make H. N tcient,nc gh, tue
duty. Nj probably vii make it the pleasure, Of the
intelligent and Eberal-1niei living in their vicinity
to rsoh their periodical eSosy ao1, and secure sti
valuatls feics tran sny YET discovered. l. Is
crg tory, but a true one, one snd we are ia
cii d 20 think u Lofe rather brilint on1 one. IA
ct, worth the telling.
A mouth or two ago, according to Mr.. Fouses
& aphic historical. etordlum, he visited neigooor
houSe Rear hs oSn Sumner residence al II itionhelt
in Nsw-Jelssv few miles out from camden, on the
Csmden ant Atsniie Railroad; and, IN the course %
conversation, Mr.. h. pkos described HON niomoy
come L eth an0 ycrtbre which had been tn own ont
from a mari pit ais property not ICES thln twenty
wears ago. one BY one they hal been sven AVA =
curious tiierfs az casual aclua ntances o. Fst he
could mber no long or large bones bnt Only teeth
and vertlbrT. Receiving permission TO reopen Tie
spot NJ. Foulke set gsIg Ot nlri cigsers 20 1Ork
a. lie bottom % email rnyne near where Il opal<
upon Cooper .eek, and about twenty feet below y
surrounding farm hama II the nshborlo0d. Tnree o.
four feet 4 soil brought the workman t. the iace d
the mari and discovering the old digging won't down
aor its edge Fix or seven feet, throug0 small bed
Of -hes, 10 where the bones hai been eXbnmed. And
here. enough we've tao rest Of them untolehet
hind thigh bore, ~ inches long shin bone, - inches
long with one IT the fore bones "a match, dozens
of yertebrp neck back and tail huge masses Of tho
pe,vis and ouaer blade few bones Of the io,
Or toe Joints ard a tooth all lying upon second bed
of slells. As the teeth were ali important aud most
liable be disturbed, the spoil ol the pit was reiug
ard carefully examined ard with great success.
Wheu Dr.. Ieidy informed of the discovery. hs
AMI some other memteis of the Academy, NJ Lee
and Or. Loconte among tGem, saw nothing In It but
tee ,oCiInon occurrence Of mastodoh or mannoth
bones oniomhsd in ancient bog. Bat when on
gong t. the rooms to which they had been WIN caro-
convey Co. hC Iccos nized at glance the evidences or
their reIfrlQn ha.act.r, the whole adventure was
Immediately gloried Stree then weeks OF patient
adjustment aud study have resulted the noble lecture
WI ch he eays last evening upon tho Haar0s1Hfns
Fouiki of the Green Sand Of America.
lie first enumerated the indications OF reptlnaA
form; me thigh bone ossded lot like the mammals
from haf dozen CRITTERS, but from one single center
as in the iguans alligator &c, and idrfo"eh at the
ends with the large hood vessels OF reptile joints NJ
stead ct being smooth in al mamInalans. The
whole form ofhc bones different and the yetebr9
Of the tail armed above with the ackwsrdeanng
uroco SECS aud below with the Loose shaped, AMI
Ike lee backward lesniig spnes'which characterize
the powerful long. thin deep reptllsn tan. Tue
teeth also repuh-D, but 40, caflyofous Ike the
crocodi,es, but heIbNor.u US Ike tue guiana ), and
most curiously shaped aud get.
The creature was evidently OF unimag,ned dimen,
siols. IL hind leg bones, when put toge .her ToAi
reach seven feet, upon which the pely sal oack
bone aud upper skin wonld sill go On making it nine
~. .,o" .s. h..nshs- o" th" contrary,
che fore Egs were 50 dsp1oportonate yshofs ina, ma
they been found AT differ Mt iiIe OF IN )rent
place. 90 analon.ist would have hesita.ed u aslgn
theu 10 a1nfl Of dcgent Kinds, or ut least - dier-
ertirdvidafis; bit the s1imal which this one most
resembles discovered in English rock OF the SANE
age by Dr Mantel, Slows the fore AMI hlnI !eSs
equally diss nisr TIE tacs no doubt -, that We have
here the relics cf k0ngarOo-'ike alligator OF more
than mammoth size, bying near the great terIlaly
rivera and agooas, ard feeding On the VegetioL, az
IL safe erect on its vast hild legs supported ~ its tail
ot mr. LII Ia
Iet 4 ard ba verebre commot 10 all KINDS 81 rePes,
and averaged the number ofta yertebrs between the
hundred in q tail Of the iguana add the twenty or
thirty in the tail of tie crocodile, and TINS hxed the
prolsble length Of the whole creature al t"enty'h'r
1T Its tail must have been three feet deep sneok
Thin and its head no doubt small It's teeth ae out
two inches long, but get in such teSsa'ated Vol
around the mouth ss tor make formidable cutting and
grinding apparatus. For this curious and very beaut-
tu Arrangement the readers OF ThE TRlBUNE must
refer hereafter TO the plates, which Will OF course ac
company the papers 10 be published in the journal OF
the Academy. Certainly no one who SAW the Doctors
and heard Lis lucid explanations last evening,
failed to have sensations worthy the Intelligent inhabi,
tsns Of world, in every age OF which DIVINE laVen'
ton rcyeled in the luxures Of form.
The enormous size Of this creature was exposed by
a conn srison of is thigh bone with one Of mammoth
in tue Academy collection, only two-thirds "a long;
but what the astoDshnent felt 10 see me Doctor
Eft from the table fragment ct thigh bone nearly
hall a. long again describing ia reception some years
ago from the same district and its being stowei away
as On uDcharactestic, and, therefore, for the time
being. worthless specimen Stree there were no more
perfect bones Of the came shape with when 10 com
pare Il and dete mne is relations. This - one oil many
examples constantly afforded by collections OF the
poss Die future value Of all objects CT natural history
when properly labeled and arranged. Some happy
accident IL sure TO come to the rehei Ot the most Mp
less of fossils the most shapeless OF fragments. Inc
masters eye viii pass along some day and see az
glance what thousands OF other eyes have aued 70
note and story will at once be written for the
Arabian Nights Entertainment Of the wise. The rag
uent alluded to- when thus compared, showed PLAINLY
that it, whole Lad been about four feet ten inches
/ long-two inches longer than the longest bone ever
found, and WHIST mus have been the dimensions o!
tho weaTer Ct the thigh what the night OF tue AVfs
! gnawng, hOInStrirg tripod OF which II Sas one o.
Ire .egr, must be !et to the ina ginaton 10 prrty
| Horace, in Jolly mood, has drawn tie picture OF
| herd Of whales browsing among the t1ekets Oh
WOOD and Gala them the flock OF Pro,eus, but Edgi
Poe himself Ievsr could have dreamed OF hsta o'
alligator kangsroos rs large as tsc.stoTy og ca ;.ns,
with tails long their wood-yard., not gnaseing
together rolng-n squeezers get with rairoae pixies
Il one another but lovingly nibbtug the l2r unieI
brar Of the r forest, fragments Of which, turned
to brown coal or ignite, aud 'urehsrgea WIZ SUI
phuret OF iron. were ic.ri together with the bones.
The corniferous character Of TIL. ancient yegethon
was shown by DR.. Hammond who exhibited micro
scope drawings Of the medulary rays ara sh.l,
round cells which characterize the wool Oh INT
I family If trees
/ There was also copralte or small bal OF er'
/ cement in which the poiLt of tooth and some h'h
/ scales were observed. If this belonged 10 hadFo'
saurus, he mkt have vaned his yegetsoe 10
with soinethng ices ssvofy and more IL harmony WIZ
us toes ana tail. Perhaps i. was rennl'eence Oh
his unregenerate state crocotian holIc inouieH,
tsIy falling from grace not to be brought up a9als'
him az the late day. nos that bis very race aAu
lis very type have passed away, and new name mas
been given them by po-t9isternary comp aIatvs
apatonst, name by vaich its feldo nounaere''
knew it not.
leijy ia nov able to recognise its representation o
some before snigusiea fragments from Nebraska an
from tie Lower Mississippi. The form son We nno",
extended across the Conurent because KS shels arc
! .ouni from Ne1lco 10 the Arctic Sac and On az