﻿wuDGE,] 
  CRETACEOUS 
  SYSTEM 
  NIOBRARA. 
  287 
  

  

  Sharks' 
  teeth 
  were 
  sometimes 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  food, 
  showing 
  

   the 
  taste 
  of 
  the 
  Saurians 
  and 
  their 
  high 
  carnivorous 
  natures. 
  On 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  we 
  frequently 
  found 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  sharks 
  returned 
  the 
  

   compliment, 
  for 
  bones 
  of 
  Saurians 
  were 
  found 
  with 
  the 
  marlis 
  of 
  the 
  

   sharp, 
  serrate 
  teeth 
  of 
  Galeocerdo, 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  un- 
  

   less 
  the 
  bones 
  w^ere 
  still 
  fresh 
  and 
  nnhardened. 
  That 
  such 
  huge 
  rep- 
  

   tiles 
  must 
  have 
  had 
  iierce 
  contests 
  with 
  each 
  other 
  is 
  also 
  apparent. 
  

   The 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  teeth 
  would 
  indicate 
  this. 
  Bat 
  in 
  addition 
  it 
  

   was 
  no 
  uncommon 
  thing 
  to 
  find 
  Saurian 
  ribs 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  broken 
  

   and 
  again 
  united 
  while 
  the 
  animal 
  lived. 
  In 
  one 
  case 
  a 
  more 
  serious 
  

   injury 
  occurred. 
  In 
  a 
  fine 
  specimen, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  perfect 
  collected 
  

   by 
  us, 
  we 
  discovered 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  had 
  received 
  a 
  very 
  serious 
  injury 
  

   to 
  his 
  back, 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  outlived. 
  Five 
  of 
  the 
  vertebrae 
  had 
  been 
  

   fractured 
  so 
  seriously 
  as 
  to 
  lose 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  spinous 
  processes, 
  after 
  

   which 
  it 
  had 
  healed, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  had 
  grown 
  together 
  (anchylosed) 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  lose 
  the-natural 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  separate 
  bones 
  and 
  become 
  a 
  confused, 
  

   firm 
  mass. 
  The 
  enemy 
  that 
  could 
  have 
  thus 
  injured 
  a 
  monster 
  35 
  or 
  

   40 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  whose 
  jaws 
  of 
  defense 
  were 
  33 
  inches 
  long, 
  must 
  

   have 
  made 
  a 
  fierce 
  contest. 
  When 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  largest 
  {Brimo- 
  

   smirtis, 
  Leidy) 
  was 
  70 
  feet 
  long, 
  with 
  a 
  head 
  6 
  feet, 
  those 
  of 
  half 
  that 
  

   size 
  should 
  avoid 
  an 
  encounter, 
  and 
  those 
  only 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  might 
  

   have 
  been 
  swallowed 
  whole. 
  

  

  The 
  Niobrara 
  of 
  Kansas 
  also 
  affords 
  the 
  only 
  Pterodactyls 
  yet 
  known 
  

   in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  and, 
  we 
  believe, 
  in 
  America. 
  They 
  differ 
  widely 
  

   from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  World 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  teeth 
  and 
  general 
  structure 
  

   of 
  the 
  head 
  ; 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  elongated 
  and 
  beak-like. 
  On 
  the 
  

   great 
  divergence 
  from 
  the 
  European 
  type, 
  Professor 
  Marsh* 
  has 
  based 
  

   a 
  new 
  sub-order 
  Pterodontia 
  of 
  two 
  genera, 
  and 
  described 
  six 
  species, 
  

   viz 
  : 
  Pteranodon 
  ingens, 
  P. 
  occidentalism 
  P. 
  velox, 
  P. 
  longiceps, 
  P. 
  comp- 
  

   tus, 
  and 
  Nyctosaurits 
  gracilis. 
  Oopet 
  has 
  also 
  described 
  two 
  species, 
  

   OrnithocMrus 
  umbrosus 
  and 
  0. 
  liarpia. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   species 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  authorities 
  may 
  be 
  identical. 
  They 
  average 
  much 
  

   larger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  Europe, 
  several 
  species 
  being 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  25 
  feet 
  in 
  

   extent 
  of 
  wing. 
  Fragments 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  are 
  frequent, 
  but 
  usually 
  in 
  

   poor 
  preservation, 
  in 
  strong 
  contrast 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  A^er- 
  

   tebrate 
  remains. 
  The 
  long 
  bones, 
  being 
  very 
  hollow, 
  were 
  compressed 
  

   to 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  an 
  inch, 
  and 
  exceedingly 
  friable. 
  The 
  

   articulations, 
  being 
  thicker, 
  are 
  firm 
  and 
  better 
  preserved. 
  The 
  bones 
  

   of 
  the 
  head 
  were 
  more 
  rare. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  (of 
  P. 
  ingens), 
  I 
  uncovered 
  

   a 
  hand, 
  with 
  the 
  four 
  long 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  wing-finger, 
  as 
  they 
  lay 
  in 
  place, 
  

   and 
  found 
  them 
  measuring 
  respectively 
  24J 
  inches, 
  20f 
  inches, 
  14J 
  

   inches, 
  and 
  9 
  inches 
  ; 
  or 
  5 
  feet 
  8| 
  inches 
  in 
  total 
  length. 
  The 
  width 
  of 
  

   the 
  first, 
  as 
  it 
  lay 
  compressed 
  to 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  an 
  inch, 
  was 
  about 
  2 
  inches. 
  

   My 
  note-book 
  shows 
  seventy 
  -two 
  individual 
  specimens 
  seen 
  in 
  1875 
  ; 
  

   but 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  coiild 
  be 
  saved, 
  much 
  as 
  we 
  valued 
  this 
  rare 
  

   fossil. 
  In 
  some 
  instances, 
  on 
  opening 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  chalk, 
  the 
  outline 
  could 
  

   be 
  distinctly 
  seen, 
  but 
  the 
  bone 
  crumbled 
  to 
  dust. 
  In 
  1876 
  we 
  were 
  

   more 
  successful, 
  and 
  the 
  museum 
  of 
  Yale 
  College 
  has 
  a 
  collection 
  ex- 
  

   ceedingly 
  rich, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  smaller 
  and 
  frail 
  bones, 
  not 
  well 
  rep- 
  

   resented 
  in 
  the 
  European 
  species. 
  

  

  In 
  Dr. 
  Coues's 
  Key 
  to 
  North 
  American 
  Birds, 
  published 
  in 
  1873, 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Marsh 
  has 
  given 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  fossil 
  birds 
  from 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  of 
  

   North 
  America, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  thirteen 
  species 
  were 
  known, 
  all 
  first 
  de- 
  

  

  *Araerican 
  Journal 
  of 
  Science, 
  iii,p. 
  360, 
  June, 
  1871 
  ; 
  si, 
  p. 
  507, 
  June, 
  1876; 
  and 
  xiL 
  

   p. 
  479, 
  December, 
  1876. 
  

   t 
  Trans. 
  Amer. 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  March 
  1, 
  1B7-2. 
  

  

  