21 
ign tliat races of birds also once existed on our earth, commensurate in their 
eiijji proportions with its other inhabitants. The length of some of the foot- 
ik marks perpetuated on the rock is 15 to 18 inches—the stride four to six 
scil* feet; giving a biped probably 18 feet high. 
ki Whatever difference of opinion may exist on the doctrine of successive 
tasl development of organized beings, in respect of the perfection of their 
mol structure, it would appear that, in point of size, we lose ground, at least 
it ini on the land. 
1M(( j Passing by man himself, and the traditions and evidences of the human race 
i tt | t having formerly furnished more gigantic specimens than at present, it is 
I certain, if we take history as we find it, that the lower animals, especially 
some of the reptiles, attained double the dimensions they now do. The 
im,n 
iai|i American boas grow to 20 and 25 feet—the pythons of the old continent, 
some ten feet longer; but Livy speaks of a huge serpentiform monster 
1 
.' important, not only to the present inquiry, but to science generally, no apology is 
offered for adding here the other instance alluded to:— 
other: 
“In October, 1838,” says Mr. Koch, “I disinterred the remains of ah animal which 
■ had clawed feet, and was of the size of an elephant. This deposit was in Gasconnade 
.J. county, Missouri, on the shores of Burbois river. The principal part of this animal 
.2 had been consumed by fire, which fire evidently had not been produced by volcanic 
eruption, but had been formed and kindled mechanically by human hands, as it 
,!engtlil appeared, for the purpose of destroying the above-mentioned animal, which had been 
,1 mired here and was unable to extricate itself.. 
M Nine feet beneath the surface, I found a layer of ashes from six to twelve inches in 
\ thickness, mingled with charcoal, large pieces of wood partly burned, together with 
5 Indian implements of war, as stone arrow-heads, tomahawks, &c.; also more than 150 
;e ofto pieces of rock, varying from three to twenty-five pounds weight, which must have been 
^ jig carried here from the rocky shores of the Burbois river, a distance of 300 yards— 
these had been thrown evidently with the intention of striking the animal. I found 
jfonjjii the fore and hind feet standing in a perpendicular position, and likewise the full 
jj^l length of the leg below the layer of ashes, so deep in the mud and water that the fire 
, had no effect upon them.A few of the teeth appear to have been 
j juJl broken out by the force of the rocks thrown at the head of the animal, and were carried 
j!^ some little distance, so that they escaped in a measure the violence of the fire, and 
0 id» h ave the appearance of those of a carnivorous animal.”— Koch's Description of the 
^ Missourium Therist. 
anl# 
>tOl) ^ 
# 9 ^ 
From recent inquiry we are enabled to state that Mr. Koch’s skeleton of the Mis¬ 
sourium Theristo-caulodon, on being submitted to the scientific examination of 
Professor Owen, was found to be made up from the remains of two or three mega- 
theria. Skilfully re-arranged, it now stands in the British Museum—still, perhaps, 
the largest representative of the osseous structure of these stupendous organisms—the 
length of the skeleton, even now, being twenty feet. The tusks are restored to their 
usual position in the skull of the mastodon. One or two interesting papers have been 
read on these remains, at the meetings of the Geological Society; but whether the 
evidence given by Mr. Koch, of the contemporaneity of the living megatherium with 
man was then explained away, the author has not ascertained. 
