260 



KNOWLEDGE. 



July, 1911. 



and a broad-toothed frill surrounding its neck. 

 An even more ancient group of fossil lizards com- 

 prises the Plesiosijtinis (see Figure 6). which could be 



with their broad snouts and some RIiamphorhyiiLinif: 

 \\ ith long rat-like tails. On a mighty rock towards 

 which the Diplodocus is taking its course there are 

 represented two giant flying dragons in a lazy creep- 

 ing position and with striking life-likeness (see Figure 

 7). These Pteranodons, as t\\e\ are called in science, 

 were huge, short-tailed flving lizards endowed w ith a 

 long marabou beak and a narro\\ crest of nearh' 

 equal length at the back of their head. 



Simultaneoush' with the now extinct animal 

 families, there lived many other species which are 

 more or less closely related to the reptiles of the 

 present daw Some specimens of these are the big 

 and small crested lizards < Diinctmdon ■dndXaosaiinis ) 

 represented in Figure 9. While resembling in their 

 outward appearance an alligator endowed with an 

 especially large and broad snout, the\- were character- 

 ised by a high crest a\ ith rigid spikes running alongside 

 their back. 



Two real crocodiles from the Cretaceous and 

 Jurassic formations, which are mainl\- distinguished 

 trom present-da\- rejiresentatives of the same family 

 by their clums\' build, are shown half hidden in the 

 water (see Figure 9). On the turf are seen creeping two 

 huge turtles characterised by a cartilaginous formation 

 on the tail and head, and especiall\" by two large 

 horn -like excrescences near the ear. 



In addition to antediluvian rejitiles, there are 



I'lcsiosaiini.s. 



described as an c-normous seal with long, thickened 

 tail, remarkably lotig neck and a tiny head. It was 

 a marine reptile with limbs reminiscent of whale fins, 

 with fi\-e toes and no claws. A somewhat related 

 famil)- comprises the fish-like Ichthyosauria which 

 among the reptiles of their age occupied a similar 

 position to the whales among present-da}- mammals. 

 Their neck was short and stumpy, their snout 

 remarkably large, the tail lengthy and vigorous, and 

 the limbs as short as whale fins. Such an Ichthyo- 

 saiinis is seen (see Figure 5), in the lake to emerge 

 from the water with the swift and elegant motion of 

 a first-class swimmer, allowing the head, the front 

 half of the back and the rear fin to be seen. 



Like these whale-shaped reptiles, the fossil flving 

 lizards or Pterosauria have left no representative 

 among the reptiles of our day. In fact, the onlv 



analogy in our present-day fauna could be found w ith ' ^^ 



the bat family of the mammal class. However, 

 while the flying membrane of bats extends between 

 the second, third, fourth and fifth fingers and the 

 body, that of the Pterosauria reached from the 

 strikingly developed last (fourth) finger to the body. 

 The first three fingers were short and fitted \\ith 

 claws. A number of these strange beasts are seen in 

 the Stellingen Park, squatted at the water's edge, 

 crawling on the rocky shore, or resting on its stone 



' ciosiiiiriis 



slabs. These bird-lizards comprise a few /l 



found some fossil animals belonging to other classes. 

 Quite a number of primitive birds (Archaeopteryx) 

 (see Figure 8), which are still closeh' related to the 



