340 BIOLOGY AND ITS MAKERS 



O. C. Marsh (Fig. loi) is noteworthy for similar explora- 

 tions; his discovery of toothed birds in the Western rocks 

 and his collection of fossil horses, until recently the most com- 

 plete one in existence, are all very well known. Throughout 

 his long life he contributed from his own private fortune, and 

 intellectually through his indefatigable labors, to the progress 

 of palaeontology. 



Zittel. — The name most widely known in palaeontology 

 is that of the late Karl von Zittel (i 839-1 904), who devoted 

 all his working life to the advancement of the science of fos- 

 sils. In his great work, Handbuch der Palaeoniologie (1876- 

 1893), he brought under one view the entire range of fossils 

 from the protozoa up to the mammals. Osbom says: "It 

 is probably not an exaggeration to say that he did more for 

 the promotion and diffusion of palaeontology than any other 

 single man who lived during the nineteenth century. While 

 not gifted with genius, he possessed extraordinary judg- 

 ment, critical capacity, and untiring industry." His portrait 

 (Fig. 102) shows a face ''full of keen intelligence and enthu- 

 siasm." 



Zittel's influence was exerted not only through his writ- 

 ings, but also through his lectures and the stimulus imparted 

 to the large number of young men who were attracted to 

 Munich to study under his direction. These disciples are 

 now distributed in various universities in Europe and the 

 United States, and are there carrying forward the work begun 

 by Zittel. The great collection of fossils which he left at 

 Munich contains illustrations of the whole story of the evolu- 

 tion of life through geological ages. 



Recent Developments. — The greatest advance now being 

 made in the study of fossil vertebrate life consists in establish- 

 ing the lineage of families, orders, and classes. Investigators 

 have been especially fortunate in working out the direct line 

 of descent of a number of living mammals. Fossils have 



