﻿I] 
  Historical 
  Review 
  : 
  First 
  Period 
  17 
  

  

  within 
  the 
  limits 
  where 
  the 
  fossil 
  bones 
  have 
  been 
  found, 
  

   extending 
  about 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west. 
  Several 
  years 
  ago, 
  while 
  

   rambling 
  among 
  these 
  hills, 
  I 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  creek, 
  the 
  banks 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  thirty 
  feet 
  high, 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  

   many 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  sea 
  shells, 
  among 
  others, 
  pedeniies, 
  

   belemnites, 
  etc. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  my 
  attention 
  was 
  attracted 
  by 
  

   a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  cornua 
  aniTnoJiis, 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  which 
  did 
  

   not 
  exceed 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  in 
  diameter, 
  while 
  many 
  were 
  

   much 
  smaller. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  hill, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  bones 
  herewith 
  presented 
  were 
  found, 
  

   is 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  above 
  described, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  not 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  hundred 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  Ouachita 
  river. 
  About 
  three 
  

   years 
  ago, 
  after 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  spell 
  of 
  rainy 
  weather, 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  slid 
  down 
  near 
  the 
  water's 
  edge, 
  and 
  thereby 
  

   exposed 
  twenty-eight 
  of 
  these 
  bones, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  until 
  then 
  

   covered 
  by 
  an 
  incumbent 
  mass 
  of 
  earth 
  about 
  forty 
  feet 
  thick. 
  

   They 
  were 
  embedded 
  in 
  a 
  bank 
  of 
  sea 
  marl, 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  which 
  

   is 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  bones, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  calcareous 
  spar 
  and 
  talc 
  

   also 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  hill. 
  I 
  followed 
  the 
  horizontal 
  vein 
  of 
  

   this 
  marl, 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  inches 
  thick, 
  which 
  I 
  traced 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  

   of 
  about 
  forty 
  feet, 
  when 
  it 
  sinks 
  into 
  the 
  valley 
  under 
  an 
  angle 
  

   of 
  from 
  twenty-five 
  to 
  thirty 
  degrees. 
  It 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  

   effloresced 
  where 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  long 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  

   the 
  atmosphere. 
  

  

  "When 
  these 
  bones 
  were 
  first 
  seen, 
  they 
  extended 
  in 
  a 
  line, 
  

   which, 
  from 
  what 
  the 
  person 
  living 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  showed 
  me, 
  

   comprised 
  a 
  curve, 
  measuring 
  upwards 
  of 
  four 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  

   length, 
  with 
  intervals 
  which 
  were 
  vacant. 
  The 
  person 
  referred 
  

   to 
  destroyed 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  by 
  employing 
  them 
  instead 
  of 
  

   andirons 
  in 
  his 
  fire 
  place 
  and 
  I 
  saved 
  what 
  remained 
  from 
  the 
  

   same 
  fate. 
  I 
  think, 
  however, 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  more 
  bones 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  animal 
  are 
  yet 
  covered, 
  and 
  will 
  gradually 
  

   appear, 
  as 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  the 
  marl 
  shall 
  be 
  washed 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  rain." 
  

  

  Harlan 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  bones 
  under 
  consideration 
  

   were 
  of 
  a 
  huge 
  lizard-like 
  reptile 
  and 
  proposed 
  for 
  the 
  animal 
  

   represented 
  the 
  name 
  " 
  Basilosaur7is." 
  

  

  Morton. 
  — 
  The 
  following 
  year 
  Morton 
  concluded 
  from 
  the 
  fos- 
  

  

  