217 



them equal, if not superior, to anything: before found in Europe or 

 America. Professor Cope, in the work above quoted, has made a list 

 of all the genera and species now known in the Cretaceous, which shows 

 fifty-one hitherto described, of which Europe furnishes but four, and 

 Kanrsas twenty-six. To this number must be added six or eight which 

 have been discovered by our party within two years, which are now in 

 possession of Professor Marsh, who will soon publish a technical de- 

 scription of them. 



New Jersey comes next, furnishing fifteen species. Although this 

 formation extends quite widely into Nebraska, but few vertebrates have 

 been found within that State. They have been collected most abun- 

 dantly in the Saline and Smoky Hill Valleys, and nearly all from the 

 Mobrara proper, above the massive limestone of the Fort Hays division. 

 It must be recollected that this deposit is never over 200 feet in thick- 

 ness. 



The Saurians are of all sizes. One from Jewell County was about 70 

 feet long, while two species were only 6 feet. Most frequently they 

 were from 25 to 40. 



The specimens are frequently represented by a few bones washed out 

 and lying exposed. But the best are obtained by finding a projecting 

 fragment, and then following the skeleton into the compact shale or 

 chalk. This sometimes requires much hard labor, but is the most 

 satisfactory, as the fossils are, in such cases, in a better state of preser- 

 vation. A single specimen has cost us as much as six days' labor. As 

 the bones were sometimes friable, sketches of the best specimens were 

 made before removal. The fossilizing material is lime combined with a 

 little silica. 



Coprolites of fish and Saurians are frequently found, containing the 

 remains of the food of the animal. Small fish appeared to be the most 

 common food ; but in one instance a rare crustacean was found preserved 

 in this way. The coprolites are not so hard as those of Europe, being 

 little firmer than chalk, and finer-grained. 



The following analysis of a Saurian coprolite from Wallace County is 

 by George E. Patrick, professor of chemistry in the University of Kansas : 



Moisture 1.22 



Organic matter 42 



Oxide of iron and alumina 29. 99 



Lime 24. 31 



Alkalies, small amount, undetermined. 



Silica (combined) 19 



Phosphoric acid 34.88 



Carbonic acid 7. 05 



Sulphuric acid 1.92 



99.98 



In some cases, the undigested organic matter (bones) was one-fourth 

 of the whole weight. 



From this deposit. Professor Marsh has described three species of Ptero- 

 dactyls, new to science, and Professor Cope one. But as the specimens 

 were not perfect, and two are quite similar, it may be concluded that 

 they are identical. One of a new genus was recently found by me, and 

 is in the hands of Professor Marsh. Those from Kansas vary from the 

 European species in their great size, the largest foreign being but little 

 over 10 feet in extent of wing, while the smallest of those from the Nio- 

 brara is 15 feet and the largest are fully 25 feet. Fragments of the 

 bones are frequent, but usually in poor preservation, in strong con- 

 trast, in this respect, with the other vertebrate remains. The long 

 bones, being very hollow, were compressed- to the thickness of one- 

 tenth of an inch, and exceedingly friable. The articulations, being 



