IND BEHEMOTH 101 



leviathan, by contrasting it with the better known crocodile, pointing 

 out the most striking differences between the two; and accordingly, 

 he, alluding to the mode in which crocodiles are ensnared, commences 

 with showing their futility when applied to the leviathan; thus con- 

 trasting the size and strength of the crocodile with that of the levia- 

 than or megalosaurus, and so conveying an idea of the power and 

 size of the latter animal to his readers' minds. In the same way, 1 

 think, he proceeds to contrast the behemoth or iguanodon with better 

 known animals, to convey an idea of it to his readers. And first, its 

 form being that of an inmiense lizard^ he commences with noticing 

 a remarkable circumstance in which the behemoth differed from all 

 the large lizards known to his readers, namely, in the nature of its 

 food : the crocodile and leviathan were carnivorous saurians ; but the 

 saurian called belicmoth, on the contrary, was herbivorous. " He 

 feedetli on grass like the ox." You will have noticed that Mantell 

 and Cuvier, who seem never to have dreamt of the iguanodon and 

 behemoth being identical, pursue the veiy^ same course in pointing 

 out, from the form of the iguanodon's teeth, this remarkable circum- 

 stance relative to it, as contrasted with other large fossil sauiians„ 

 namely y that it fed on vegetables. 



The speaker in Job having pointed out the peculiarity of its food, 

 and that it was similar to that of the ox, he next describes the great 

 strength of behemoth. " Behold now his strength is in his loins ; 

 his vigour in the muscles of his belly." Such, we may fairly pre- 

 sume, was the case with the iguanodon from what is known of its 

 anatomy and size. 



He next remarks upon the size and pliability of the tail of the 

 behemoth. '' He plieth his tail, which is like a cedar." The phability 

 of the iguanodon's tail, if it resembled that of modem iguanas, 

 would be remarkable, as contrasted with the tail of the crocodile, 

 which) from being not so easily bent, has given rise to the fable that 

 the way to ascape his jaws is to turn frequently, as from the stiffness 

 of his tail he cannot turn so fast as the person pursued. The present 

 race of iguanas have very flexible tails; we may, therefore, from 

 similarity of construction in the iguanodon, presume its tail to have 

 been very free in its motions, and thus in conti'ast with the tails of 

 most other samians in its pliability. Now, the size and shape of the 

 behemoth's tail is represented to be like a cedar tree ; and so in size 



