Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-03

most striking point IN the animare ,,,es
Up Is series Of immense plates a. 81.
arranged along the back from ~, ~.
to the tail like the teeth Of a s.ay
biggest OF them being feet across -
creature thus formdablv o,min-.,t
defence Is very stupid. having he '..
est brain Of any known vertebrate b, ..'
portion 10 IT'S size. As n coraDors,. nv.
Il has supplementary brain in hi. IT.,
Wis ten times as big os the one 4,
skull. This wonderful expansion of d,
spinal cord Is designed for actuatirg p.
powerful tail. which Is a weapon.
AZ the traveller gazes IN awe uro, OIL.
strange reptile. 10 suddenly opens +.
eyes and raises It's sn0ut Its sons. F.,
smell Is very keen. and % ecnrfs l..
Nor Is II mistaken. for an instant i..-
there appears on the river bank "a r,..
ster Of most fcrocious and ALARMING
pect. IL is twenty feet long ana .t...
erect on its hind legs On ns hesf f.
big horn, and It's movements are oxf,..-.
~ agile. lts massive Jaws are arr,I
with large teeth as shorp az knives ana
is fingers have strong claws. Tho ev.'
Of the beast are partly protected hv og..
hanging protubersncos ts tan
long. fat, and adapted for sw.mri-,
Evidently 81 proposes O. aaau r
stegosaur which is the name of Pho IL.
mored reptile but being n creature II,
considerable intelligence. ~ hostafee d..
fore determining on tho method % s,.
tack. Meanwhile, the Stegosaur s.rut.
rises O. seated posture. resting r r,
customary fashion upon its tail ana mas.
sive rear limbs, Ms on "A tripod.
When pen d. ably hty 90 chronicle Dbl,
dread encounter which presently 81.
lows2 Imagine the terror-insD.r.ne Wi.
OF the combatants and the efforts NJ ,,.
Ceratosour. for such is the s-.ert..
title Of the assailant, 10 lnaict tf'
wound upon It's armOrod adversary. rt,
latter. uttering cries Of distress ana f.,,
can oppose no effective tactics O. tt.
agile foe. which, lcaping % and f-
seems 10 be on all sides az once tr..--
TO find a vulnerable point. Put even f.
throat Of the stegCsaur is shelthcl sI.t
armor plates. and the ATTACKING r.-i.
cannot get the lO0kcd-fOr chance .o -.-
open the belly Of rs proposed vc,.-
with a stroke Of It's powerful hind fo,
Suddenly something happens WITH
tremendous lash Of IT'S huge TAIL n,
clumsy Stegosaur strikes rs anaeo-ft
full. three or four OF the sp'nos poa.tr.t.
Ing the body OF the Cerat0saur I'D 3D. ,...f
part. Blood gushes from the wound.
and the great horned lizard gives baat
The assault Is not renewed. ana Present.
ly with howls Of anguish the f.r,...
brute crawls away and vanishes ln t,
forest.
Great IN size as are the carrlvo-or
reptiles OF this strange epoch ule tt,
Laelaps and the CerotOsaur. Dc .s r0t...
that the herbiyores are much larglr. Tho
latter may be said 90 correspond 10 ths
horned cattle and other vegot0b'e-fe.l.
ing animals Of a subsequent epoch. which
are destined IN their day 90 serve al,
food for lesh-eatlng mammals smaller
than themselves. The carnlyores OF Hs
Mesozoic are mostly leaDers. WALKING
erect and having hollow bones FOR ugs,.
ness; the herbivores. on the other ha,l
are clumsy and less intelligent. but c5n..
monty provided with defensive b0ny d..
NOR. The latter usually 20 on "lU
fOurs." but some Of them are built Oh
the kangaroo pattern. Go down OBJ tha
shore Of the Laramie Sea. and cast
glance over that mighty sheet OF water
At some distance from the land
wading a beast Of vast bulk. upright oa
its long hind legs. II stands thirty fa.f
high and has enormous jaws. Whlcl
somewhat resemble pair Of exaggerltal
salad-sp0Ons with these 10 is gather
ing the aquatic weeds on which DC lives
It's mouth IS furnished with 300 grinding
teeth. arranged IN magazines.
This animal Is a HadrOsaur Look
around that bend In the shore OF the Jake
and you win see a nearly-related cr.l-
ture not much more than half as tg
which likewise walks erect. IL BE- o Ca-
osaur. Its head is long and narrow us
eyes are large. and its scent Is very Keen.
The tail Of the brute Is long and web
adapted for propulsion through rt.at
It's fingers and toes end not In claws
but in little hOofs. Succulent vegetation
is its food Now. II you will cast yor,
gaze upwards 10 yonder hilltop y01 may
catch glimpse OF yet another herlr-
orous reptile OF far greater size. ln ,h3
distance IL looks Ike a giant kangaroo
Sixty feet it measures from snout o. So
OF tail. Titanosaur is surely an app-o-
pirate name for this monster. Whll
browses on the foliage Of the forest
There is no use in trying 20 describe nd
the strange types Of reptiles which il-
habit this fairyand Of science lr sz
and structure their variation IS infinite
one OF the most remarkable Is the lr-
ceratops, as tail as a big elephant and
twice as long II has three Formidable
horns. two OF which, each "a yard Do
length. and very sharp. spring from
above the eyes, while the third is smaller
and surmounts the nose. The head e
enormous, weighing half a ton, and n
order 10 hold 1t up the beast Is proFlel
with a great bony frill at the neck tof
the attachment Of muscles. It's jaws ter
inmate in a cutting beak sheathed with
horn. and its neck Is protected by q series
OF armor plates. The creature is slas-
gish moving on all fours.
If luck favors. you may get sight %
a Polycanthus-a reptile whose l0irs ore
protected by a continuous sheet OF boN
plate armor rising into knobs and sp.nes
Some of the carnivOrcs are no b.ssf
than setter dogs, and Of these an e1aml.-
is the Anchisaur. which IS very slender
and delicateiy made. with long biri-lAs
neck and a flexible tail. Time permit
ting you might indulge In an ee--1uhN
for many OF these monsters lay eggs
though others bring forth their young
alive. II need not surprise you 10 cone
across an egg as big as a beer-keg pl'
ried in the sand, so that the warm rays
Of the sun may hatch out baby AZ
lantosaur.
A marvellous epoch. truly. from ne
geological point OF vlewl Professor ".
c. Marsh, Of Yale College. has written b
book concerning Il, telling all about il-
Dinosaurs. IL will be issued within a i."
days by the Geological Survey.
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