The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-18
THE GREAT MARINE LIZARD.
Remarkable Specimen of Il MOsnsaur
at tle Museum of Natural History.
From the New York Post.

From the New York Post.
A force of skilled workmen is now en-
gagged in putting the finishing touches. in
the east corridor of the American Museum
Of Natural History. to the mounting of one
of the finest and most unique specimens
ever received by the museum. This is
great marine lizard, which was discovered
two years ago in the cretaceous chalk Of
Kansas by Mr.. Bourne. a lawyer of Scott
City, and was later purchased by the
museum.
An expert was first sent to examine the
specimen, then in the rough shape of
number of large irregular slabs of the
cream-colored chalk. 1t was difficult at
the time TO form any estimate of the size
of the animal, because considerable parts
were still uncovered, but it appeared prob
able that the purchase would he wise
one. The great slabs were boxed with
great care and shipped to the museum,
and from that time to this the various
Stages of preparation, involving altogether
the cooperation of twenty-five men, aru-
sans. artists and scientists have been I'M
derway, until at last the specimen viii be
shown to the public on sunday LOT the
first time.
AS the successive slabs were developed
with delicate Instruments, 1t gradually APP
peared that an entire mosasaur was mere
imbedded from the tip Of the loug, point
Su SlOuI 10 near the up OF the tdils SilSlt-
ly less than thirty feet in length, and be-
longing to the largest and most powerful
type of sea lizards which raYaged the
Great American Mediterranean sea during
the Chalk period. The animal lies exact
ly as 1t perished upon its ventral sur
face with the fore and hind paddles out
stretched and the backbone thrown INTO
a sigmoid curvature. II gives an exact
idea of the proportions of one of these sea
monsters. The head measures four feet IN
length, the jaws being armed with power
two feet in length, while the
back measures eight feet the tail, tif-
teen feet in length, was evidently the
great propeller of the body, as in the ALL
gator, and in the monitor lizard, TO which
this type, technically known as Tylosau-
rus, is most closely allied. In other words,
the tail is longer than the other parts of
the body combined. This specimen agrees
closely in size with the frasmentary skele-
ton of similar animal described by Prof.
Cope in 1871 at Fort Wallace, Kansas.PrOf.
Williston of the University of Kansas, the
leading American authority upon the mos
esaurs, assigns thirly-hye Feet as the
largest size attained by these animals.
In the neck and chest region most in
teresling discovery was made, that the
cartridges supporting The trachea, forming
a broad hand along the abdominal Inc, ana
supporting ten of the anterior ribs, Were
all beautifully preserved. This constitutes
one OF the most UNIQUE ana valuable fea-
lures of this remarkable specimen, for IL
renders possible a complete restoration of
the chest region, which has hitherto been
much-debated scientific question whether
these animals are to be regarded as sea
serpents OF whether they ought 10 be Re
sarded as sea lizards, an idea oriS mating
with Cuvier.
II appeared two years ago, when Prot
WRlston published his memoir upon these
animals that little remained to be added
TO our knowledge of the mosasaurs, but
this specimen is thought 10 throw a flood
OF new light upon this great group, and 10
confirm their general relationship to the
lizards Prof. Williston he's recently deS-
cribed a specimen in which a neck frill
or fringe extending along down the median
line of the neck is partially preserved.
Advantage has been taken of all this
toraiions of the extinct vertebrates of
North America are becoming so well
known. His painting of this mososaur
will soon be completed and placed in the
case beside the specimen. 1t is designed
from a very careful model, and represents
the animal cutting through a wave in its
pursuit of a school of portheus, large
ash. remains of which have been fire.
quent.y found in the stomach region OF
these great mosasaurs, and which prob
ably constituted their principal food.
The great lizard is mounted upon sim
gle panel OF plaster twenty-five feet long.
The chestnut colored skeleton presents a
ground Every bone lies in the original
chalk in which il was deposited, The
museum thus secures one of the finest,
if not the finest, specimen of a mosasaur
in existence. 1t is placed al the heGu Of
the stairs leading 10 the third floor, IN
what Is now known as the east corridor.
This corridor will gradually be filed with
sentatives of the marine life of the long
90 Of rpntileS