132 
The Naturalists’ Companion. 
internal bone of an animal which much 
resembled our modern cuttle-fish. 
But the gigantic reptiles which lived 
during this period are the most conspic¬ 
uous fossils. 
The ICHTHYOSAUR (fish-lizard) had a 
short neck, a long and large head, like 
that of a lizard, very large eyes, fish-like 
vertebra, and a trunk and tail like that 
of a quadruped. 
The PLESIOSAUR had the head of a 
lizard, the teeth of a crocodile, the 
neck of a swan, the trunk and tail of a 
quadruped, the ribs of a chamelon, a 
vertebra as long as broad, and paddles 
like those of a whale. 
The PTERODACTYLE (wiiiged figure) 
was a flying reptile. It was much like 
a bat, but had hollow bones, like those 
of birds. 
The DINOSAURS (terrible lizards) were 
land reptiles. They giew to the length 
of 25 or 30 feet. 
The LABYRiNTHODON was much like a 
frog, but of the size of an ox. 
The RAMPHORHYNCUS is a curious rep¬ 
tile. It resembles a bird in various ways. 
In the Connecticut Valley beds,many 
foot-prints of birds and reptiles are 
found. Some are of great size. 
CRETACEOUS PERIOD. 
This formation extends along the At¬ 
lantic coast from New York to South 
Carolina, and along the Gulf of Mexico 
to Texas, and from there northward to 
the Rocky Mountains, and westward to 
the Sierra Nevada. 
The chalk-cliffs of Dover are of this 
formation. 
Palms appeared during this period. 
Reptiles are still plentiful. 
The ciMOLiASAUR and elasmosaur 
were large sea-serpents, often forty feet 
in length. 
The MOSASAUR was a large whale-like 
animal, from 15 to 75 feet m length. 
Crocodiles were now very abundant. 
Large turtles have been found. One 
from Kansas was fifteen feet in breadth. 
TAXIDERMY. 
A serial 011 prrpanng and preserving animals, birds, 
reptiles, insects, etc , etc. 
LOBSTERS AND CRABS. 
Lobsters and crabs are easily pre¬ 
served. although in some species it is 
quite difficult to preserve their color. 
Separate the body at the joint nearest 
the head, and remove all fleshy matter 
the separated parts ma}’ contain. The 
flesh can be removed from the claws 
by making a small round hole on the 
under side with an egg drill and ex- 
tracting the contents with a hooked 
wire. All fleshy matter, including the 
eyes, being removed, the shell should 
be thoroughly washed in cold water 
and arsenic applied to the interior. 
The two separated parts are now ce¬ 
mented together, and after being prop¬ 
erly mounted it is placed in a cool dry 
room, out of the sun’s rays. 
-o- 
The following is a good recipe for 
making a cement well adapted for the 
use of the naturalist in attaching dif¬ 
ferent objects, especially shells, to 
pasteboard, and for mending broken 
specftnens. 
Fine Whitening,.2 oz. 
Gum-Arabic,.2 oz. 
Finest Flour,. ^ oz. 
Ox-Gall, a tea-spoonful. 
The whole to be disolved, and mixed 
well with water into a thick paste. 
We w’ould like very much to have 
our taxidermy friends contribute to 
this department. 
