The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-06-18
THEY ENRICHED COOSAW4
Ugly Monsters Eigh Walked and Flew a
Century Ago

"Reptiles as they are found in the
world at the present day are but degener.
ate survivors of their kind as they existed
in epochs long ago" said Prof. Cope to q
writer for the Washington Star. "The
1rst roptile6 of th5 world made their aps
pearance at the close of the paleozoic
period, when the coal was in process Of
formation. They were all land animals.
Among them there were no flying erea.
lures, no marine swimmers, no gigantic
types and no especially herbivorous
kinds.
"At the close of the conforming period
there occurred q great emergence of land
from the water and reptilian life rapidly
spread and grew. The reptiles which had
previously existed were all of one kind.
Their remains are found in this country
wherever the deposits in lagoons; lakes
and estuaries have been calculated for
their preservation.
"From this point of time, however, be.
gan what may be appropriately called the
epoch of reptiles. The paleozoic period
was brought to elose by great
upheaval, due to the contraction of the
earth's crust, by which the Allegha-
MES and the Ural systems we're uplifted.
"Then began what is called the 'meso--
zoic epoch,' during which the reptiles
may be said to have run creation. That
is to say, they were the highest order Of
beings at that time alive. What man is
now the reptile WAS then-that is, lord
of all existing things. Reptiles walked
upon land, navigated the water, few
through the air and, In short, pursued
every avenue of existence that is zoologi.
cally conceivable.
"Early in the mesozoic epoch there ap.
peared marine reptiles which, though
derived from land species, became more
and more aquatic through the necessity
of living in water, developing an that
account swimming organs, etc.
"Land reptiles also began to develop
in huge proportions. Why they grew so
big no one knows, but it may have been
because they had no rivals in the struggle
for existence; they had all they wanted
to eat and naturally increased in bulk.
At all events no creatures are known to
have ever existed in this world compare
BILE in size to these reptiles Of ages ago.
"What the mammals are in the scale
of creation to day the reptiles we're in the
mesozoic epoch. They swan the seas,
climbed the trees and were most phenom.
email jumpers. Some of them even flew.
While some were herbivorous, living
upon plants, others were carnivorous
preserving existence by devouring their
vegetable-eatiDg cousin.
"The vegetarian reptiles we're enormous
beasts, often as much as seventy feet in
length. They afforded food for the car
nivorous reptiles, which we're smaller
than the herbivorous kind, just as lions
and tigers nowadays are smaller than
oxen. Though bigger, the vegetarian
creatures usually had no armor nor
weapons to defend themselves with,
Their most powerful defense was kick.
which, delivered with hind leg fifteen
feet in length, was assuredly not by any
means to be despised. The herbivorous
reptiles of that epoch were mainly of three
descriptions:
'First was the biggest of all animals
known to the world from the beginning
thereof to the present day. Its name waE
the 'camarasaurus.' 1t went on all fours
and the vertebrse composing its backbone
were hollowSmere shells, in fact-flled
with warm air from the lungs, just as il
the case with the bones of some birds to-
day. Undoubtedly it lived in the sea
walking alone in water deep enough h te
cover its back. 1t fed upon the vegeta-
ton along shore and its neck was long
and crane. like.
"Other herbivorous reptiles Of the
same period had enormously long hind
legs, on which they were able to wade
far out into deep water after sea weeds
and other food. These creatures were
particularly extraordinary in point O.
their dental equipment, inasmuch as eact
of them had about 1000 grinders to cheH
with, arranged in magazines Of 500 each
like cartridges.
"Another species OF herbivorous re
tiles lived upon land, but they we're 81
powerfully armed that they were able t
oppose formidable defense against at
tack. Some of them had huge horns OF
their heads like bulls, while others bore
similar weapons above their noses, likt
the rhinoceri of to-day. So we'll able
we're they to defend themselves that they
lived and multiplied in the same regions
with the most ferocious of the carnivorou'
monsters.
"Thus you will understand that there
were three kinds of herbivorous giants il
the mesozoic epoch. There Was the cam
arasaurus,' which fed neck.deep along th'
seashore, its hollow backbone serving as
a float and its solid legs and tail for
anchors. Next was the kangaroo.likt
'hadrosaurus,' which waded out upon it
long hind legs into deep water in search
of food, and finally there was the dan
gerous 'agathaumas,' with enormous
horns.
"The carnivorous reptiles of that won
derful age we're more uniform in theil
structure They were mostly built in the
kangaroo style and of lighter frame
Early in their history there were some O.
them with hollow bones, which were
probably the greatest jumpers ever knowr
among vertebrates. Certain varieties o
| these develoned hvipg bowers, with