DINOSAURS. 77 



The portion of a lower jaw in the Oxford Museum is twelve 

 inches long, with a row of nine teeth, or sockets for teeth. The 

 structure of the teeth leaves no doubt as to the carnivorous habits 

 of the creature. With a length of perhaps thirty feet, capable of 

 free and rapid movement on land, with strong hind limbs, short 

 head, with long pointed teeth, and formidable claws to its feet, 

 the Megalosaur must have been without a rival among the car- 

 nivorous reptiles on this side of the world. It probably walked 

 for the most part on its hind legs, as depicted in our illustration, 

 and Professors Huxley and Owen, on examining the bones in 

 the Oxford Museum, were much impressed with the bird-like 

 character of some parts of the skeleton, showing an approach to 

 the ostrich type. The form of the teeth, as pointed out by Dr. 



FIG. 12. Lower jaw-bone of Megalosaurus, with teeth. 



Buckland, exhibits a remarkable combination of contrivances. 

 When young and first protruding above the gum, the apex of the 

 tooth presented a double cutting edge of serrated enamel ; but as 

 it advanced in growth its direction was turned backwards in the 

 form of a pruning knife, and the enamelled sawing edge was con- 

 tinued downwards to the base of the inner and cutting side, but 

 became thicker on the other side, obtaining additional strength 

 when it was no longer needed as a cutting instrument (Fig. 12). 



The genus Megalosaurus now rendered classic through the 

 labours of Professors Buckland, Phillips, and Owen may be 

 regarded as the type of the carnivorous Dinosaurs ; and it affords 

 an excellent and instructive instance of the gradual restoration of 

 the skeleton of a new monster from more or less fragmentary 

 retnains. Certain very excusable errors were at first made in the 



