﻿NO. 
  1975. 
  A 
  MOUNTED 
  ZEUGLODON 
  SKELETON— 
  OIDLEY. 
  653 
  

  

  ance 
  throughout. 
  Here 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  centra 
  average 
  about 
  15 
  inches, 
  

   as 
  compared 
  with 
  about 
  4 
  inches 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  thoracic. 
  This 
  gives 
  

   to 
  the 
  skeleton 
  a 
  very 
  remarkable 
  appearance, 
  viewed 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  

   It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  resemble 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  whale 
  Avdth 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  small 
  

   head, 
  comparatively 
  small 
  thorax, 
  and 
  very 
  greatly 
  lengthened 
  lum- 
  

   bar 
  and 
  caudal 
  regions. 
  The 
  zygapophyses 
  do 
  not 
  articulate 
  with 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  neighboring 
  vertebrae, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  cervical 
  and 
  ante- 
  

   rior 
  thoracic 
  vertebrae, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  eighth 
  thoracic 
  backward 
  to 
  

   where 
  they 
  disappear 
  near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  tail, 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  

   intervals 
  of 
  about 
  5 
  to 
  7 
  inches, 
  the 
  anterior 
  pairs 
  being 
  modified, 
  

   apparently, 
  for 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  heavy 
  back 
  muscles, 
  while 
  

   the 
  neural 
  spines 
  are 
  correspondingly 
  reduced. 
  Thus 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  vertebral 
  column 
  the 
  vertebrae 
  articulated 
  

   only 
  by 
  their 
  centra 
  which 
  are 
  nearly 
  circular 
  at 
  the 
  ends 
  and 
  were 
  

   probably 
  capped 
  by 
  intervertebral 
  cartilage 
  disks 
  of 
  some 
  thick- 
  

   ness. 
  This 
  constitutes 
  an 
  arrangement 
  which 
  must 
  have 
  given 
  to 
  

   the 
  long, 
  slender 
  body 
  a 
  perfectly 
  free 
  motion 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  doubtless 
  rendered 
  this 
  great 
  creature 
  capable 
  of 
  diving 
  

   and 
  turning 
  at 
  will, 
  or 
  of 
  swimming 
  forward 
  at 
  tremendous 
  speed. 
  

   The 
  short, 
  stout, 
  flexible 
  neck, 
  which 
  doubtless 
  was 
  heavily 
  mus- 
  

   cled, 
  also 
  denotes 
  agility 
  in 
  turning. 
  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  whole 
  mechan- 
  

   ical 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  seems 
  to 
  denote 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  most 
  

   powerful 
  swimmer, 
  his 
  entire 
  development 
  being 
  especially 
  adapted 
  

   to 
  rapid 
  locomotion. 
  If, 
  as 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  dentition, 
  which 
  

   seems 
  admirably 
  fitted 
  for 
  seizing 
  and 
  holding 
  his 
  prey, 
  he 
  fed 
  on 
  large 
  

   swiftly 
  swimming 
  fishes, 
  or 
  other 
  sea-living 
  creatures, 
  his 
  very 
  exist- 
  

   ence 
  probably 
  depended 
  on 
  speed. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  here 
  to 
  recall 
  the 
  grotesque 
  restoration 
  by 
  

   Koch 
  which 
  he 
  constructed 
  from 
  zeuglodon 
  bones 
  and 
  which 
  several 
  

   years 
  ago 
  was 
  exhibited 
  in 
  various 
  museums 
  of 
  this 
  country. 
  This 
  

   restoration, 
  which 
  Koch 
  called 
  the 
  Hydrarchos, 
  was 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  

   bones 
  of 
  many 
  individuals, 
  in 
  which 
  were 
  included 
  far 
  too 
  great 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  vertebrae 
  and 
  ribs, 
  giving 
  not 
  only 
  too 
  great 
  a 
  relative 
  

   length 
  to 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  thoracic 
  region, 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  much 
  exaggerated 
  

   length 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  creature. 
  The 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  restoration 
  is 
  given 
  

   concisely 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  written 
  by 
  I. 
  A. 
  Latham 
  to 
  Prof. 
  J. 
  D. 
  Dana 
  in 
  

   1895, 
  an 
  extract 
  from 
  which 
  is 
  here 
  quoted: 
  . 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  your 
  kind 
  letter 
  of 
  the 
  27th 
  asking 
  about 
  the 
  Zeuglodon 
  skeleton, 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  

   great 
  "Chicago 
  fire." 
  It 
  had 
  been 
  brought 
  from 
  St. 
  Louis 
  some 
  years 
  before, 
  and 
  

   was 
  the 
  same 
  discovered 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Albert 
  Koch 
  on 
  the 
  plantation 
  of 
  Colonel 
  Price, 
  

   situated 
  near 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  Choctaw 
  and 
  Washington 
  Counties, 
  Alabama. 
  It 
  was 
  removed 
  

   to 
  Dresden 
  in 
  Saxony, 
  where 
  after 
  eight 
  months 
  labor, 
  it 
  was 
  reduced 
  in 
  length 
  from 
  

   114 
  to 
  96 
  feet. 
  It 
  was 
  afterwards 
  brought 
  back 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  pm-chased 
  by 
  the 
  

   proprietor 
  of 
  a 
  museum 
  at 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  from 
  Doctor 
  Koch. 
  At 
  Chicago 
  it 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   chief 
  attractions 
  of 
  "Wood's 
  Museum." 
  

  

  