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in the Pijthonomorpha as independent as in the serpents, being only bound by 

 flexible ligaments. By turning the elbows outward and bending them, the 

 space between the arms becomes diamond-shaped and represents exactly the 

 expansion seen in these reptiles, to permit the passage of a large fish or other 

 body. The arms, too, will represent the size of jaws attained by some of the 

 smaller species. The outward movement of the basal half of the jaw neces- 

 sarily twists in the same direction the column-like bone to which it is sus- 

 pended. The pecuhar shape of the joint by which the last bone is attached 

 to the skull depends on the degree of twist to be permitted, and therefore to 

 the degree of expansion of wdiich the jaws were capable. As this diflfers 

 much in the different species, they are readily distinguished by the column or 

 " quadrate " bone when found. These are some curious consequences of this 

 structure, and they are here explained as an instance of the mode of recon- 

 struction of extinct animals from slight materials. The habit of swallowing 

 large bodies between the branches of the under jaw necessitates the prolonga- 

 tion forward of the mouth of the gullet ; hence the throat in the Pythono- 

 morpha must have been loose and almost as baggy as a pelican's. Next, the 

 same habit must have compelled the forward position of the glottis or open- 

 ing of the windpipe, which is always in front of the gullet. Hence these 

 creatures must have uttered no other sound than a hiss, as do animals of the 

 present day which have a similar structure ; as, for instance, the snakes. 

 Thirdly, the tongue must have been long and forked, and for this reason : its 

 position was still anterior to the glottis, so that there was no space for it 

 except it were inclosed in a sheath beneath the windpipe when at rest, or 

 thrown out beyond the jaws when in motion. Such is the arrangement in 

 the nearest living forms, and it is always in these cases cylindric and forked. 

 The giants of the Ptjthonomorpha of Kansas have been called Liodon 

 proriger, Cope, and Liodon dyspelor, Cope. The first must have been abundant, 

 and its length could not have been far from seventy-five feet; certainly not less. 

 Its physiognomy was rendered peculiar by a long projecting muzzle, remind- 

 ing one of that of the blunt-nosed sturgeon of our coast ; but the resemblance 

 was destroyed by the correspondingly massive end of the branches of the 

 lower jaw. Though clumsy in appearance, such an arrangement must bave 

 been effective as a ram, and dangerous to his enemies in case of collision. 

 The writer once found the wreck of an individual of this species strewn 

 around a sunny knoll beside a Ijluff, and his conic snout pointing to ihc 



