92 ANIMALS OF THE PAST 



mud and laden with sand, overflowed its banks, leav- 

 ing them, as the waters subsided, covered thickly with 

 mud. Here, amidst the luxuriant vegetation of a semi- 

 tropical climate, lived and died the Iguanodons, and 

 here the pick of the miner rescued them from their long 

 entombment to form part of the treasures of the mu- 

 seum at Brussels. 



Like other reptiles, living and extinct, Trachodon 

 was continually renewing his teeth, so that as fast as 

 one tooth was worn out it was replaced by another, a 

 point wherein Trachodon had a decided advantage over 

 ourselves. On the other hand, as there was a reserve 

 supply of something like 400 teeth in the lower jaw 

 alone, what an opportunity for the toothache! 



And then we have a multitude of lesser Dinosaurs, 

 including the active, predatory species with sharp claws 

 and double-edged teeth. Megalosaurus, the first of the 

 Dinosaurs to be really known, was one of these carnivor- 

 ous species, and from our West comes a near relative, 

 Ceratosaurus, the nose-horned lizard, a queer beast with 

 tiny fore legs, powerful, sharp-clawed hind feet, and 

 well-armed jaws. A most formidable foe he seems, the 

 more that the hollow bones speak of active movements, 

 and Professor Cope pictured him or a near relative, 

 vigorously engaged in combat with his fellows, or prey- 

 ing upon the huge but helpless herbivores of the marshes, 

 leaping, biting, and tearing his enemy to pieces with 

 tooth and claw. 



Professor Osborn, on the other hand, is inclined to 

 consider him as a reptilian hyena, feeding upon carrion, 

 although one can but feel^ that such an armament is not 

 entirely in the interests of peace. 



Last, but no means least, are the Stegosaurs, or plated 

 lizards, for not only were they beasts of goodly size, 

 but they were among the most singular of all known 



