THE REPTILE MONARCHIES. 249 



four inches long. At times it drops on four feet to seize a 

 dainty morsel of a crab, and leaves, for a space, the foot-prints 

 of a quadruped. But the forward feet are comparatively di- 

 minutive in size. In the distance, Oto-zo'-um paces along the 

 beach another bipedal Deinosaur, but with four toes behind. 

 With foot twenty inches in length, he has a stride of three 

 feet, in a leisurely gait. Otozo'um is partaking of his meal. 

 Now and then he picks up a stranded fish. Among these 

 gigantic figures more humble Deinosaurs are seen mingling. 

 One of these leaves a foot-print but three inches; and we 

 notice one wee pet of a reptile which makes a track but a 

 quarter of an inch in length. They are all engaged in re- 

 freshing themselves. This is the regular symposium of the 

 reptiles. 



Let us wait here for the tide to come in. It is coming ; 

 and announces itself by its roar. The tide of the open sea is 

 here augmented by the limits of the narrowing bay, and it 

 swells into a terror-striking "bore." The Deinosaurs and 

 Labyrinthodons hear the sound, raise higher their heads in 

 listening attitudes, and scurry away to their retreats. The 

 tide lingers awhile, dallying with the sands, and making love 

 to the shore. Now, at the appointed time, it presses a dewy 

 parting kiss upon the beach which it fondled for an hour, and 

 retires. Where now, are the foot-prints of those gigantic sau- 

 rians? Has the dallying tide erased them? No. It has 

 covered them with a soft film of fine sand. They are not de- 

 stroyed ; they are preserved. The table is spread again with 

 squirming viands, and the saurians recognize another call to 

 refreshments. Again they range along the sand, and impress 

 their tracks in the soft surface. Unconsciously, these crea- 

 tures are inscribing their autographs on the pages of the 

 world's history. The tide returns and spreads its conservative 

 sands again over the well-inscribed beaches. And so the tide 

 rolls in and out, and the saurians write their daily chapters of 

 history. By and by the tides will cease ; this bay will be up- 

 lifted beyond their reach ; these sands will become a solid 

 brown sandstone ; quarrymen will ply their avocation along 



