40 MIGHTY ANIMALS 



No human being had yet lived upon the earth when 

 this lake disappeared and the rock which had formed 

 beneath its waters became dry land. Many thou- 

 sands of years were yet to pass before man appeared. 

 And during those years great crevices opened in the 

 rock because the earth was continually stretching 

 and contracting, and deep canons were cut out by 

 the waters. In other places huge masses of rock 

 were tumbled together in confused heaps. These 

 changes continued until even that deep portion of 

 the stone where the Dinosaur was entombed was 

 exposed to view. 



After the wind and rain and sand had beat against 

 this rock for many centuries, the surface began to 

 wear away ; and, after another period of time which 

 no man can rightly estimate, some of the Dinosaur's 

 bones became visible. But there was no danger of 

 their falling from out the rock, even if it broke into 

 fragments ; for they were a part of the stone, only a 

 little different from it in color and texture. 



In many of the rocks surrounding the tomb of the 

 Dinosaur were the twigs and leaves and the bones of 

 the other animals which had fallen into that ancient 



