THE REPTILE MONARCHIES. 251 



amazes us; it even awakens our admiration and interest. 

 Down by the sea-shore Mesozoic saurians amuse themselves in 

 the surf. The Ich'-thy-o-saur, with thick and fish-like form 

 and alligator head, pursues the fated fish into the deeper 

 water, guided by a pair of enormous eyes which gather in the 

 feeble light. The swan-like neck and head of the Ple'-si-o- 

 saur rises above the surface, while the short, thick body is 

 propelled beneath by a pair of long, flat, many-fingered and 

 many-jointed paddles. There too, winds the progenitor of the 

 sea-serpent a real sea-serpent, whatever fable may connect 

 itself with the modern one. This is the Mos'-a-saur, attaining j 

 sometimes a length of eighty feet. The body is covered with 

 small, overlapping bony plates. The paddles are five-fingered 

 and resemble those of whales. 



Contemporary with the sea-saurians are those of the estu- 

 ary and the river. Turtles and tortoises sun themselves on J 

 the naked slopes. Real lizards scamper over the cliffs, or / 

 skulk among the debris of the forest. But most conspicuous/" 

 of all move the gigantic Deinosaurs. Some swim in the sea ; 1 

 some crawl on the land ; some scud among the branches of / 

 the trees, and other forms standing erect, walk in reptilian/ 

 majesty among their humble subjects. 



Here is the Had'-ro-saur, whose province is limited to the / 

 Atlantic border. His near relative, the Ig-uari-o-don, holds 

 some provinces in the Old World. These are vegetable eaters. 

 But here is their traditional enemy the carnivore. Lee' -laps 

 disputes supremacy with the Hadrosaur, as in the Old World, 

 Megalosaur rivals Iguan'odon. Strangest of all, for a rep- 

 tilian modification, the Pter'-o-saur sails over our heads and 

 shadows us with his broad leathery wing. The Pterosaur is a / 

 ground disputed between reptiles and birds. In aspect, bird- 

 like, he is, however, essentially a saurian. In structure he is 

 less bird-like than the Deinosaur. 



What a range of adaptations is this ; sea, river, shore, / 

 upland, forest, jungle, and atmosphere all populated by fit , 

 modifications of a single type of vertebrates ! But we stand 

 still more amazed. Before we make our exit from this 



