The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-01-01

In ths curious photographic slate o9
Solenhofcn wo have preserved for 40 :
great number Of fossil forms with an
extraordinary degree Of perfection; and
among these arc several which help 40
on greatly from the rcptilian to tho Va
ian structure. Tho liikographio slate
10 member Of the upper oolitic form
alton, and Il 10 worked. - its name Inn
plies. for the purpose Of producing
stones for tho process Of TYPOGRAPHY.
But the same properties which make
the slate in IT. present condition take
20 readily the impress Of . letter or :
sketch. made It In It's earlier condition
tako the impress Of the various organ
isms imbcdded - they fell In its soft
mud. Even the forms and petals Of
early flowers washed By foods into tho
half-formed mud bank have been thus
preserved for NJ with wonderful mi
nutcness. Most interesting Of al for our
present purpose. however. arc the bones
Of contemporary reptiles and birds
which this nature printing rock inclosos
for the boh0of Of modern naturalists.
One such reptile, known AZ compsog-
nathus. may BIO regarded ~ filling
among his own class the place filled
among existing mammals BY the kan
CARGO. It was . rather swanlike. erect
saurian, standing gracefully upon i,s
hind paws. with its !oro legs free. and
probably dragging ito round tail be-
hind II on tho ground - . support to
steady it, gait. The neck was long
and arched. and tho head small and
bird-like in shape. but tho jaws arc
armed with sharp and powerful teeth.
- In the pterodactyls. Altogether.
compsognathus must have looked in
outward appearance not ct all unlike
such birds % tho auks and tho PEN
gums. though Its real structural alfini-
ties lie rather with the emus and the.
cassowarics. The apteryx or kiwi Of
New Zealand. which 10 . bird that does
mot dy because it has no wings worth
mentioning 70 dy with, approached
even nearer in the combination Of both
points in this very bird-like oolisic rep
tile. Evon compsognathus himself.
however. though very closely allied to
the true birds. cannot Do held 10 stand
1t an actual point In the progressive
pedigree. because In the very same Sol
enh0lcn states We find real feathored
bird in person. Accordingly. - the
two were thus contemporaries. tho orc
could not b the direct ancestor oe tho
other. Nevertheless. Il i from some
form closely resembling compsoxna-
thus that the true birds have descend
ed. We have only to suppose such :
reptile to acquire forsstins habits and
to begin jumping freely from tree 70
tree Ia order 20 got up the series of
changes by which = true bird might b
produced. But the tirst historical bird
Of which NO know anything. tho ARCH
Doptcryx Of tho SNlcnhofcn slate, still
remains in many points essentially !
reptile. Il ID only bird-liko in two
main particulars. its possession Of rudi-
mentary wings and it, possession Of
feathers. From the popular point Of
view these two particulars Ara decisive
Ia favor Of it, being considered = bird;
but it, anatomical structure 10 sufficient
10 make Il 1T least halt reptile; aud
eninont authorities have differed with
their usual acrimony) - to whether II
ought properly to DO called . bird-like
saArian. or ! iixxard-liko bird. There
IL nothing like moro question u words
such = this to ct scientific men or
thcologians roundly BY the oars for halt
. century tcgcther.-Fro. LoagmaS's
Mtsyas.He.