18 



being greater than was supposed possible, ; n an animal that 

 lived and moved upon the land. It was some fifty or sixty 

 feet in length, and, when erect, at least thirty feet in height. 

 It doubtless fed upon the foliage of the mountain forests, 

 portions of which are preserved with its remains. With Titan- 

 osaurus, the bones of smaller Dinosaurs, one (Nanosaurus) not 

 larger than a Cat, as well as those of Crocodiles and Turtles, 

 are not uncommon. The recent discovery of these interesting 

 remains, many and various, in strata that had long been pro- 

 nounced by professional explorers barren of vertebrate fossils, 

 should teach caution to those who decline to accept the imper- 

 fection of our knowledge to-day as a fair plea for the supposed 

 absence of intermediate forms. 



In the marine Cretaceous beds of the West, only a single 

 Dinosaur {Hadrosaurus agilis), has been found, but in the higher 

 fresh-water beds, which mark the close of this formation, their 

 remains are numerous, and indicate several well marked species, 

 if not genera. In the marine beds on the Atlantic Coast, the 

 bones of Dinosaurs are frequently met with, and in the Upper 

 Cretaceous Greensand of New Jersey, the type specimens of 

 Hadrosaurus and Dryptosaurus were found. In Cretaceous 

 fresh-water deposits on the coast of Brazil, remains of this order 

 occur, but the specimens hitherto discovered are not sufficiently 

 characteristic for accurate determination. This is unfortunately 

 true of many Dinosanriau fossils from North America, but the 

 great number of these Reptiles which lived here during the 

 Cretaceous Period promises many future discoveries, and sub- 

 stantial additions to our present knowledge of the group. 



The first appearance of Birds in America, according to our 

 present knowledge, was during the Cretaceous Period, although 

 many announcements have been made of their existence in 

 preceding epochs. The evidence of their presence in the Trias, 

 based on footprints and other impressions, is, at present, as we 

 have seeD, without value ; although we may confidently await 

 their discovery there, if not in older formations. Archaopteryx, 

 from the European Jura, the oldest bird known, and now 



