Expeditions in the Texas Permian 233 



first, that it was more precious than its weight in 

 gold, that he gave it up and fled down the mountains 

 to camp, so that he might at least have a warm meal 

 waiting for me when I arrived. 



How can any man who has not had the experience 

 himself, realize the glory of my triumphal march 

 down that rugged trail? Not Nebuchadnezzar, 

 when his chariot headed the army that was carrying 

 away the treasures of the Lord's house from Jeru- 

 salem, with the king of Judah, blinded and bound in 

 shackles of brass, in his train, could have known a 

 prouder joy than I did now over this discovery of a 

 new region, in the very heart of the old, which 

 promised so rich a harvest of rare fossil remains. 

 This is an instance of an experience which has been 

 very common in my life when I have been most 

 completely hopeless and discouraged, I have made 

 my greatest discoveries. 



Of the remarkable batrachians and lizards which 

 twelve million years ago peopled the estuaries and 

 bayous of the Permian ocean shores, I found, during 

 that three months' expedition, forty-five complete or 

 nearly complete skulls, many of them with more or 

 less perfect parts of the skeletons attached, and 

 forty-seven fragmentary skulls, ranging in size 

 from less than half an inch to two feet in length; 

 the whole collection containing one hundred and 

 eighty-three specimens of the extinct life of the 



