THK STORY OF THE DINICHTKYS. 15 



cape from drowuing," warned the prophet. But they only mocked 

 him, and whooped, and got out all of their rattles, which were 

 made of turtle shells filled with little pebbles, and danced to the 

 flood, rattling all the way. 



Then the rain began to fall, and the thunder roared, and the 

 lightning flashed, and the water rose higher and higher. But still 

 they kept on dancing and shaking their rattles. Then Kuloskap 

 became angry, and to punish them for their arrogance, he turned 

 them into rattlesnakes, to crawl about the rocks. To this day 

 when the rattlesnakes see a man, they lift their heads and hiss, 

 moving them up and down. This was called their dance, for they 

 shake their rattles just as the warriors did, when they danced to 

 the flood. — Los Angeles, Cal., Times. 



The Story of the Dinichthys. 



Those who desire to know the full story of the great fos- 

 sil fish, Dinichthys, will read the Report of the Geological 

 Survey of Ohio, Vol. I, Part II, Paleontology. It is, of 

 course, technical, and therefore ill adapted to Nature 

 Study, but the following extract from the account by Pro- 

 fessor Newberry, which may be found on page 320 of that 

 work, will perhaps add to the interest in the more popular 

 storj^ given below : 



" Our first knowledge of Dinicfhys fieri zcri we owe to the indus- 

 try and acuteuess of observation of Rev. H. Hertzer, a clergyman ' 

 stationed for two years at Delaware, Ohio ; and who, while perform- 

 ing his ministerial duties, and receiving a very small salary, still 

 found time to make many important collections and observations 

 in geology. The town of Delaware is located upon the line of 

 junction of the Huron shale and the Hamilton and Corniferous 

 limestones. The Corniferous abounds in fossils, and Mr. Hertzer 

 collected a splendid suite of the icthyolites which characterize this 

 formation ; but the Huron shale had, up to this time, been regard- 

 ed by all geologists as barren ground — nothing but a few Ling nice 

 and Disciiice having been obtained from it. Near its base the Black 

 shale contains, both at Delaware and elsewhere, a great number of 

 concretions composed af impure limestone. These are often quite 

 spherical, and ten feet or more in diameter. In examining some of 



