Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-02
THE FIRST REPTILES.
MONSTERS or EARTH AND SEA
IN AGES GONE BY.
Reptiles Which Fed Upon Other
Esptiles that Weighed Twenty
Tons-3oms With Hollow Back
bones and 1000 Teeth.

Tons-5ome With Hollow Back
bones and 1900 Teeth.
''Reptiles rs they are found in the
world at the present day are but degen-
crate survivors OF their kind as they
existed in cpochs long ago" said Prof.
Cope to a writer for the Washington Star.
''The first reptiles of the world made
their appearance at the close of the
paleozoic period, wien the coal was in
process of formation. They were nj.
land animals. Among them there were
no flying creatures, no marine swimmers
no gigantic types and no especially herbi'
vorous kinds.
f''At the close Cf the conforming
period there occurred 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
.agoons, lakes and estuaries have been
calculated for their preservation. From
this point of time, however, began what
may appropriately be called the epoch
of reptiles. The palcozoic period was
brought to close by II great uphcaval,
due to contraction of the carth's crust,
by which the Aleghanies and the Ural
system were uplifted. Tden began what
is called the 'mesozoic epoch, during
which the reptiles may be said to have
run creation. That is to say, they were
the highest order OF beings aG that time
alive. What man l. now the reptile was
thcn-that is, lord of all existing things.
Reptiles walked upon land, navigatcd
the water. flew through the air, and, in
short. pursued every avenue of existence
tina. is zoo.ogically conceivable.
Early in the mesOZoic epoch there
appeared marine reptiles. which. though
derived from land species, became more
and more aquatic through the necessity
of living in water, developing on 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
bic in size TO these reptiles of ages ago.
"What the mammals are in the scale of
creation to day the reptiles were in the
mesozoic epoch. They swan the seas,
climbed trees and were most phenomenal
Jumpers. Some of them even flew.
While Dine were herbivorous, living upon
plants, others were carnivorous. preserv-
ing existence by devouring their vegeta-
ble caring cousins. The vegetarian rep
tiles were enormous beasts, often ns much
as seventy feet in length. They afforded
feod for the carnivorous reptiles. which
were smaller than the herbivOrous kind,
Just us lions aud tigers nowadays are
smaller than oxen. Though bigger the
vegetarian creatures usually had not
armor nor weapons TO defend themselves
with. Their must powerful defense was
kick. which, delivered with hind leg
fifteen feet in length, was assuredly not
by any means TO be despiscd at. 1he
herbivorous reptiles of that epoch were
manly of three descriptions:
First was the biggest of ali animals
known to the world from the beginning
thereof 10 the present day. Its name
was the 'camarasaurus. 1t went on all
fours and the Vetebre composing its
backbone were hollow-mere shells in
fac,-tiiled with warm air from the
lungs, just as is the case with the bones
of one birds to-day. Undoubtedly it
lived in the sea, walking along in water
deep enough TO cover its back. 1t fed
upon the vegetation along shore and its
neck was long and crane like.
'Other herbivorous reptiles of the
sa ne period hld enormously long hind
legs on which they were able TO wade
iot nrf IL
anl other food. These creatures were
pa ticularly extraordinary in point OF
their dental equipment, inasmuch rs each
of them had abou. 2, 600 grinders to chew
with. arranged in magazines Of 500 each,
like cartridges.
''Anothcr species of herbivorous rep
tiles lived upon land, but they were 50
powerfully armed that they were able to
oppose formidable defense against at
tack. Some of them had huge horns on
their heads like bulls, while others bore
similar weapons above their noses, like
the rhinoceri of to day. So well able
were they to defend themselves that they
lived and multiplied in the same regions
with the most fciocious OF the carnIVor-
Gus monsters.
Thus you will understand that there
were three kinds of herbivorous giants in
the mesozoic epoch. There was the
'camarasaurus, which fed neck deep
along the seashore. its hollow backbone
serving rs u float and its solid legs and
tail for anchors; next was the kangaroo
like 'hadrosaurus,' which waded out
upon its long hind legs into deep water
in search of food, and finally, there was
the dangerous 'agathaumas, with enor-
nous horns.
''rhc carnivorous reptiles of that won
derful aye were more uniform in their
structure. They were mostly built in
the Kangaroo style and of lighter frame.
Early Ia their history there were son Of
them with hollow bones, which were
probably the greatest jumpers ever
known among vertehrates. Certain
varieties of these developed flying
powers, with a spread Of wing, il such il
may be termed, OF twenty feet from lin
To. tip. Some of these latter had teel h.
while others were provided merely with
bcaks like those OF birds, diving in the
water for the fish on which they lived.
Thus, you observe, there were land sau-
rians water saurians and air saurians.
''The so-called 'mesozoic epoch was
E brought to a close by the cataclysm. due
to contraction and consequent crumbling
of tho earth's crust, which upheavcd
the Rocky Mountains and the Andes on
III hemisphere and the Alps, Pyrennees,
Balkans aud Himalayas on the other side
OF the world. incidentally to this tre-
mendous alteration in the face Of the
Garth oil these giant reptiles were wiped