DINOSA URS. 



95 



had been inserted into the centre of the specimen, so that the 

 mass of stone containing it had been shattered into many pieces, 

 some of which were blown into the adjoining fields ! All these 

 pieces he had carefully collected, and, proceeding with equal 

 ardour and success to the removal of the matrix from the fossils, 

 he succeeded, after a month's labour, in exposing them to view, 

 and in fitting the fragments in their proper place. This valuable 

 specimen was presented to Dr. Mantel! (and afterwards purchased 

 with the rest of his collection by the British Museum), and its 

 present condition is the result of his skill, as well as that of its 

 discoverer. Certain gentlemen in Brighton, anxious that the 

 specimen should be placed in the hands of the original discoverer 

 of Iguanodon, purchased and presented it to Dr. Mantell — a 

 tribute of respect which was highly gratifying to him. (Wall- 

 case 6.) 



It belonged to a young Iguanodon. This fortunate discovery 

 was one of those Cuvier foresaw, and has served to verify his 

 sagacious conjecture that some of the great bones collected by 

 the doctor from the Wealden strata of Sussex belonged to the 

 same animal, and to confirm other conclusions formed by the 

 discoverer of the Iguanodon. Great was Dr. Mantell's delight 

 on finding that every bone he had ascribed to Iguanodon solely 

 from analogy was present in the Maidstone specimen. One of 

 the chief advantages of this discovery was that it afforded 

 demonstration of the characters of the vertebrse, which, as 

 previously stated, are very important to the anatomist. Of these 

 Professor Owen has given full descriptions, and has shown that 

 they differ from those of any animal previously known, whether 

 living or extinct. 



It is very interesting, in the light of recent discoveries, to 

 read the conclusions arrived at by Mantell and Owen, with 

 regard to the organisation of this great Wealden reptile, and to 

 see how, with the exception of certain details, they have been 

 confirmed. Considering the imperfect nature of the materials at 



