EXTINCT ANIMALS 



variety of " Amphibia," some of very large size 

 — as large as a well-grown crocodile. 



It seems as though we might describe the 

 Carboniferous as the period of the predominance 

 of Amphibia, just as the Jurassic is that of the 

 predominance of Reptiles and the Tertiary that 

 of the predominance of Mammals. 



The Labyrinthodonts, though of great interest 

 to the trained anatomist, do not present many 

 striking forms ; the most noticeable were of 

 the size and shape of large alligators. Accord- 

 ingly, in the short space that remains to us, I 

 propose to pass by the Labyrinthodonts and go 

 on to the fishes, and bring to your notice some 

 of the strange fishes, the remains of which are 

 dug up in very ancient strata, as far back even 

 as the Upper Silurian and the Devonian rocks. 

 I shall then have space to mention a few of 

 the more extraordinary extinct animals of the 

 lower kinds, strange shell-fish, star-fishes and 

 scorpions of the remote past. 



The silver-scaled fish which are so abundant 

 at the present day, Avith their symmetrical tails, 

 such as herring, salmon, carp, roach, perch 

 and other modern fishes more curious in form, 

 such as eels, flat-fishes, sticklebacks, pipe-fishes 



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