Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-01

Il
ern shore lay along the line where the
Missouri, river is now. Its western shore
was as tar west as Utah, 1t was salt
ana had tides and current the same as
the Atlantic ocean. In later ages the
gradual elevation of the land caused
the close of the northern and southern
outlets of this sea. changing it into
laKe, IN which the water gradually, got
fresh, and causing changes in the ami
mai forms on it's banks. During Milo
I r. times the lake reached from the
Yakotas to lower Texas. Its eastern
tlore extended through South Dakota.
fbrasiia. Kansas. Oklahoma and
isxas. where the shore line made n
sSat loop Just north again through
| NV Mexico. Colorado. Wyoming and
ooqth Dakota. Cheyenne. Chadron, Sid
ne. ohelin, kearney. Wichita and
oPer western cities are now situated
III it.no Which once was under water
ne White, the Platte. ,he North Platte.
,ns Arkansas. the Canadians and other
ies7 significant rivers now flow over the
raissd bed OF this old-time sea. In
latei ages 1t dried up on the south and
pa'X of its northern edge overnowed,
sv.tNg finally into North Dakota and
.hlsinE In more Of Wyoming. Later still
- HEiSd up entirely and the ground be-
. came elevated far above what it wa
but while il lasted ii dominated the
G.'dracter OF animal life in It's vicinity.
IL was quite tropical and during lower
Aliocene times it's banks fos;ered NAM
aniinaisl which now live around the
equator. such as ianas, monkeys.
sapifs, The rhinoceros, large pcccay ies
ana rodents. At another period lis
poilNs harbored the short limbed rhino-
ceres. primitive mastodons, three-toed
horses. small camels. wolves and saber-
toothed tigers. Its aquatic animals
numerous 100. H.
swallow long way out.
PHLNIS BONE SIZE OF FOUR BAR
RELS.
IN the mass of fossils obtained from
us shores were found the bones of
many species of dinosaurs, the animal
whose bird-like footprints had been at
tracting attention in the east for half
century. Not only We're these skele-
ton found. but they were found in such
Abundance and variety that many in
tcresting facts could be conjectured
concerning. their appearance and hab-
rs. Among others, Professor o. G.
Marsh, of Yale College. has done much
III restoring the eternal form of these
animals. From n set Of bones some
what incomplete. Professor Marsh
made a restoration" of complete
skeleton, and Il fierce looking animal it
was. am speaking now OF the largest
species But formidable ms 1t was.
am afraid Professor Marsh did not so
far enough lie did not make his ami
NAL long enough. A skeleton which we
dug up in the summer was actually
much longer than Marsh's computation.
Instead Of seventy feet, AS supposed, I
find the animal really reached q length
OF probably ninety feet. Quite mon
ster. Well, look at the pelvis bone
over there by the window That is
not much mere than half of II, yet 1t
Is larger than four barrels. Here is
the femur. or thigh bone. broken into
three section. See If You can lift one
Of them" Better SIN. ] will have the
y hoe bore put together, and you can
nave some idea Of its size"
lie called 10 his assistants and they
with some sirain!ng. placed the three
sections NJ the fcmur together, stand
Ing the bone on end. II was as thick
, rs the smoi:estack of "A LOCOMOTIVES,
quite as black and about six feet high.
The great knob on the end OF the bone
| where II fitted into the socket of the
pclv.S looked like the polished newell
post Of n great iron halustrade.
HABITS OF THE GIGANTIC DINO
SAURS.
There were numbers OF spcces of
these animals continued DR.. Wort
man. Some Of them were herbivorous
and manfestly they fed on the vege-
table growths OF the seaside; others
were carnivorous and without doubt
preyed on the herbivorous variety. Yet
the vegetable feeders were vastly
greater in size than their bloodthirsty
relatives. ! will mention only a few
species, fer after All, ii IS the animal
as class that is of popular interest.
The bronl oSaurus tVc have one on cX-
hlhltiOn here in the museum) was sixty
two feet long. It's tail alone was TWEEN
ty-siX feet long, its thigh bone five feet
ten inches long. This thigh bone, by
the way. alone weighs 80 pounds. The
animal when alive is estimated 10 have
weighed ut least fifty tons that is,
over one hundred thousand pounds.
Probably 1t was IA stupid, slow moving
animal. It's small brain and slender
spinal rord would seem to indicate this,
as Prof, Marsh has pointed out. Pro-
f7;tofftt- ttfte s-n-itEanL Offensive OF
defensive weapons. According to it's
skeleton, IL was great lo2enge- SHAPED
animal. ms FAR ms its actual body went
with "A long. snakc-like head and tail
yer" much alike, ms far as their dimin-
lshing shape was concerned. We know
ii was semi-nquatic animal from the
cartilagenous indications of the ankle
joints. An animal with such soft pads
In its lower legs would need some sus-
tanning power like water to hold up the
tons of weight in its body. Probably il
stood for some time on land each day,
but it must have had the water 10 re-
tire to when necessary; otherwise the
soft nadlike structures of it's legs
must soon have become ossified into
very hard bone.
BESIDES this big reptile there are
many varieties. among which l may
mention the dryosaurus. which was ten
or twelve feet lang; the loasaurus,
which was eight feet long; the camp
iosaurus. thirty feet long; the torosau-
rus. which was about the same length.
but which was further distinguished by
a skull measuring five feet across; the
triceratGps. which was twenty-five feet
long and ten feci nigh. had scnlcs over